After last week’s photo in the school in Papua New Guinea, I thought I’d follow up with this one of me meeting the elders on the same trip, when I was a student. I spent a few weeks one summer vacation with some fellow students doing research in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea as part of our university courses.
University studies in Papua New Guinea
As I was studying history, part of my course was a dissertation on ‘First Contact’ in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. I found a local student who acted as my translator and conducted loads of interviews with the old men of the village about their memories of the first time they saw a white man, which was only in the 1940s. Around that time, steel began to be traded into the area – before that stone axes were the norm and shells were the local currency.
Interviewing the elders in Papua New Guinea
During this interview we had a lot of laughs with this old boy in the pith helmet. At one point he started mock-attacking me, to show me how he chopped at the necks of tribesmen over the hill who they were often at war with.
If you want to find it on a map, I was in Taguru Village in Pangia District of the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, way beyond where the tourists go. Mind you, it may have changed a bit since I was there 20 years ago, but I think Papua New Guinea’s still pretty off the beaten track, as a tourist destination. Any of you out there been to Papua New Guinea?
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This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com
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14 Papua New Guinea interview with Beth Whitman - Podcast | Heather on her travels
Monday 4th of October 2010
[...] Friday Photo – meeting the elders in Papua New Guinea Friday Photo – Back to school in Papua New Guinea [...]
ronald
Sunday 2nd of May 2010
Working with the college was nice because students there represented most regions of the country so one could get a nice taste of just about every part of PNG. Working with locals got me into the local indigenous population in Butibam village as well as among the squatters in Bumbu. I found Tok Pisin easy to learn and a tool that made my job and my travels much easier and enjoyable. For the ten years following my experience, I thought of PNG
Helly (Travel by the Calendar)
Wednesday 3rd of February 2010
The Kokoda trail sees a lot of trekkers, mostly Australians. We were in Milne Bay Province in 2008 and there were children who had not seen white people. Although missionary contact had been made previously, not many white people had been back. PNG still doesn't get a lot of tourists. I think it has a fairly dangerous reputation which puts people off. Certainly Port Moresby wasn't a comfortable city, but outside of the capital I found the people very friendly.
Heather Cowper
Monday 23rd of November 2009
@Norbert That sounds like an amazing experience too - I only scratched the surface compared to yours. If you have all those amazing memories, sounds like it may be time for you to go back and rediscover them.
Norbert Kaut
Monday 23rd of November 2009
Neat to see your blog and experience in PNG. I ran Lae Community Centre at Balob Teachers College in Lae 1987-1988. When I had time off, I traveled with ag extension workers into the bush (Wau, Finchhafen, Madang Province, Tumbu,, Western Highlands, etc.). Working with the college was nice because students there represented most regions of the country so one could get a nice taste of just about every part of PNG. Working with locals got me into the local indigenous population in Butibam village as well as among the squatters in Bumbu. I found Tok Pisin easy to learn and a tool that made my job and my travels much easier and enjoyable. For the ten years following my experience, I thought of PNG every day. It's been a long time and many miles but PNG and the people I met there still travel with me even though I've pretty much lost contact.