Net bag (bilum)
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
20th century, 1950–2000
Object PlacePapua Province, Indonesia
Medium/TechniqueBraided vine, dye
DimensionsOverall: 79(ind. handle and "fringe") x 31 x 23 cm (31 1/8 x 12 3/16 x 9 1/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2759
On View
Not on viewClassificationsTextiles
DescriptionMany objects, including netbags, came directly from the Asmat region to the United States through handicraft cooperatives and churches. Such centers helped revitalize declining art traditions and created economic opportunities for the Asmat. Common throughout New Guinea, these bags are versatile utilitarian objects, used to carry everything from food to babies. Though unassuming, they often convey strong mythical and symbolic meaning. The bags display motifs representative of the area of origin-here, geometric patterns, dyed in natural ochres and white, that resemble other Asmat designs
Provenance1980s, sold by the Cultural Revival Bazaar, Cambridge, MA, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
