Arts and Crafts - The Papua New Guinea Way

Some of Papua New Guinea's finest art in designing string bags (bilums) are affordable in all sizes and shapes. The art of weaving bilum (string bags) in Papua New Guinea(PNG) from traditional to contemporary fashion is dynamic. The traditional art of weaving bilums or ‘basket’ – which has become the trademark for Papua New Guinea overseas, has, in a more westernized PNG society been revisited with a contemporary approach – in this case, while the designs are, in every sense, traditionally pure, sometimes the materials or tools used to create it, is synthetic.

(Bilums on sale in different price ranges at Kagamuga Airport in Mount Hagen, WHP - pic by David Ketepa)

The bilums are hand-woven bags or baskets, which are very common and widely used among Papua New Guinean societies. They are either made from bark of certain trees, kandas (very strong ropes) as in other provinces, and even from coconut or pandanus (fruit tree) leaves. But the more common ones today are those made from artificial colored rolls of wools and needles – frequently purchased from stores.


(Bilums (bags) on display near Kagamuga Airport, Mount Hagen, WHP- Pic by David Ketepa)

Wool-bilums are often accomplished by skilled PNG women who have certain knowledge of the traditional designs from their area of origin, either from the Highlands, Islands, Momase, or Southern regions. The most famously done and hackneyed designs are from the Momase region and the Highlands. However, there is also some from the New Guinea Islands like the Trobriand Islands, as well as the Northern provinces like the Oro baskets and art. These baskets are made using traditional bush materials as mentioned earlier and there are different chic, procedures or even the know-how utilized for the accomplishment of these striking traditional trademarks


( Bilums on sale at Kagamuga Airport, Mount Hagen, WHP - Pic by David Ketepa)

The idea of bilums started in the Highlands region some decades ago. Even before this, the traditional highlanders used the furs from the cuscus or tree possums interwoven together to form bilums, traditionally used as a means of carrying food or other produces. The traditional highlands bilum are normally worn on the head and also use to carry babies apart from their garden produce. The original Highland’s bilum – with woven furs from tree possums (kapul) is usually shaped into a diamond form.

(More bilums/bags on sale near Kagamuga Airpot in Mount Hagen, WHP, PNG - Pic by David Ketepa)

The sides a sewn smoothly together and then tied on both ends, hence, forming a beautiful and colorful bilum with ends tied together. In Port Moresby; the capital of Papua New Guinea, often women and men at the craft markets (not official) in Boroko and sometimes every Saturday towards the end of the month at Ela Beach selling their products or artifacts, and bilums apart from others are often the main item that is being sold around the craft markets.

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