Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia
Accession Date:
7 Nov 2019
Collection Date:
26 May 2012
Notes:
Bilum (bag) made of acrylic yarn. Green with yellow, red, and orange square, with yellow embroidered stars inside. Single handle with pompoms at top. Donor notes: Maker, Sekaya. Cost: K40. A rectangular bilum featuring elements from the flag of Eastern Highlands Province. The bilum contains four colors of acrylic yarn: lime green, yellow, red, and orange. The “boss” or main color is lime green which composes the background field. The flag is surrounded by a frame composed of (outside to inside) yellow, red, and orange. The flag itself is a square, diagonally divided, of lime green and red, at the center of which is a seven pointed star embroidered in yellow. Surrounding the larger central star are eight smaller stars, also in yellow. (The official flag also has a representation of the legendary figure Nokondi holding a coffee branch, but this element is not included in the bilum.) The mouth and base are finished with tight rows of fastening stitches in alternating colors. The handle is largely lime green, with stripes of yellow and red at either side, and topped with three “flowers” (pompoms) containing all four colors. The pompoms are joined to the handle with lime green yarn. This shape of bilum is often carried by young men or schoolchildren as it is appropriate for carrying papers or schoolbooks, and the rectangular shape is coded as more masculine. This bilum was purchased at the Goroka bilum market.