Morehead (Nen/Kómnzo)

The economic and political situation of the Morehead region is stagnant and remote. Forest has grown back over roads built during the Australian colonial period, often leaving no more than a narrow track. Airstrips that served as airbases during World War II, such as Morehead Station, are only intermittently serviceable. As a result, trans- port into the region is primarily by boat along the coasts and up the rivers, followed by a final stretch on foot or mountain bike. Many villages – including Bimadbn and Rouku – are virtually outside the cash economy, having reverted to almost complete dependence on subsistence farming and hunting. Local schools are desperately under- resourced, despite the commitment of villagers to building and maintaining the school buildings, and the national policy of initial mother-tongue education is undermined through lack of materials or information on the languages being taught. Despite these drawbacks, the region is socially well-integrated without a trace of the social unrest and violence that has given PNG a dangerous reputation.

Local cultural traditions are strong amongst the people of the Morehead District. People practice symmetrical sister-exchange whereby a two men from different villages exchange their sisters. These exchanges are celebrated with pig feasts and dances during which the two sides exchange enormous quantities of yam tubers.

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Counting yam in preparation of a dance in Rouku

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Schoolchildren in Bimadbn

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During an exchange dance

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Distributing the yams after a dance

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Dancers wear elaborate costumes

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Drum beats accompany every important event