Bilum bags are practical and decorative. Women’s bags, like this one, are large and functional, used to carry food, belongings and even babies. During travel, women wear bilums hung over the shoulder, suspended from a band across the forehead, or filled and balanced on the owner’s head.

In the home, bilums are hung from rafters on hooks, like the cult hook shown here. Men in Papua New Guinea are expert carvers, and create cult hooks in the shape and essence of ancestors. Those ancestors then protect the home, and the contents of the bilum—especially babies!

The Science Museum of Minnesota’s ethnology collections reflect cultures world-wide, but we aren’t always able to display everything. You might not know that The Science Museum cares for around 800 objects from Papua New Guinea, represented by this bilum bag and cult hook.
-Tilly Laskey, Curator of Ethnology