Minneapolis Institute of Art

Prestige Bowl (purukei)

Papua New Guinea (Admirality Islands)

Date

c. 1900

Medium

Wood

Department

Arts of Oceania

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

In the Admiralty Islands, prestige bowls were carried as part of wedding processions through the village, along with other dowry gifts, and were used to hold coconut oil at the bridal feast. The bowl was expertly sculpted from one large block of wood on Lou Island, one of the smaller islands in the Admiralty group, and traded from there. The handles, made separately and attached with nut paste, are purely ornamental. The bowl may represent a spirit ship, as the handles are similar in style to the decorative prow and stern of ceremonial canoes. Papua New Guinea, Oceania

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