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New Guinea: Modern Collections
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GALLERY |
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| Native skirt |
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| Dani ceremonial axe |
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| Seed and bead necklace |
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| Dani penis sheath |
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| Carrying sling basket |
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| Grass skirt |
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| Jew's harp |
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| Necklace of Job's tears |
Kew’s Economic Botany collection houses a variety of artefacts obtained since the Second World War. Some of these groups of artefacts were obtained from communities in the Highlands; a densely populated region which was first explored in the 1930s. Gold prospectors began to make exploratory journeys into the mountainous interior at this time, and brought back reports of thousands of warlike tribesmen and grassy upland valleys. Light aircraft, already used to transport supplies to miners, played an important role in this exploration.
The reception of these western explorers by the Highlanders was at times hostile, and the Highlands therefore remained essentially closed until well after the end of the war in the Pacific. Eventually westerners were allowed back into the Highlands and several of the artefacts in Kew’s Economic Botany collection were obtained by researchers investigating the rich flora of the New Guinea interior. A recent example are those items collected from Dani tribesmen by Phil Cribb during an orchid collecting expedition in the Baliem Valley, Irian Jaya.
Stefanie Klappa's collection
New Guinea remains an area of fascination for many researchers. Stephanie Klappa collected a large range of artefacts in 1999 during her doctoral research into human-environment interaction in Krisa village, northwest Papua New Guinea, and many of these have been donated to Kew.
The collection was moulded by local perceptions of what should be represented and documented; generally people felt that they wanted to depict traditional life in their community. Some people enthusiastically took up the production of objects long ignored, or observed only in childhood. This demonstrates how the process of collection can not only help to support academic research and documentation, but also stimulate pride in local culture and history.
Stefanie collected over 600 artefacts, over half of which were purpose-built for the collection. A third were used, or had already been manufactured for own use, and a few were heirlooms or archaeological items. Kew's Economic Botany centre received mainly purpose made items as they were typically entirely made from plant materials. Many of the contemporary objects tended to incorporate modern materials such as waste metal. These latter objects were mostly left with the South Australian Museum to complement existing historical collections from the region. Historical items were given to the National Museum and Art Gallery of Papua New Guinea to be retained as part of the national heritage.
Besides its ethnobotanical interest, the collection illustrates the complexity of the economic and social network in a New Guinea community. Often several people will contribute material to a single object. Some items represent artefact types from elsewhere in New Guinea; produced by in-married outsiders, or acquired by Krisa people on travels beyond their territory. The collection also demonstrates how local artefact types vary in respect to the materials utilised and the exhibition of individual craftsmanship.
The artefacts in the Economic Botany Collection are complemented by simultaneously prepared herbarium specimens deposited at Kew Herbarium. The specimens document and identify some of the plants used in the fabrication of the artefacts. Stefanie also took photographs and recorded the identification of plants by local people, including descriptions of their ecology and plant names in the local language, in Pidgin English or with the terms used commercially for timber species.
Back to New Guinea
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