Canoe-Prow Splashboard (Rajim)
early 20th Century
Now weathered, this splashboard originally served as a spiritual guide for a canoe filled with men. Curving birds and waves etched into the surface surround a small human crouched at the top. The holes on the rim would have been dressed with tassels, streamers, shells, and feathers. One observer said the Trobriand Islanders relied on a “technology of enchantment” to dazzle all who saw the canoe, protecting them from enemies in the water and stirring up respect from their rivals.
Wood with pigment
20 3/8 x 26 1/4 x 2 in. (51.7 x 66.7 x 5.1 cm)
Overall h.: 21 3/4 in.
Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection
70.120