The History of Papua New Guinea - Tribal Art and Artifacts
Geography
Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea,
just north of Australia, and many outlying islands. The Indonesian
province of West Papua (Irian Jaya) is to the west. To the north and east
are the islands of Manus, New Britain, New Ireland, and Bougainville, all
part of Papua New Guinea. About one-tenth larger than California, its
mountainous interior has only recently been explored. Two major rivers,
the Sepik and the Fly, are navigable for shallow-draft vessels.
Government
Constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy.
History
The first inhabitants of the island New Guinea were Papuan, Melanesian,
and Negrito tribes, who altogether spoke more than 700 distinct languages.
The eastern half of New Guinea was first explored by Spanish and
Portuguese explorers in the 16th century. In 1828, the Dutch formally took
possession of the western half of the island (now the province of West
Papua [Irian Jaya], Indonesia). In 1885, Germany formally annexed the
northern coast and Britain took similar action in the south. In 1906,
Britain transferred its rights to British New Guinea to a newly
independent Australia, and the name of the territory was changed to the
Territory of Papua. Australian troops invaded German New Guinea (called
Kaiser-Wilhelmsland) in World War I and gained control of the territory
under a League of Nations mandate. New Guinea and some of Papua were
invaded by Japanese forces in 1942. After being liberated by the
Australians in 1945, it became a United Nations trusteeship, administered
by Australia. The territories were combined and called the Territory of
Papua and New Guinea (PNG).
Australia granted limited home rule in 1951. Autonomy in internal
affairs came nine years later, and in Sept. 1975, Papua New Guinea
achieved complete independence from Britain.
A violent nine-year secessionist movement took place on the island of
Bougainville. In 1989, guerrillas of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army
(BRA) shut down the island's Australian-owned copper mine, a major source
of revenue for the country. The rebels believed that Bougainville deserved
a greater share of the earnings for its copper. In 1990, the BRA declared
Bougainville's independence, whereupon the government blockaded the island
until Jan. 1991, when a peace treaty was signed.
On July 17, 1998, an earthquake-triggered tsunami off the northern
coast of PNG killed at least 1,500 people and left thousands more injured
and homeless.
Many analysts say Papua New Guinea is in danger of political and
economic collapse. The country's political system is unstable, the crime
rate has soared, corruption is rampant, and essential services including
health care and education continue to decline. According to the World
Bank, 70% of the country lives in poverty. In 2006, Australia announced
that it was gravely concerned about the country and had peacekeeping
forces at the ready.
Somare was elected to a second consecutive term as prime minister in
August 2007, defeating Sir Julius Chan.
Culture
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Today In a country of 5.5 million people with more than 800 different languages,
Papua New Guinea
cannot be compared with any other country for its rich cultural
diversity. There is no such thing as a typical Papua New Guinean. More
than 1000 cultures, each with different traditions, have been
identified.
The impact of modernisation brings daily change to
Papua New Guinea, but the majority of people, whether they be from the
Highlands to the Coastal regions, remain dependent on subsistence farming and live in small villages.
The responsibility for the day to day work of gardening and caring
for children and animals still lies with the women. Social units are
based on family, clan and tribe. Ownership of material wealth is vested
in the household and controlled by a male elder. Wealth was not
traditionally accumulated for its own sake, but so it could be given
away, with elaborate ceremony, creating prestige for the giver and
placing obligations on the receiver. Fundamental to the society were
notions of reciprocity and family obligations. This still holds true in
society. |
Ancient rituals are still performed for important social events.
These elaborate ceremonies are normally presided over by the elders of
the clan, with warriors painted and decorated in bright colors,
feathers and shells. Today each of the twenty provinces has its own cultural
festivals and regional shows where groups are invited to perform and
visitors have the opportunity to glimpse the many visual and performing
arts of Papua New Guinea. The most popular shows include the Hiri
Moale, held in Port Moresby every September, the
Mount
Hagen show, held annually in August and the Goroka Show, every September, which attracts tourist from all over the world.
Papua New
Guinea's art forms are as diverse as they are distinctive. In a country
where language varies from village to village, it can be expected that
artistic expression will differ in style just as dramatically. Pottery,
weapons, carvings, basketwork, musical instruments are produced by
different people in different places, according to their traditional
skills and beliefs.
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See also Encyclopedia: Papua New Guinea.
U.S. State Dept. Country
Notes: Papua New Guinea
National Statistical Office http://www.nso.gov.pg/
Information gathered from: www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107875.html & www.png-tourism.com/default.asp?action=article&ID=219