Hunting Horn

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Culture Asmat

Title Hunting Horn (Fu)

Date Ca. 1940

Medium Bamboo

Dimensions Object: 21 1/4 × 3 1/4 × 3 1/4 in. (54 × 8.3 × 8.3 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 23 7/16 × 4 1/2 × 4 9/16 in. (59.5 × 11.4 × 11.6 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 63.66

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About this Work

Asmat hunting horns, known as fu, were made from bamboo and used mainly for signaling, particularly during warfare. In addition, it was believed that when sounded during battle, the sounds of the fu would not only frighten the enemy but also prevent them from moving. Hunting horns would also be played when returning to the village from a successful raid, announcing both return and victory.

The form of these horns, with a ‘pair of legs’ at the base and torso-like body, has been interpreted as a headless figure, a reference to headhunting, a historically significant practice among the Asmat peoples.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Hunting Horn | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=63.66