Nzu-nzu

This is a Solomon Island carving of a nzunzu head that would have been mounted at the front of a war canoe. It's carved out of hardwood, queen ebony, made for the tourist market, unlike the originals which were made out of softwood. The figure is holding a head, which means it would have been put on the canoe when going on a headhunting mission. My children's great grandparents remembered the headhunting days, although they didn't like to speak of them.