Kulap

Information about the language not available
Information about the language not available

Human figure (female), carved from soft chalk limestone, painted red in places.

Human figure (female), carved from soft chalk limestone, painted red in places.After the death of a significant figure, kulap figures native to New Ireland were carved from chalk limestone and kept in a building especially designated for the deceased. Their function here was to act as a vessel for the soul of the deceased. It was held captive within the figure so that it could not harm the living. At the end of the funerary ceremonies, the figures were destroyed, so that the soul could finally depart the world of the living.

Data Provider
Museen Freiburg Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Object type
figures (representations)
Dimensions
Height: 260.0 mm
Width: 80.0 mm
Depth: 75.0 mm
Material/Technique
Limestone
Current location
Museum Natur und Mensch
Inventory number
II/0372

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    when
    around 1900
  • Change of physical control or legal title
    where
    New Ireland (formerly New Mecklenburg) (location/origin)
    Melanesia (location/origin)
    Papua New Guinea (location/origin)
    Bismarck Archipelago (location/origin)
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    Oceania

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC0 1.0 DEED
This content was machine-translated
Version: 2.5 / 7.5