The ''timbuwarra'', or ''timbuwara'' (tentatively translated as "spirit of the flesh which guards the doors"Figure en vannerie
at the Collection Barbier-Mueller), is a type of ritual figure produced by the Wiru people of the

Southern Highlands Province Southern Highlands is a province in Papua New Guinea. Its provincial capital is the town of Mendi. According to Papua New Guinea's national 2021 census, the total population of Southern Highlands province is 927,306. History Separation of H ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

. ''Timbuwarra'' figures are generally made of

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...

and painted, and may serve several functions, although they are generally held to be associated with

fertility Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, which is termed fecundity. The fertility rate ...

rites and with the spirit world.Timbuwarra
at about NSW Few are known to exist, and their purpose is generally poorly understood. ''Timbuwarra'' are flat, woven, and

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

. Usually they are made of rattan and painted with

ochre Ochre ( ; , ), iron ochre, or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colou ...

pigments in earth tones;Timbuwarra
at the Tomkins Collection
they may also be further decorated with cassowary feathers and beads. They may sometimes also take the form of animals."Phantom Shields"
from ''Artnet'' The figures are created by elders during times of disaster, such as disease,

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

, or

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food caused by several possible factors, including, but not limited to war, natural disasters, crop failure, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenom ...

. The uses of the ''timbuwarra'' are varied; they are most often seen as guardian figures outside of ceremonial houses, which are constructed at some distance from the village. They would sometimes be used in

mourning Mourning is the emotional expression in response to a major life event causing grief, especially loss. It typically occurs as a result of someone's death, especially a loved one. The word is used to describe a complex of behaviors in which t ...

rituals, and have been described as representations of dead women to which respects may be paid by friends and relatives; the status of the women and their manner of death is not known. Sometimes, ''timbuwarra'' would also be used during male

initiation Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformatio ...

rites to teach boys about sexual behavior. One collector has recorded:

One of these that I had had two holes down in the abdomen area – one above the other. I was told that this was used to teach the young men which hole to aim for during sex to avoid pregnancy.Michael Hamson, quoted at the Tomkins Collection website

They were also sometimes carried or worn by village men during fertility rites; when worn, they were often attached to a ceremonial wig in a fashion known locally as "female pinned by a penis to the wig". Once ''timbuwarra'' have outlived their purpose, they are buried to refertilize the earth from which they were formed. A small number, however, have found their way into Western collections in more recent years; an example exists in the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

, while others are held privately. The practice of making them died out with the coming of

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

missionaries in the 1950s, and few are made today.San Saeng No.20 Autumn/Winter 200
Leaving Together Helping Each Other

References

{{reflist, 2 Culture of Papua New Guinea Southern Highlands Province