The inaugural Goroka Bilum Festival was held this past weekend. It is envisaged that the Bilum Festival will become the fore-runner event to the famous Goroka Show. The festival is organised by the Goroka District Events Committee and was held this year at the local Raun-Raun Theatre.
A bilum is a string bag made by hand in Papua New Guinea. The bag can be made by a process known as string looping or by crocheting. Traditionally, the string used was hand-made, normally from plant materials. Now, however, many people who can afford to do so make their bilums from store bought yarn and string. Bilums are used to carry a wide range of items, from shopping goods in large bilums to personal items in purse-sized varieties. Mothers often carry their babies in bilums.
For those interested:
- The Festival’s 2009 Program: Goroka Bilum Festival Program
(190.6 KB) - Festival’s website: http://www.bilumfest.org/
- Festival’s email address: info@bilumfest.org
- Lots and lots of Bilum photos.
The new designs that these women keep comping up with is amazing.
I don’t recognise those paterns from when I was there few years back.
Weast,
I’m sure that there’s many things you would not recognise here in Goroka. The two and a half years I have lived here – so much has already changed.
R