Dance skirt

Elaborate costumes and body adornments are a key part of performances and festivities in the west Pacific. This skirt is part of the bilas (body decoration) worn by women in the Angoram area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Such skirts come in a variety of colours and patterns: this example is dyed red, brown, and yellow, and has a thick plaited waistband.

Singsing
In PNG singsing are festivities involving body decoration, songs, and dance. During the colonial era, some government officials and missionaries discouraged practices such as singsing. But at the same time, they were deeply fascinated by these exotic and unique occasions, and organised annual singsing performances as a way of displaying PNG culture to outsiders. Now these performances are an occasion for celebrating identity through song, dance, and dramatic and distinctive costume.

Bilas
In the rich mix of song, dance, and costume in PNG, bilas is an essential part of the performance. Bilas varies from region to region, from men to women, and from one occasion to another. Bilas might also include body painting, dramatic headpieces, armbands, necklaces, and masks.

Acquisition
This skirt is part of a collection that was collected by Mr E R Lockyer between 1968 and 1969 in PNG. The collection was presented to Te Papa's predecessor, the National Museum, in 1973.