Manam Island, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea

A Manam Island “Tate” (pronounced tete) step ladder. These were once quite commonly used on Manam, and are unique to this region. Carved from the side of large old ocean going canoes, of which there are none these days, with the Islanders preferring to travel by dinghy. This example is truly ancient and has seen generations of use, as you can tell by the incredibly smooth edges where one would have gripped and the soft rounded surface of the steps. Once a step longer; with the bottom step long gone, the Tate then remained in use until I collected it on a recent field trip. These are incredibly rare these days, with many of the beautiful things on Manam destroyed in a recent volcanic eruption, and the Islanders now living scattered along the mainland coast in squalid “Care centres”. Heavily weathered smooth patina; circa 19th Century, in excellent condition. Custom mounted

Height: 121 cm or 47.5 inches.

Price: Australian $3500.00