The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 23, 2025

Carved wood festival pole painted red, black, and white, depicting a squared, standing figure, arms hanging by their sides. Their head marking the top of the pole, they have wide, semi-circle eyes, a painted black unibrow, a wide nose, and teeth pressed together showing both rows. A narrow, braid-patterned goatee hangs down from their chin, bisecting a bird-like face with a human like body just below their head. Both figure's left hands have broken off.

Malagan Memorial Festival Pole

1800s

Melanesia, New Ireland, 19th century

painted wood, sea snail opercula
Overall: 92.7 cm (36 1/2 in.)
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Munro 1971.149
Location: Not on view

Description

At the death of an important individual in New Ireland society, villagers begin preparations for an elaborate funeral (malagan) ceremony. Food is collected for feasts, and artists are commissioned to carve elaborate sculptures and masks. Neighboring groups are invited to the ceremonies, which last for days and include speeches, dancing, music, feasts, and exchanges of goods. The ceremonies climax in the display of the elaborately carved, brightly painted art works. After the guests' departure, the malagan sculptures and masks are discarded, or sometimes stored.
  • Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).
    Year in Review: 1971. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1971-February 6, 1972).
  • {{cite web|title=Malagan Memorial Festival Pole|url=false|author=|year=1800s|access-date=23 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1971.149