Bidspirit auction | Guna Nuchu Carved Wood Medicine

Guna Nuchu Carved Wood Medicine Figure in Layered Textiles with Floral Embroidery - Panama (Guna Yala), circa 1970s 10.5 inches Hand-carved wooden nuchu oe uchu medicine doll with a softly rounded ovoid head featuring gently incised closed almond eyes, a narrow ridge nose, and a simple horizontal mouth carved above a tapered neck. The body is columnar and terminates in a pair of short stubby legs visible at the base. The figure is dressed in layered textiles: an upper short tunic of handwoven purple and white vertical stripes embellished with two hand embroidered birds, one hot pink with black & white wings and one outlined in green — worn over a longer wrapped lower garment of machine-woven red, white, navy, and blue ikat-style cotton. Nuchukana are sacred spirit figures carved from specific woods and called upon by Guna neles (shamans/medicine people) to house helper spirits who assist in healing ceremonies and protective rituals. Provenance: From the Parker & Neal Collection.