Papua New Guinea - Articles - Zimbio

Down for a good time in the bush?..Papua New Guinea is the place to be!

Fri, 7 Jun 2008 04:56:08 GMT

posted by stephs2

It’s been almost two years..but my parasite and I still think of Papua New Guinea often. It was an amazing adventure that I will never forget.

Living in a straw hut with bamboo floors kept company by the villagers and our flea-infested mascot Nugget (the little stray pup from one of the nearby villages) was like a dream.

We were all young college students, looking for adventure and memories, and trying to do some good at the same time. We headed to PNG to dig a pipeline to bring fresh water to a village in desperate need. We succeeded in our goal but found that it wasn’t the water that brought smiles to the faces of the villagers, but the willingness to submerge into their culture.

We learned so much from each other in the short month that we lived with them. Have you ever picked a pineapple? I have..it’s pretty cool. Ever made your own yarn bag (which by the way, leaves you with a lot less skin on your upper thigh..don’t ask)..ever made coffee from the beans after you pick them and wash them, or made a barbeque meal to feed forty people by burying the food underground?

If you are looking to expand your knowledge of the world and the good, hardworking people who live in it..head here. You won’t meet nicer people in this lifetime.

Top 10 Hell on Earth

Sat, 8 Jun 2008 12:45:00 GMT

posted by rsk4you

The top 10 hells on earth to prove how much more dire it could have been.

1. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Type of hell: Disease

With over 115 new HIV and AIDS cases diagnosed every month, the capital of Papua New Guinea is in trouble. With the population expanding at an uncontrollable rate, unemployment levels have rocketed, income levels plummeted and gang members, known as raskols, have been known to carry out bank robberies with M16 machine guns and hijack cars wielding machetes.

2. Linfen, China
Type of hell: Darkness

Linfen, China, is sooty and dark, located in a 12-mile industrial belt, and affected by the 50 million tons of coal mined each year in the nearby hills of Shanxi. There’s no escaping the smog.

3. Bujumbura, Republic of Burundi
Type of hell: Corruption

With the lowest GDP per capita in the world, Burundi is the poorest country on the planet and is scarred by a history of genocide, mass killing and assassinated political leaders. Not only that, but a pool of 178 countries found that Burundi’s people had the poorest satisfaction of life in the world.

4. Pyongyang, North Korea
Type of hell: Oppression

While its modern-day facade may look like any other Western city, underneath it’s entirely autocratic. Radios and TVs have only one channel which broadcasts special programs controlled by the government, bicycles are banned as part of a political regime to restrict movement and interaction.

5.Oklahoma City, United States
Type of hell: Natural disasters

Located in the direct path of "Tornado Alley," the worst time to visit would be from March to August. Tather is pretty much expected. The severe weather season makes Dorothy’s Kansas look positively calm, with Oklahoma City being the city worst affected by tornadoes in the United States.

6. Chernobyl, Ukraine
Type of hell: Radiation

Famed for a nuclear explosion that tore through the city in 1986 and contaminated most of its living organisms, Chernobyl is certainly not the kind of place you’d like to vacation in. Everything is still largely abandoned and remains as it was 20 years ago, with hundreds of miles of uninhabitable space, deserted buildings and poisoned lakes and rivers.

7. Mogadishu, Somalia
Type of hell: Lawlessness

With the collapse of central government in 1991, Mogadishu is largely lawless, with no structure of real peacekeeping present, despite a failed effort in 1992 by the U.S. marines. Indeed, Mogadishu certainly won’t be found in any glossy vacation brochure anytime soon.

8. Yakutsk, Russia
Type of hell: Environmental extreme

Officially the coldest place on earth, temperatures here often drop to a hypothermia-inducing -58°F, and if it drops below this (which it often does), children get the day off school. Another hellish aspect of Yakutsk is its isolation -- a whole six time zones away from Moscow.

9. Dhaka, Bangladesh
Type of hell: Pollution

Despite enduring political instability, military suppression and devastation from war and natural disaster, the capital of Bangladesh faces a new crisis over critically high pollution levels. Rapid industrial development has filled the city with so much smog it is causing environmental damage, with 9.7 million tons of waste dumped in the river by the city each year.

10. Baghdad, Iraq
Type of hell: Conflict

The city has been irreversibly damaged by the Gulf War and years of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, bringing the once vibrant city to its knees. Lootings, robberies, kidnappings, and sexual assaults have been rife, but it is the daily slaughter of troops, journalists and civilians that terrify the most.

Under – 19 World Cup : India make a good start …

Sun, 18 Feb 2008 06:21:00 GMT

posted by kushalputhran

India Under-19's win against Papua New Guinea may not been as exciting as other matches of u-19 World cup held today but their performance was excellent and steady and made all of proud of them.

All was equally balanced for them, Everything went in their favour except the toss which they lost but still they were happy. Indian openers looked to built a steady and strong foundation for the teams.

The Openers - Shreevats Goswami and Taruwar Kohli both put strong 100 runs partnership which helped India to bulid a huge score. They both not only keep the pace of making rund but also kept the pressure of losing wickets away. TM Srivastas accelerated in the end of innings to take India to 280 for 5. Papua New Guinea Bowlers looked helpless against Indian Batting attack. J Kila and J Tom were impressive and they both looked to stand in front of storming Indian Innings.

ICC U19 World Cup India vs Papua New Guinea 2008 --- Highlights

Indian bowlers too looked in no mood for mercy and stormed to Papua New Guinea inning . None of the Papua New Guinea batsmen looked to stand in front of them. Iqbal Abdul looked much impressive and was the highest wickettaker for India with 3 for just 2 runs. All the bowlers had a work out and apart from Ravindra Jadeja and Taruwar, who went for 11 off two overs of medium-pace, everyone picked up wickets.Till Papua New Guinea can get any idea the inning was wrapped up and Papua New Guinea was all out for merely 85 runs. India won by 195 runs.

Dav Whatmore, India's coach too looked confident. He said "We wanted to play as well as we can early in the game, without underestimating the opposition" plus added " "We felt that if we did that well, the margin would be big at the end of the game." The win different was huge and it made clear that young blood of India is offensive and determined on one goal ie is 'Victory'.Man of the Match was awarded to TM Srivastava for his rocking inning of 83 from 76 balls which was foundation of such big win.

The Natural World of the Huli

Sat, 2 Sep 2007 20:02:00 GMT

posted by Haroli

A typical The Southern Highlands landscape

The Huli landscape consists of patches of primary forest, reed covered marshes, kunai grasslands, scrub brush, and mounded gardens traversed by rivers, small streams and man-made ditches that serve as drainage canals, boundary markers, walking paths, and defensive fortifications. The lavish flora provides the Huli with necessary materials for the production of essential cultural accoutrement. The primary forests supply the timber used in the construction of houses, ritual buildings, fences and graves. Large quantities of firewood are consumed daily in the fire pits located in the center of every dwelling and rest house. Firewood is also consumed in the mumu-pits or earth ovens that are frequently used by the people in preparing daily meals. The bark of trees is utilized in teh production of clothing. The stringy bark is rolled together to form threads which are interwoven to create the coarse yarn from which string bags, men's aprons, belts and wigs are made. The forest also furnishes the wood used in the manufacture of axes, drums, digging sticks, stabbing spears, and shields as well as the vines from which rope bridges, pig tethers, and house joiners are made.

Certain species of trees are used in Huli rituals. Their ability to produce durable sap, or their strength and color are referred to in many healing spells and initiation rites. (Stephen Frankel: I am a Dying Man: Pathology of Pollution in Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 4:2, 1980) Sticks are often used in various forms of sorcery. (R.M. Glasse, The Huli of the Southern Highlands, in Gods, Ghosts, and Men in Melanesia, 1965) Pandanus nut trees are highly valued by the Huli as they provide the prized pandanus nut as well as long, strong leaves use do make rain-mat coverings and ritual items. Reed covered swamps furnish the Huli with reeds used in the production of arrows, the basic Huli weapon. Kunai grasslands provide the grass that is used in the thatched roofing of traditional Huli houses. Permanent iron roofing is replacing kunai grass roofing for those who can afford it. Kunai grass is also utilized in the fabrication of women's grass skirts. Grasslands supply the small herbs and grasses used as medicine in Huli rituals. More than nine species of plants are valued for their healing properties which are derived from their natural symbolic characteristics. (Frankel, page 102). Medicinal herbs used in the treatment of male pollution are believed to be effective in that they share the common property of tenacity. Their leaves are strong and the regrow whenever they are uprooted. The nigi plant, a local nettle shown above, is rubbed on the part of the body where there is pain. (L.R. Goldman, "Compensation and Disputes in Huli," Homicide Compensation in Papua New Guinea, 1981, p. 58). The leaf causes a burning sensation and swelling that is believed to distract a person from concentrating on the original pain. This plant is used in the Haroli bachelor cult to make the men appear large and stronger due to the swelling caused by the nigi leaf.

Primary forests furnish the Huli with many of the materials necessary for their daily life and a lucrative source of revenue. The abundant timber stands are now being sold to sawmills that have been developed in the Huli region since the arrival of the white-men.
Mounded gardens dot the Huli countryside. Huli men and women are subsistence farmers who cultivate sweet potatoes, taro, pumpkin, beans, corn, cabbage and a variety of greens in their gardens. These crops grow abundantly in the rich volcanic soil. The slash-burn technique of the people enhances the fertility of their frequently rotated gardens. Banana, pineapple, and papaya trees are tended wherever the climate is conducive to their growth. Bamboo trees are cultivated near the people's houses to provide food in the form of bamboo shoots, as well as the cane that is utilized as a major building material. Bamboo is also used in the production of smoking pipes, water-vessels, musical instruments, and ritual items. Western-style buildings (e.g., churches) are constructed with bamboo cane matting.

The people also cultivate a type of native tobacco which both men and women smoke in bamboo pipes. Various medicinal and ritual plants are raised near houses or in gardens; the bog iris and ginger plant being the most notably used plants in ritual practices. Taro, an ancient traditional food that symbolizes strength and fertility, is also used in ritual acts. Yellow and purple everlasting daisies are cultivated by men for use in decorating their wigs. The purple variety is rarely seen in the Tari area.

Sweet potatoes are by far the main staple of the Huli people. The average male consumes between seven to ten large tubers a day with additional sweet potato snacks during the day and night. Huli men usually carry sweet potatoes with them wherever they go in their string bags. It is not an exaggeration to say that a Huli meal is not complete without a sweet potato. Huli will usually go away hungry and complaining that they have not yet eaten if they eat a large meal consisting of only rice and fish, the staple foods introduced by colonizers.

The Huli fauna consists of various species of snakes, worms, eels, fish, tree kangaroos, possums, bats, birds, and domesticated dogs and pigs. Most of these animals are used extensively in Huli culture in many different settings. Bats, possums, and pigs serve as food. Fish was seldom eaten in times past, but is n ow being consumed more frequently. Snake skins are used as drum covers and as decorative head bands. Possum fur is also employed as a decorative head dress. Bird plumes, which have many levels of symbolic meaning, are utilized as head decorations, especially on the Huli wig. The tendons of cassowary birds are used as nasal septum shafts and necklaces while the bird's talon is utilized as the point of the stabbing spear, and its leg bone as a dagger.

Many animals have numerous levels of symbolic meaning attached to them and are employed in a variety of rituals. The claw of the hawk and the bones of bats are used in sorcery rituals. Snakes and worms are referred to in the nogo tini gamu pollution spell and are used to heal men of menstrual contamination. They symbolize immortality and the renewal of life in that a cut worm replicates itself, and a shedding snake appears to be reborn. (Frankel, p. 102) Pig bones are used in divination rites. The pig is also the main sacrificial matter in Huli rituals performed to increase the abundance of socio-economic wealth and physical health. Pigs are sacrificed to various deities to heal men from sickness, (Ibid, p. 101 and Glasse, p. 104) to ensure the fertility of the earth and people, (Glasse, p. 42, 66) and to placate their wrath which is manifested in natural disturbances. (Ibid, p. 44, 46). Pigs are also offered to the ancestors to ensure their interest and assistance in the well-being of the community. Pigs that are sacrificed to deities or ancestors are usually consumed by the community or ritual specialists. Pork is the basic ritual food.

Both men and women raise pigs which, along with chickens, provide the only substantial form of animal protein in the Huli diet. Pork is consumed more often by the Huli in the course of a year than by other Highland societies in Papua New Guinea. The Huli do not save their pigs for large ritual pig kills that occur rarely over long periods of time as do the Wiru, Mendi, and Kewa peoples. (Edgar Ford, Papua New Guinea: The Land and the People, Jaracanda Press, Melbourne, 1973, p. 66) The Huli will slaughter a pig for a meal simply because they had a taste for pig that day, or to celebrate a special occasion (the return of a friend, arrival of a missionary, opening of a new house, etc.)

The importance of pigs as currency and ritual sacrificial offering, however, immeasurably transcends their value as common food. R. Glasse, Revenge and Redress Among the Huli, Mankind 5:7, 1959, p. 276.) Pigs are the basic item of exchange for bride-wealth, major purposes, and compensation payments. Nineteen to twenty-six pigs are exchanged in the bride-wealth. A small pig is the usual penalty for stealing from a garden. An adulterer pays two or three pigs to the family of his accomplice. (Glasse, Huli of Papua, p. 112) One pig is given as payment to the person who carries a dead man to the grave. It has already been shown how the pig functions as a form of ritual currency in man's transactions with the deities and ancestors. In many ways, Huli society is bound up with pigs as they are the main item of economic and ritual exchange, as well as the basic ritual food. In 1983 (when I was there), the pig was still the main form of currency even though paper and coin currency had been successfully introduced.

Thus far, this study has shown how the Huli derive most of their basic material necessities from their natural surroundings. However, there are some essential objects that the Huli must buy from neighboring peoples (Glasse, Huli of Papua, p. 20-21, 59). Cowrie and kina shells, the former piece of jewelry being reserved for men who wear them as necklaces, while the later breast plate is common to both sexes, comes to the Huli from the North and the South. The cowrie shells were exchanged for salt from the Ipili people and for tigasso tree oil from the Lake Kutubu people. Salt is a luxury item used in the preparation of pork and a long red fruit called abare which is eaten whenever it is in season. Tree oil is used in various rituals and as a body ointment, especially during dances. Pigs are exchanged for black palm bows from the Duguba people, and for stone axe blades from the Waga people who had previously purchased the blades from the Melpa people of Mount Hagen. Hornbill beaks which are used as a necklace piece in combination with pigs teeth, are purchased from the people of the Mount Bosavi area.

Many rituals as well as ritual objects are purchased from neighboring peoples. The Dindi Gamu fertility rite was purchased from the Duna people, as well as the Duna child whose blood was as essential element of the rite. (Glasse, The Huli of Papua, p. 46) The Toro stones, bog iris, ritual formulas and spells for the Toro sorcery rites were also purchased form the Duna at a very expensive price: twelve pigs, a rope of cowrie shells, a kina shell, two packages of ochre, and a string bag. (Ibid., p. 101) The rite to repel the power of Toro emanations was also purchased from the Duna along with a necessary ritual element, a certain species of Duna tree. (Ibid. , p. 103) The Hambu sorcery rite, which fractures the bones of its victims through the power of symbolically breaking sticks while chanting a spell, was purchased from the Ipili people. (Ibid., p. 42)

The Huli eco-system does supply almost all of the fundamental material components of everyday Huli life. However, it is obvious that the people relied on the assistance of outside peoples to fulfill the needs of their daily lives. The cultural exchange and interdependence between the Huli and other Highland peoples has a significant bearing on a proper understanding of cultural change and resilience among the Huli.

Huli Artistic Expression

Sat, 2 Sep 2007 20:16:00 GMT

posted by Haroli
The Huli have a variety of artistic forms of expression. Bodily decoration is their most graphic and popular means of expression. Men and women invest a great deal of time and energy in the beautification of their bodies. Most Huli men and women wear some facial paint almost every day. Little daubs of red or yellow paint are placed at the corners of the eyes, over the eyelids or under the eyes, and on the tip of the nose. They apply greater amounts of body and facial paint during major celebration like dances, ritual events, and courtship parties (dawanda).

The essential male dress is comprised of a thick, red, woven belt; a long woven apron that hangs above the knee, and a shorter apron made of the same material which is worn over the longer apron to cover the pubic area. Another short apron with dangling pig tails is worn over the other short apron during dances and special events. Men cover their buttocks with a bunch of cordyline leaves specifically selected for their shiny red and green hue, which are bound together by a rope and held in place on the belt with a small, whittled stick. Huli men are scantily dressed in comparison to women and men of other Highland societies.

Men enhance their basic outfit by adding various combinations of natural or man-made ornaments to their daily dress. Men commonly wear a kina shell breast plate, earrings, neck bands, cowrie shell necklace, a hornbill and pig teeth necklace worn on the back of then neck, and a nasal septum shaft. Woven arm and leg bands, a black-palm belt, and a cassowary dagger are worn daily by most Huli men. The head is almost always adorned with feathers, everlasting daisies, leaves, or tree kangaroo furs. Some men wear a wig daily, although it is more commonly reserved for special occasions like the Mali dance.

The fundamental dress for women consists of a long grass skirt that hangs below the knees and is sometimes dyed black. Most women wear a European smock purchased in Tari. Rarely does a young woman wear the traditional woven smock to cover her breasts. Young Huli women are forbidden to expose their breasts, only older women are permitted to appear without an upper covering. In general, Huli women wear less bodily decoration than men. They do not wear earrings (usually), leg bands, nasal septum shafts or wigs. They often wear a kina shell breast plate, neck beads and flowers in their hair.

The piece of clothing common to both men and women is the string bag. Huli women are usually seen carrying their sting bags full of sweet potatoes or holding their babies on their backs with the bag strap firmly in place across their foreheads. Huli men wear their string bags on their bags with the strap crossing their chests from the left to the right shoulder and knotted at their sternums. Typical items found in the men’s string bag include tobacco and a bamboo smoking pipe, a packet of red paint, a mirror, sweet potatoes, and money.

Huli body art is spectacularly displayed at the three main types of Huli dances. Men are usually the main attraction at these dances, although a few girls do form their own dance line at Mali dances. Nowadays, the Mali is the most frequently performed Huli dance, being executed at special ecclesiastical occasions. The Mali used to be performed during Toro sorcery rites, Haroli initiation rites, Tege fertility rites and other Huli rites. (R. Glasse, The Huli of Papua, pp. 102-103).

The Mali dance consists of a simple jumping step which the dancers silently perform to the beat of drums carried by the dancing men in their hands. (See the video above) The amazing aspect of the dance is the splendid decoration of the dancers. For special occassions, the men wear the manda hare wig which is either bright red or black and is adorned with splendid plumes of the cassowary and cock-a-too birds, and especially the dainty and colorful feathers of the bird of paradise. The men’s faces are painted entirely with yellow paint and highlighted with various amounts of red, white and blue paint. Each man has his own unique facial design. Their bodies brilliantly shine from the copious amounts of tree oil rubbed over their bodies. The hago belt made of woven cane around a tree bark base, is worn tightly around their torsos causing them to stand erect with full chests. Male Mali dancers wear as much ornamentation as they can acquire by purchase or loan in combination with their usual daily dress that has been renewed with a fresh application of red paint.

Female Mali dancers wear their daily dress as well as tree kangaroo fur, flowers, and a few feathers in their hair. Their faces are painted red with yellow, blue and white highlights. Tree oil is smeared over their bodies. They wear some form of breast covering and a kina shell breastplate.

Gumia dancers wear the same ornamentation as the Mali dancers but paint their entire bodies with broad stripes of red and white paint. Sometimes yellow paint is applied to a man’s chest and torso. The Gumia dance was traditionally performed by two silent male dancers who beat their drums as they danced backward and forward in large steps. The two men darted back and forth covering a distance of approximately six feet, as they inched their way to their destination point. Gumia dancers who traditionally performed at fertility rites are now used as procession leaders at festive Catholic worship rites.

The Pelagua dance is unique in that the dancers don women’s clothing. The men wear the women’s long grass skirt as well as a long grass wig underneath an unusually large and elaborate head-dress consisting of a variety of beads and feathers. Their faces are painted red with black highlights, while their chests are painted with stripes of red and white paint. Their legs and forearms are painted white and their hands and feet red. The men also wear a men’s belt, kina shell, earrings, and a cassowary necklace and dagger. They do not wear the hago girdle and men’s aprons as Mali dancers do. Unlike the other two Huli dances where the dancers remain silent as they beat their drums, the Pelagua dancers chant and beat their drums simultaneously. The dance is usually performed with three men circling an imaginary point, bending and then straightening their backs, beating their drums while they chant.

The exact context of the Pelagua dance is uncertain, although it can be said that it was performed only during Huli rituals, most likely placation rituals to powerful deities. For this reason, the Huli do not think it appropriate to perform the dance during Christian rituals. The Pelagua dance was performed at the dedication of the Tari police station in 1983.

Three other important Huli dances include the Tiri Yagua, Tege Pulu and Ega Kiliapa dances which are performed much less frequently than the three main dances. Each of these minor dances will be described later in the course of the study.

Bodily decoration as displayed in the three main types of dances is the only visual art form, although the people do some simple carving of bamboo pipes and stabbing spears, and more elaborate painting on the homali grave boxes, the Haroli bachelor’s braid (puluyaba), and fences. The Huli have developed various aural art forms as evidenced in their musical instruments, poetry and songs. They have five different types of musical instruments: gawa, a small double-stringed wood bow; hiryula or bamboo jew’s harp; gulu pope, a bamboo panpipe; pilipe, a small reed pipe; and the layano tabage or hollow, hour-glass shaped, wooden drum. The drum is either high pitched (tombene) or low pitched (dinano). (J. Pugh-Kittingau, Huli Language and Instrumental Performance, Ethnomusicology, 21:2, 1977, p. 200)

The panpipes are played by adult males as a past-time. The reed pipe is played by young men during courtship. The drums are played by dancers during rituals and celebrations. The low pitched dinano drum is the only drum used to accompany verbal communication; it is used to accompany the chants of spirit men during the Pelagua dance.

The hiriyula and gawa are unique in that they are used to convey messages. The jews harp is played by one sweetheart to another to express love, or by a lone sweetheart who is pining for his or her lover. The hiriyula is also used to describe past or current events. The following script is a transcription of a hiriyula performance concerning advice about marriage given to a girl and her old mother by another woman:

Oh mother, daughter, the cumulus cloud from Wanda
(he) is still coming,
Oh mother, daughter, the cumulus cloud from Eganda
(he) is still coming,
Oh mother, daughter, the cumulus cloud from Irabi
(he) is still coming,
Oh mother, daughter, the cumulus cloud from Egobia
(he) is still coming,
Oh mother, daughter, the cumulus cloud from Gewande
and Gayabi are still coming,
Oh mother, daughter, au au au au au. (Ibid., p. 27)

This verse, which is typical of Huli poetic structures, suggests to the young girl that she has plenty of time to make up her mind before she marries, for the boys are still coming from all around the countryside to see her.

The gawa is played by a male sweetheart in the presence of his relatives to impress upon them the sincerity of his love. It is also used to tell stories about past clan battles, tribal history, descriptions of the countryside and natural phenomena. The following script is a transcription of a gawa performance that relates a story about the burning of gardens and houses during battles between rival clans:

Wari bawa alight-burning, sorry,
Warime alight-burning, sorry,
Hubiago alight-burning, sorry,
Dalaga alight-burning, sorry,
Hara bawa Hayare alight-burning, sorry,
Embe bawa Embeli alight-burning, sorry,
Hayare alight-burning, sorry,
Angi bawa Mali, alight-burning, sorry,
Ali bawa Ibala alight-burning, sorry. (Ibid., p. 225)

The changing names in each line are the names of the places which have been set alight by the enemy clan. The word bawa refers to a species of tree that is used for firewood because it burns easily. The word is used to suggest the houses burned quickly. The word Mali in the second to the last line suggests that the burning took place at the time of the annual Mali dance around in December. Sorry in each line is actually a moaning wail used to mourn the dead, suggesting the great sorrow of the player over the destruction of the property at each place.

All of the five musical instruments are still commonly used among the Huli. Gawa performance is considered by the Huli to be one of their most valuable artistic achievements. (Ibid., p. 224) The gawa is the musical instrument that a Huli would first introduce to a visitor to his country.

The various artistic expressions of the Huli reflect their cultural values and lifestyle. The solitary nature of their music reveals their strong individualistic nature. (Ibid., p. 205) The content of the gawa and hiriyula songs or poems express their strong feelings of love as well as their keen interest in Huli history, geography and folklore. The concern for bodily decoration indicates the value of the individual person and personal beauty in Huli society. The use of so many natural objects in bodily decoration as well as in fulfilling basic human needs indicates the close relationship of the Huli to the earth and nature.