Spatula with scrolled handle, Vakuta Island. Trobriand... Lot 169

Spatula with scrolled handle, Vakuta Island. Trobriand Archipelago. Ebony wood 19th century Height : 340mm Provenance : John & Marcia Friede Collection. Rye. New York.USA For a similar model. Sale Sotheby's Paris. 12.12.2012 lot n°13 Called "Tanagega" on Vakuta Island in the Trobriand archipelago, where they were created by master carvers. Their name is a combination of "Tai" (carving function) and "Nagega", a type of pirogue used for the Kula. According to Malinowski (1932. page 145), Nagega deep-sea canoe builders stopped making this type of craft at the end of the 19th century, replacing it with the "Masawa" canoe, which was lighter, faster and easier to build.