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Canoe splash-board and prow ornament
Papua New Guinea, Trobriand Islands
Collected by Bronislaw Malinowski, 1914–20, purchased from his widow, 1965.
11–39240, 39737
Sea-going canoes are central to the kula trading system of the Trobriand Islands. A finely decorated vessel enhanced the prestige of the members of a trading expedition and of their village. Made by a canoe builder or expert carver, these pieces show the characteristic Trobriand decorative style.
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