Skip to main content

Faces of Mando Village

We have just returned from working as volunteers in Mando, a small village in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. This is the third year in a row that we have been to Mando. It is a magical place, about 2000 metres above sea level, so sometimes it seems we are living in the clouds. The people are friendly, open and keen to learn new skills. In the next few blog posts, I hope to share with you stories from Mando, but for the moment, here are some of the beautiful  faces of Mando.
A white face is a mysterious to this little one.
Moka Moka boys, preparing to welcome an AusAid delegation
Year 4 treacher and students
Village women learning to crochet.
Babysitter Veronica and baby.
Waiting to welcome more Rotary volunteers.
Mudman from Asaro.
Jeremy made a bag - his first attempt at sewing with a machine.
Still waiting for the volunteers to arrive.
Year 7 girls learning to sew - great tablecloths!
This little boy thought Jim was his Australian uncle and then was disappointed to discover  he wasn't.
Joyce, one of the teachers and me.
 
traditional dress -"bilas" ... This photo and the following taken  at the school's cultural show ...  


Today is International day of peace ... remember "peace begins with a smile"
( and in PNG with  the gift of a bilum)

Comments

  1. lovely pictures, everything is completely new for me.....

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Too Precious to Waste

 Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons  More than a year ago, a decision was made.  The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2]  A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as wrapping str

Wednesday's Child /2

Work in Progress - 3 of the 193 for "Stitched Up"- Wilma Simmons   The work for the "Stitched Up " Project  continues. See the previous "Wednesday Child" post for the background to this art project celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Newcastle Industrial School. I have been documenting the progress of my work, so I thought it might be interesting to share some of the early stages of the "stick dolls" ... Here are some of the beginning steps.. Sticks collected while walking the bushland in my neighbourhood  Drying and getting rid of any insects - oven heat 75 degreesC for approx 1-2 hours.  Trimmed and cut if necessary  Ends sealed with matte sealing solution.  Drying  - solution goes on white but dries clear.  First wrapping - foil to create a body shape  Second wrapping - stretch fabric.  Third wrapping - fabric strips  Some stitching - more stitching and embellishment to come.  Follow thi