I’ve been having a good clear out and was hoping a local museum would accept a donation of artefacts from Papua New Guinea. Here are some of the things I’ve kept in storage since leaving the country in 1984.
Unfortunately, the museum turned down the donation because they wanted items from before independence in 1975. A dealer offered me £3 for each of the coins (I have 13 in total) but I turned him down. An auction house I approached wasn’t interested in this metal picture by Waki Waikali (see below) even though other works by the artist have sold internationally. I still enjoy the image of a highland tribesman in ceremonial dress so I’ll hang onto it for a bit longer. According to the auction house, much artwork from Papua New Guinea has yet to find a market.
the writer is a lonely hunter 