Gara Idol Figure – Hunstein Area, Sepik River (Papua New Guinea) This important and evocative gara figure originates from the Hunstein area along the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea. In this region, such figures were used within a seapit—a restricted cult shrine or ritual enclosure distinct from the communal men’s house. The seapit was closely associated with gardening, fertility, ancestral spirits, and the spiritual guardianship of the land. Objects kept there were not decorative, but served as embodiments or channels of spiritual presence, activated through ritual practice. Carved with restraint and sensitivity, the figure displays the characteristic Hunstein aesthetic: compact proportions, a concentrated inward-looking expression, and a surface shaped by both skilled hands and time. The deep, natural patina bears clear traces of ritual handling and prolonged village use. The piece was field-collected in the 1980s by an Australian collector, at a time when such objects were still acquired directly from local communities rather than through later commercial channels. This direct field provenance significantly enhances the integrity and authenticity of the work. A strong and honest example of Sepik River spiritual sculpture, this gara figure reflects a worldview in which ancestors, spirits, cultivated land, and human life were inseparably connected. A rare opportunity to acquire a meaningful Hunstein-area object, suitable for a serious private collection or an institutional context. We pack securely sending worldwide Sold by Koos Knol, ethnographer and anthropologist, dealer of Papua Tribal Art for more than 30 years, expert and author of the book “Papua Blues”, written in Dutch. (Maybe in English next year.)  Published end of October 2024 A book about inside stories, a book that deals with the many encounters with special people in West Papua, the impressive experiences that the author has, about special encounters with men and women who tell him about secret things, about ethnographic objects and initiate him into the rituals and ceremonies. A must have for collectors, ethnographers, ethnologists, anthropologists and museums   Google:Papua Blues Koos Knol