Figure for a Sacred Flute

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Culture Biwat

Title Figure for a Sacred Flute (Wusear)

Date 1900–1920

Medium Wood, shells, boar tusks, human hair, cassowary feathers, fiber, and and pigment

Dimensions Object (height of figure): 13 3/4 × 10 1/4 × 6 1/4 in. (34.9 × 26 × 15.9 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 21 7/8 × 10 1/4 × 6 5/8 in. (55.6 × 26 × 16.8 cm)

Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 75.53

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About this Work

Carved to be placed in the end of a sacred flute, this figure is characteristic of Biwat figural style, which depicts idealized aspects of the male form. The added ornamentation—the tusk through the septum, the shell and fiber earrings, the feathers on the head, and the face painting—is realistic, showing how traditionally a man might decorate himself. That these elements, as well as the human hair attached to the head, chin, and genital area, have survived is notable: added materials on many other figures are missing.

Provenance
More Details

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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"Figure for a Sacred Flute | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=75.53