The Maisin people in Papua New Guinea are famous for their barkcloth art, also referred to as tapa. Living along the shores of Collingwood Bay in Oro Province, Maisin communities have been living with rising sea levels for several generations. However, due to recent compounded effects of climate change, Maisin are facing recurring floods that are damaging local ecologies and gardens, resulting in widespread food insecurity and forced reloctaion. In addition to undermining people’s livelihoods, environmental impacts are destroying the trees and plants required for tapa making. As a consequence, Maisin tapa, which is intimately interwoven with Maisin history, land, culture, ethos, and indentity, is under threat. This imminent cultural loss was expressed in 2024 as: ‘We are no longer Maisin’.
Using film, photography, and ethnography, this collaborative project documents the material knowledge systems of growing, making, desiigning, and using tapa as a garment and as an object of wealth in barter and ceremonial exchanges. The project will teach youth digital (video) skills, and organise workshops that address the precarious predicament of tapa in the context of climate change. The goal of the project is to create a documentary and tapa repository for future generations of Maisin. At the same time, the project will raise awareness about the negative effects of climate change on Maisin arts and culture.
PI: Anna-Karina Hermkens
Collaborators: Lester Seri; Martin Maden
Research Location: Maisin villages in Collingwood Bay, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea
Host Institution: Macquarie University
Top Banner Image: Coastline Airara village. Photo credit: Anna-Karina Hermkens, 2024.