People of

Papua New Guinea

Wikipedia Papua New Guinea

(introduction to history, geography,

politics, and people)

 

Background Note: Papua New Guinea

(history, statistics, religions, etc)

 

Facts about Papua New Guinea

(A good introduction)

 

About Papua New Guinea

(and Papua Province, or Irian Java)

 

Language of Papua New Guinea

Pidgin/English Dictionary

(thorough but with no grammar)

village pig with villagers

A family pig near Gomlongon Village, Umboi Island, Papua New

Guinea. In spite of looking formidable, the pigs raised by villagers

are safe with children. (Unsafe pigs would be quickly eaten.)

Natives of Opai Village, Umboi Island, may

be reserved at first, but they are naturally

curious and friendly with visitors.

villagers of Opai on Umboi Island

Book (nonfiction) on apparent living

pterosaurs in Papua New Guinea:

“Searching for Ropens” (by Whitcomb)

 

Grammar of Tok Pisin (one of Papua

New Guinea’s national languages)

 

Umboi Island eyewitnesses of the

ropen (online video, free viewing),

described like a living pterosaur

 

Umboi Island (Wikipedia), Papua New

Guinea (basic facts on the island)

 

Umboi Island (with photos and maps

and an introduction to the ropen)

HISTORY

 

The islands now called Papua New Guinea may have been inhabited for thousands of years. There’s evidence of farming in ancient times and inhabitants of New Britain Island have been trading with other islanders for countless generations. The first European sailors to see the coast of the mainland may have been the Portuguese, early in the Sixteenth Century.

LANGUAGES

 

In general, the languages of Papua New Guinea are divided into Austronesian (those mostly on the coasts) and non-Austronesian. There are hundreds of village languages but one of the national languages, Tok Pisin, has been increasing in popularity.