Current Project
Agiba
and the Head Cult of the Agiba
Edited by Jonathan Fogel
Essays by Barry Craig, Jonathan Fogel, Crispin Howarth, Lawrence Pebbles, and Thomas Schultz-Westrum.
Historical texts by Leo Austen (previously unpublished), A. C. Haddon, and Paul, Baron de Rautenfeld (previously unpublished)
328 pages, 32 x 23 cm, illustrated with color plates and historical images Featuring 107 unique examples
The definitive treatment of its subject matter, Agiba examines the figural “skull racks” traditionally produced by the Kerewo people of the Kikori River Delta region of the Gulf of Papua, as well as by the closely related peoples to the southeast along the Turama and Gama Rivers. In these headhunting cultures, skulls were required for the empowerment of almost everything from communal buildings to war canoes to agricultural plots, and they represented a substantial part of the accumulated spiritual power of a clan. Men’s longhouses were enormous and were divided into sections based on clan affiliation, and the agiba was the centerpiece of the altar upon which these skulls were stored. Based on a survey of some 150 examples supported by historical archival materials, this book is the most complete analysis ever produced of this fascinating and coveted art form. Essays examine the history of the Kerewo people, the development of the head cult, and the unique use of agiba; the place of agiba within the Kerewo art canon and within that of the Gulf as a whole; and the history of relevant Western contact in the northern Papuan Gulf. A. C. Haddon’s paper on the subject of agiba, originally published in 1918, is reproduced in its entirety, and the section relating to Turama River agiba from Leo Austen’s unpublished master’s thesis based on his experiences in the area in 1928–1929 will also be included. Finally, the book features an excerpt of the unpublished diary of Paul, Baron de Rautenfeld, who traveled extensively through the Kikori River Delta area in 1925. The essays are supported by a corpus of some 107 examples of agiba, thoroughly documented and often associated with field photographs. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in the arts of New Guinea in particular and world art in general.
