Twisting Knowledge and Emotion: Modern Bilums of Papua New Guinea - (Editorial Reviews) - edited by Nicolas Garnier, UPNG

A book about PNG bilums

 

THE catalogue on bilums is a major attempt to understand and to advertise an important element of contemporary PNG culture. Indeed, bilums or "string bags" or "net bags" are seen everywhere in PNG and are used by both men and women at all social occasions. It is handmade almost exclusively by women either with natural fibres or acrylic strings (imported yarns) or mixed natural fibers rolled with shredded rice sacks or feathers. While bilums are used as mundane artifacts, they also carry highly symbolic personal, social and cultural meanings. For many participants in the ongoing cultural research, bilums reflect the attachment between mother and child, and evoke for many others the hard labor of women in the country, their courage and imagination. It is a major, and one of the rare artifacts permitting women to invest in the field of visual arts. The production of such an artifact requires a rare patience, extremely complex techniques (some women use more than 12 needles to loop a pattern) and a vivid imagination. This research is one of the first conducted on Melanesian artifacts which is developed by Melanesians themselves. The catalogue consists of 45 large colour plates presenting an exhaustive classification of modern bilums and their traditional origins. It contains 20 texts such as essays and poems, written by Papua New Guineans (scholars and non-scholars) evoking their personal attachments to bilums. Most of these texts are vibrant advocacies on traditional culture.