ART on view 90 NOTES 1. The Commonwealth Arts Advisory Board was established in 1912 with the intent of building up Australia’s national collection of art. The board was active in acquiring works mainly from Australia, America, and Europe until the 1960s. 2. Meeting of the Acquisitions Committee 11/04/73: NGA TRIM file 72/0608-04. 3. G. Pretty to J. Charpentier correspondence 18/11/71: NGA TRIM file 72/0348. 4. October 30, 1972, Charpentier Field Diary. NGA TRIM file 72/0348. 5. November 21, 1972, Charpentier Field Diary “The guides left me above the Matlevus River: They are afraid to go up to Lendamboe Village; because old Lesias, uncle of Joel-Metak has disappeared for two weeks without a trace. The two guides are convinced that someone killed him (according to the tradition, Joel-Metak has to revenge his uncle). His arrival to Lendamboe would be interpreted as a sign of hostility. They left me at 5.30 am, I reached Lendamboe at 3.30 pm.” NGA TRIM file 72/0348. 6. December 4, 1972, Charpentier Field Diary NGA TRIM file 72/0348. 7. January 18, 1973, Charpentier Field Diary, “Talking with Metaknampym, ‘manbush’ are apparently dissatisfied because I haven’t given enough money for the objects’ carriage. K. Muller gave them 4 dollars from Lendamboe to Iaptkas and 6 dollars from Iaptkas to Budin. This greatly increases the price of bulky objects.” NGA TRIM file 72/0348. Kal Muller was an active travel writer and documentary maker publishing several times on ni-Vanuatu culture in National Geographic during the early and mid 1970s. 8. The author would like to acknowledge the positive and willing assistance of the staff at the Vanuatu Cultural Centre, as without their help this exhibition may not have eventuated; also to Kirk Huffman and NGA staff, particularly Alanna Bishop for photography. FIG. 14: Grade figure, noevat tempaxav. Created by Ajtiv, 19th or early 20th century. Menmenboas village, Malakula Island, Malampa Province, Vanuatu. Stone. H: 87 cm. Purchased by J.-M. Charpentier on behalf of the Commonwealth Arts Advisory Board. National Gallery of Australia, 1971.207.46. Photo: National Gallery of Australia. Sculpture in stone is the most permanent of Vanuatu art forms. An object of considerable age, the name navat tempaxav may be a variant of noevat tempaxav, which means “the long stone.” It would have been commissioned for the nevet meleun grade level, the fifteenth and penultimate grade level for Borumvor and Menmenboas villages. To enter this high level, the grade-taker needed a wealth of resources to be able to sacrifice the required six to ten prized pigs with circular tusks, but he would then gain the envied name, or title, of meleun. When Charpentier collected noevat tempaxav, the sculpture was considered by the inhabitants of Menmenboas to be of the highest aesthetic quality.
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