Ceremonial figures
Female Figure, Bougainville Island, reregistered by the Australian Museum in 1968. Height 81cm, width 18cm, diameter 20cm. It is likely to have been separated from an accompanying figure. Photo: C Bento.
Carved wooden figures play a significant role in several ceremonies on Buka and Bougainville. Heralding the Tamata (man/husband) or Kao (woman/wife) for whom the ceremony occurs, the clan carries aloft the sculpted figurines in a processional singsing, protected by clan warriors.
Each ceremony involves specific dances and ancient musical accompaniment such as Sole and Sane for marriage, Kuma for initiation and general festivity, Tsigul for a chief's return or triumph, Hahur for death and burial. The more recent, universal "Solomons style" singsing involve cultural displays and competitions where figurines replace the western notion of a prize cup or shield.
Moses had the pleasure of presenting such figurative sculptures (especially Rorovana figures from Central Bougainville) to winning sports teams, choir competition winners and cultural displays during the days of North Solomons Provincial Government (1976-1998). In previous times the figures would be destroyed at the conclusion of the ceremony and very few exist today.
Marilyn Taleo Havini
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2003
