Bilboquet Ammassalik Game

Description
Technical

A bilboquet (or pin and ring game) know as ajagak carved in the stylized shape of an animal's rear leg. Made of a seals radius, the bone retains its natural shape but is slightly recarved on the smallest end to symbolize a hoof. The body of the bone is pierced all-over and the needle of the bilboquet also made of bone is attached with a natural braid. It is an ajagak –of type 3b in the Gessain typology (see pp. 246/247 & pl. XIX, Gessain,1952).

Ammassalik (Angmassalik) population, east coast, Greenland. Seal bone and natural fibers (old break at the foot). 11,5 x 5 cm for the pierced bone and 11 cm for the needle. XIX/XXth century. Collected in the field by Swiss glaciologist and geologist Michel Pérez (1909-1994) during the French Expedition to the East Coast of Greenland (E. F. G.) in 1934/35.

Provenance: Ex-collection of the Swiss geologist and glaciologist Michel Pérez (1909-1994), member of the "French Expedition to the East Coast of Greenland (E. F. G.)" under the command of Paul Émile Victor. Commander Charcot on the Pourquoi-Pas? having transported the expedition deposited them in Angmassalik in August 1934 and recovered them in June 1935. It was during this "French Expedition to the East Coast of Greenland (E. F. G.)" that Fred Matter-Steveniers, filmmaker, Michel Perez, geologist, Robert Gessain, anthropologist and doctor, and Paul-Émile Victor, ethnologist collected all the objects for the Musée de l'Homme that are now in the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac; as well as a reduced number of other objects today at the MEG in Geneva. Retained by Michel Perez in his private collection, this bilboquet was acquired directly from his widow. Ex-Valentin Boissonas collection, Zurich.