What is a billum?

A billum or bilum is a traditional hand-made Papua New Guinea bag. It is usually used for carrying foods, firewood or even babies

Originally billums were made from tree bark string, however today, Papua New Guinea women also make bilums from wool and fishing lines

Natural and artificial pigments are used to add colour and style to billums. Some bilums feature intricate designs, and others are decorated with shells, fur or even feathers

In Papua New Guinea, everyone owns at least one bilum.  Often you will see billums decorating walls of peoples houses as well as hotels and airports

The following bilum is made from bush materials and coloured with natural dyes