Flowing through the neighboring chains of hills and swamplands, the Korewori River (formerly the Karawari) is one of the numerous tributaries of the Sepik, the river that sustains the populations of the eastern part of the island of Papua New Guinea.
The discovery of Korewori art (Middle Sepik) constituted a major intellectual and artistic shock for the West.
The ritual figures called yipwon were linked to hunting and warfare. According to one of the founding myths of the Korewori, the yipwon were children of the Sun, conceived from wood shavings that fell during the carving of the first drum. One day, prompted by his warrior instinct, one of the yipwon children committed a murder. Out of fear of reprisal, he took refuge in the Men’s House and turned into a wooden statue. Outraged by the behavior of his offspring, the Sun left the Earth, leaving the yipwon there, their mission henceforth being to serve as guides for men, in particular on head-hunting expeditions against neighboring enemies.
Large-scale yipwon belonged to the whole clan; they were kept in the Men’s House or in sacred caves reserved for religious ceremonies. Small-scale charms were personal and used by individual warriors.
Before going to battle, the yipwon were invoked to insure the success of the war party, becoming responsible for extinguishing the vital energy and fighting spirit of their enemies, thus making them vulnerable during battle. In case of victory, yipwon were celebrated during ceremonies, receiving offerings of libations. In case of defeat, however, they were abandoned.
Yipwon sculptures feature both the interior and the exterior of the body, skeleton as well as internal organs, and facial features. The rounded parts in the middle of the hooks symbolize the vital core that fires up the warrior spirit.
These anthropomorphic spirit figures feature silhouettes punctuated with curves and sharply pointed elements interacting with empty and full volumes.

In 1960, the Museum of Primitive Art in New York showed Korewori hook figures for the first time, but it was not until 1968 that a groundbreaking exhibition dedicated to the art of this region, “Caves of Karawari” was organized at D’Arcy Galleries in New York.
This exhibition allowed the public to discover an aesthetic combining boldness of form, modernity, and ferocity.
The resonance of the ancient art of the Korewori with the work of artists like Henry Moore, Roberto Matta and Alberto Giacometti is fascinating.
In the late 1930s, the British sculptor Henry Moore (1898–1986) seemed irresistibly attracted by sharply pointed, hooked shapes, as illustrated by his preparatory drawings from the period.
In the reference book, “Primitivism in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern” (MoMA New York, 1984, p. 607), Alan Wilkinson noted the marked interest of the artist for Oceanic sculpture. In a text from 1941, Henry Moore himself evoked “New Guinea carvings, with drawn out spider-like extensions and bird-beak elongations…“.

Henry Moore Three Points, 1939-1940
The Tate Modern, Londres (inv. T02269)

Alberto Giacometti Homme et Femme (Le couple), 1928
Musée d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris (inv. AM 1984-355)

Provenance
This Yipwon hook figure is distinguished by its warlike elegance and dynamism.
It comes from the collection of Naomi Lindstrom (1924-2014), a passionate traveler who during her career at Pan Am crisscrossed the globe and assembled a remarkable collection of art from around the world.

It was later acquired by prominent Oceanic Art dealer Todd Barlin from Sydney.

Museum references
Chilean surrealist artist Roberto Matta owned several hook sculptures, including the famous large yipwon figure now in the collection of the De Young Museum of Fine Arts in San Francisco ( inv.2000.172 .1 )

Bibliographic references
– Caves of Karawari, introduction by Dr. Eike Haberland, photographs by Bill Viola, published by D’Arcy Galleries, 1968, NY, NY, USA.
– Oceanic and Indonesian Art, edited by Harry Beran, The Oceanic Art Society, PO Box 678, Woollahra, NSW, Australia 2025, 1998, p. 8
– Die Yimar am oberen Korowori. Studien zur Kulturkunde, E. Haberland, S. Seyfarth, Wiesbaden, Steiner Verlag, 1974
– Island Ancestors, the Masco collection, Allen Wardwell, The Detroit Institute of Arts Founders Society
– Art Papou : Austronésiens et papous de Nouvelle Guinée Alain Nicolas, Musées de Marseille, RMN, 2000
– New Guinea Art Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection Marcia and John Friede, De Young Museum, San Francisco, 2006
– Arts des mers du Sud Collections du Musée Barbier Mueller
sous la direction de Douglas Newton Marseille, 1998
– Arts of South Seas, Museum of Modern Art, New York 1946
– Ombres de Nouvelle Guinée, Philippe Peltier et Dirk Smidt, Somogy Barbier Mueller, Paris, 2006
– L’art Océanien, Adrienne L. Kaeppler, Christian Kaufman, Douglas Newton, 1993, Editions Citadelles & Mazenod
– Kunst Vom Sepik, Heinz Kelm, Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin, 1966
– Sepik, musée du quai Branly – Skira Paris, 2015
– Sepik, Crochets, Figures et Masques, Galerie Flak, Paris 2018