Witzig Gallery

Bilims

The Bilim has many uses including a garment, ornament and ritual adornment.
It is also used as a formal exchange and informal gifting.
Bilims are made from a single bush string,which is very resilient, by spinning more fibres against the thigh, more loops of the bag are constructed by each new length of string. Plant dyes are traditionally used for colour.

Buka Baskets

Buka baskets from the Highlands in PNG, originally from Bougainville, are made from the Lygodium stems is in the finely woven basket ware. All species of the genus have an elongate climbing rachis that has the capacity for indefinite growth often reaching lengths of several metres. It is of uniform diameter and extremely tough, wiry and durable.

TAPA Bark Cloths

TAPA Bark Cloth from Oro Province PNG
Made from Mulberry tree bark,stripped & soaked, scraped & beaten with stone or wood beaters. Damp, glutinous pieces pieces of bark are overlapped & beaten to form sheets.Hand painted designs using colours from clays, plants & charcoal.

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