Spirit Board

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Origin Wapo Creek

Title Spirit Board (Gope)

Date 20th century

Medium Wood and pigment

Dimensions Object: 50 × 19 1/4 × 4 in. (127 × 48.9 × 10.2 cm)
Overall: 50 x 19 1/4 x 4 in. (127 x 48.9 x 10.2 cm)

Credit Line Gift of Evelyn A.J. Hall and John A. Friede, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 83.52.3

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About this Work

Gope boards, depicting ancestral spirits, emphasize outline and color contrasts. While these spirit boards were owned by individuals they were kept in men’s ceremonial houses. The purpose of these boards was to be the dwelling place of the spirit that it depicts. These spirits were associated with a specific natural feature and linked with the clan of the owner.

There are a number of different styles, but all spirit boards depict a face as well as a series of abstract patterns that are interpreted as bodies. The colors most commonly used include white, red, and black.

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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"Spirit Board | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=83.52.3