Caleb Jarvis’ passion for Papua New Guinean art and craft started when he lived there as a young child, surrounded by, as he describes them, historical, functional, cultural and spiritual objects. “I lived in an environment where literally in every corner of the house was decorated, particularly with PNG arts.” Jarvis recalls.
As Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Australia’s Trade and Investment Commissioner, Jarvis translated that passion into “trying to work out how we could promote creative arts and artists from around the Pacific and help them to determine a livelihood through their arts. There was always that balancing act to protect the traditional knowledge and the culture around these creations and this artwork, but also guide the creators to have art that was modern, respected the traditions and could be sold in a modern environment.”
PTI’s efforts included appointing a dedicated creative arts manager role for several years, developing ‘lookbooks’ of what products were available for distribution in art galleries and homeware stores, helping to found and supporting the Goroka Bilum festival (which next month celebrates its 15th anniversary), and for many years, running the ‘Maketi Ples’ event.
While PTI no longer has the resources to run Maketi Ples, and as Jarvis acknowledges, it was not “achieving our objectives of really connecting to big buyers, and homewares [outlets],” the event did forge some important connections, including an enduring relationship with the founder of ‘Among Equals’, Carolyn Sherman.
“She literally was walking past the exhibition one night, all the excitement and the interest and the colours, we pulled her into the exhibition, and that was the beginning of Among Equals,” Jarvis says.
“At that point, Carolyn had never heard of a bilum, she had never seen a bilum.”
PTI introduced Sherman to ‘bilum mere’, Florence Jaukae Kamel. With the PTI, Kamel is founder of the Goroka event, and weaves and collects bilums for Among Equals.
“I took Carolyn to Goroka knowing that the moment she met the weavers that she would be very committed to working with them and creating good outcomes for the weavers because for every bilum sold, that money goes directly back to the woman weavers.”
While Among Equals is “probably the most successful commercial importer and distributor of bilums”, Jarvis says there are “many good people buying and selling bilums in Australia and all over the globe.”
He reflects: “I suppose we were the catalysts. We created this opportunity. We showcase the beauty of bilum. We put some promotional funding in.”
One of the barriers to very large-scale trade in Papua New Guinea handicrafts is the high landed cost of the goods once shipping, insurance and other costs are accounted for.
Jarvis says the products such as woven baskets and carvings become quite expensive, and it’s impossible to compete against similar, “but not nearly as good” products coming out of China, Indonesia, Vietnam etc.
“Once products get bulky, they are much more expensive to ship, and there’s not a high frequency of shipping, so those costs sort of go up very significantly.”
Still, he thinks there are still opportunities for higher-volume exports.
“Over the years, we’ve wanted to create international opportunities where more product gets sold. But once you sort of move to that bulk commodity, you move to a volume game, [and] you start to lose the value of what it actually is. You start to have a disconnect between that actual weaver and the purchaser.
“I think that’s the value, this is really handmade, bespoke one-offs, it’s very artisan focused. So in some ways, you know, maybe we just need to be satisfied with this, these smaller, specialised, bespoke beautiful type approach.”
Among Equals
Carolyn Sherman’s Among Equals store sits in a leafy, upscale neighbourhood of Sydney, its tasteful but muted exterior belying the riot of colour that greets you once you walk through the doors. But this shopfront represents a fraction of Among Equal’s footprint. It exports bilums all over the world, including to Europe, America, Japan and British department store, Selfridges.
Launched in 2015, Among Equals sells bilums made from natural fibres and colourful wool and accessories, some of them with pompoms and other elements to appeal to western markets.
”They’re single-handedly responsible for the purchase and the international export of thousands and thousands of bilums and Carolyn and her team and her husband, Emile, they’ve had a fabulous impact on some of these weaving communities,” says Jarvis.
Sherman has taken the bilum all the way to the Oscars red carpet, accessorizing her outfit with an Among Equals bilum when she accompanied her filmmaker husband to the 2021 ceremony.
For now, the business is focused on elevating the stories of the weavers, so that when buyers all over the world purchase an Among Equals bilum, they know how it is benefiting the women who made it.
Bilum and Bilas
As founder and creative director, Jessica Cassell’s ambition for Papua New Guinea’s Bilum & Bilas is for the venture to be well-known internationally as “a brand that has best practice around in working with artisans and working with cultural creative industries.”
The brand, which sells bilums, jewellery and a small homewares range internationally, aims to “honour and celebrate traditional artisan skills, whilst providing meaningful and fair employment for the women,” Cassell says.
Caleb Jarvis observes that Cassell has “taken that traditional knowledge and expertise and created a beautiful jewellery and homewares range.
“They’ve got gold, they’ve got pearls, they’ve got beautiful, fine, handwoven, pendants and earrings, and it really is world class. And it’s a bit different to what others have done as well.”
Bilums as a campaigning tool
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) talks about subjects that are often taboo or hidden: menstruation, contraception and sexually transmitted infections. In Papua New Guinea, its ‘Bilum campaign’ is using the significance of traditional patterns of these bilums and customs of women to elevate “the stories, experiences, and issues that women are telling through their craft and their traditions.”
Weaver and knowledge holder, Florence Jaukae Kamel, is a champion for the campaign.
Since 2021, the campaign has facilitated discussions and for policy makers, community leaders, and health workers, “reduce the stigma surrounding sexual and reproductive health and to encourage local ownership of the mandate to deliver a world in which every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person can fulfil their potential.”
In September, an exhibition of the featured bilums will be shown at the Goroka Bilum Festival and a newly launched book, Making the Invisible Visible, details the designs and the messages they convey. An upcoming documentary series Kalsa Blo Mi will explore the meanings of Motuan tattoos, Baluan beats and dances, and the Baianing ritual.
Skin Pik pattern
A reminder of the unequal status of women in traditional PNG society, the name ‘skin pik’ refers to a traditional feast in PNG in which women are wholly responsible for the preparation of the meal. However, when it is time to eat, the women who laboured to produce the meal are only served the leftover fatty remnants and skin. The pattern’s symbolism reflects on the unequal status of women in traditional village life in the country.
UNFPA: As long as women and girls are prevented from enjoying the opportunities and rewards that come from their labour, development will disproportionately privilege men, particularly those whose status is already confirmed within a social hierarchy.
The PNG Constitution, adopted in 1975, speaks clearly of the importance of equality so that “each man or woman will have the opportunity to develop as a whole person in relationship with others,” and while recognizing the importance of honouring the cultures and traditions of the past, it the promotes “equal participation by women citizens in all political, economic, social and religious activities.” The vision for the newly independent State of Papua New Guinea was inclusive and respectful of the contribution of women to its traditional cultures and the future development of the country. In highlighting the traditional design of the Skin Pik, we question how the role and status of women, along with recognition of their needs and reproductive wellbeing, has evolved since 1975.
