Naga Ancestral House Post

Two pointed forms, one over the other, and a long silence above them.

This ancestral house post comes from the Naga people of Nagaland, Northeast India, and is carved wood from the late 19th or early 20th century. Naga villages were known for massive timbers carved with meaning for a household's ancestors and status, and motifs differed from group to group. Vertical gouges streak the whole plank, giving it the look of bark. The carving gathers in the lower half: curved lines, pointed ovals, crossed bands. A notch opens the bottom edge. It stands 164 inches high.

It holds its own in any room tall enough to have it.