Bidspirit auction | Bone Dagger, Painted with Fiber

Bone Dagger, Painted with Fiber and Shell - Human bone dagger, painted red, with fiber and shell decoration. In his Diary, page 162 (lot 108 box F1), Ledoux explains: ”There is some contraction here as to whether the bones are human femur, or cassowary. The human leg bone daggers are only used in boys' initiatory ceremony. These bones are found on the beach as the cemetery is worn away. They do not know whose bones are used and they are not saved from burial.” Similar human bone dagger gifted by Louis Pierre Ledoux in 1936 to the Brooklyn Museum. Locale: Lower Sepik River Country: Papua New Guinea Date: 1936 or earlier Material: Human bone (femur) Dimensions: L 13” Provenance: Louis Pierre Ledoux Collection Similar item: Brooklyn Museum https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/54193