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There are always dilemmas around preserving age-old cultural traditions. One of the difficulties in safeguarding the unique practices and languages of the many tribal groups in Papua News Guinea is that their ritual dress relies heavily on indigenous birds, plants, and animals. In times past, the people living in small, relatively isolated clusters in the Papua […]

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Papua New Guinea is a veritable pastiche of colours and customs, jungle noises and music, tribal warfare and elaborately costumed dance. Creation myths abound, wending their way through oral history and everyday life, so that ancient legends are transformed into marketing strategies, and no one can be sure any longer which is which. That is […]

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How can one talk about “the people” or “the culture” of Papua New Guinea?  Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. Comprising the eastern half of the world’s second-largest island, it is home to hundreds of different ethnic groups and 852 known languages. And, who knows how many pockets […]

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Papua New Guinea is not the easiest place in the world to get to. I was starting from Australia, a near neighbour and – for almost 60 years – the former administrative head of PNG. Even so, limited flight options into and out of the capital Port Moresby are only available certain days of the week, making travel […]

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