Lewa

Lewa names the class of spirit-monster tied to the district level of Wogeo ceremony, its power invoked by headmen at food distributions and its form made visible in masked dancers who wear tall wickerwork headdresses and appear as paired 'twins.' With the more encompassing nibek it makes up the category of spirit-monsters, the middle tier of Wogeo supernaturals between the ancestral dead and the culture heroes. The lewa also governs a season of taboo: for the months of its observance the community is bound by prohibitions, among them the ban on gathering ripe coconuts, through which headmen regulate resources and assert authority. Carved lewa masks from the Schouten Islands are held in several museum collections.

Domains

• food distribution
• taboo

Powers

• lends its power to district food distributions and imposes seasonal taboos

Sources

• The lewa is a Wogeo spirit-monster whose power is called upon during district food distributions and whose ritual presence is embodied in masked dancers wearing tall wickerwork headdresses.: Hogbin, H. Ian. 1991. 'Wogeo,' in Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume II: Oceania, ed. Terence E. Hays (Boston: G.K. Hall). (secondary); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mask (Lewa), Wogeo or Bam people, Schouten Islands (online collection, object 318685). (secondary)
• During the lewa season, which may last three to four months, communal prohibitions such as a ban on gathering ripe coconuts are imposed under the headman's authority.: Saint Louis Art Museum, Lewa Mask, Wogeo Island (online collection, object 19556). (secondary)