TISHU Tribal Art

A Helmet Mask known as Bwoon from the Kuba Tribe in the Kasai region of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa circa mid-20th century. The carved wood mask was decorated with copper plates on the face, and lavished embellished with trade beads, raffia cloth with cowrie shells and hanging seed pods, fur possibly from monkey. The surface and the interior both display good patina indicates a native use (contact rubbing) and age. Bwoom is one of three types of royal Kuba masks...

A Guere wood mask with paint and fiber remnant from We people displayed on a metal stand. The We people (also known as the Krahn or Guere) are an indigenous African people that inhabit areas in nowadays eastern Liberia and western Côte d'Ivoire. Their material culture shares many aspects with the neighboring Dan tribe. Like the Dans, the We use a wide variety of masquerades, which hold important regulatory position within their small, egalitarian communities. Masks are owned by families and used by individual lineage members in contexts of social control, ritual ceremony and entertainment. This type of Guere mask, however, has a distinct fearsome character. The ferocious design with jagged facial expression, bulging tubular eyes are intended for use in mediations between community members, as visual aids during moral lessons, as well as forms of entertainment. By portraying the more frightening nature of the animal, the mask is viewed as powerful and may have been used as part of social control methods prior to the introduction of Western law systems during the colonial period. The mask on offer, based on our examination, appears to be an original one that was used natively instead of reproduction made for the tourist market. The surface presents apparently genuine patina consistent with use. The red paint that highlights the eyes and gapping mouth also appear original. There are small losses flanking the nose ridge by the eyes, extensive surface accretion, remain of some fiber tassels. The back of the mask reveals chisel marks from hand tools and importantly, stain marks that were likely from repetitive contacts from the nose of the wearer. The mask is 9" in height, and it retains an old Sotheby’s catalog...

This Helmet Crest mask is categorized as a “Babanki” style Ngoin mask from Northwestern provinces of Cameroon circa first half of 20th century. In part of highland area called “Camer...

On offer is a Lega Bwami society wooden mask from the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was likely from the first half of the 20th century and an authentic in-field piece. The mask di...

A contemporary painting by Australian Aboriginal artist Ronnie Tjampitjinpa (1943-2023). Entitled "Rain Dreaming", the artwork was acrylic on canvas and painted in 1999 Fully documented: originally purchased in 1999 from Kimberley Australian Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, cat. no. KA 708/99; The in the collection of The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica; It was exhibited in: "G'Day LA" Australia Week, in partnership with the Australian Consulate Los Angeles, Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, CA, 15-25 January 2004. It is housed in a black thin wood frame. Ronnie Tjampitjinpa was born in Pintupi land at Muyinnga, about 100 kilometres west of the Kintore Range, just across the Western Australian border. He is the son of Uta Uta Tjangala’s older brother, Minpuru Tjangala (c.1899–1976). Artist's Biography (Courtesy of Art Gallery NSW) After his initiation into Pintupi law at the site of Yumari, Tjampitjinpa and his younger brother Smithy Zimran Tjampitjinpa walked into the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu. They later joined their parents and other siblings – who had come in to Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) in 1956 from the Dover Hills/Yumari area – at the new settlement of Papunya. Tjampitjinpa worked as a labourer, assisting with the fencing of the aerodromes at Papunya and Ikuntji. He was one of the youngest of the group of men who began painting at the start of the Western Desert art movement in 1971, and was a founder of Paunya Tula Artists. During the 1970s, Tjampitjinpa was preoccupied with returning to his traditional lands and became a strong advocate for the outstation movement, travelling between meetings in Papunya, Yuendumu, Wirrimanu (Balgo) and Mount Doreen Station. His goal was finally achieved with the establishment of the Walungurru (Kintore) settlement in 1981. Tjampitjinpa moved there with his young family in 1983, establishing an outstation at Ininti (Redbank) and serving as chairman of the Kintore Outstation Council. During this period, he emerged as one of Papunya Tula Artists’ major painters, pioneering the bold, scaled-up, linear style that came to dominate many of the Walungurru painters’ work during the 1990s. His distinctive aesthetic preoccupa-tion is exemplified in the untitled works of 1994 and 2001. Now one of the last founding members of Papunya Tula Artists, Tjampitjinpa’s career spans more than 40 years. He has had six solo exhibitions since 1989 in Australia, most recently at Utopia Art, Sydney. Throughout the 1980s Tjampitjinpa worked devotedly on a land claim for Ininti, holding meetings in Darwin, Warmun (Turkey Creek...

A large and striking woven Ikat from Sumba, Indonesia, circa early 20th century or earlier. This ceremonial cotton Hinggi with fringes is made from two panels joined together, which ...

A Proto-Nazca textile fragment from Southern Peru circa 100BC-200AD. The linked munecas ("dolls" in Spanish) figures were woven with fibers likely from l...

A ritual artifact from the tribe of the Asmat poeple, an ethnic group of New Guinea living in the Papua province of Indonesia and South-western regions of Papua New Guinea, bis or bisj pole is carved out of a wild Mangrove tree and can reach a stunning height Their carvings depict stacked human and animal figures standing and on top always phallic symbols, in the shape of a canoe prow. Bis poles...

Sometimes categorized as the fourth-phase chief blanket, this wonderful piece of Navajo textile art is well preserved and can be dated to 1890-1910. Wov...

On offer is an Ashanti female fertility figure from Ghana, West Africa, circa Mid-20th century. Carved from a single block of wood, the statue depicts a female with typical coiffure ...

A yam ancestor TOTEM pole from the mid-Sepik River region of Papua New Guinea. Carved out of a solid wood by the Abelam people, who cultivated yams as their main crop, the pole featu...

Aboriginal fiber art camp dog, known as Jamu. Artist: Yolanda Rostron. Year of birth: 1979. Nationality: Australian. Region: South Central Arnhem Land. Language group: Rembarrng...

Known as Jamu in Bolkdjam, Northern Territory, Australia, the camp dog was woven Pandanus fibers and painted with earth pigment and ochre. The ears and legs are from found wood and s...

An Epa helmet mask, Nigeria, Africa. Fully carved mother and child; painted red and black with touches of white; Provenance: The Children's Museum of Indianapolis; The Eiteljorg Mu...

Two Oceanic ceremonial weapons from PNG highlands circa 20th century. It consists of two pieces. The first is an ax with a wood shaft and a flat elongated he...

A well preserved Yam Ancestor mask professionally presented on a museum quality acrylic display stand. The mask was a classic tribal art piece from Abela...

Title: Gumatj Ceremonial chest paint Medium: Acrylic on canvas Size: 32" H x 28.5" W Date created: November 2006 Artist: Terrence Gaypamany Gurruwiwi Language: Glapu Date of birth: 06/09/1984 The painting depicts the traditional body paint onto the chest during ceremonies of the local aboriginal communities. It is signed by the artist on verso as shown and also retains a stamp from Elcho Island Art...

A tall and narrow parrying shield from the Aboriginal people living in the Western Australia. The piece was carved out of a single block of hard wood t...

A pre-Columbian ceramic stirrup vessel in Cupisnique style circa 700-500BCE. This ancient vessel features a robust squatted body and a short thick stirr...