鸟头 - 美国大都会艺术博物馆展品查阅

品名（中）	鸟头
品名（英）	Bird Head
入馆年号	1978年，1978.412.1504
策展部门	迈克尔·洛克菲勒之翼（The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing）
创作者
创作年份	公元前 1000 - 公元前 100
创作地区	巴布亚新几内亚, 莫罗贝省（Papua New Guinea, Morobe province）
分类	石雕（Stone-Sculpture）
尺寸	高 4 1/2 x 宽 2 x 深 4 1/2 英寸 (11.4 x 5.1 x 11.4 厘米)
介绍（中）	这幅出土于新几内亚东部高地的古代石头图像可能代表食火鸡的头部，这是一种类似鸵鸟的鸟类。在许多当代新几内亚人中，食火鸡被视为一种超自然的强大动物，这一形象表明这种信仰可能会延伸到史前。这个头像是新几内亚高地由一种尚未确定的史前文化生产的各种石器之一。到目前为止，还没有在受控的考古环境中挖掘出任何例子，它们的确切年龄和原始功能仍然未知这些石头图像是在园艺时偶然发现的，或是在觅食的猪身上生根发芽的，被当代高地人视为灵魂的杰作。这些古老的图像被赋予了强大的魔法，在许多仪式场景中被重复使用，包括狩猎和农业魔法、治疗和致命的魔法形式。这个例子表面的红色赭石颜料可能应用于历史时期，当时该物品在当代仪式中被重复使用。
介绍（英）	Unearthed in the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea, this ancient stone image may represent the head of the cassowary, an ostrichlike bird. Among many contemporary New Guinea peoples, the cassowary is regarded as a supernaturally powerful animal and this image indicates that such beliefs possibly extend far into prehistory. This head is one of a variety of stone objects produced throughout the New Guinea Highlands by an as yet unidentified prehistoric culture. To date, no examples have been excavated in controlled archaeological contexts, and their exact age and original functions remain unknown. Discovered by chance while gardening or rooted up by foraging pigs, such stone images are regarded by contemporary Highland peoples as the work of spirits. Endowed with powerful magic, the ancient images are reused in a number of ritual contexts, including hunting and farming magic, healing, and deadly forms of sorcery. The red ocher pigment on the surface of this example was probably applied in historic times, when the object was reused in a contemporary ritual context.