AIDA Life and Ceremony of the Gogodala

Bathurst: New Guinea. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 1981. First Edition. Hardcover. 0909197202 . With 961 illustrations, 177 in colour, A fine copy in fine dustjacket. AIDA is the first full photographic account of a single cultural group in Papua New Guinea - the Gogodala. They number approximately 10,000 and live as lagoon dwellers along the floodplain of the Aramia River north of the Fly River Delta. Papua New Guinea retains very few old pieces of Gogodala art. It is a tragedy that during the early part of this century so little was recorded, so much allowed to vanish and so few incentives given to maintain such a rich art form - perhaps the most decorative of the Papuan Gulf region. The effect of outside influences resulted in much of the Gogodala's artistic creations being destroyed in a series of bonfires, which, followed by the acceptance of a new gospel, brought to an end the religious ceremonies of their ancestors. Today, however, the Gogodala have regained confidence in their traditional way of life. They are blending traditional values with new beliefs and now recreating what was nearly lost forever. The wealth of material contained within this book is the result of ten years' work, five of which were spent in the field encouraging a comprehensive cultural revival programme sponsored by the National Cultural Council. It was the first such programme ever attempted in Papua New Guinea. It succeeded in not only reviving an art style, but in generating an interest in the Gogodala's own religious rituals. In doing so, a cultural identity has been restored to those who had once turned their backs on the traditions of their forefathers. This extraordinary book is in two parts. Part One, Life and Ceremony, is composed of 7 chapters and is richly illustrated with many plates. Many unique archival photographs provide a vivid picture of the early daily life, up to the last initiation ceremony in Balimo village in 1937. They depict, inter alia, the mighty racing canoes, longhouses and the spiritual creations that existed before the onset of colonization. Much of the material has never before been published and includes photographs taken as early as 1910. Among these are the first photographs ever of the Gogodala people. Part Two is the Catalogue of Objects. It incorporates a listing of every Gogodala artifact known to exist in Museums throughout the world, and covers over 700 items for most of which there are photographs. It provides a complete inventory of the extant material culture belonging to one particular ethnic group of Papua New Guinea - a presentation that never before has been achieved in this part of the world.; 340 x 260mm; 408 pages .