Plumes and Pearlshells

Plumes and Pearlshells
Author: Barry Craig
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2014
Genre: Art
ISBN:

Presents highlights from this extraordinary collection, now held by the Gallery, as well as other superb pieces used in rituals, war and daily life such as rare gourd masks, painted shields, carved spears, woven and carved figures, textiles and dance masks. Wilson at AGNSW, Kamel & Mel at Papuan artists.

Plumes from Paradise

Plumes from Paradise
Author: Pamela Swadling
Publisher: Sydney University Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2019-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 1743325460

The natural resources of New Guinea and nearby islands have attracted outsiders for at least 5000 years: spices, aromatic woods and barks, resins, plumes, sea slugs, shells and pearls all brought traders from distant markets. Among the most sought-after was the bird of paradise. Their magnificent plumes bedecked the hats of fashion-conscious women in Europe and America, provided regalia for the Kings of Nepal, and decorated the headdresses of Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire. Plumes from Paradise tells the story of this interaction, and of the economic, political, social and cultural consequence for the island's inhabitants. It traces 400 years of economic and political history, culminating in the 'plume boom' of the early part of the 20th century, when an unprecedented number of outsiders flocked to the island's coasts and hinterlands. The story teems with the variety of people involved: New Guineans, Indonesians, Chinese, Europeans, hunters, traders, natural historians and their collectors, officials, missionaries, planters, miners, adventurers of every kind. In the wings were the conservationists, whose efforts brought the slaughter of the plume boom to an end and ushered in an era of comparative isolation for the island that lasted until World War II.

Pigs, Pearlshells, and Women

Pigs, Pearlshells, and Women
Author: Robert M. Glasse
Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall
Total Pages: 264
Release: 1969
Genre: Social Science
ISBN:

"The articles written for this book show how the religious ideas and ritual actions of the people express their pervasive materialism and rationalize their often tense relations between men and women. The authors show also how the exchange of women in highland societies reflects the political and economic ties between different groups, and how marital preferences and prohibitions influence these relations".--Cover.

Craft Shaping Society

Craft Shaping Society
Author: Lindy Joubert
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2022-05-31
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9811694729

This book focusses on the role of craft as a continuing cultural practice and the revival of disappearing skills in contemporary society. It includes twenty-five essays by highly regarded artisans, academics, technologists, entrepreneurs, businesspeople, curators, and researchers from many countries representing a wide range of global craft traditions and innovations. The authors explain their professional practices and creative pathways with knowledge, experience, and passion. They offer insightful analyses of their traditions within their culture and in the marketplace, alongside the evolution of technology as it adapts to support experimentation and business strategies. They write about teaching and research informing their practice; and they explain the importance of their tools and materials in function and form of the objects they make. The essays reveal a poignant expression of their successes, disappointments, and opportunities. This book offers case studies of how artisans have harnessed the traditions of the past alongside the latest design technologies. The authors reveal how global craft is not only a vehicle for self-expression and creativity, but also for being deeply relevant to the world of work, community and environmental sustainability. The book makes the vital link between skills, knowledge, education, and employment, and fills a much-needed niche in Technical, Vocational Education and Training TVET.

Journeys to the Other Side of the World

Journeys to the Other Side of the World
Author: David Attenborough
Publisher: Two Roads
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2018-09-06
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 147366666X

'With charm, erudition, humour and passion, the world's favourite natural history broadcaster documents some of his expeditions from the late 1950s onwards' Sunday Express Following the success of the original Zoo Quest expeditions, the young David Attenborough embarked on further travels in a very different part of the world. From Madagascar and New Guinea to the Pacific Islands and the Northern Territory of Australia, he and his cameraman companion were aiming to record not just the wildlife, but the way of life of some of the indigenous people of these regions, whose traditions had never been encountered by most of the British public before. From the land divers of Pentecost Island and the sing-sings of New Guinea, to a Royal Kava ceremony on Tonga and the ancient art of the Northern Territory, it is a journey like no other. Alongside these remarkable cultures he encounters paradise birds, chameleons, sifakas and many more animals in some of the most unique environments on the planet. Written with David Attenborough's characteristic charm, humour and warmth, Journeys to the Other Side of the World is an inimitable adventure among people, places and the wildest of wildlife. 'Abundantly good' TLS 'A wondrous reminder of Attenborough's pioneering role . . . full of delightful tales' Daily Express 'An adventure that sparked a lifetime's commitment to the planet' The Lady 'Attenborough is a fine writer and storyteller' Irish Times

Myth and Magic

Myth and Magic
Author: Crispin Howarth
Publisher:
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2015
Genre: Art
ISBN:

This book provides a rare opportunity to encounter masterpieces from the Sepik, works of art that speak of a time and place where spirits and ancestors were integral to daily life. These works come from the rich collections of the National Gallery of Australia, other Australian museums and art galleries, and the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery. This publication celebrates the unique cultures of a country that has been so closely linked to ours, a country that is now celebrating its fortieth anniversary of independence.

Climate, Clothing, and Agriculture in Prehistory

Climate, Clothing, and Agriculture in Prehistory
Author: Ian Gilligan
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 347
Release: 2019
Genre: Design
ISBN: 1108470084

The first book on the origin of clothes shows why climate change was crucial - for the origin of agriculture too.

The Rope of Moka

The Rope of Moka
Author: Andrew Strathern
Publisher: CUP Archive
Total Pages: 280
Release: 1971-07-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780521079877

In the Mount Hagen area of central New Guinea, warfare has been replaced since the arrival of the Europeans by a vigorous development of moka, a competitive ceremonial exchange of wealth objects. The exchanges of pigs, shells and other valuables are interpreted as acting as a bond between groups, and as a means whereby individuals, notably the big-men, can maximize their status. Professor Strathern analyses the ways in which competition between big-men actually takes place, and the effects of this competition on the overall political system.

Adam in Plumes

Adam in Plumes
Author: Colin Simpson
Publisher: Sydney, Angus and Robertson
Total Pages: 316
Release: 1955
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: