Shield | kwoi

Gope boards, in the form of rhomboid ceremonial shields, were cult objects widespread on the south coast of New Guinea. This board is particularly striking because of its highly ornamental human face, which looks like a mask. The ornaments in the form of serrations, hooks and lines were carved using the edges of sharp shells - replaced by knives as utensils from the beginning of the 20th century - and painted with natural pigments, such as soot (black), lime (white) and baked clay (red). The board, which has a slightly convex shape, was traditionally made of canoe wood. Gope boards are among the most impressive objects in a skull shrine. In the context of ancestor worship, a central element in the religions of New Guinea, they were adorned with human, wild boar and crocodile skulls, but also with wooden figures, masks and other objects. Skull shrines were part of the furnishings of the men's house, the social, political and cultural hub of the village, where all adult men of a social group lived. Women were not allowed to enter. Not much is known about the meaning of gope boards, also known as ancestral boards. Their painting was interpreted as an ancestral representation of clan insignia. It was also believed that they had a special magical power that was transferred to the men, which increased their influence and status prodigiously. Gope boards were only allowed to be owned by the most senior men, who passed them on to their sons. Probably the boards were also used in connection with an initiation and headhunting ceremony. Author: Heike Gerlach, Translation: Timothy Connell