Han Mak Belong Tumbuna: Made by the Hands of the Ancestors
27 September 2025 – 6 January 2026
Han Mak Belong Tumbuna brings together more than 160 artefacts from Papua New Guinea – tools, ornaments, weapons, ceremonial pieces and adornments that each carry stories of daily life, ritual and belief.
In collaboration with members of Cairns’ PNG community, the exhibition draws on shared memories, cultural knowledge and storytelling to reconnect artefacts with their stories. All displays are presented in both Tok Pisin and English, creating a space where multiple voices and perspectives can be heard.
Visitors can expect to see objects used in every aspect of life:
- Arrows and bows crafted from carefully selected palms and bamboo and richly decorated, some for hunting and others for ritual and ceremony
- Kina shells, once polished to a luminous sheen, served as both currency and powerful symbols of social value
- Tapa cloths, large and finely worked, produced through labour-intensive processes that brought women together to share stories as they worked
- Ceremonial adornments, including widow’s “weeds” made from Job’s Tears beads, linking material culture with life’s most significant moments
Opening in the year Papua New Guinea marks 50 years of independence, the exhibition also begins a larger journey: the re-gifting of these treasured objects to their homeland. It represents an important step in respecting cultural heritage and reshaping museum practice through collaboration with community.
Far more than a static display, Han Mak Belong Tumbuna is a living conversation about identity, history and ownership – and an invitation for visitors to reflect on what it means to preserve, share and return cultural heritage.
Ground Floor Gallery
27 September 2025 – 6 January 2026
