The relaxed poses of the two figures indicate a date typically acknowledged to be +/- 1920 - 1930.  The pair of figures are supported by a flying fox, whose wings then cleverly sweep up as in flight to form suspension hooks. The nose of one of the figures has long ago been splintered off, in a curious manner (a desecration?) the exposed area now well worn as is the whole of this sculpture.  Remnant red pigments offer a constantly changing range of red to brown hues, depending on the source and nature of the light.

The unusual manner of co-joining the heads is also to be found in a not dissimilar piece, last image, in the Jolika Collection at the de Young Museum.  

Field collected by Chris Boylan, a New York Tribal Show piece.  32 cm @ $poa.  Very cool and dynamic, a very complex piece that never stops presenting something new to ponder.  contact: garra@oceanicarchive.com