Coming soon.
So much has been said about bilums. In Papua New Guinea this is a special commodity, a utility item, in fact, that is as commonly used as the consumption of that daily diet of rice and tinned fish.
Most bilums cost between K80.00 to K200.00, and indeed, in some cases, and depending on the mood and quality of the utility item, up to K500.00. That is almost an equivalent of $26.00 to $160.00 in U.S. currency.
But to be given a bilum as a gift becomes in itself a treasure to remember for a lifetime. Recently, storyboard was given a bilum as a gift for reasons which he did not expect.
Until he was given the gift, he did not realize that there are people who care about your bilum, especially if it appears torn, weather-beaten and that, well, you really need a new one.
But, such are the ways in which Papua New Guineans regard each other and themselves when it comes to gift giving and exchanges, especially when these items prove virtually priceless for an average wage earner.
Keep an eye out for this story in the forthcoming
Weekender of
The National, the newspaper of Papua New Guinea.
No comments:
Post a Comment