PNG String
Bags (Bilums) |
via Papua New Guinea
|
via Papua New Guinea
|
String Bags / Bilums
Long before supermarkets were forced to give or sell non-plastic bags for customers to carry groceries the women of PNG were using the ultimate item carrier - a bilum.
Originally made from traditional materials they are now usually made from commercially manufactured material such as nylon and wool. The original fibre was manufactured from the inner bark of the wild tulip tree and other readily available natural materials. First the bark is soaked in a stream or the sea for up to 8 months until the material that binds the bark twine together rots. Then the bark is dried and the strands of bark are separated before the woman will rub the bark with her hand on her thigh to produce the strands of twine.
The yarn used in the making of a bilum can also come from the bast fibres of a tree from the Malvaceae family, likely to be either Thespesia populnea (Pacific Rosewood) or Hibiscus tiliaceus (Sea Hibiscus – known as Paritium tiliaceum at the time) – both tropical coastal hardwood trees which are used throughout the Pacific region for making cordage and rope. The bilum is decorated with parts of crustaceans and shells, reflecting the importance of the ocean in the lives of people living in coastal New Guinea. (quoted from Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Web site)
There were many methods used to traditionally change the colour of the twine fibre. Sometimes the twine was rubbed on a white stone and the result was pure white. Another method was to soak the twine in mud before weaving. Slate stone, orchid bark, roots and jungle grasses were some of the other materials used to produce dye. Burnt shell was often used to make the dye fast. Some special seashells were also crushed to produce a dark red dye. The end result was often striking especially the earthy colors. Unfortunately it is becoming more difficult to find a genuine traditional bilum.
A modern day bilum is fashioned from commercially manufactured wool and often brightly coloured nylon strings but nothing beats the feel and pride of owning a "real" bilum made from traditional fibre.
Weaving a bilum
Bilums have even been woven into dresses and worn on formal occasions as modeled by Linda at a recent Air Niugini Ball.
Bilum - used as decoration
