Potorou Knife

POTOROU BONE RITUAL KNIFE

Papua New Guinea (Sepik region/Highlands)

XXᵉ century

A personal knife of high ethnographic quality, consisting of a polished wooden handle receiving a naturally curved bone blade, probably from a small marsupial of the potorou type. The blade is held in place by a traditional plant resin, now deeply patinated, reinforced by ancient plant-fiber ligatures.

The ensemble presents a particularly accomplished formal balance, where the organic curvature of the blade dialogues with the sobriety of the handle. The homogeneous patina and traces of use attest to a field object, used in a traditional context.

The object is accompanied by a carved wooden element suspended by a rope made of plant fibers, featuring linear incisions. This type of element, rarely preserved with the object, may be associated with systems of personal identification, symbolic protection or carrying.

In Papua New Guinean societies, bone knives are not just tools: they are part of a broader register, linked to hunting, body gestures and the affirmation of individual status. The use of animal bone, in particular from a small, agile marsupial, reinforces the object's symbolic dimension.

Condition

Very good condition.

Homogeneous antique patina.

No restoration.

Provenance

Jeanierre Dutilleux Collection

Collected in the field.

Published

This piece is reproduced in the reference book:
Jean-Pierre Dutilleux, TRIBES - The First People, Éditions Vilo, copy accompanying the piece.

Exhibition

Presented as part of the exhibition Le Monde Premier devoted to the field collections of Jean-Pierre

Dutilleus.

The object retains its original quadrilingual museum name, an element rarely preserved, confirming its integration into the exhibition route.