Gunantuna (Tolai people)
APT9
Led by: Gideon Kakabin
Artists: Isa Apelis, Kini Balnata, Wiliam M Kakabin, Ben Parai, Msisiel Vaira, Tivila Wartir
Support: Judy Kakabin, Catechist Kaum, Ia Gogoe, Ia Kamara, Ia Delin, Ia Vodia, Osiat Baining, David Tamtu and Tougus Balnata
Migrating over centuries from New Ireland, the Tolai or Gunantuna people live on the volcanic Gazelle Peninsula of New Britain Island in Papua New Guinea. Best known for their powerful, male secret societies, the Gunantuna have a unique dual-currency system that combines Papua New Guinea’s national tender of kina and toea with a shell money system called Tabu or Diwarra. Comprising nassa shells strung onto elegant canes known as fathoms, Diwarra is legal tender throughout East New Britain, as well as being used for ceremonial transactions such as bride price, wealth payments in death rites, and society initiation fees. These canes are also formed into wheels called Loloi which are sealed with leaves to both keep the Loloi dry and declare their role as a bank. The highest value of Loloi are the majestic wheels known as a Tutana, displayed as symbols of wealth and status. In contrast to Western economic systems, Tabu embodies an important indigenous relationship-based economic system, wherein the accumulation of wealth is based on and reflects social connections and merit.
Gideon Kakabin (1956–2018) was an elder of the Gunantuna (Tolai peoples). Initiated into the Tabuan society, he held ceremonial status within the community and the rights to engage in producing and presenting objects associated with Tolai ceremony and material culture.
Gunantuna (Tolai people) / Installation view of Loloi (shell money rings) 2018, Tutana (man, the largest shell money rings) 2018, Ulang (ceremonial spear) 2018, Rumu (ceremonial spear) 2018, GOMA 2018 / Commissioned for APT9. The Taylor Family Collection. Purchased with funds from Paul, Sue and Kate Taylor through the QAGOMA 2018 / © The artists / Photograph: Natasha Harth, QAGOMA
Designed to mesmerise viewers in ceremony, these majestic rings, known as Tutana, were created by the Gunantuna (Tolai people) of East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The spectacular rings are banks – which are legal tender in East New Britain, alongside the government-issued currency of the PNG kina – and are comprised of shell-encrusted cane strips, known as Diwarra or Tabu.
Diwarra is used for everyday transactions, including buying store goods and paying school fees, but it is the only currency allowed within ceremony relating to bride price, death and initiation. During such ceremonies, rings of shell money are opened and broken into lengths of Diwarra to articulate important relationships between clans and individuals. As Diwarra can be stored in these rings for decades, its redistribution connects current and past generations.
These Tutana banks were created by a group of eight men, with female support, led by artist and historian Gideon Kakabin (1956–2018), an initiated elder from Nangananga Village who sadly passed away shortly after the works were completed.
As part of APT9 opening celebrations, a shell money ring will be broken and distributed as a mark of respect for Gideon Kakabin. In his words:
They are not just shells. There is an intimate link between the physical shells themselves and the spirit of the Gunantuna people. It is not just an art object or a currency. It is a spiritual object as well for us.
