Time belong Tumbuna

The many collectors of Glenys Kohnke’s paintings will welcome Time Belong Tumbuna in which they may find reproductions of paintings they own, together with others owned by a number of collectors. In fact each reproduction in the book is from a painting or sculpture in some private collection.

From what I remember of Glenys Kohnke’s work they have been well photographed and printed, and I should imagine that the artist would feel that the reproductions have done justice to her popular paintings.

It is a pity that there are certain annoying matters in the text; for in stance the statement “that inhabitants of New Britain are known as Bain ings” (p 14) when only some of the inhabitants are Bainings; and the

mispelling of Matupit as Matapit (p 12); and, on page xii of her intro duction, the inclusion of painted bark among the art forms of Papua New Guinea seems to need some explan ation. However, in this Age of Mediocrity even arrived-publishers like Jacaranda Press seem to be un troubled by such loose statements.

If the above inaccuracies do not bother you, you will have nothing but praise for the book, and Glenys Kohnke’s paintings are too well known to need any description of them here. I think the price of $5.95 is very reasonable.

Peter Livingston

(Time Belong Tumbuna, Legends

and Traditions of Papua New Guinea, by Glenys Kohnke. The Jacaranda Press. $5.95.)