Papuan bark belt

Papuan bark belt
Bark belt from the De Young Museum , San Francisco, California, 19th century
Information
Weapon type:	armor
Designations:	Kava, Papuan bark belt, English: bark belt, bark girdle
Use:	Garment, protective weapon, ceremonial protective weapon, standing symbol of the warrior
Region of origin / author:	Papua New Guinea , ethnic groups from Papua New Guinea, Melanesia
Distribution:	Papua New Guinea, Gulf Province
Overall length:	approx. 150 cm, width approx. 15 cm
Particularities:	engraved and painted decorations
Lists on the subject

Distribution area Gulf Province

The Papuan bark belt is an item of clothing, a male weapon of protection and a symbol of rank from Papua New Guinea .

description

The belt is made of tree bark and is carved and painted on the entire front. The length is approx. 150 cm, the width approx. 15 cm. It is held together by a cord loop fastener.

From tree bark, such as B. from Pygeum , Rosaceae or Ficus species, about 1.5 m long and about 15 cm wide strips are cut out, smoothed with a hatchet or machete, the outer rough bark is treated over fire and the piece is shaped.

Pieces not intended for local use are rolled up, held together with clips made from split branches and bartered.

There are differences in the ornamentation, so the inhabitants of the southern coastal region prefer a rich decor with anthropomorphic patterns in notch cut, while in the highlands geometric or zigzag patterns predominate.

function

As a piece of clothing, it is used to store smaller utensils, ax and machete, as well as “magic drugs”.

It serves as protection against injuries to the internal organs ( abdomen ) during armed conflicts , which is why it is also referred to as a tank belt. The simplest versions made of bark are also used for everyday work.

The belt, e.g. B. called in the language of Elema Kava , is used by the warriors from the Orokolo Bay of the Gulf Division in Papua New Guinea, as well as by the tribes of highland Papua. It is also widespread in parts of Melanesia , such as the Baining on the Gazelle Peninsula , Vanuatu or the north coast of New Guinea .

At the same time, it is an important symbol for young men. Boys who move from their mother's to their father's custody receive their first bark belt when they are around 5 years old. Later it shows the admission into the community of warriors and is the symbol for the completed initiation rites , during which the young men were taught the skills of making weapons as well as the behavior in life. They receive the "second belt".

The importance of the belt also results from the fact that men never take them off. The shelf life is 5 to 7 years, after which they must be renewed. In order to keep them supple, they are treated with the fat of sacrificed pigs.

Wearing the belt is subject to strict rules with some local tribes. A tribesman born out of wedlock is not entitled to wear it, and it is also considered evidence of legitimate tribal membership.

literature

• Heinz-Christian Dosedla: bark belt. A tribal costume in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. In: Small contributions from the State Museum for Ethnology Dresden. Dresden, H. 7, 1984, pp. 3-9 (illustrated). ISSN  0232-8682 , ZDB 303664-9
• Papua New Guinea Museum : Records of the Papua New Guinea Museum. Issue 3, 1973
• Michael W. Young, Julia Clark: An anthropologist in Papua: the photography of FE Williams , 1922-39. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 2001, p. 276, ISBN 978-0-8248-2528-7

Web links

• Picture example (highlands) at New Guinea Art ( Memento from January 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
• Picture example (Hochland) at Corbis Images

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Andrew Strathern , Marilyn Strathern : Selfdecoration in Mount Hagen. Duckworth, London 1971, ISBN 0-7156-0516-X , p. 142.
2. ^ Gilbert H. Herdt: Rituals of manhood: male initiation in Papua New Guinea. Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey 1998, ISBN 978-0-7658-0405-1 , p. 274
3. ↑ Kava in the Pitt Rivers Museum , inventory no. 1911.61.9 , accessed January 7, 2012.