Indigenous Burial Post/Hollow Log

Indigenous Burial Post/Hollow Log

Ethnography

The burial post is hollow log coffin from Oceania/Australia. Hollow logs made for a burial ceremony are large. Smaller hollow logs may be made to keep the bones of the deceased at the home of the family for a period of time. The hollow logs can also represent the deceased person — the designs on the log are the same as the designs painted on the body during the burial rites. Many of the hollow logs have a small aperture either carved or painted towards the top. The indigenous people believe that this provides the soul of the deceased with a viewing hole to look through and survey the land.

UCL Ethnographic Collections (M. 0079)

An exhibition of hollow logs in Australia: http://nga.gov.au/AboriginalMemorial/home.cfm

ceramic