Vintage Papua New Guinea Hand Woven Bilum Shoulder Bag Cotton String BSP Bank South 18”x12” without adding cotton fringe. Bag is in excellent condition because it was never used and kept in storage. Purchased to support the local women. Bank South Pacific Limited opened their doors in 1957 in Port Moresby as a branch of the National Bank of Australasia Limited. This bag was locally woven as a promotion for the bank. In everyday life, bilums are common tote bags used to carry goods home from the market or the garden. In fashion, they are worn as accessories to promote one’s status. In times of ill health, bilums are used as stretchers to transport the sick or injured. And at the end of life, bilums hold a prominent place in funeral ceremonies, with high-status members of a tribe or community often buried inside a large and colourful bilum. Thus, from the cradle to the grave, literally, bilums help Papua New Guineans trace the course of a lifetime. A traditional symbol (Diamond) representing a young girl’s journey into womanhood.