Rock Art and (Re)Production of Narratives: A Cassowary Bone Dagger Stencil Perspective from Auwim, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Cassowaries (Casuarius) are one of the largest indigenous animal species of New Guinea. Researchers have long been trying to understand their local socio-cultural significance. Here we present new results from interviews recorded in 2018 on ethnography associated with bone daggers, a material culture ornament and tool carved from the cassowary's tibiotarsus. We present a ‘storied notion’—a contemporary narrative from oral history of why cassowary is not simply a bird, and briefly describe cassowary bone ornamentation in Auwim, East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. By exploring the material history of Casuarius through a ‘storied notion’ approach, we reveal that cassowary bone daggers in rock art are narrative ideas of the species from its landscape to ornamentation and through to people's cosmological beliefs surrounding Casuarius. We argue that the cassowary bone dagger stencil can be seen as part of the life history of this animal.

Hand stencils and communal history: A case study from Auwim, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea

“…Nonetheless, in 2018 local Auwim stencilled the rock shelters in the process of using the shelters again, although there are implications of researcher presence in this rock art creation (Tsang et al, 2021). Producing and reproducing rock art designs on other shelters and media (e.g., Sullivan, 2012;Tsang et al, 2021), scraping with introduced objects such as steel bush knife (Gabriel & Gorecki, 2014;Gorecki & Jones, 1987a, 1987b, smearing blood through initiation ceremonies, other initiation rites at the sites and depositing important objects at the sites (Edwards & Sullivan, 2008;Gabriel & Gorecki, 2014;Gorecki & Jones, 1987a, 1987b. Thus, in Auwim, the social interactions with pre-existing rock art sites are inherent in the physical changes to both the site and its rock art (Monney & Baracchini, 2018, p. 535).…”

“…Current ethnographic observations provide evidence of rock art being produced on existing rock shelters without pre-existing art (Tsang et al, 2021). However, reproducing rock art designs on other media (e.g., see Apthorpe, 1962;Wilson & Ballard, 2018) has not been documented among the Auwim, despite bark paintings being produced on paper (Sullivan, 2012).…”

“…The types of emic information potentially available are in the form of identifying various rock art images with their names as well as local narratives associated with objects portrayed (i.e., material cultural objects), body-design parts and meaning (i.e., hand, foot and finger stencil signs) and the place in which they are located (i.e., rock shelters or caves). In Auwim, locals have identified various rock art motifs, especially the material cultural object stencils, such as the kina shell stencils which represent bride price ceremonies and long-distance trade networks (Edwards & Sullivan, 2008;Gabriel & Gorecki, 2014;Gorecki & Jones, 1987a, 1987bTsang et al, 2020), and bone dagger stencils which represents homicide events and boy's initiation (Edwards & Sullivan, 2008;Gabriel & Gorecki, 2014;Gorecki & Jones, 1987a, 1987bTsang et al, 2022). Individual artists were also identified, for example, some hand stencils were recognised as being made by a local elder's deceased brother whose skull was also placed in the cave; several informants were also able to demonstrate the production of hand stencils in addition to the identification of objects depicted; lastly, some hand stencils were documented as belonging to living and known individuals in 1987 (Gorecki & Jones, 1987a, p. 7, also Gabriel & Gorecki, 2014 and also in 2018 when the emotions of fear of Apuranga rock shelter were expressed through an oral narrative because of the information contained in the story (Tsang et al, 2021).…”

“…One of these origin narratives recounts the emanation of all human language at the Pundimbung rock shelter (Gabriel & Gorecki, 2014, p. 25). Also, in 2018 the local Auwim created a new rock art site consisting of hand, foot, leaf and bone stencils as a way of reconnecting to an abandoned rock shelter that was once feared (Tsang et al, 2021).…”

“…Important to this process was an oral narrative about the human remains present at the Apuranga rock shelter and they described how painting this rock shelter (i.e., through a place-marking strategy) was a way of overcoming fear of place/rock shelter (Tsang et al, 2021). Both the time of creation, and the sociocultural use of the shelter, was available, unique information relating to creating rock art in contemporary settings.…”