Menu
EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THB19th C. Buka Island Wood Kokorra Ceremonial Paddle
Lot 11b
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Categories
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,000 - $1,800
Absentee vs Live bid
Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
Oceania, Melanesia, eastern Papua New Guinea, North Solomon Islands, Bougainville or Buka Island, ca. mid to late 19th century CE. A rare surviving example of a carved wood ceremonial dance paddle, or kokorra, associated with the life cycle rituals of the highest-ranking chiefs. This long, elegant form is adorned on both faces with low relief anthropomorphic figures, their squat stance, upraised hands, and large circular eyes representing the kokorra spirit - a symbol of the unborn fetus (koreritu) and the cyclical journey from birth to death. The figures wear upe head adornments, which on Buka are donned by young male initiates and by the male chief during the mourning rites for a deceased Paramount Chief. Such paddles played an essential role in Buka's ceremonial life. They were carried during weddings (sole), held by the bride as she was carried to her future husband's family. Size: 4.8" W x 71.5" H (12.2 cm x 181.6 cm)
If the marriage was accepted, the paddle passed to the bride's maternal aunt, later displayed at the front of the woman's house to announce pregnancy, and eventually stored in the clan's tsuhana meeting house. Upon the death of a chief, the paddle would be placed on her grave to decay, mirroring the cycle of human life it embodied.
The iconography reflects the island's clan system - the Nakaripa (bush fowl, land) and the Naboen (eagle, sky), along with the sub-clans Nakas (dog) and Natasi (seafoam) - as well as the matrilineal inheritance of land and titles. The kokorra motif itself was believed to hold supernatural powers, its presence on ceremonial paddles and dance wands imbuing them with protective and ancestral force. Few examples survive, as many were destroyed during the Bougainville civil war of the 1990s, making this paddle a rare remnant of a deeply rooted ceremonial tradition.
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, purchased in November 1994; ex-Taylor Dale Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, acquired at an English country auction
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#195891Nicks, chips, and abrasions throughout, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact with good detail and rich patina.Condition
- Shipping Info
-
All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Fine Arts will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please ask before bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items.
-
- Buyer's Premium
