– Exhibition –

Fiber & Stone

People of the Baliem Valley, Papua

The Hampton Archive documents one of the last surviving examples on our planet of stone tool and complex non-loom fiber technology for daily use and bodily adornment, in its original social and ritual setting. Dr. O.W. Hampton collected and documented at a time of rapid change: today the Dani and Yali people have adopted Western dress in their daily lives, and their skills with making and using traditional fibers and stone tools are falling into disuse. This exhibition shows the photographs taken by Dr. O.W. Hampton of the people who made and used many of the cultural artifacts that were donated to the Tracing Patterns Foundation in 2020.