Fishing float made of wood and paint with carved faces at either end.
Fishing Net Float, Toaripi people, Eastern Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea. This enigmatic object was produced by the Toaripi people who live along the eastern coast of the Papuan Gulf in southern Papua New Guinea. It is a net float, carved to be tied into the upper part of a fishing net to prevent its upper portion from sinking and closing the net’s mouth. The facial representation on the float depicts the clan of the fisherman, and allowed his nets (and his catch) to be recognised when he returned to collect them. Wood, mineral pigment. Late 19th Century.
