From Papua New Guinea: Land of the Unexpected,, Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority

Geography

Papua New Guinea lies barely south of the Equator, just north of the Australian continent. It is the last of a string of islands spilling down from South-East Asia into the Pacific. Apart from the mainland, Papua New Guinea comprises a remarkable collection of island, atolls and coral reefs scattered around its coastline.

The mainland is divided by the Owen Stanley Range - a rugged central spine with peaks over 4000 metres high. Great rivers begin their journeys to the sea from these mountains - among them the mighty Sepik and Fly waterways. Below the mountain chain, fertile coastal plain, flooded delta regions and mangrove swamps exit alongside broad sandy beaches, colourful sheltered bays, and dense rain forest.

History

It is probable that the first human settlers reached Papua New Guinea by island-hopping down the Indonesian archipelago from mainland Asia some 50,000 years ago. Although Papua New Guinea was never physically linked to a land mass in the west, human migration would have been relatively easy due to lower sea levels caused by an ice age.

The first European sighting of Papua New Guinea on record took place in 1512 when two Portuguese explorers sailed by. The first landing was also Portuguese. Jorge do Meneses named the county "Ilhas dos Papuas" - Land of the Fuzzy Hairs. In the following centuries various European nations sailed past, but inhospitable country and savage warriors kept them from seriously considering a permanent landing. Finally in 1660, the Dutch decided to claim the territory, which they named New Guinea.

It wasn't until the 1870's that the inevitable traders, adventurers and missionaries arrived. Towards the end of the century, the country had been divided into three zones - Dutch, German, and British. In 1906, British New Guinea became known as Papua and administration was taken over by Australia. In 1920, the League of Nations handed control over to Australia as the Territory of Papua New Guinea. Progress toward independence escalated in the 1960's and in 1973 internal self-government came into effect. On September 16, 1975, full independence was declared, and the country became known as Papua New Guinea.

Arts and Crafts

Papua New Guinea's art forms are diverse as they are distinctive. In a country were language varied from village to village, it can be expected that artistic expression will differ in style just as dramatically. Pottery, weapons, carvings, basket work, musical instruments - produced by different people in different places, according to their traditional skills and beliefs.

Masks

Masks in Papua New Guinea are mainly used as decoration. They are found mostly along the Sepik River, but also in other parts of the country. The Chambri Lake masks feature elongated designs with incised brown and white patterns finished in glossy black. At Koroga, the masks are made from wood and clay decorated with shells, hair, and pigs teeth. Murik Lake masks are almost African in appearance, and in Maprik they are woven from cane or rattan. Masks are also carved in Kiwai Island, near Daru on the southern coast.