Bisj Poles: Sculptures From the Rain Forest

* A richly illustrated essay on the exceptional sculptures from the Asmat people in Papua New Guinea
* For all those interested in Oceanic art, or ethnographic art in general

Bisj poles are long, figuratively-carved tree trunks from the southwest of New Guinea. The poles serve as a memorial for the deceased and have been named for the ritual of which they form the centre, the bisj.

This ritual has to do with the cycle of life and death and—in former times—with head-hunting and actions of revenge. Through pacification and Christianization of the Asmat, these practices were banned and ethnologists feared that the associated rituals and woodcarving art would, as a result, disappear. The resulting collection is a celebration of this dying art form, gathering together photographs and text on both the ritual and the art form.