TRAVEL TOPIC Feb 2008

• February 4, 2008
• General
• Editor

Papua New Guinea

HISTORY

PNG was settled more than 30,000 years ago, although the first European sighting was made in 1512 by Portuguese explorers. It was named New Guinea by the Dutch explorers who followed. Missionaries and traders exerted a great influence, and today cultural heritage is largely preserved by small, independent villages.  The country was initially divided between the Dutch, Germans and British. Australia took control of the British sector in 1905, and later captured the German sector during World War I.  The country, fully independent since September 16, 1975, has a freely elected democratic government. Papua New Guinea became the 142nd member of the United Nations on October, 10, 1975 and is also a member of the British Commonwealth. Strong ties to Australia remain.

CULTURE

Largely Melanesian, the traditional cultures of PNG (more than 200 have been identified) are kept alive in elaborate rituals surrounding initiation rites, feasts, compensation ceremonies, marriage and death, and in country provinces, there are often variations in village construction, dialect and dress. Traditional Bilas (costumes) utilise natural dyes, wigs, shells, headdresses and body painting. Cultural heritage is celebrated in annual Sing Sing shows, at which village groups display their traditional singing, dancing and costumes. The shows at Goroka and Mount Hagen attract thousands of spectators each year. Christian influence predominates, but traditional beliefs and ceremonies are still practiced in the more remote areas.

LANDSCAPE

Papua New Guinea lies entirely within the tropics, just south of the Equator and 160km to the north of Australia. The country encompasses the eastern part of New Guinea Island – the second largest island in the world, plus some 600 other islands, atolls and coral reefs.

CLIMATE

PNG’s coastal climate is tropical warm to hot most of the year round. Temperatures average 30º-34ºC, with temperatures in the Highlands cooler (average 25ºC) and in the evenings (average 15ºC). Seasons are wet and dry, the dry season around May to October and the wetter months from December to March. The air is clean; watch out for sunburn, particularly in the Highlands, even on overcast days.

CURRENCY

The unit of currency is kina, which is divided into 100 Toea (pronounced Toya). The Kina coin has a hole through the middle.

HANDICRAFTS/SOUVENIRS

One of the many pleasant surprises of Papua New Guinea is the wide range of art forms in diverse styles. Among the many tempting souvenirs you will encounter are:

Bilums – string bags made from natural fibre.

Masks – woven from cane or rattan: made of wood and clay and decorated with shells, hair and pig’s teeth or inlaid with brown and white patterns and finished in glossy black.

Wooden bowls – bowls fashioned from prized local timbers, including ebony. Carved walking sticks, stools and tables are often inlaid with mother of pearl.

Baskets/Trays – Many different patterns and styles can be found. Those from Bouganville are regarded as some of the finest in the Pacific.

Drums – the most common musical instrument in Papua New Guinea: those made from a hollow tree trunk are called Garamuts while the smaller Kundu is shaped like an hour glass and has snake or lizard skins sketched over one end.

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