Margaret Mead, the famous anthropologist whose seminal works have since been tainted by controversy, once made an observation that remains valid about the culture of the Papaua New Guinea (PNG) peoples:

“Among the Arapesh, both men and women were peaceful in temperament and neither men nor women made war. Yet among the Mundugumor, the opposite was true: both men and women were warlike in temperament. Finally, the Tchambuli were different from both. The men ‘primped’ and spent their time decorating themselves while the women worked and were the practical ones—the opposite of how it seemed in early 20th century America.” 1

“For each village, a different culture.” ~ PNG Folk Saying.

PNG is as diverse culturally as any nation on the planet. Eight hundred different languages (not dialects) are spoken by less than four million people. One dominant culture among the PNG peoples does not exist. To date, researchers have identified more than 200 separate cultures and each one has a different tradition.

For the most part, primarily because of this massive diversification, the historical social structure of the PNG people remains little changed. Such matters as farming, education, ethics, marriage and end of life ceremonies remains the same today as it was in the 16th Century. The paople of PNG live in small villages and carry on with the same traditions and lifestyle despite the massive advancement in most of the rest of the world during the last 500 years.

In a country splintered by language, traditions and beliefs, some tribesmen mount skirmishes creating intertribal conflict reaching back thousands of years. The introduction of modern weaponry into this uneasy mosaic of seething, and sometimes conflicting mores and beliefs, has exacerbated the minor warfare that already existed.

Skirmishes sometimes occur over food and land rights. For the most part, the people of PNG continue to farm in the same manner that their ancestors did for many thousands of years.

“Staples include starchy vegetables (wild sago, breadfruit, yams, taro, sweet potatoes, and rice) complemented by wild greens, several varieties of bananas, and coconuts, mango, and other fruits. Domestication of animals and hunting provide fowl, pork, and meat from birds, marsupials, turtles, and cassowaries.

“In rivers and coastal areas, fish and shellfish may form a significant part of the diet. Villagers cook two meals a day, boiling or roasting the food. Earth ovens are dug on ceremonial grounds for special occasions. Leftovers, sugarcane, and coconut milk are consumed while people work in their gardens. Tea is drunk at all times.

“Food taboos vary and are often temporary, as with restrictions on pregnant women and initiates. Others are totemic, involving plants or animals that are symbolic of kin groups. Still others are relational; for example, a son-in-law may not consume food in the presence of his mother-in-law.” 2

Overall, subsistence from the land drives the archaic traditions. Most of the people reject the modern-day tools of technology and advanced farming techniques. Their beliefs and superstitions are tied to the spirits of the land and they’ve institutionalized a lifestyle that promotes a quality of life barely one step above abject poverty.

“Villagers produce most of their own food, and many townspeople plant gardens and rely on open-air markets for fruits and vegetables sold by village women using kina for currency. Urban supermarkets import an array of expensive foods and other items. Most residents rely on small trade stores for rice, sugar, tea, and tinned fish, as well as soap, clothing, blankets, kerosene lanterns, and matches.” 3

Food also plays an important part in feasts and ceremonial rites.

“Papua New Guinea is renowned for ceremonial occasions at which hundreds of pigs or other valuables are distributed to guests. Competitive feasting (“fighting with food”) between big men and chiefs features oratory, dancing, singing, drumming, and feasting that go on for days, along with the payment of bride-prices and other exchanges.

“Special drinks were rarely part of such ceremonies in the past, but now beer and alcohol are often part of major exchanges. Although Papua New Guineans celebrate nontraditional holidays such as Christmas and Easter, but rarely with the exuberance or expense involved in a traditional feast.” 4

As the structure of the culture and its splintered traditions impair social unity and a commonality of purpose, the intertribal structure will continue to exert its pressure upon progress and PNG will most likely remain a regressive society for the foreseeable future.

Sources

1. Mead, Margaret - from Wikipedia.

2. “The Culture of Papua New Guinea.”

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

Map of PNG