| Original Message: helping karavanserai is my delight |
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It is from New Guinea and made of wood.
It was originally carved as a toy canoe for a child to play with, and most probably cut and sold out after his rite of iniciation as an adult. Such canoe's fronts, when carved in the amuletic shape of a crocodile's head to prevent attacks from these fierce animals, are often cut and sold on the Tribal Art market (see eBay 120984952658). But toy crocodile heads are of course rarest!
This one is 12 cms long and extremely light -- specialy after I further carved its insides and back, removing the bulk of it, turning it into a mask-like pendant. As a matter of fact, I think very interesting the way it is attached to the rattan belt from Borneo, as you can see below.
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