Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

VANDOO · 9th August 2009, 10:48 PM

I REMEMBER A SMALL BIT ABOUT THE SPIRIT POLES USED IN NEW GUINEA UNFORTUNATELY I NO LONGER REMEMBER MUCH OF MY RESEARCH SO WILL GIVE A BRIEF RUNDOWN.
THESE POLES FIGURED IN A MYSTERY THAT TOOK PLACE IN NEW GUINEA SOME YEARS AGO. ONE OF THE ROCKAFELLERS HAD BEEN COLLECTING TRIBAL ART FOR A MUSEUM IN NEW GUINEA AND HIS BOAT CAPSIZED AND HE SWAM IN FOR HELP AND DISAPPEARED. THE REST OF THE CREW STAYED WITH THE BOAT AND WERE FOUND AND THEY LOOKED FOR YOUNG ROCKAFELLER AND FOUND THE TWO LARGE METAL CANS HE HAD USED TO FLOAT IN. THEY FOUND HIS GLASSES IN A VILLAGE YEARS LATER BUT HE WAS NEVER FOUND.
NOW TO THE POLES WHEN A TRIBE KILLED AN ENEMY THEY WERE USUALLY CARRIED OFF AND EATEN. IF YOU LOST ONE OF YOUR TRIBE A SPIRIT POLE WAS CARVED FOR THE FALLEN WARRIORS SPIRIT TO RESIDE IN UNTIL HE WAS AVENGED AND THEN HIS SPIRIT WAS FREE AND MOVED ON. THESE POLES ESPECIALLY THE OLD ONES WERE PRIZED BY MUSEUMS AND ROCKAFELLER COLLECTED THEM WHEN HE COULD. IF THE POLE NO LONGER HAD A SPIRIT INSIDE THEY WOULD SELL IT BUT IF A SPIRIT WAS STILL IN RESIDENCE IT WAS NOT FOR SALE. IN ONE VILLAGE THERE WERE SIX VERY OLD POLES AND SEVERAL GROUPS HAD TRIED TO BUY THEM OVER THE YEARS BUT THEY NEVER WOULD SELL. THE STORY WAS A WHITE MAN HAD KILLED SIX OF THEIR TRIBES WARRIORS MANY YEARS AGO. WHEN A PARTY PASSED THRU LATER LOOKING FOR ART AND ASKING ABOUT ROCKAFELLER ONE ASKED ABOUT THE POLES AGAIN AND FOUND TO HIS SUPRIZE THEY WERE FOR SALE. SO THEY THINK IT IS LIKELY WHEN SOME MEMBERS FROM THE TRIBE FOUND ROCKAFELLER THEY THOUGHT HERE WAS A CHANCE TO FREE THEIR ANCESTORS AT LAST SO HE WAS SPEARED AND VERY LIKELY EATEN. NO ONE EVER TALKED AND ONLY THE GLASSES WERE FOUND SO IT REMAINS A MYSTERY.
WE SURE ARE FAR AFIELD FROM THE WILD WEST BUT THIS HAPPENED IN THE WILD WEST OF NEW GUINEA.

9th August 2009, 10:48 PM	#33
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	I REMEMBER A SMALL BIT ABOUT THE SPIRIT POLES USED IN NEW GUINEA UNFORTUNATELY I NO LONGER REMEMBER MUCH OF MY RESEARCH SO WILL GIVE A BRIEF RUNDOWN. THESE POLES FIGURED IN A MYSTERY THAT TOOK PLACE IN NEW GUINEA SOME YEARS AGO. ONE OF THE ROCKAFELLERS HAD BEEN COLLECTING TRIBAL ART FOR A MUSEUM IN NEW GUINEA AND HIS BOAT CAPSIZED AND HE SWAM IN FOR HELP AND DISAPPEARED. THE REST OF THE CREW STAYED WITH THE BOAT AND WERE FOUND AND THEY LOOKED FOR YOUNG ROCKAFELLER AND FOUND THE TWO LARGE METAL CANS HE HAD USED TO FLOAT IN. THEY FOUND HIS GLASSES IN A VILLAGE YEARS LATER BUT HE WAS NEVER FOUND. NOW TO THE POLES WHEN A TRIBE KILLED AN ENEMY THEY WERE USUALLY CARRIED OFF AND EATEN. IF YOU LOST ONE OF YOUR TRIBE A SPIRIT POLE WAS CARVED FOR THE FALLEN WARRIORS SPIRIT TO RESIDE IN UNTIL HE WAS AVENGED AND THEN HIS SPIRIT WAS FREE AND MOVED ON. THESE POLES ESPECIALLY THE OLD ONES WERE PRIZED BY MUSEUMS AND ROCKAFELLER COLLECTED THEM WHEN HE COULD. IF THE POLE NO LONGER HAD A SPIRIT INSIDE THEY WOULD SELL IT BUT IF A SPIRIT WAS STILL IN RESIDENCE IT WAS NOT FOR SALE. IN ONE VILLAGE THERE WERE SIX VERY OLD POLES AND SEVERAL GROUPS HAD TRIED TO BUY THEM OVER THE YEARS BUT THEY NEVER WOULD SELL. THE STORY WAS A WHITE MAN HAD KILLED SIX OF THEIR TRIBES WARRIORS MANY YEARS AGO. WHEN A PARTY PASSED THRU LATER LOOKING FOR ART AND ASKING ABOUT ROCKAFELLER ONE ASKED ABOUT THE POLES AGAIN AND FOUND TO HIS SUPRIZE THEY WERE FOR SALE. SO THEY THINK IT IS LIKELY WHEN SOME MEMBERS FROM THE TRIBE FOUND ROCKAFELLER THEY THOUGHT HERE WAS A CHANCE TO FREE THEIR ANCESTORS AT LAST SO HE WAS SPEARED AND VERY LIKELY EATEN. NO ONE EVER TALKED AND ONLY THE GLASSES WERE FOUND SO IT REMAINS A MYSTERY. WE SURE ARE FAR AFIELD FROM THE WILD WEST BUT THIS HAPPENED IN THE WILD WEST OF NEW GUINEA.