Gallery Label
This two-dimensional agiba figure of the Kerewa People was carved with a slightly smiling human face, prominent pointed shoulders, long arms, and upright hooked legs. The features on the body are in slight relief on the silhouette and have geometric design motifs. The agiba were carved by successful headhunters and used to hang the skulls of victims (from the figures’ arms and legs) and displayed in ceremonial houses. Head-hunting was an active ritual procedure in the Gulf area of Papua New Guinea.

The displayed skulls represent a mix of enemies and ancestors, all of whom were venerated; they were repainted for ritual power each time a new skull was added. The agiba were hung against the wall from a post: a larger, male version hung in the clan house, and a smaller, female version was placed in another area of the house. The skulls were tied at one end of with fiber cord, with the other end used to hang the skulls from the sharper points and protrusions of the agiba. A shelf often was added below the hanging agiba to provide space for additional skulls. Each agiba could hold up to sixty or more skulls; some could display hundreds, especially when combined with other agiba.

Each clan had at least one agiba; the more successful headhunters had many more. The carving work done by the Kerewa People for their agiba is known as some of the finest and most detailed design and figure work in the southern coast Gulf region, and could be one of multiple ways of representing and honoring ancestors.