Bilum (net bag); Yarn
date: label: Accession Date
content: 17 May 2017
label: Collection Date
content: 17 Jan 2011
name: label: Collector
content: Dr. Joshua A. Bell
label: Donor Name
content: National Museum of Natural History
notes: label: Notes
content: Bilum (string bag) made of green, yellow, brown and red yarn, looped in a tight interlocking figure eight. The bilum has a single strap with green, yellow, and black stripes, with three oblong tassels attached to the top of the handle. The donor reports that these tassels are referred to as the “flowers” of the bilum and are a relatively new design feature of bilums. The bilum's body is largely green with a vertical border of a brown stripe surrounded by yellow stripes. The two sides of the bilum have almost the same design. At the top is a yellow banner with green text: “SOUTH PACIFIC” (one side does not have the "C" of pacific). Below the yellow field are two representations of beer bottles in brown with a yellow block at the top (presumably the cap). The bottles have a label reading“SP”, which is short for South Pacific Brewers, which began in 1952, and is Papua New Guinea's national beer. Between the bottles in red are the words “OUR BEER”, which is a standard advertising claim of SP. At the bottom in yellow writing are the words “B AND B BY SPBL.” The bottom of the bag is stitched together with a length of red, yellow, green, yellow, and red yarn. Donor notes: Cost, 70 kina. "Elise Kolayat, a Mende woman from the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea and originally from Poyapé village and a member of the Bana clan, sold and made this bilum. She was unsure of her age (approximately 25). She came to Goroka in 1997 with her “big brother” when she was little. She learned how to make bilums in Goroka from her various female kin. She copied the SP design from other women but can not read. She has been making and selling bilums for 2-3 years [in 2011]. She uses the money to support her family."
label: Record Last Modified
content: 22 Aug 2019
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Goroka, Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Mende
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 2058627
label: USNM Number
content: E435178-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Bag
physicalDescription: label: Length
content: 81 cm
label: Width
content: 42.5 cm
label: Length - Body
content: 33 cm
label: Length - Handle
content: 50 cm