A village scene in the Trobriand Islands

Abstract

A village scene in the Trobriand Islands, which are part of Papua. The decorated building is a food storehouse. The native people of Papua and New Guinea total about1,880,000. There are many types of people, differing in appearance, in temperament, and in customs. They live in villages or hamlets scattered through a country of bush-clad mountains, turbulent rivers, fertile plateau, vast sago swamps and tropical lowlands. Before European influence, scattered tribes often fought with each other; over 500 different languages were spoken. Many of their native customs were repugnant to our ideas of humanity. Magic was practiced widely, and there were some primitive forms of religion. Show more