Oceanic Art - Field Photos Enlargement

A man from Mianmin Village, West Sepik Province wearing one of the cherished pig's tail billum. These woven bags contained all the tails of wild pigs successfully hunted and eaten by that particular family. With pigs being a luxury item and the hunting of them partially controlled by one's ancestral spirits such bags are, in effect, both tallies of family wealth and material proof of the strength of one's ancestors. As such, these bags are almost nonexistent outside New Guinea.