In the spring of 2014 I had the opportunity to travel to Papua New Guinea for about three weeks. To visit the difficult terrain of the interior, a small group flew in bush planes from the coastal city of Port Moresby to two locations where roads are few and conditions simple. First was a small lodge on the Karawari River, a tributary of the middle Sepik. Each day we traveled by open aluminum boat to villages along the narrow riverbanks. Villagers separated by only a few miles spoke different languages and varied in traditions of dance and ceremonial dress, but everyone, including small children, got about by dugout canoe. The second area was the Tari Valley in the southern highlands, home to the Huli, by far the largest native group, whose culture is seriously threatened by a gas extraction scheme just going into operation at the time. The remainder of the journey was by ship following a circular route around the perimeter of Papua New Guinea, visiting small villages including those belonging to d’Entrecasteaux, Trobriand, and the Admiralty Islands, each with its own unique culture and history. I returned to New Guinea in 2016, for the opportunity of experiencing the culturally rich village life in the Asmat, as well as to return to the Karawari, where little had changed in the two year interval.

Click on a picture to see a larger view.