Abelam Sculpture Being Dug Up, Hoping to Sell Old New Guinea Art
As a field collector it quickly became apparent the missionaries did all the groundwork in convincing the people their ancestral sculptures were worthless. So they burned and buried them. When word spread that I was coming this man went into the forest to try and dig up his spirit figure long buried. I told him not to waste his time, “em i bagarap pinis.”