A belly full of flying foxes. Metaphors in the Highland of Papua New Guinea 

Papua New Guinea is considered the country with the greatest linguistic diversity in the world. Around 800 languages from different language families are spoken there. One of these is Benabena, a typical highland language. Among other things, it comprises a rich vocabulary of metaphors. For example, the terms used to describe the bilums, net or mesh bags typical of the highlands of Papua New Guinea, is characterized by linguistic imagery.

The strikingly patterned bags themselves are called bilums, which translates as ‘womb’. These bags are not only protective ‘cradles’ for babies, they are also seen as an inalienable part of the owner’s identity. Bilums are firmly integrated into the human life cycle and are an important part of the culture of exchange. In addition to the aforementioned use as a cradle, they are used in a variety of ways. Large elasticated net bags are used to transport garden produce, firewood and shopping. Smaller bilums are used as handbags and are usually worn in colours that match the clothing. Even smaller bilums are used as containers for betel nuts.

Linguist Carola Emkow and ethnologist Gina Knapp discuss how these bags are made and how the world of culturally influenced patterns is captured in the Benabena language.