Iatmul Wood Canoe Prow

A crocodile with a toothy grin and bulging eyes, ready to lead the way upriver.

This canoe prow is Iatmul, from the Middle Sepik River, Papua New Guinea, and dates to the 20th century. It is wood and red pigment. The crocodile is central to Iatmul thought, often described as an ancestral creator, and Sepik canoes commonly carried crocodile heads at the bow. The long snout ends in a rounded nostril knob, with raised eyes set high on the head. A row of triangular teeth runs along the jaw, picked out in red. It is mounted on a stand and is 21.5 inches wide, 10.25 deep and 4 high.

It does not look interested in turning back.