A closer photo of the male doll shows the applied real hair. The male doll wears a necklace similar to ones described as " pig feast " necklaces where each bar represents a pig feast sponsored by the wearer. Bilum knot work is spun as it is worked so color changes are made as the yarn is twisted. The resulting net bags are very strong and flexible. The dolls' clothing seems to be scraps from bags. islands in the Pacific. It gained independence from Australia in 1975. The island is extremely mountainous and travel is difficult; there are few roads so even now the main travel options include planes, dugout canoes and walking. Isolated clans spoke over 800 different languages, some of which have died out. Very few people live in towns. The soil is rich in most areas and related communities form groups of scattered homesteads where traditionally a separate men's house and women's house are surrounded by the family's garden plots. Taro and yams are the major crops and pigs are raised as a source of meat and wealth. Missionary efforts have officially converted over 95-percent of the population to Christianity, but the indigenous animist beliefs still strongly influence the art and culture. The New Guinea people believed there can be dangerous spirits in everything living and dead and 44 WINTER 2021 their sculptures and masks were intended to give the spirits temporary places to reside. After another digression because I forgot and searched for Mandi instead of Mendi in New Guinea again, (it turns out there was a very small community known as Mandi on the northern coast, near some major World War II battle sites), I found maps and descriptions of the Mendi valley on the southern side of the island. The province is now the richest in the nation because of mineral and petroleum discoveries but also has some of the greatest rural poverty. The easy availability of guns in modern times combined with longstanding