IDNO

T.133018.MST

Description

On Strathern's listing: Decorated girl with red face paint.

Place

Oceania Melanesia; Papua New Guinea; Western Highlands Province; near Togoba; Rokopa moka pena

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Strathern, Marilyn (later Prof., Dame)

Collector / Expedition

Date

3 September 1967

Collection Name

Strathern Collection

Source

Strathern, Marilyn (Prof., Dame)

Format

Colour Transparency

Primary Documentation

Other Information

T.133013.MST - N.133029.MST were identified by Marilyn Strathern as Set 50a.

Publication: Similar image published in SDMH ['Self-Decoration in Mount Hagen', 1971], after p.164 and captioned: “Colour plate 25 Young girls decorated with oil and beads, faces painted, attending a festival where they later took part in an informal mørli dance. Unlike formal participants, they wear no feathers”. [KH 22/11/2016]

Related Archive: Draft caption for similar image in document ‘Captions to colour pics not used SDMH ['Self-Decoration in Mount Hagen', 1971] A – L’ with the following text: “‘Informal’ decoration worn by girls. 1. [not in MAA collection] Two young girls dressed up for a combing party. Note the leaves in their armbands and stuck into their hair. Although they have both painted spots on their faces, one has done hers entirely in yellow whereas the other has used white and red as well. 2. [T.133019.MST] Girls at a moka - they later took part in mørli dancing (with the group in photograph 98 [N.133046.MST]). They have both painted nomong (‘pool’) patterns on their faces, one on to a red base, the other directly, and have filled in the rest of the face with dots and lines. Both are heavily oiled.” [Paper Archives will be deposited at Girton College, Cambridge, date to be confirmed. KH 22/11/2016]

Related Archive: Marilyn summarizes her 1967 field notebook as follows: “As soon as I returned from Pangia (Southern Hlds) to Hagen (I was staying at Kelua) (Western Hlds), I heard of several moka (Hagen ceremonial exchange occasion at which people decorate) feeding into each other, eg the Palka [tribe] were waiting for the Ndika [tribe] Roklamb [clan] to give them shells before they could pass them on to the Kungunuka. The Roklamb were also giving shells to the Kløpka. The Roklamb would be following these shell gifts with individual donations of pigs to diverse partners.
Reason for the shell gifts: making both a wua peng (‘man’s head’ payment = war death compensation) and a payment to a set of ‘non agnates’. (1) The war compensation was for the death of an ally, namely of a Penambe man who lived with the Palka when the Palka were allies (kui wua) of the Ndika Roklamb and attacked by their common enemy the Ndika Mokuka. The Roklamb had long ago compensated the Palka for Palka men who were killed helping them – but this occasion was because of this one Penambe man. (2) The ‘non agnates’ were three Kløpka men, related through women to the Roklamb who took them in, but are now dispersed; the gift was to ‘release’ them from their obligations to the Roklamb, since they will pay back pigs for the shells (ie the shells are the last ‘help’ the Roklamb will give them – for which they will then make a handsome return). Pigs were also given to individual moka partners.”
“On the actual day itself, pearlshells were given to Palka, Kungunuka and Kløpka, while pigs went to diverse partners Central-Melpa style. Only the Roklambo danced (with helpers). Those who are giving shells wear køi wal: these are Roklamb Meont; helped by Roklamb Kutukoemb who were not in køi wal (the two sets initially began singing at different ends of the ceremonial ground, some 30 all told). I began by taking photographs of visitors.” [Strathern's word document file]

Related Archive: Marilyn Strathern lists “Final Ndika Roklamb moka continues [overlaps in time with bl&wh negatives taken 3 Sept 1967]. Speeches (el ik) were made but no pics taken of these.”[Strathern's word document file]

Bibliographic Reference: See M. Strathern, Self-Decoration in Mount Hagen (1971: 71-73)

A grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation Historical Archives Program supported the documentation and preservation of the Strathern photographic collection. [JD 6/11/2017]