Nieuw Guinea, Abelam, Yams decoration
For the Abelam, mythical ancestors and the
Yams-cult, are very important in their daily life. They use plaited masks and other more stylized objects like this one to decorate the yams. When the yams are decorated they are presented in the men’s house. After this presentation, the yams will be exchanged with other villages. The person who has grown the yam doesn’t want to eat its own crop because it would resemble eating his own child.
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