New Guinea Neck Rest
This article looks at the various different types of Papua New Guinea Neck Rest. It has lots of images to help readers identify where a New Guinea Neck Rest comes from and what it is worth. Some New Guinea Neck Rest are quite beautiful in their own right and are a collectible form of tribal art.
I buy tribal Neck Rest from the South Pacific Islands so if you have one to sell I would love to see it. If you want to know what your New Guinea Neck Rest is worth please feel free to send me a Jpeg. I will give you my opinion
Tribal Neck Rest general information
Neck Rest have been around since before the time of the Pharos and are on almost all continents across the globe. Neck Rests are from Africa the Middle East, Ancient China and right through the Pacific islands. It is not possible to cover all tribal Neck Rest from all cultures or even the variations within a single culture. This article aims to give the reader some idea of the scope of Neck Rests found in the Pacific.
Tribal Neck Rests vary widely in their function as well as design. Some were to keep elaborate and ochred hair does in pristine condition. Other were to protect the Mana or life energy. Some were skulls used to communicate with ancestors while dreaming and others covered in protective totems.
New Guinea Neck Rest by Area
New Guinea Neck Rest Korwar
Korwar Neck Rest come from Western New Guinea or Irian Jaya. They often have figures at both end and floral designs in the middle.
The figures at the ends have a distinctive arrow-shaped nose.
Tribal Neck Rest Sepik River
Neck Rest from the Sepik are often made up a wooden body and cane legs. They tend to be elaborately carved with mask-like faces. Some headrests from this area are from a single block of wood but are still elaborately carved.
The majority of Neck Rest from New Guinea come from the Sepik.
New Guinea Neck Rest Huon Gulf
Neck Rest from the Huon Gulf also tend to have figures. The figures tend to be Cubistic.
Most have two figures at either end but some have a single powerful central figure.
Markham Valley Neck Rest
These Neck Rests are very rare and come from Papua New Guinea near Lae. Most often they are made from a natural piece of timber forming the headrest with a face on one end.
They are the most sort after and collectible Neck Rest from Papua New Guinea.
Collingwood Bay Neck Rest
Neck Rest from Collingwood Bay have the central portion carved with chevron patterns. They are very distinctive
Papuan Gulf Neck Rest
Neck Rests from the Papuan Gulf are rare. They are often anthropomorphic and very collectible.
PNG Highlands Neck Rests
Tribal Neck Rest from the Highlands of Papua New Guinea tend to be minimally carved and functional.
Those with unusual shapes or intrinsic beauty are more collectable
Massim Neck Rests
Neck Rest from the Massim people of Milne Bay are Extremely Rare and Highly collectible.
New Guinea Neck Rest
I hope you can appreciate the vast variety of New Guinea Neck Rest. As Art, they can be extremely expressive and come in a vast variety of sizes forms and shapes. There are many more varieties of Headrest than can be shown in any one article. if you want to know more about headrests I can recommend reading Oceanic Headrests by Meyer.
Other Articles in this series includes Tribal Bowls and New Guinea Shields.
All images in this article are for educational purposes only.
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More images of New Guinea Headrests
