item details
Overview
History
This tapa cloth is titled Dahoru'e, Tubore Une, Buboriano'e, Dhu'o Sabue Ahe (Omie Mountains, Eggs of the Dwarf Cassowary, Beaks of Blyth's Hornbill and Spots of the Wood-boring Grub) and was made by Botha Kimmikimmi in 2012. Botha lives and works in Jiapa village in the Oro Province in Papua New Guinea.
Construction
The lines that run through the work are known as orriseegé or ‘pathways’ and provide a compositional framework for the design. The zig-zagging lines are dahoru’e, the design of the Omie mountains. The rows of small black triangles like sawtooths at their edges are buboriano’e, the beaks of Blyth’s Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus). During the times of the ancestors hornbill beaks were a part of men’s customary dress for rites and ceremonies. The beaks were worn in rows radiating outwards around the rim of men’s foreheads beneath their feathered headdressess. The beaks beautified men but more importantly, because the hornbills are such large birds and are so extremely difficult to hunt, they were indicators of a male’s hunting skills and therefore symbols of prestige. In one version of the story of how the first Omie ancestors emerged onto the surface of the earth from Awai’i underground cave, a man used his hornbill beak forehead adornment as a tool to chisel his way through the rock and into the light of the world. Both of the cross-hatch designs that can be seen in the work are tuboru une, the design of the egg of the Dwarf Cassowary (Casuarius bennetti). Cassowary eggs are an important seasonal food source for Omie people. The spots within the orriseegé and dahoru’e is a design called sabu ahe representing the spots which can be seen on the sides of a wood-boring grub. This grub is sacred to Omie people as it plays an important part within the creation story of how Huvaemo (Mount Lamington) came to be volcanic. It is a traditional soru’e (tattoo design) which was most commonly tattooed running in one line under both eyes. Today it is applied to Omie people’s faces for dance performances with natural pigments.
Significance
As evident in this tapa, a central point of reference for the Omie woman is the Oro Province's environment. Omie is a remote place, located on the south east ridges of the Huvaemo summit. The environment is considered to be harsh due to Huvaemo and the surrounding forest. This has largely contained and confined the Omie to their hilltop villages and forced them to live self sufficiently as they receive scarce if not any funding from the Papuan government. Adapting to their environment has been crucial to their survival and this physical element is explored through tapa.
The eruption of Huvaemo in 1951 caused the death of more than 2,000 Papuans from Orokaivian, a neighbouring village to the Omie people. This disaster saw significant changes to cultural practices in the Oro Province as people questioned whether the eruption was a sign from God to abandon customs like initiation and tattooing that went against fundamental Christian beliefs being introduced to the region. A significant number of Omie creations, as in this example, have centred on this volcano. Designs have instead transferred over from what would have once been tattoos or clan insignia, to tapa.
Acquisition history
This tapa cloth was part of the Omie Artists, Suja's Daughters exhibition and was acquired from the Andrew Baker Art Dealer in Australia in 2013.
References
Balari, S. B., Ryan, J., Modjeska, D. & Sare, A. (2009). Wisdom of the Mountain: Art of the Omie. Melbourne, Australia: National Gallery of
Gadai, A., Gama, L., Hago, P. R., Hoijo, J. M., Jonevari, D., Keme, N. & Upia, S. (2006). Omie: The barkcloth of Omie. Sydney, Australia: Presfast Pty Ltd.
Maud, P., Mallon, S. & Miller, I. (2009). Paperskin: Barkcloth across the Pacific. Exhibition Catalogue, 31 October 2009 – 14 February 2010. Brisbane, Australia: Queensland Art Gallery
Omie Artists Inc. (2013). Omie Artists. Retrieved from http://www.omieartists.com/about-us/
Omie Artists Inc., Modjeska, & D., King, B. (2013). Omie Artists: Suja's Daughters. Brisbane, Australia: Andrew Baker Art Dealer Pty Ltd.
Pacific Islands Trade & Invest. (2011). Omie Artists. Retrieved from http://www.pacifictradeinvest.com/index.php/cat/file/54-omie-bark-cloth