Massim canoes in the Milne Bay Province,Papua New Guinea
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 …
OAC Journal Research Articles
Solomon Islands carved coconut used in the practice of teeth blackening
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 …
An Important Addition to the Sculptures Known to be from the Kiwai area
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 …
Beyond bridge and barrier: Torres Strait and curious artefact distributions between Queensland and New Guinea
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 …
A Canoe Named Ealamai’iea, or Patience ©
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 …
Mugus – the terrible blind god, the lord of pigs – a unique sculpture from Papua New Guinea
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 …
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor – Part VII
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 …
Pacific Presences: Current Research into Oceanic art and European Museums
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 …
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor – Part VI
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 …
A Brief History of the Sepik (continued)
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 …