Gope (spirit board)
About This Item
Papua New Guineans believe the faces carved into gope hold the spirits of their ancestors, who protect them from harm. You can find gope on the celings of men's houses, or displayed in the rooms of young boys to help them grow strong.
- Date
- 20th Century
- Geography
- Toaripi people, Goaribai Island, Gulf region, Papua New Guinea
- Medium
- salvaged canoe wood
- pigment
- Context
The Oceania collection at the Global Museum—the largest collection in the museum’s holdings—primarily consists of objects from the late 1970s and 1980s in the newly formed Independent State of Papua New Guinea. Among Papua New Guinean communities, objects serve to educate young people about their families and heritage, to celebrate cycles of life and death, to protect those who travel the waterways and forests, and to create a sense of identity and purpose within the community.
- Height
- 57.5 in
- Width
- 9 in
- Depth
- 0.75 in
- Copyright
- Copyright status unknown. Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing, and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
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