"There is little specific information that can be given about the use of this unique, elongated, and minimal carving of a male figure. It is said to be from the delta area of the Bamu or Fly rivers. ... Throughout this area, an important ceremonial cycle called Moguru was enacted once a year. It involved the preparation of boys and girls for adult life. A sexual orgy to ensure the fertility of both the initiates and the sago palm took place, mock marriages were held, and a wild boar was sacrificed and eaten. Among the objects used in this ritual were protective figures. It is reasonable to assume that this figure was made for display during the Mogru ceremony." (Wardwell 1994:98)

Provenance:
Wayne Heathcote
Sotheby's New York, May 17, 2002: lot 333
Masco Collection, Detroit
Bruce Seaman, Bora-Bora
Wayne Heathcote

Publishing History:
Allen Wardwell. Island Ancestors. Oceanic Art from the Masco Collection. Detroit. University of Washington Press in association with the Detroit Institute of Arts, 1994: 98-99 fig.34.

Exhibition History:
North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, 1994
Detroit Museum of Art, Michigan, 1995
Honolulu Academy of Art, Hawai'i, 1995
Kimbell Museum of Art, Fort Worth, Texas, 1994