VICTORIA, BC • CANADA
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Yamok lies a half-day's trek inland from the banks of the great Sepik River. The trail leads through swamps and jungle to this charming Sawos village consisting of five hamlets. Such a location has discouraged most tourist visits and softened the effects from the outside world, enabling Yamok to maintain a fine balance between tradition and global influences. Ceremony continues in Yamok. This year, when we encountered such an abundance of fine carvings, the notion of a single village exhibition seemed appropriate.Yamok master carvers, such as Jack Bai, take great interest in keeping alive traditional forms; and some, like Jerry Kiang, are building on this foundation with innovation and humour. All these carvers describe themselves as self-taught, having learned from watching another -- an elder or fellow artist. And all have carved for haus tambaran and associated ceremonies. Only one of these men ( who range in age from 25 to 57 ) has recieved formal schooling, but, despite the fees required, all consider education essential for their children. Our goals in this exhibition are to offer an overview of the village style by presenting works of only Yamok carvers, and to highlight the talents of individual artists. With carving experience varying from 10 to 30 years, these men, along with the elders, are the repositories of tribal history and myth. Until their children convey these tales in written language, concrete records of this oral culture continue to be carved in wood.
~ Hilda Tutton
Click here to read Elaine Monds' account of her trip to Yamok.Curator Emeritus Click here to view images of the carvings in this exhibit. |
 September 16th - October 10th |