Ecotourism Melanesia’s PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Papua New Guinea is not just one culture but a myriad of cultures. Each of the 800 language groups has its own distinct cultural practices, and variation in customs and traditions can be just as salient between the highlands and the coastal areas as between neighbouring areas within the same province. Some PNG cultures of particular interest that are easily accessible to tourists include:

Gogodala culture of Balimo, Western Province

Tapa cloth culture of Oro Province

Yam culture of Trobriand Islands, Milne Bay Province

Yam culture of Maprik, East Sepik Province

Haus Tambaran culture of Sepik River Villages, East Sepik Province

Malangan culture of Tabar Islands, New Ireland Province

 

In some parts of the country, especially the remote, rural areas far from the towns, traditional culture is still prominent and some tribes still live in near-stone-age societies. These are of course the most difficult places to visit, and there is also the question of whether it is a good thing for Western tourists to disrupt and impact the daily lives of villagers who continue living as their ancestors did. The movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy", although humorous, reminds us of the fragility of ancient cultures and the need for western civilisations to be prudent in respecting and protecting them.

At the other extreme there are areas in PNG where village people now live very modernised lives and have very tenuous links with their ancestry. In the Gazelle district of East New Britain, for example, there are no longer any villages with traditional-style leaf houses - all village houses are now built of modern materials and the people all wear manufactured clothing and commute from the village to the town every day by public transport for work, school or shopping.

The vast majority of Papua New Guineans inhabit villages somewhere between these two extremes, living in traditional-style houses and continuing to supply their own food through growing gardens, hunting, gathering and fishing. They continue to follow tribal practices concerning the roles of men and women, belief in spiritism, the application of body tattoos, courtship and marriage rites, and the exchange of pigs and shell money when bartering for goods. However Western influence is visible in most villages in the form of imported gardening tools and household goods, and the wearing of western-style clothing bought in secondhand shops in the provincial towns.

In most areas of PNG, traditional costume (clothing) is now only worn on special occasions such as singsings, marriages, civic ceremonies and the arrival of visitors in the village. LIkewise, some dances and rituals are also only performed on special occasions, and some traditional foods which are laborious to prepare are not cooked on a day-to-day basis but are only brought out for special feasts and visitors. Therefore as a visitor you must understand that what you will see when you make a pre-arranged visit to a village for a dose of culture will be somewhat more colourful than the actual daily lives of the villagers, although the traditional culture which will be put on show for you will certainly be authentic.

Some places where visitors can visit villages for a show of local culture including traditional dancing, local-style food, explanation of local customs and a tour of the village are listed below:

Wasab Cultural Village, Madang Province

Gove Village Culture Hut, Eastern Highlands Province

Enga Experience, Enga Province

Kupnungku Kipe Cultural Village, Banz, Western Highlands Province

 

To experience the actual day-to-day lifestyle of the average Papua New Guinean villager it is necessary to spend a few days living in a village. The best way to do this is by staying in a village guest house, where you can observe the daily goings-on around you, or better still, a village homestay, which will enable you to actually participate in the daily lives of a village family. Staying in a guest house you are always one level above the ordinary villagers, but a village homestay is the most authentic ecotourism experience because it allows you to get very close to the local culture and environment without impacting significantly upon it.

A village homestay consists of a guest bungalow built in the same style as the other village houses, and is usually situated next to the host family's own house. The guest bungalow has the same basic furnishings as the other houses in the village, though the guest is provided with a separate toilet and water for bathing. Village-style meals are provided - sometimes as basic as a plate of boiled yam, other times a selection of meats and vegetables. Breakfast (tea and biscuits or stone-baked bread) is usually taken on the verandah of the guest bungalow and other meals may be taken with the host family, although in most PNG cultures there is no tradition of families sitting down to eat together at a table (once the plates of food are served it's every one for himself, and the women and men normally eat separately).

While experiencing a homestay, guests are given the option of accompanying members of the host family on their normal routines (gardening, fishing etc), or visiting some of the points of interest in the area. Regardless of how the days are passed, a few days' stay at a village homestay gives visitors a deep insight into the PNG lifestyle.

There are only a few genuine village homestays currently operating in PNG. (Village stays are more numerous and well established in the Solomon Islands). Some authentic PNG homestays include:

Faiava Village Stay, Goodenough Island, Milne Bay Province

Moveave Village Stay, near Malalaua, Gulf Province

Wasab Village Stay, Barem Village Stay, Madang Province

Tufi Beach Village Stays, Oro Province

 

In addition, there are some village guest houses which are located inside bona fide villages thus enabling the visitor to gain a feel for village life without actually "joining in". Some guest houses thus situated include:

Kanganaman Village Guest House, East Sepik Province

 

In a few areas such as Central Province, traditional culture has now been overtaken by imported culture from other parts of the Pacific and elsewhere. For example, some dance groups now perform Polynesian tamure dancing with plastic raffia skirts and gaudy costume jewelry that is rather a turn-off to culture-minded visitors. You won't find any links to non-genuine cultural activities on this site!