No si hijomiono’o jabesi soré jajivo - (We are painting the designs of our ancestors)

A Collection of barkcloth art from the Ömie Artists, Papua New Guinea.

No si hijomiono’o jabesi soré jajivo - (We are painting the designs of our ancestors)

A Collection of barkcloth art from the Ömie Artists, Papua New Guinea.

Australian Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) artwork by LILA WARRIMOU (MISASO) of Omie Artists. The title is The Origin of Ömie Barkcloth I (Mina and Suja at Mount Obo). [OM10-059] (Natural Pigments on Nioge (Barkcloth)) Australian Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) artwork by LILA WARRIMOU (MISASO) of Omie Artists. The title is The Origin of Ömie Barkcloth I (Mina and Suja at Mount Obo). [OM10-059] (Natural Pigments on Nioge (Barkcloth))
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LILA WARRIMOU (MISASO)

The Origin of Ömie Barkcloth I (Mina and Suja at Mount Obo)
OM10-059
Natural Pigments on Nioge (Barkcloth)
 The Origin of Ömie Barkcloth I… | OM10-059
Natural Pigments on Nioge (Barkclot…
 116 x 81cm | 45.67 x 31.89in (irregular)
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Lila has painted a special work telling the story of how the first barkcloth was created by the first Ömie people Mina and Suja.  Mina, the first man and Sujo, the first woman can be seen inside their amé (house) at the very top of Mount Obo.  When Suja was created her body was not fully formed as her vagina lacked an opening.  So Mina made a small incision with a sharp stone to complete her vagina.  He used the leaves of plants such as rororo hane, manasu hane, omo hane (bush bamboo) and i’hane which have medicinal properties to help heal her vagina.  Lila has painted these plants growing on the slopes of Mount Obo.  When Suja’s vagina healed they had sexual intercourse, after which, Suja experienced her first menstruation.  Mina built Suja a small menstruation hut known as jé’o jarwé (also called ivi’ino’ové’tové) where she lived in seclusion for the duration of her menstrual period.

Traditionally, and even today in some villages (2010), Ömie women still live in the ivi’ino’ové’tové for the duration of her menstrual period.  Once Suja’s period ended Mina told her to cut down the tree known as sihi’nioge and make a barkcloth using kivairoi, traditional stone tools, as can be seen just by their house.  Suja then dyed the plain barkcloth in the red river mud at jov’e Uhojo (Uhojo River) creating the first sihoti’e nioge (mud-dyed barkcloth) representing women’s menstrual blood.

Note: This is the first work of a series which also includes works ÖM10-060 and ÖM10-061.

Lila has painted a special work telling the story of how the first barkcloth was created by the first Ömie people Mina and Suja.  Mina, the first man and Sujo, the first woman can be seen inside their amé (house) at the very top of Mount Obo.  When Suja was created her body was not fully formed as her vagina lacked an opening.  So Mina made a small incision with a sharp stone to complete her vagina.  He used the leaves of plants such as rororo hane, manasu hane, omo...