Tapa

The stitching around the edges of this tapa suggests it was used as a dance cape.
These capes, made by the Benabena, Usarufa, Jate, Fore and Kamano peoples, were made from beaten bark then decorated with pigments derived from plants.
These capes were used in ceremonies that might have a central pig-related theme, but various garden products were given equal or greater importance, and the ceremonies often became harvest festivals in which fruit, vegetables and other commercial products were shared.
In the Goroka and Henganofi regions, these ceremonies were once marked by collective dancing and singing, body decorations and a series of characteristic emblems, always made and almost always worn by men.

Jim Davidson (1908- 1994)

Jim Davidson’s first trip to Papua New Guinea as a mining engineer dates back to 1937. He was tasked with exploring and mapping an uncontrolled area of the country. He returned to Papua New Guinea after the war to grow coffee in the Whagi Valley in the Highlands. The collection of objects he amassed during this period gives an insight into his deep respect for the people of this region. In 1961, Jim and his wife Irene opened a tribal art gallery in their home in Ivanhoe, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Their son Malcolm inherited the collection and took over the business in 1991.

Price: €6,800