Kanak Door Board

Positioned on either side of the entrance to the traditional house, Kanak door boards combine an essential architectural function with major spiritual significance: carved following the natural curvature of Houp wood trunks, these pieces directly personify a protective clan ancestor. Rendered in low relief, they adhere to precise aesthetic codes, featuring a top section carved with an anthropomorphic face, while the lower section is adorned with geometric patterns specific to their region of origin in New Caledonia.

The hole visible above the head allowed the door board to be secured to the entrance post using plant-fiber ropes, while its base was buried in the ground of the house.

Known as "jovo" or "talé" depending on the region, these door boards served as symbolic guardians for the residence of the individual for whom they were carved. As such, they played an active role during mourning rituals following the death of a chief or an important member of the clan. Mourners would strike the door boards before they were abandoned, ritually mutilated, or occasionally repurposed as door sills or elements of sarcophagi.