Friday Photo - meeting the elders in Papua New Guinea
October 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Papua New Guinea, World, featured
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?
Other Papua New Guinea posts
Back to school in Papua New Guinea
This was posted as part of Photo Friday hosted over at Delicious Baby - head over to see all the other Friday Photos
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Fly Girl on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 1:53 pm
Never been to Papua New Guinea but have always wanted to go. Your meeting with the elders sounds fascinating, did they speak English?
Amy @ The Q Family on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 2:27 pm
I have never been there but would love to go there. It’s so neat that you got to talk to the elders.
Glennia on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 4:04 pm
I love the guy in the rasta hat as well. How did they react to being interviewed by a woman? It looks like they were pretty welcoming.
Barbara @ Hole In The Donut Travels on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 7:09 pm
Never been, but dying to go. I love the off-the-beaten-track places most of all.
Dominique on Sat, 24th Oct 2009 2:56 pm
Tim just saw the “First Contact” movie as part of a class about Colonial America (he’s finishing up a masters degree in Early American (U.S.) History–hopefully specializing in the Early Federal Period, with a minor in African History). He said it was pretty fascinating.
Clare on Sat, 24th Oct 2009 10:39 pm
I’m actually doing a college research paper on Papua New Guinea…specifically focusing on marriage. Do you think you can verify whether or not polygamy is still practiced? I’ve been finding mixed reports.
Please get back to me!
admin on Sat, 24th Oct 2009 11:49 pm
@ Fly Girl - no way did they speak English - I think there was pidgin English as I remember which was English words but made into a whole new language as in ‘Taim belong Masta’ - the time when the white men were in control.
@Glennia - being female didn’t seem to be a problem even 20 years ago, but of course if I was a local woman I’d be out tending my sweet potato patch
@Clare - I’m sorry but it’s been a long time & I can’t remember what the marital arrangements were.
Abi on Mon, 26th Oct 2009 8:25 pm
I’ve never been but my sister went there earlier this year. It doesn’t sound as though things have changed all that much - and they definitely weren’t on a tourist trip!
Mark H on Fri, 30th Oct 2009 6:38 am
Never been to PNG though it is becoming increasingly popular with Australians to walk the Kokoda Track, where battles were fought with the Japanese in WW2.
Memories of Moshi | Inside the Travel Lab on Fri, 30th Oct 2009 2:37 pm
[...] blogger Heather from Heather on her Travels posted a student photograph of her visit to Papua New Guinea last week and it got me thinking about [...]
Emily on Sat, 31st Oct 2009 7:57 pm
What an incredible experience! I can’t imagine being in a culture so isolated from the rest of the world. That must have been really neat to talk about them and learn what that is like. I have never been to Papau New Guinea but am definitely intrigued!
Norbert Kaut on Mon, 23rd Nov 2009 4:35 am
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.
admin on Mon, 23rd Nov 2009 8:08 am
@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.