Symbolic Art: Bis Poles at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

🏞️ The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an iconic display of tall Bish poles from the Asmat region of New Guinea.

🌍 The Bish poles were used in ritual ceremonies to assist the spirits of recently deceased people in safely departing to the realm associated with ancestors.

⚖️ These ceremonies aimed to bring the community together and restore balance after the deaths of leaders and individuals.

🌳 The Bis Poles at The Metropolitan Museum of Art were carved by master carvers using mangrove tree trunks.

🏠 The carvers worked in isolation to complete the intricate carvings, with the initial blocking out happening in the main house of the village.

🔪 The mangrove trees were felled in the swamp and welcomed into the village as if they were slain enemies before being carved.

🌳 The trees in the village are treated as sacred beings and represent fallen warriors.

🚣 The poles have three zones: a structural form at the bottom, figures in the middle, and a male principal or face at the top.

🌟 The pole ceremony is a way for the community to come together, retell their histories, and strengthen their ties with neighboring groups.

🌳 The Bis Poles at The Metropolitan Museum of Art represent a reciprocal relationship between the community and nature, ensuring future prosperity.

🌿 The poles are carved with SEO Beetles, symbolizing the balance between male and female principles.

🎭 The carving of the poles is most elaborate at the top, showcasing exceptional craftsmanship.

🌳 The carvings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art depict human figures and bird forms, representing the analogy of a man as a tree.

🦅 The iconography in the carvings relates to head hunting, with references to birds like hornbills and flying foxes.

💪 The human figures in the carvings are muscular and strong, representing successful warriors.

🔥 The red color of the Bis poles connotes spiritual power and is used to highlight scarification.

⚫ The black color of the poles is made from charcoal and is used to highlight distinctive features, especially in the head and face.

🛶 Some poles feature a bottommost part that resembles a canoe, symbolizing the spiritual passage of ancestors.

💡 Bis poles at The Metropolitan Museum of Art are not static artworks but dynamic means of enabling transition across boundaries.

🔀 They serve as a threshold between the land of the living and the Land of the Dead.