Ensemble of Four Ceremonial Dance Skirts - Yokal - Dani...

Comprising four traditional ceremonial skirts from the Dani peoples of the Baliem Valley in the Central Highlands of Western New Guinea, this ensemble demonstrates the mastery of bark-fiber cordage that distinguishes the textile traditions of the interior highlands. Each skirt extends to a substantial length of approximately two metres, with a vertical drop of forty centimetres and an individual weight between 280 and 380 grams. Engineered to be wrapped continuously around the lower hips in thick overlapping swathes, the garment creates a dynamic, volumetric fringe that accentuates the rhythmic cadence of ceremonial dancing during pig exchange feasts and major communal rites. The visual register across the four examples illustrates the artistic dialogue between ancestral mineral pigments and vibrant twentieth-century trade dyes that revitalised Highland adornment in the later decades of the century. One skirt retains a restrained, earth-derived palette progressing from natural straw to deep, carbon-infused brown, while the companion pieces display striking polychromatic transitions through saturated zones of saffron, vermilion, forest green, and vivid aniline violet. The individual cord ends terminate in uniform overhand knots to preserve structural tension and lend acoustic weight during movement. All four skirts are preserved in remarkably intact condition, retaining their structural flexibility, secure binding cords, and deep pigment saturation, exhibiting only minor surface wear and fiber softening commensurate with authentic handling. PROVENANCE – Property from the Estate of a German biologist and naturalist (field-collected in situ, Baliem Valley, Irian Jaya, Indonesia, 1993). – Thence by descent to the present owner.

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