IDNO

T.151632.RPT

Description

On Catalogue Card: "239. S.P. New Guinea. Gumine. 35mm.Ekta." [Poignant's manuscript]
"6, 7, 8. Martin helps old Dai [his grandfather] to take his precious things out of little red case." [Poignant's typed text]

Place

Oceania Melanesia; Papua New Guinea; Highlands Region; Chimbu Province; Gumine District; Gumine [Simbu Province]

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Kaleku (also known as Martin); Dai

Photographer

Poignant, Axel

Collector / Expedition

Date

1969

Collection Name

Poignant Collection

Source

Poignant, Roslyn

Format

Colour Transparency

Primary Documentation

Other Information

T.148696.RPT - T.152693.RPT were located in the drawer file of transparency sheets, numbered C1021/.

T.151629.RPT - T.151651.RPT were located in a transparency sheet, numbered C1021/124.

Bibliographical reference: Poignant, Axel and Roslyn. 1972. Kaleku. London: Angus and Robertson, p.8. This extract comes from a children's book, written about a boy named Kaleku and his family in Gumine: "The next day Kaleku went to see his grandfather, Dai.
In the time before any European had come to Gumine, Dai had been a great fight leader. Now he was always ready to show Kaleku his scars from spear and arrow wounds and tell how he got each one.
'What story will you tell me today, Grandfather?' asked Kaleku. He ran to fetch the old man's head – dress and shell ornaments from the men's house because he knew Dai told his stories best when he was properly dressed.
He helped Dai to fasten his switch made from a horse's tail. Kaleku had never seen a horse. No one else had such a fine ornament. Years ago Dai had traded many shells for it. The pigs' tails hanging from his net apron and the shells at his waist were a sign of his wealth and position.
'How fierce Grandfather looks,' thought Kaleku, 'with his painted face and his cassowary head – dress.'" [KK 16/08/2022]