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Published: March 19th 2014
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New Guinea is a country which has gone from the Stone Age to the Computer Age in the space of 50 years. It is a most unusual place. New Guinea is one of the world’s last frontiers. On this small island, there are over 800 known languages and the population doubles every 20 years. As a primarily agrarian society, most people survive on a subsistence level.
We stopped at two ports in this exotic country. The first up was Alotau and this was as primitive a spot as you can find and light years away from our previous ports in Australia and New Zealand. One of the first significant Allied victories in WWII occurred here at Milne Bay. Other than the monuments memorializing these events, there is not much to the town of Alotau. We took a shuttle to the local market where the main product being sold was betel nut. This mild stimulant is worse than cigarettes in the damage it wreaks on humans. Besides being highly carcinogenic, chewing betel nut causes the teeth to fall out, turns the lips and mouth bright red and also rots the user’s gums. Thus it is referred to as PNG lipstick. I’m
not sure what percent of the population chew but it seemed like the marketplace was a sea of red lipped, toothless people of all ages.
We walked several miles back to the ship in very hot and steamy conditions. Along the way we met up with the friendliest folks imaginable. Every single person we passed greeted us and had to shake our hand. They were astounded by our blue eyes and maybe even a bit fearful, especially the young kids. I doubt that many ships call on Alotau and it is not a hot spot on the tourist route so their interaction with foreigners is quite limited. And that’s what made this port so interesting for us.
The native friendliness does not extend to their dogs. When four of us went into a market, we were met by some very aggressive dogs barking at the top of their lungs. The locals chased the dogs away. I think Westerners look and smell different and that puts the dogs on high alert.
Some residents of a nearby island paddled over to Alotau when they saw our ship sailing in and set up a market on the shore. We picked
MARKET GOODS
BETEL NUTS GALORE up a few hand carved hair ornaments. The carver was so proud to sell some of his wares to us and was so happy when we took his picture.
Our second stop in New Guinea was Madang. We have been to Madang several times and we always make silly jokes like: "I forgot madang hat" or "Where’s madang ship?" Silversea put on a special event for all of us passengers and it was a very special event. Dance groups from surrounding islands and provinces performed all afternoon, while local delicacies were served up. We were each given flower leis. The party took place at the Madang Resort Hotel which has lovely grounds and a big swimming pool, a few restaurants and some very nice bungalows. The hotel even let us use the bungalows to change and shower in. We went over early to take a swim and check out all the arts and crafts. Since it was Sunday all the locals showed up with their families.
The dances were quite tribal and the music was very rhythmic and primitive. One group from Bougainvillea Island made all of their percussion instruments using PVC pipes and flip flops.
LOCAL WOMEN
That's using their heads! Many of the women dancers were topless and some heavily tattooed. The Mud Men showed up in their made for movies garb. The Asaro Mud Men are from the Highlands of New Guinea. They cover their bodies with river mud and wear ferocious masks also made by drying clay. Tradition has it that the Mud Men were being pursued by enemies and ended up hiding in the muddy river banks. When they emerged at night, their foes thought they were evil spirits rising from the murky waters and they fled in fear. The Mud Men didn’t have their first encounter with Westerners until the 20
th Century.
Scarring of teenage girls is still common as are the elaborate fertility and puberty rites for boys. It is thought that there are still some tribes who have yet to be “discovered.” Cannibalism and headhunting have been practiced throughout New Guinea as late as the 1980s. It is speculated that Michael Rockefeller, son of Nelson, ended up as the main entree of the Asmat tribe while searching for primitive artifacts in New Guinea in 1961. Captain Cook named these Melanesians the “Dog People” due to their protruding jaws and prominent foreheads. We have
friends who have spent weeks exploring this fascinating country. PNG is certainly worth a visit. Just be wary if you are invited for lunch!
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LYNDA THORPE
non-member comment
FASCINATING
You two are just a walking History lesson. I cannot believe how brave you are. I think I would have been scared at some of these rather primitive locations, and yet you make it seem rather exotic and definitely educational. Thank you once again for the photos and the insight into a part of the world I doubt I will ever venture to and yet fascinates me.