Islanders celebrate bilum day

 By DOROTHY MARK
HUNDREDS Karkar Islanders in Madang displayed their traditional way of making bilum (string bag)during a festival last weekend.
Villagers used their singsing groups to escort their village bilum queens to the stage. The queens explained to the crowd how they made their bilum.
Jenny Marus from Patilo village said Karkar Islanders made bilum from a special plant fibre.
Marus said some Karkar women now preferred to use wool and strings instead of the traditional fibre called the repa.
“Teaching our children to make bilum will preserve our identity as Karkar islanders,” she said.
Dan Kautil, a festival committee member, said traditional Karkar bilums were special and should be carried on special occasions only because they could lose their dyed blue and red colours fast.
“Carrying bilums in time of rain is no good because the colour will be washed off and spoil the patterns,” Kautil said.