This finely proportioned shield is slightly wider at the top.
It is covered with a bark leaf attached in a zigzag pattern by a rattan vine.
The front side is decorated with a linear pattern, with white lime and broken lines.

Provenance:
– Collected in the village of Avananofi by district chief Kamda Kubo nammed Lapun (the old man)
– Collected by Chris Boylan in the village of Henganofi
– Daniel Vigne Collection, Paris, Uzès

This shield illustrates Daniel Vigne’s film in which a wise man of the tribe gives the definition of the motifs represented. According to the Kamano, the motif refers to a small insect called Sissi kafa which begins to sing just before dawn. This is a time when one can prepare or expect an attack on an enemy. The broken lines on the top of the shield represent the gardens and their water channels.

For a similar design see Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. De Young. 2017
New Guinea Highlands. Art From the Jolika Collection.  Page 288