Background to Papua New Guinea and the Fox Collection

by Steve Selby

Papua, like New Zealand, was first populated by a migration from Asia some 20,000 years ago, followed by a second migration some 10,000 years ago. What makes Papua so interesting is that it escaped the European colonisation process which started in the 16th century: Papua was not colonised until the Second World War in the middle of the Twentieth Century. In spite of all the changes that took place over the last 500 years in the majority of the rest of the planet, the people of Papua remained in the ‘primitive’ state that humankind has enjoyed for the majority of our time on the Earth.

In the 1950's the National Geographic Society sent an expedition to cross the island along the North/South axis, the shortest distance possible. I remember seeing some of this documentary on that new invention of the time: the TV. These were black and white images of men running across handmade ropes with nothing on other than Penis sheaths which were two feet long and tied to their waists. (I later met a man who had been sent to Papua to teach these same tribal men to drive huge tractors to push a whole mountain down its rivers to collect its deposits of gold. He had a large collection of these sheaths which he had exchange for the overalls they had to wear when driving or working on the site.)

For centuries life in Papua New Guinea was very stable with more than 400 different languages being found when missionaries started to explore its interior in the mid-twentieth century. Many small independent groups lived side by side yet isolated in the rough mountainous terrain of the interior. Trading of goods was usually carried out along river areas while hunting and gathering and limited cultivation was the main occupation of the groups. Tribal conflicts did occur and Papuans where known to the outside world to be cannibalistic at times. This practise was suspected as late as the early 70's when two white men looking for artefacts went missing; one of them was from the Rockefeller family of the US. This trade in artefacts was supposed to have stopped in 1963 when it was declared that nothing made before this date could be taken from the country.

It seems that the Papuans haven't taken to well to the exploitation that came with the joys of civilization. Although people lost their homeland to the river silting up and had to move to Port Moresby after 10 years of mining the mountain, Papua was never paid during this period by the consortium of countries that operated the mining, even though it is/was one of the riches deposits of the 20th century. So even though Papuan gold has taught them about the concept of money and the missionaries have taught them to wear pants and buy their beef from Australia, the people of Papua are still considered the poorest on this earth.

Yet, the rich traditions of the past still hang on. Like in tribal Africa, the rich tradition of decoration and especially images carved from wood, still flourishes in Papua. The lifestyle outside Port Moresby is still one of tribal isolation with traditions still well in place. The artefacts of this country are still one of the most collectable art forms available, even if one does not have to worry about being served up in the soup to collect them. The introduction of the concept of money may not have helped the tribesmen of Papua but it will not go away. I cannot think of a more noble export than the cottage industry of making passionate images of a world lost to us.

I personally feel that this creating this collection has been a rare opportunity for me to help preserve the art of the last true enclave of primitive man on Earth. It goes without saying that the tradition, art and way of life in Papua will not remain as it has for the past 20,000 years. Civilizations are remembered through their art while undeveloped peoples are often forgotten for the lack of an art form that identifies them. The creativity of primitive Africa, the totems of the Hiadas, the weaving of the Plains Indians and the obsessive need for decoration of the Papuan will mark their place in history for future humans. It is with this thought in mind that I have tried to organize and protect this collection of the arts of Papua. The collection has items gathered under various headings, and I explain a little more about each of them below.

Masks and Figure Heads: Traditionally the masks where used in the "men’s" house. I have seen documentaries that show these strange and often grotesque faces hanging from the gloomy roof. Missionaries seemed obsessed with defining such images as false gods, but in most primitive cultures these are not idols but protective images whose intent is to be worse than evil that might be faced in the future. In Papua the closest thing to a god image is probably the crocodile, which is the most reproduced image in all river tribes. Other animal forms are found and some are used to protect individual houses or canoes.

Figures: Figures are again found largely in the men’s house but may be used to protect individual houses. "Sprite Figures" are found throughout Papua and are the embodiment of an individual, usually deceased. There are photos of abandoned houses which are occupied by figures of lost comrades. Animals, and of course the crocodile, are often found represented in this type of carving.

Weapons for hunting and defence: These include everything from bone knives and stone axes to spears and shields, the latter varying from very colourfully decorated bark or wooded protection to the very rare wild boar hide shield found in this collection. There are also examples of almost a hundred different arrow heads plus a very interesting war club.

Throne and Amulet: This collection includes a large chair or throne with carved mask in garamut, a very heavy, hard wood from the forests of Papua. With this is a rare chief’s amulet of clay and shell.

Musical instruments: There are examples of whistles made of bamboo and clay, as well as carved and decorated slit drums of different sizes, with the largest being over 8ft. long with beautifully carved heads of a crocodile at each end and two very beautiful wooden carved horns.

Pottery: One of the most outstanding parts of this collection is the examples of pots and bowls of all sizes and shapes. The pottery of Papua is often referred to as the "Wedgewood" of the primitive world. Represented are many examples of different and rare tribal masterpieces, all decorated in unusual ways, as well as many figurines and decorated pot supports.

Storyboards: This is a more recent art form developed in Papua, but one that is very collectable. A group of river tribes were encouraged by missionaries to turn their tribal stories into wooden reliefs: the results simply must be seen! Here we have small to over 8ft long storyboards, all by different village artists, all outstanding examples of carving as well as informative pictures of the life of Papuans.

House Poles or Totems: There are six wooden house poles which traditionally were used to decorate the "Men’s" House. These are each made by a different artist and represent different tribal styles. All of them are of a usable size.

Miscellaneous: The collection also includes basket Work and unusually household utensils, etc.