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We hold our mothers' teachings in our hearts and hands: Bark cloths from PNG

Past exhibition
1 - 31 August 2011
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Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Diona Jonevari (Suwarari), dahoru'e, buboriano'e, ve'i ija ahe,ohu'o odunaigo'e - Omie mountains, beaks of Blyth's Hornbill, bone of the lizard and jungle vines

Diona Jonevari (Suwarari) Papua NewGuinean, b. 1978

dahoru'e, buboriano'e, ve'i ija ahe,ohu'o odunaigo'e - Omie mountains, beaks of Blyth's Hornbill, bone of the lizard and jungle vines
natural pigments on nioge (barkcloth)
175 x 89 cm
787950
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The lines that run through the work are known as orriseege or 'pathways' and provide a compositional framework for the design. The border design within each frame is composed of...
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The lines that run through the work are known as orriseege or 'pathways' and provide a compositional framework for the design. The border design within each frame is composed of two designs - the triangles are dahoru'e, Omie mountains, and the zig-zag design over the triangles is buboriano-e, the beaks of Blyth's Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus). Hornbills are the largest flying birds that can be found in the Omie mountains. In the time of the ancestors their huge conical bills and casques were prized objects. Several beaks would be used to create a man's daramoi (headband) which was worn during ceremonies and rituals. The plant motif is odunaigo'e, a climbing jungle vine that has sharp thorns. Diona originally observed this old Emate clan design at Gojavobehi village where Chief of Emate clan men, Nathan Gama, was making a kukuhone (bamboo smoking pipe). This was one of the designs he was burning into it's surface. The design with rows of black squares and dots is ve'i ija ahe, the bone of the lizard. Diona learnt this design from her father-in-law, Emmanuel Jonevari. This is the story for the ve'i'ija ahe design, as told to Diona by Emmanuel (recorded April 2011 at Godibehi villlage):

In the time of the ancestors there were two lizards known as evene that lived on Huvaemo (Mt Lamington), a male and female. The lizards were very large and their heads were predominantly red and black in colour with some yellow also. We Omie people can never kill or eat the lizards because they live in a secret place of the banks of jov'e Iliri (the Iliri River). Sometimes our ancestors would see the lizards sunbaking on a flat stone by the river but they are fast and retreat quickly. The stones and rocks where the lizards live are yellow [1] and when the water of the Iliri River flows through this area it is turned a milky colour.

[1] This is likely to be sulphur from the volcano
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