Malanggan: Arts, Memory and Sacrifice

Author(s)
Küchler, Susanne
Title
Malanggan: Arts, Memory and Sacrifice
Publication Type
Book
Language
eng
Location
Papua New Guinea
Keywords
Kara malanggan ritual
Relevance to ICH Safeguarding
documentation intangible-tangible interface heritage management awareness raising
ICH Genre
rituals performing arts: music performing arts: dance oral tradition social practices traditional craftsmanship
Description
Malanggan carvings are central to funerals in New Ireland. These figures are intended to decompose as symbolic representations of the dead, but they are both visually complex and intriguing. This book interprets these agents of resemblance and connection as having a cognitive rather than a linguistic basis. This study traces the history of various museum artifacts and considers the role they play in sacrifice, ritual, and exchange relationships between Malanggan and memory and how Malanggan can be understood as a life force, as well as a vehicle for thought. Although found throughout much of northern New Ireland, this study concerns Malanggan on the west coast amongst Kara speakers, far from the oft-repeated origin of these ceremonies.
Publisher
Berg
Place of Publication
Oxford
Date of Publication
2002
ISBN
1-85973-67-3 1-85973 622-X
Academic Field
anthropology art history
Community/Ethnic Group
Kara New Ireland
Contributor
Papua New Guinea National Cultural Commission
Active Contribution
Papua New Guinea, FY 2024
Data Collection Project