1-FieldCollectingNewGuineaArt-TamiIslandBowlWithChief-OceanicTribalArt
The story of this huge Tami Island feast bowl can be seen in the old man’s eyes. While still in graduate school I was in Papua New Guinea for my third time in the summer of 1996. The photo was taken in Malasiga village, on the mainland between Finschhafen and Lae, right onshore of the Tami Islands. I was in the main village enquiring about artifacts when I came across this old man who invited me to his house. He brought out this huge old feast bowl to sell. I could see he was torn with the decision but also defiant once it was made. He said that he used to be the village chief and part of this responsibilities lay in sponsoring elaborate feasts for the surrounding community. But now he was too old to be chief and thus the feast bowl was no longer of use to him. You can see this sense of pride, melancholy and defiance in the man’s face.