Enamel paint on plywood
Courtesy of the artists and Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane

The kuman (shields) of the Yuri tribe are customarily painted with designs that mark an individual’s connection to their tribal lineage. When brought together en masse and at close range, such as in times of battle, the shields’ bold colours and geometric patterning would dazzle opponents. While inter-tribal warfare remains an ongoing fact of life in the Highlands region of Papua New Guinea, decorated timber shields no longer function as protective weapons. Undergoing a similar process of loss are the structures of knowledge transfer and cultural value that guide the collective practices of men who create the shields, limiting the opportunities they provided to young men to positively express a sense of collective identity.

Haus Yuriyal’s ‘Kuman (shields)’ series 2024 reimagines a new role for Simbu Waghi shields of the PNG Highlands. Made by a new generation of men — with not only strong ties to spiritual beliefs and tribal affiliation, but a passion for popular culture, sports and politics — each image asserts the importance of an individual’s creative signature.

Synthetic yarn embroidery on rice bags
Courtesy of the artists and Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane

‘Kalabus (prison)’ series 2024 brings together 33 textiles embroidered by members of the Haus Yuriyal collective. Each of the artists’ bold designs is a translation of those they created for their kuman (shield) paintings. The use of rice bags as a surface for embroidering these eye-popping designs in colourful yarn is inspired by the equally vibrant works created by people incarcerated at Bihute Prison in Goroka. The installation of ‘Kalabus’ along the front of Alison Wel’s Kamkau Ike (Haus Toktok) 2024 references the ways in which these structures are ornamented with brightly coloured flowers and fruit from local gardens — a symbol of the community’s wealth and vitality. 

Organic material on paper
Purchased 2024 with funds from Tim Fairfax AC through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation

Each of these artworks is a shield design completed in July 2023, made with natural pigments and ochres of red, yellow, black, white, brown and blue. The works in ‘Garpa/Ground Paintings’ series 2023 feature references to Arebaa — from the Yuri words for ‘sun’ (are) and ‘moon’ (baa) — in motifs and colours; for example, where the dominant colour is white, this is a tribute to the moon. Some of the artworks also feature faces, skulls, birds and abstracted landscapes that highlight Haus Yuriyal’s intricate connection to land and nature, as well as expressing their strong brotherhood and ancestry. The paintings are accompanied by photographic documentation of the collective during the making of the series.

Carved tree fern (Cyathea angiensis) stumps with enamel paint
Courtesy: The artists and Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane

Carved from the trunks of the Cyathea angiensis (tree fern), Bopa are sentinel-like figures that are placed outside of dwellings in Jiwaka and Simbu Provinces as a form of protection. Exhibiting the distinctive aesthetic styles of individual members of Haus Yuriyal, these Bopa act as both security and an audience for the collective’s Kamkau Ike (Haus Toktok) 2024. Close inspection reveals the influence of tribal creation stories, ancestor figures, popular culture, local flora and fauna, as well as the collective’s playful sense of humour.