Friday Photo – meeting the elders in Papua New Guinea

October 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Papua New Guinea, World

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.

Heather meets the elders in the highlands of 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.

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?

Friday Photo – Back to school in Papua New Guinea

October 16, 2009 by admin
Filed under Papua New Guinea, World

14 Comments

My, how young I look! It’s back to my student days in Papua New Guinea. When I was at university, I organised a group of four students to spend a few weeks in Papua New Guinea carrying out various projects related to our university studies.

Heather at a school in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea

We were deep in the highlands of Papua New Guinea in places that tourists would never get to, unless you had a reason to work with the locals, as a teacher, medical worker or missionary. As it’s over 20 years ago, you’ll forgive me if my memory’s a little hazy, but I do remember that the local American missionaries were kind enough to loan us their guest house, and that we lived on tinned fish, rice and sweet potatoes and whatever local vegetables the local ladies would come to sell us at the door. My project was on the oral history of the area, delving into the history of tribal conflicts and first contact with the white men, first traders and explorers, then missionaries who moved into the area in the 1940s in a race for souls.

This picture was taken at the school house when we visited one day, I can’t quite remember why. As always a photo can tell a story, and from this you might think the story was of an isolated people still wearing grass skirts and barely touched by western influence. In fact, the normal dress was western style but in order to keep in touch with their local culture, one day of the week was designated to the children wearing their traditional dress. Oh and my eye is always drawn towards that little boy picking his nose!

This photo is posted as part of Photo Friday hosted by Debbie at Delicious Baby - Head over to check out all the other Friday Photos

Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels