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Written by Phil & Sue Gregory
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 With over 800 tribal groups each with their own language and customs, and some with amazingly distinctive art styles, Papua New Guinea is surely one of the most culturally diverse areas on the planet. From the inhabitants of the swamp forests of the mighty Sepik River with their crocodile-prow canoes and ritual scarring, to the wigmen of the Tari highlands there is a lot to experienc. Even the less adventurous traveller can get a taste of it while staying in the comfort of western style hotels or cruise ships. The more adventurous can stay in local village guest houses and village homes.
Certain areas are renowned for their cultural richness. The Sepik River is one of these. Different villages along the river have specialised in the production of different artefacts. Pots from one, wooden carvings from another, bone carvings from a third. In the Tari valley you can visit the area where the wigmen grow their wigs and spend time with a local witchdoctor learning about healing plants and local origin theories. The Asaro mudmen near Goroka are also well worth a visit.
As you move round the country you will be able to see examples of New Guinea art work in the architecture. Some of the buildings are beautifully decorated and adorned with carvings. Karawari Lodge is designed to look like a Sepik spirit house, as is the spectacular parliament building in Port Moresby, which was in independence gift from Australia to the new nation. The construction of village houses depends on the areas where they are built, but many are beautifully sited and well worth admiration.
Sing-sings are common and held for any celebration. You may well be lucky enough to run into one at some time during your New Guinea visit. Some are simple affairs to consecrate a new church or celebrate the birth of a child. Others are much larger. Every year people from all over New Guinea come to Mt Hagen and Goroka to take part in the annual shows. There you can see an enormous variety of costumes and for a birder the identification of feathers from the tribal head-dresses can produce a very interesting list in itself. You can enjoy the music of the local string bands, tribal musicians and choirs. You can watch the different dances from around the country and experience the bizarrely eerie Asaro mudmen as they move slowly around the arena. You can admire the jewellery and marvel at the way objects from the modern world have become part of the bilas (costume) or are used to make more robust versions of traditional instruments.
We are happy to combine cultural and birding/natural history trips to many areas of New Guinea. |
Cultural New Guinea 
