The bilums of Papua New Guinea

 

A bilum is a hand-made string or woolen bag, traditional to the Papua New Guinea culture.  Typically women knot or crochet them with natural or dyed material. They can be small, and worn around the neck, or medium to large and worn across the shoulder. Many elders still carry the bilum in the traditional way, with the long handle across their foreheads and the weight hanging down their back.

Mothers often carry their babies in bilums.

Bilums were commonly used in the Maprik and Wosera area of East Sepik Province, but are now widespread. They come in different patterns, each pattern resembling a certain tribe or clan. The bilum concept spread down to the coast and to the Highlands in the last decade especially when women realized made them as a source of regular income.