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Details
- Place where the work was made
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East Sepik Province
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Papua New Guinea
- Cultural origin
- Sawos people
- Date
- mid 20th century
- Media category
- Ceramic
- Materials used
- earthenware, natural earth pigments
- Dimensions
- 13.0 cm height; 31.0 cm diam.
- Signature & date
Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Gift of Todd Barlin 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 188.2020
- Artist information
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Sawos people
Works in the collection
- Share
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About
Sawos villages are known for their conical-shaped pottery bowls, used for serving food. Pots and sago are traded from inland villages to Timbunke and Tambanum on the Sepik River, in exchange for fish, requiring hours of walking in either direction.
Clay is dug solely by women who also make the initial form using a coiling technique. Men then decorate the pots with a prodigious variety of designs, each depicting specific totems of the clans they represent.
For further information see: Helen Dennett and Paul Dennett, 'Mak bilong Sepik: a selection of designs and paintings from the Sepik River', Wirui Press, Wewak, 1975; and Margaret Tuckson and Patricia May, 'The traditional pottery of Papua New Guinea', Bay Books, Sydney, 1982.
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Places
Where the work was made
East Sepik Province
