Promoting the understanding and appreciation of Oceanic art.
by David Payne The traditional canoes of the Massim region of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) are colourful, stylish, and sophisticated. These traditional wooden canoes are woven into the fabric of the culture with their origins dating back through countless generations, yet they are still being made and they are extraordinary. […]
Clémentine Débrosse In 1568, Álvaro de Mendaña y Neira was the first European to visit the Archipelago now known as the Solomon Islands. At the time, Mendaña y Neira was looking for the island of Ophir on which King Solomon’s treasure was supposed to be – a story from which originates the naming of the […]
by David Ferguson This article describes a remarkable and previously undocumented female ancestral sculpture carved in the round in a fully conceived naturalistic style (Fig.1) which appears most closely related to the art style of Kiwai people living on the larger islands of the lower Fly River Delta and considered an important addition to the […]
By Professor Ian J. McNiven, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Monash Indigenous Studies Centre, Monash University, Melbourne During the nineteenth century Europeans became increasingly aware of […]
By John Greenshields of Adelaide, South Australia I took this photo of Joseph Ayodila at the Milne Bay Canoe and Drum Festival on Alotau, Papua New Guinea, in 2014. I […]
By Crispin Howarth, Curator, Pacific Arts, National Gallery of Australia Since the mid-1920s, this masterpiece of Oceanic sculpture with its gently twisting elongated torso, oversized hands and stout powerful legs […]
by Barry Craig. Continued from OAS OAS Journal Vol.22 No.3. In this issue of the OAS Journal, I provide more details of Harry’s service with the AN&MEF and a sample […]
By Dr Erna Lilje, Research Associate For some decades, museums have had to reflect upon and re-imagine what they do and for whom. Museums that hold ethnographic collections have become […]
by Barry Craig. Continued from OAS Journal Vol.21 No.5. In this issue of the OAS Journal, I provide more details of Harry’s service with the AN&MEF and a sample of […]
Although the Sepik District became increasingly important as a source of labour – with a corresponding increase in the activities of labour recruiters in uncontrolled areas – no steps were […]
