Mirane, Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia
Accession Date:
7 Nov 2019
Collection Date:
11 May 2012
Notes:
Small bilum (bag) made of acrylic yarn. Three wide horizontal bands of red, green, and yellow diamond and zigzag pattern, bordered by narrower blue and white stripes. Single handle. Short fringe along sides and on handle. Donor notes: Maker, Betty Jerry. Cost: K50. A handbag-sized bilum worked in blue, white, yellow, green, and red acrylic yarn. The body of the bilum is “cut” into three tiers, with alternating patterns described by the artist as “K”, “ten needle diamond”, and “W”. Each tier is worked with ten threads?four each of red and green, and two yellow. Three rows of “fish scale” stitch in blue and white separate each tier. The mouth (maus) and bottom (as) of the bilum are closed with tight loops in alternating colors. The handle is constructed of the same pattern as the body. Other women in Betty's clan described the bilum as especially well-constructed and claimed that she was the only one in their community who knew this pattern.
