The ‘orator’s stool’ is perhaps the most iconic and impressive form of sculpture from the Iatmul people. They are kept in the ngeko ceremonial house and it is not a stool for sitting on but an integral part of debates regarding the social, political and cultural order of the community, where the stool indicates the authority and presence of the ancestors.

All members of an Iatmul community know information about their clan-specific mythology of ancestors, but senior men closely guard the finer details of esoteric knowledge. This can include the many names, and the sequence in which those names should be spoken, that are associated with a certain ancestor and relate to important historical and cultural events. The debates often centre on these complex relationships, with the speakers being senior experts representing their clan interests. When taking the floor, the speaker will emphasise points of his argument by placing strips of kawa leaf on the stool. Such an action is akin to making an oath in an Australian court and indicates that the mythological ancestor of the speaker’s clan is listening and affirming the spoken statement.
The debates can be very passionate and have been regarded as the highest form of intellectual discussion among the Iatmul people as it involves challenging the esoteric clan knowledge between two opponents. Very involved debates can last for several days.

The stool is dominated by the ancestor figure’s enormous head, the supports are catfish with protruding human faces and between these are figures of ancestral women wearing bridal veils. Snakes, flying foxes and, to the reverse, a crocodile are references to Sepik cosmology, with each animal or ancestor figure relating to specific totems of clans from the Nyamei (earth) moiety of the community.

This stool was said to be from Kanganaman village but is likely to have been created at Yentchan village, about five kilometres upriver.

The ‘orator’s stool’ is perhaps the most iconic and impressive form of sculpture from the Iatmul people. They are kept in the ngeko ceremonial house and it is not a stool for sitting on but an integral part of debates regarding the social, political and cultural order of the community, where the stool indicates the authority and presence of the ancestors.

All members of an Iatmul community know information about their clan-specific mythology of ancestors, but senior men closely guard the finer details of esoteric knowledge. This can include the many names, and the sequence in which those names should be spoken, that are associated with a certain ancestor and relate to important historical and cultural events. The debates often centre on these complex relationships, with the speakers being senior experts representing their clan interests. When taking the floor, the speaker will emphasise points of his argument by placing strips of kawa leaf on the stool. Such an action is akin to making an oath in an Australian court and indicates that the mythological ancestor of the speaker’s clan is listening and affirming the spoken statement.
The debates can be very passionate and have been regarded as the highest form of intellectual discussion among the Iatmul people as it involves challenging the esoteric clan knowledge between two opponents. Very involved debates can last for several days.

The stool is dominated by the ancestor figure’s enormous head, the supports are catfish with protruding human faces and between these are figures of ancestral women wearing bridal veils. Snakes, flying foxes and, to the reverse, a crocodile are references to Sepik cosmology, with each animal or ancestor figure relating to specific totems of clans from the Nyamei (earth) moiety of the community.

This stool was said to be from Kanganaman village but is likely to have been created at Yentchan village, about five kilometres upriver.