“This is a modern woman in a modern world. The Bilum Dress is woven out of Black and White colors indicating the Life and struggle of a single mother. The White is for the Happy Hours and the Black/Grey for the Problems. The end of the bilum dress has half a tree design. Most people refer to the bird’s wing as a husband and a wife sticking together side by side, for this dress it talks about the half Tree. Miss Indepandant is a half tree on its own. She works for her own survival and is always trying to enjoy herself despite what she is going through and what people think of her.

In my country (Papua New Guinea) when a woman is deserted by her husband, she is known as a “GHETTO” in Goroka dialect, “woman without a man”. But for herself, She is Modern Miss Independent.

She has a Big Modern Fancy bilum bag instead of a small Bilum Bag. She is a Modern woman living in a modern world with her lifestyle.

She is dressed with a necklace of sea shells to complement and show the beauty of her-self.” (from written submission by Florence Jaukae)