MOUNT HAGEN, Papua New Guinea -- This is a tough town, its streets full of bearded men from the Papua New Guinea highlands chewing and spitting betel nut, overlaid with the noise and fumes of revving minibuses, trucks and four-wheel drives.
Tea Leaves
Papua New Guinea's 'bilums' weave together function, fashion
Traditional string bags find buyers in Sydney and New York
Left: Bilums from the author's collection made of traditional bark and sisal fibers, with the odd daub or strip of modern color in two cases. Right: A bilum trader at Port Moresby's Four Mile handicraft market makes a bilum out of modern materials while waiting for customers. (All photos by Hamish McDonald)
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