Children Dancing, Papa Village

These children are dancing a welcoming dance in Papa village up the coast from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. Dances are done to commemorate events, celebrate, prepare for war, prepare for marriage (more or less the same dance for the last two), and such. Some dances are very elaborate, masks are frequently used, and story telling aids might be carried. You really know you aren't back in Kansas when the dancing starts....

Real Cowboy

The chief is a real cowboy, and what character in his face... I don't think he was all that impressed with my fancy camera.

Huli Warriors

This is me with a couple of warriors and the chief. They weren't a real talkative bunch but they gave me a drum to hold for the picture.

People of PNG

At one of the villages, they gave us coconuts as a gift. This lady was using her knife to open them up. When I asked to take her picture, she put it behind her back but I asked her to show it.

I've posted more pictures of people I met on this trip in the slide show. Click on it or follow this link to see a larger version.

Kundu

This man is carving a type of traditional drum called a "kundu" in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Various woods are used, and the head is made of lizard skin. The seed pods hanging from it rattle when shaken.

Bilum

These woman are selling handmade string bags called "bilum" in an open market in Port Moresby. Bilum are traditionally used by men and women to carry things.

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is a beautiful country. This is a view from the highway back towards the center of town. I am not sure how traditional it is to build out over the water like these homes, but I've seen several areas like this from an airplane.

Woman on a Gas Cylinder

This woman was sitting on an old gas cylinder on the side of the road on the way out of town. Port Moresby is a sleepy kind of place.

PNG Highlands

I wanted to post a picture to show you just how rough the Highlands in PNG are. I've posted a lot more in an album so you can flip through them if you want. It is truly amazing country. We flew in by fixed wing and then spent about 5 hours in a helicopter.

The rain forest seems endless and is covered by mist and rain a lot of the time. The rivers are large and fast flowing with muddy waters from the erosion. They get more than 10 meters of rain a year. The weather is very pleasant and actually cool due to the altitude.

The terrain has a lot of impact on the people of course. For eons they have been separated by the mountains and rough terrain. Over 800 languages are in active use in PNG and the tribes and groups have unique cultures.

Beaver Falls

This is Beaver Falls and as you can see it is spectacular. And as best I know, nobody else was around to see it except for us. Very remote...

Gardens

The people in the Highlands developed a farming and hunting culture that has remained relatively unchanged for a very long time. The area is so remote and difficult to reach that it wasn't discovered by Europeans until the 1930's. The farming predates European farming and is old as any other area in cultivation anywhere in the world. Traditional housing is also visible in this picture.

Lake Kutubu

Lake Kutubu is a beautiful place in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The people that live there fish from dugout canoes for a fish that was described to me as "small" and found nowhere else in the world.

Girl with a Bush Knife

This little girl was at the side of the road in the village of Papa near Port Moresby with a bush knife (machete). She frowned when I lifted my camera, walked down the road a few steps, and turned around to look at me again. I lowered my camera, waved, and she smiled. The bag she is carrying with straps looped over her head is traditional in PNG.

Masks

This week I am writing about Papua New Guinea (PNG) crafts. I was there last week and visited an interesting native craft sales outlet. To be honest, I don't know a whole lot about them yet. Here is a web site if you want to do a little research: janesoceana. Keep following the links or do your own search - I suggest adding Sepik River to the search since many of the best carvings seem to come from there.

Crocodiles are big on these masks - note the tongues of the two upper ones. Sometimes you see crocodiles substituted for other body parts on statues. Obviously the masks and statues have spiritual and magical powers for the PNG people.

In addition to what I have posted here, it is also possible to buy small gold items made locally. Goldsmithing is a relatively new skill however since gold mining was introduced in the 20th century.

Prices on these things are pretty reasonable. I will be taking orders for Christmas soon...

Three Dudes

These three dudes are pretty impressive in person. The statue on the left is over 8 feet high. Statues of this type have a carved man behind the mask, usually seated. They usually have another mask fitted to the back of their head also. The masks decorated with all sorts of natural items and are carved basically from trees. Like I said, impressive...

Statues

You can find all sorts of small statues. These examples vary from about 2 to 3 feet tall or so. Some are women and some are men. Many are decorated with feathers, hair, natural fibers, or shell. You have to be careful with these - they won't let you bring them back into Australia if there are any signs of insects or endangered species...

Story Board

Story boards are a relatively new craft in PNG created for trade and are nice. Originally they were done on bark for display in the men's lodge. Later they were turned into carvings. You can hang them on walls or one guy told me he mounted his under a glass top to make a coffee table.

Typically they tell a story - this one has hunting scenes in it and what look like some village life of some sort.

Pots

Pots are among the craft items that are available. There is one style that looks like a fish with a wide mouth I like. I liked these with the faces. The coloring is not glazed - it is dry and powdery like a colored clay that is painted on. I bought one for David and the color is water soluble so it definitely isn't dishwater safe.