Papua New Guinea

A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s

A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s
A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s
A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s
A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s
A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s
A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s
A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s
A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s
A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s
A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s

A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s

Palembei is a specific village in Papua New Guinea where the Iatmul people, particularly the Simal clan, produce their art, which includes wood carvings. Palembei figures often represent female ancestral spirits and are believed to possess magical power. I love them but cannot keep everything. The Iatmul and other Middle Sepik peoples use betel nut, the fruit of the areca palm, which is chewed with lime made from burnt shells or coral and other substances to produce. Among the Iatmul, the ornate containers and spatulas used respectively to hold and serve the lime had ceremonial as well as practical functions.


A Ceremonial Lime Container from Middle Sepik Peoples, Papua New Guinea 1960s