Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Acquired in the 1970s, this figure was designated “Do Not Display,” as it was felt (based upon condition, coloring, and material) to have been created for sale rather than local use. Figures such as this were made for a single use as part of a male initiation ceremony, after which the figure was left to decompose. Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, however, the Ambrymese people began selling their figures once the ceremony was completed. So was this figure made for sale or sold after its purpose had been fulfilled? Through consultation with experts in the art of Vanuatu, it was determined that this figure is not a fake and was almost certainly used in an initiation ceremony. While the coloring is not typical, it is a variant found in the northwest part of the island, where figures of this size (which is slightly smaller than average) were also seen during the late twentieth century. Likewise, consultation with an expert who had done field research in the area told us that the lack of a mud and ash underpainting, which had initially caused concerns about the figure’s authenticity, indicates that it was used as a secondary figure in the initiation ceremony.