Bidspirit auction | 2 Guna Miniature ”Ulu” Canoes

2 Guna Miniature ”Ulu” Canoes or Spirit Boats - Two dugout canoes (ulu) hand-carved from solid wood, 10” and 13.5” long.  From the Guna (Kuna/Cuna) culture of Panama, collected in the Kapp Expedition period, 1961-1972. The smaller one has a hole centered in the bottom, and it may have served in a shamanic ritual as a spirit transport vessel, holding a nuchu figure, or for ”draining” malevolent spirits. There is also a bit of cotton string tied through a hole in the bow. The larger boat is carved with an integrated seat, possibly a spirit vessel also, and has vintage masking tape as pictured, as well as an old rusty nail in the bow. Please see photos for condition and details. Provenance: From the private estate collection of Captain Kit S. Kapp (1926–2013), noted American explorer, ethnologist, and cartographer. Gathered during his historic maritime and ethnographic expeditions to the San Blas Islands and Darién region of Panama between 1961 and 1972.