VICTORIA, BC • CANADA
INTRODUCTION · TRIP PHOTOS · IMAGE INDEX
 1. Carvers Claytus Yambon and Teddy Balangu, both part of our crew, check the ropes and tarps holding supplies down enroute to the Sepik River. We take an incredible amount of stuff with us. One of our many pre-trip checklists reads: chisels, toys, wind-up lamps (they make great gifts), malaria meds, rice, mosquito repellent, rain gear, clipboards, artwork tags, voice recorders, Camembert, flags, plywood, ziplocks, kerosene, crackers.  2. One of our two canoes. Here it's carrying only fuel and packing supplies; by the end of the trip, it'll be full of bubble-wrapped artwork. Canoes are perfect for transporting delicate objects, as they keep everything narrowly held in place.  3. Dancers reach out to pull us through a grass entryway during a welcome ceremony in Kaminibit. We were overwhelmed by our welcome here and in other villages along the river.  4. Another view of the Kaminibit ceremony. Note the fantastic dog mask!  5. Esther Yambon, our hostess in Korogo, making sago pancakes on an Aibom fire pot. These cakes are among the few foods that last in the tropical heat; they're taken on multi-day hunting trips.  6. Teddy Balangu and his grandsons Noah and Abraham in the new home that Teddy built with funds from his residency at Vancouver's Museum of Anthropology in 2006. A documentary film about his exchange with Coast Salish carver John Marston is available here.  7. Here's a video still from the welcome we received from the Nambaraman clan in Palembei. The lead dancer's mask is included in this exhibition. Click here to watch the footage (high-speed connection recommended).  8. Our turn for ceremony! Here, under the Sui clan's haus tambaran (spirit house) in Palembei, we present chisels to the village's artists. The chisels were purchased through our Sepik Chisel Fund. Afterwards, MOA's Dr. Carol Mayer presented funds raised by museum staff towards the building of a new haus tambaran.  9. Plasus Asapi, Maramba's head carver, shows off the slit-gong garamut drum featured in this exhibition. A pair of garamuts are usually installed in the centre of Sepik haus tambarans (see previous photo); they're used for dancing, ceremonies, and long-distance signalling. Each initiated man has a unique drum beat used to summon him; supplementary beats tell him what he's being summoned for. Garamut is an extremely dense, heavy wood. Six big guys required levers to move this piece during every stage of the trip.  10. Elaine, Alcheringa's director, broke her foot a couple of weeks before we were due to leave, so she did the entire trip in an air cast!  11. Junior Connie beside his Sepik rendition of Eve and the Serpent. Junior's wife Nora made Eve's hat.  12. These seeds are mixed with powdered shells to produce the red shades seen on many of the pieces in this show.  13. Claytus Maiban Smank halts the long, muddy trek out of Yamok to admire a praying mantis. For better or worse, insects always play important roles on our Sepik trips. This time, for instance, I was relieved of flu-like symptoms by eating a species of yellow, semi-transparent ant.  14. Korogo is in dire need of a new haus tambaran. This massive project would involve the whole village with preparations, building, carving, and ceremonies. Elders here are struggling to galvanize a village increasingly fragmented by the attractions of town. Email us if you'd like to make a donation to support this project.  15. An enthusiastic audience watches Killer Whale and Crocodile in Angoram. We did several screenings of the film along the river, with crowds of up to 200 gathered around tiny generator-powered screens to see their lives depicted on film for the first time. DVD copies of the film were given to each village, as well as to politicians and other influential types in PNG.  16. Our crew poses for a final shot before leaving the river. --- Notes, photos, and video by Dan Lepsoe except photos 1,3, & 5 by Elliot Mayer and photo 10 by Carol Mayer. |