Imports by Marinette

Sculptures - Nudes, Tribal and Bone

Carved Wood and Bone Inlay Sarimanok

This carving is from the Maranao Tribe in Lanao, Mindanao in the southern Philippines. The Sarimanok is considered to be the greatest mythical Symbols in Philippine Culture.

This is a wonderful and fascinating carving of a mythical creature. The story is as follows. It is named after the Sultan's daughter Sari, who disappeared togetherr with the bird that looks like a chicken and never returned.

This beautiful piece measures 11 1/2 inches high, 12 1/2 inches front to back and about 11 inches across the wings. The fish in his beak and claws represents a food offering to the spirits. To other tribes, the Sarimanok symbolizes power, wealth, love, rank, and hospitality. It is aslo used to throw away evil spirits or given as a traditional dowery. I purchased this on my previous trip to the Philippines. I do not know the age of this piece. Here are some images of the detail: