This figure possibly represents the echidna, an egg-laying mammal native to New Guinea and Australia. Such "echidna" figures have been unearthed at a number of locations in the highlands of New Guinea, this example comes from the Mendi region. The shared iconography of the figures indicates that they may represent similar beings and have been used in similar contexts across a broad geographic area. However, the identity and function of these unusual images remain unknown. Echidna figures form part of a broader tradition of prehistoric stone sculpture that flourished at an as yet undetermined date in the New Guinea Highlands.
While nothing certain is known about their original use, these sculptures, discovered by contemporary Highland peoples during gardening and other activities, are believed to be of supernatural origin and are reused in a variety of ritual contexts. In recent times these objects were primarily associated with the fertility of pigs and sweet potatoes. Powerful stones were ritually anointed with pigâ??s blood to magically replenish the herd and were buried in fields or placed in living shrines of colorful plants to assure abundant crops. On occasion, large groups of stones were massed for Kor nganap, a ceremonial cycle devoted to a female spirit who protected the community and brought success in warfare and traditional exchanges.
opd
<p>This figure possibly represents the echidna, an egg-laying mammal native to New Guinea and Australia. Such "echidna" figures have been unearthed at a number of locations in the highlands of New Guinea, this example comes from the Mendi region. The shared iconography of the figures indicates that they may represent similar beings and have been used in similar contexts across a broad geographic area. However, the identity and function of these unusual images remain unknown. Echidna figures form part of a broader tradition of prehistoric stone sculpture that flourished at an as yet undetermined date in the New Guinea Highlands.</p><p>While nothing certain is known about their original use, these sculptures, discovered by contemporary Highland peoples during gardening and other activities, are believed to be of supernatural origin and are reused in a variety of ritual contexts. In recent times these objects were primarily associated with the fertility of pigs and sweet potatoes. Powerful stones were ritually anointed with pigâ??s blood to magically replenish the herd and were buried in fields or placed in living shrines of colorful plants to assure abundant crops. On occasion, large groups of stones were massed for Kor nganap, a ceremonial cycle devoted to a female spirit who protected the community and brought success in warfare and traditional exchanges.</p>
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