Maimafu, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia
Accession Date:
7 Nov 2019
Collection Date:
21 Aug 2011
Notes:
Bilum (bag) made of acrylic yarn. Red, yellow, green and black horizontal stripes. Single handle. Donor notes: Maker, Ellen Tom. Cost: K65. A handbag-sized bilum made from tightly looped alternating rows of black, green, yellow and red acrylic yarn. The base, mouth, and one side are fastened with tight loops of olive green yarn. A short handle is worked in a tighter version of the same pattern, giving a ridged appearance. The looping technique is similar to that known as dam kaal men in the Telefolmin area (MacKenzie 1991). This style of bilum was developed by women in the Crater Mountain area to sell to tourists via a conservation NGO. In 2007 the community ejected the NGO and have stopped selling these bilums. This item is a remnant from that period. According to Ellen Tom, it is based on a traditional pattern that would customarily be made with dyed “bush rope” and has features that are unique to the Crater Mountain area.