Papua New Guinea Map

 

 

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latest picture: September 19, 2010

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35th Independence Day Celebration on September 16th, 2010, at the “Goroka Grammar School”

01  Children dressed in one of the

traditional outfits from the Province

of Madang are ready to perform …..

02  ..... Children from different ages,

also representing the Madang Province,

explain their clothing …..

03  ..... a bigger group from the

Morobe Province enters

the school yard

 

One day after our arrival in Goroka, nestling on 5’250ft. altitude in the Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea is celebrating its 35th Independence Day, since it gained its sovereignty from Australia. It is September 16th, 2010. Already early morning, we drive through the streets in search of the preparations for the festivities. But there are none. May be because of the “Singsing” – the Big Show – which starts tomorrow? Somewhen, a car stops and a man is walking towards us, having recognized our LandCruiser from the article in the “National” newspaper and having read about our epic journey.

04  Already at young age, children learn to

preserve the value of their culture: Two pretty

girls in outfit of the Chimbu Province

05  Proud dancers from the Chimbu Province

are posing for a picture with our LandCruiser

in front of the “Goroka Grammar School”

06  There is nothing than starting

young: Boy from Mount Hagen

07  Promising poster of the

Goroka Cultural Show on

September 17th-19th, 2010

08  Groups from different regions

are marching into the show ground

of the National Sports Institute

09  In his official opening speech, the Deputy

Prime Minister, Hon. Don Polye, urges his

people to preserve their cultural treasure

 

Spontaneously he asks us if we would like to attend this morning’s celebrations at the “Goroka Grammar School”. And spontaneously we say yes and do not regret it. It is nice to spend some time among traditionally dressed-up children from different ages who perform dances from diverse regions and explain their outfit. It is a lovely prelude to tomorrow’s famous event.

10  The warriors from Mariwaka

(Goroka) in the Eastern Highlands are

lead by a Japanese guy who marches

each year with a different group

11  The costumes of these women

dancers from Kaukave (Goroka)

emblematize in the upper part the flag

of the Eastern Highlands Province

12  Women from Mount Hagen show

with their shell necklaces one of the

most amazing appearances

13  Woman group from ???

14  The warriors from the Chimbu

Province look really “fierce” –

here they are performing a drama

15  Women from the Madang

Province are advancing

 

Next day, our excitement grows: The 54th “Goroka Cultural Show” begins. How will we experience it? Will it be more impressive than the Mt. Hagen „Singsing“? We are really anxious about it. On this clear morning, we find ourselves already at 8am in front of the still closed gates of the “National Sports Institute”. A bit skeptically we wonder if we are at all allowed to drive in with the car having no special permit, because we have noticed already corresponding stickers on windscreens. But there are always surprises: The huge metal door opens straightaway and the uniformed security guards wave us past without asking a single question. Did eventually our LandCruiser already rise so much attention while driving around in Goroka that it is treated so privileged?

16  The huge headdress of the dancer of

the „Hugepa Gahisi“ Group from Komiufa

near Goroka is highly visible …..

17  ….. his group catches our

attention already from afar …..

18  ….. another example of

their amazing headdress

19  Women performer of the Chimbu

Province in their extraordinary look …..

20  ….. a close-up picture

21  Group with backboards from ???

 

From the very first moment, it is THE attraction on the showground parking area. People are circling and admiring it and are taking countless pictures of the three of us. Only when slowly the festivities advance, the crowd around our car starts to ease. The grandstand is filling up steadily, mainly with foreign tour groups. We are early enough to grab a vantage seat too. When suddenly a vigorous beat of drums thunders through the place, everybody gets silent: The “Singsing” is officially opened and the wonderfully costumed groups march one after the other into the show ground, making everyone gasp with excitement.

In full action: Three groups from the coastal region in different outfits and different dancing style

22  Dancers from Morobe Province

23  Madang women

24  Wandokai from the Huon

Peninsula in the Morobe Province

25  Girls and boys from the Chimbu

Province performing a courtship scene

26  Tall backboards

27  A band from the Chimbu

Province entertaining the spectators

 

Nowhere in the world are the diversification of the cultures and traditions more unique than in PNG. This underlines also the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Don Polye, in his official opening speech. He urges his people to preserve this cultural treasure. It is exactly this richness that makes PNG so special and fascinating. During the following hours we are absorbed by the performances, by the costumes and body decorations. We always discover new groups – groups from the main island that were not present in Mt. Hagen – but also groups from outer island.

28  Two young girls from Goroka

in their full traditional outfit

29  An old Chimbu man with a fan-shaped

head dress is playing his bamboo flute

30  A young man from Goroka poses with his

elaborate headdress with a big smile for a picture

31  The “Bilum” – the traditional string

bag – shows here on the back of the

participants the flag from Goroka

32  The biggest attraction of the

Chimbu women is the imposing head-

dress of black bird of paradise feathers

33  Women from the Chimbu Provice

parade through the show ground

 

When we discover the ladder leading to the roof of the main stand, the temptation to climb it is big. Shall we risk it? Why not? As soon as we reach the top, we know that it was the best decision! What we see from the bird-eye-view is beyond imagination and description: A sea of people in euphoric mood covers the entire arena; a kaleidoscope of bright colors and rhythmically moving performers at the beating of drums dominate the scene - a sight we will never forget.

34  Students from the North

Solomon Province spread

a touch of South Pacific flair

35  A group of students from Rabaul

on the island of New Britain perform

in a rather “modest” outfit

36  Men from the Morobe Province. Covered

exclusively with bush material and each one

carrying a “Kundu” drum, this group from the

Morobe Province pictures forest dwellers

37  A special look: Warrior

from Goroka with his

oversized backboard

38  Very dedicated:

A participant from Goroka

39  A woman from the Chimbu Province

wearing her precious headdress made

from bird of paradise feathers. It is passed

down from generation to generation

 

Which „Singsing“ did we find more impressive? The Mt. Hagen or the Goroka, we ask ourselves at the end of the day. It is very difficult to give a fair judgment. The two were extraordinary and belong to the highlights of our 26 years epic journey around the world. In Goroka were more participating groups, but the atmosphere in Mt. Hagen, especially at the small-scale pre- or mini-show, had a more intimate touch. There were some differences in the organization too. Some we liked more, some less. Here are our pros and cons feelings:

40  Leave and shell decoration is

the main ornament of this young

girl from the Chimbu Province

41  We would not want to

meet this guy from Yoite

near Goroka in the forest!

42  A participant from Kaukave

near Goroka with her tricolor outfit

43  A lap-lap from leaves and a “Bilum”

– a string bag – are the characteristics

of this group from Goroka

44  Are they not wearing scary masks?

Group from the Chimbu Province

45  Women from the Chimbu

Province performing in a circle

 

At the Goroka Show we like better that the crowd of local spectators, which are separated hermetically in an outer ring by a barbed wire from the overseas tourists in the inner ring, are also let into the arena for the official speeches. It adds enormously to the colorful scene. This was not the case in Mt. Hagen. There the locals could join only after the overseas tourists had already left. These measures are taken especially to avoid annoying theft incidences.

46  The dynamic bamboo band from the

North Solomon Islands sparks huge interest

47  A string band from the Chimbu

Province entertains in a soft style

48  Kalilong Cultural Group from Wandokai on

the Huon Peninsula in the Morobe Province

49  What more do you need: A skirt from

leaves and a headdress from moss – and

ready is the costume of this Chimbu group

50  The warriors from Goroka

come up with huge backboards

rising skywards

51  The snake dancers from Chimbu

are favored by the spectators

 

The negative side in Goroka is that the foreign tourists have the privilege to mingle from the beginning with the performers, making it hard to get a picture without dozens of digital cameras. (It seems to be the first year to happen though). In Mt. Hagen, however, the gate to the performing arena is only opened towards the end for the tourists, when the marching-in of the dancing groups is completed. Then they have all the time to mingle and take pictures. We liked it more that way! Also we liked more in Mt. Hagen that the interesting dressing-up and body decorations take place at the show ground itself, thus everybody can join. In Goroka, however, the preparations are at different locations. Who does not know them, will miss them!

52  Close-up of a masked

Chimbu man equipped with arrows

53  There is barely a better camouflage

in the forest: A man from Chimbu

54  A woman from Chimbu with her fan-shaped

headdress made of different bird feathers

55  People gather around the

performing “Sili Muli“ male

dancers from the Enga Province

56  A display of bird of paradise feathers

57  The “Sili Muli“ women group from

the Enga Province are not less favored

than their men on picture 55

 

Whatever show – be it the one at Mt. Hagen or at Goroka – both are unique in the world and a wonderfully exciting, unforgettable and indescribable experience! While it is said that the Mount Hagen Show started in 1964, the Goroka Show was a bit earlier, in 1957. Both had and still have in mind to bring the various, sometimes warring tribes, in a peaceful way closer together. The entry tickets vary, so in Mount Hagen the pre- or mini-show (1 day) costs Kina 150 (US$56) and the following two-day main show Kina 300 (US$112), while in Goroka there is just a three-day main show that costs Kina 200 (US$75). Each one attracts about 80 tribes with roughly 20 participants each and between 50’000 and 100’000 spectators, including only several hundred “white tourists”.

58  The arena is cram-full

59  Liliana and Emil are posing for a souvenir

picture on the roof of the grandstand

60  The peak of the Goroka Show

61  Our LandCruiser is also a star on

the parking of the showground: Security

agents are eager to take a picture with it .....

62  ..... so does a group of

performers from Mt. Hagen

with Liliana at their side …..

63  ..... and warriors with bow and

arrow from Madang with Emil joining

More websites from Papua New Guinea:

 

• Pictures from the first part of our Papua New Guinea trip from Milne Bay – (Port Moresby) – Mount Hagen – Lae
• Pictures from the second part of our Papua New Guinea trip of the Mount Hagen Cultural Show August 13th, to 15th, 2010
• Pictures from the third part of our Papua New Guinea trip from Lae – Madang – Goroka
• Pictures from the fifth part of our Papua New Guinea trip from Goroka – Mt. Hagen – Kumul Pass – Mt. Hagen – Goroka – Lae

Articles in newspapers about us in Papua New Guinea:

Article: "26-year journey around the world", Daily Newspaper "The National" - August 20, 2010

Article: "Travelling the world none-stop for 26 years", Daily Newspaper "The National" - October 21, 2010