My perception of Papua New Guinea

I thought Papua New Guinea was a country in the United States. I thought the people there were all called Guineans. I thought the country was so westernized, just like New York City. I thought other than English, other languages spoken there were French, Spanish and so on. I thought that maybe there was a theme park in the country.

Do you think the same way of this country as i do?

If you are, guess what? We are both wrong! Papua New Guinea is far from this description.

Read on to find out more about this country.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Located in Oceania, north of Australia and west of Indonesia, the official name of the country is Independent State of Papua New Guinea. The capital city is Port Moresby. Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a population of 6.7million.


PNG is a country with more than 600 islands and 800 indigenous languages. The three official languages are English, Tok Pisin and Motu. It has a constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy government.


It is loaded with natural resources such as gold, copper ore, crude oil, natural gas, timber, fish, palm oil, tea, rubber and logs.


Major ethnic groups are the Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian and Polynesia. PNG is renowned for its immense diversity of cultures, languages and tribal traditions.

What represents the culture of Papua New Guinea?

PNG has a rich cultural diversity with more than 200 cultures, each culture with its own traditions. Most of the PNG population is Christians and the rest celebrate tribal religions.


Although all parts of the world are being modernized, including PNG, most of the people still depend on subsistence farming and live in rural parts. However, the social organization is still the same. Responsibility of the family, house, animals is in the hands of the women. The men are still the head of the family and they control the money invested in the household.


Social events consist of ancient rituals, cultural performances and fairs. The more popular and famous events are the Hiri Moale festival, the Mount Hagen festival and the Goroka Show, which attracts people from all parts of the world.


As there are many tribes in PNG and each has its own language and traditions, each tribe expresses its culture through arts, dances, architecture, weaponry design, dance and music. 


In some parts of PNG, the groom has to pay a price for his bride, sometimes through golden edged clam shells. In other parts of PNG, dowry is payable not bride price and may take the form of shell money, food or pigs.


These wooden plates were used for food purposes in the past. However, these plates can also be used for paying the bride price.

Dressing in PNG is very tribal. Each tribal group has their own form of dressing. Some example can be seen below.


Shown below are two pictures of how the Sing-Sing tribes dress. Those living in the highlands dress differently from those living in the coastal region.

Tribes from the Highlands

Tribes from the Coastal region

Shown here is a Huli man in his traditional everyday dress and young Huli girls dressed for their traditional dance.

Culture and Traditions of the Papuans

The best known traditional form of Papuan art is the woodcarving of the Asmat people on the Sepik River. Papuans carve forms of plants or animals in the belief that they are their ancestor beings and because they perceive them to be beautiful. They also create traditional skull portraits.


Furthermore, though sea shells cease to exist as the currency of PNG after 1933, this heritage is still prevalent in local customs. 


In some parts of PNG highlands, people engage in colorful local customs called “sing-sings”. They paint themselves and dress up with pearls, feathers and animal skins so as to represent the spirits of birds, mountains or trees. Sometimes, pivotal events like a legendary battle are enacted during such a musical festival.

Appraising the authenticity of the Papuan culture from the point of view of a tourist

Tourists find the PNG bursting with culture. Every year, thousands of tourists flock to Goroka for the Goroka Show.

PNG's cultural festivals are heralded by The Chicago Tribune as "one of the 12 travel wonders of the world" for the genuiness of their culture. According to several travelers’ reviews of PNG, the culture in PNG is so rich that cultural festivals are spread out in May, June, August and September and they vary. The Tumbuna Show is a very intimate look into everyday life of people in PNG and their culture as there are no fences separating visitors from participants.

While some may argue that major Sing-Sing events such as The Goroka Show and The Mt Hagen Show are open to tourists and hence not as authentic due to commercialization; this is not true. Only 300 tourists attended last year's Goroka and Mt Hagen Show compared to the 50,000 locals. Thus, tourists regard these shows as genuinely local festivals, untainted by commercialization.

Tourists are enthralled by the every cultural Huli Wigmen area and local villages which teach about marriage and the duty of being a Huli wife. This area also provides access to the most traditional authentic tribe in PNG.

During tourists’ stay in Karawari or the Sepik region, they noted that some tribes' people seemed to force appearances. However, this region offered a mind-blowing birding for hornbills, rare cockatoos, and rare eclectus parrots.

Tourists are not allowed to access some parts of PNG. However, this is logical rational given that these places are primitive and locals here practice cannibalism.

The culture would be eroded soon as precious birds are endangered by the construction of a gas pipeline, new airstrip and regular logging.  

Many tribes come under the group Papuans. Hence, the culture is not as authentic as many tribes are classified under one big group.

Tourism impacts on the authentic culture of PNG and the Papuans

Tourism has impacted both positively and negatively on PNG and the Papuans. 


Tourism acts as a force for peace. Travelling brings people into contact with each other. It is an educational element. It fosters understanding between people and cultures, and increases mutual sympathy and understanding.


By travelling, people gain better understanding of the tribal traditions and the Papuan culture. The tribes are encouraged to showcase their culture and traditions through dance and music, creating greater awareness for the younger generation in PNG.

Tourism has caused loss of authenticity. Many tribes can be classified under the Papuan group, making it lose its authenticity as an indigenous group. There has also been a change in indigenous identity and values. This is due to standardization, loss of authenticity and adaption to tourist demands.

Focus on PNG's calendar of events

Cultural shows are held every year to draw in visitors to view their spectacular festivals and traditions. Festivals in PNG include: Hiri Moale Festival, Baliem Valley Festival, Mt Hagen Cultural Festival, Goroka Cultural Festival, Morobe Cultural Show, Tumbuna Sing-Sing, Wahgi Singsing, The Gogodala Canoe Festival, The Alotau Canoe & Kundu Festival Tour, Enga Cultural Show, Tumbuan Mask Festival, Papua New Guinea Arts & Cultural Festival.

The Hiri Moale Festival is one of the most famous festivals. It is the most important cultural event of Port Moresby. Stretched over a period days, it is held on September 16, which is the day PNG gained independence from Australia. During this festival, there is an art exhibition, beauty pageant contest, cultural dances, canoe racing and musical concerts.

Made up of 700 different tribes, the people of PNG get together in the month of August, at Mt Hagen for the annual Mt Hagen Cultural Festival. This festival is a celebration of the tradition and tribal history as the tribes recreate their legends. This show started during the 1950s when tribal relations had to be improved. The tribes come in bilas, which is their traditional costume, with body paint and tattoos. This event will feature legends of the different tribal groups in musical performances, cultural activities and an agricultural fair.

The Goroka Cultural Festival, held in September, is somewhat similar to the Mt Hagen Festival. It is also a competition to see which is the best district in terms of organization and administration. It has become a national event in PNG's calendar. The Goroka show has attracted many tourists from around the world. It is a unique festival as it is rare for all the different tribes to come together to showcase their culture.