Bullroarers are small, flat, decorative carvings with abstract and complex designs. They are one of the traditional art forms of the Gulf area. Spun in the air, their sound is said to be the voice of spirits. In certain areas, bullroarers were kept inside large, basketry animal-like forms called kaiamunu.

Provenance:
Alex Philips, Melbourne, 2003

Publishing History:
Robert Welsch, Virginia-Lee Webb, Sebastian Haraha. Coaxing the Spirits to Dance: Art and Society in the Papuan Gulf. New Hampshire, Hood Museum of Art, 2006:31 (Fig.51.

Exhibition History:
Robert Welsch, Virginia-Lee Webb, Sebastian Haraha. Coaxing the Spirits to Dance: Art and Society in the Papuan Gulf. Hood Museum of Art. New Hampshire, April 1-September 17, 2006