How would i move to 'Paradise'?

Blog post 3

After seeing Papua New Guinea marketed as an idyllic tropical destination i decided to think about how it would be to move over. 

The thought of living in Papua New Guinea to me is one that would be exciting and extremely daunting, as there is no doubt that it is incredibly different to my life in Melbourne.

Logistically there would be some adjustment i would need to make, but i don't think anything that would be too complicated. Some living expenses will be more, some will be less.

living in a city compared to living on an island would influence the adaptions i would need to make, the diversity and expansion of the cities would make moving to a city like Port moresby easier than moving to an island.

Port moresby

Bougainville Island

It is the thought of moving to and island location that intrigues me the most (even though it would seem far less likely).

The complete culture shock would definitely be overwhelming, with different foods and daily activities defining my life it would be quite an adjustment.

with crime being quite an issue in PNG and with an apparent 'aggressive' culture i would limit the amount of unnecessary valuables i would bring along.

I think most of all i would try and experience this enriched culture, although coming from the 'western world' where the status of women is more or less equal to men, it may be difficult to adjust to a culture where brutality of women is rampant.

Overall i think i would take my safety with a grain of salt, there seems to be quite a bit of caution advised when merely travelling there it would no doubt be an experience i would never forget, but not one that i may necessarily jump straight into without serious decision making.

Papua New Guinea - what it is?

Blog post 2
Travel sites market Papua New Guinea as an idyllic place to travel, similar to Fiji and other countries in the Pacific. Where snorkelling, diving and culture are abundant and beautiful. With the added bonus of Australian history in the Kokoda trail.

http://www.tonywublog.com/journal/diver-in-eastern-fields-papua-new-guinea-coral-reef-with-flat-calm-water

http://www.pacific-islands-travel.com.au/kokoda-track/kokoda-track-map

But this seems to go against what the common thought among the public is. Often when discussing PNG with other people the topic of danger comes up. There seems to be a strong assumption that all people who go over there have some sort of negative experience with the native people.

These are very opposing views on the safety and on the perspective of a country, especially at a time when globalization has such an impact on everyone and everything. But it seems that PNG has escaped this tourist overhaul even with best efforts to sell it as a tropical holiday location

Being an anthropology student assigned PNG I often discuss the topic of cannibalism when I talk about PNG. When it is brought up with people they tend to think that it still exists, almost as if all native tribes in PNG partake in it. I guess it is part of PNG's Primitive appeal.

Although there are reports that cannibalism does still exist in PNG, it is localised in a specific area, and is certainly not a widely practiced or accepted act. They seem to be somewhat restricted by the ‘primitive’ stereotype that is being perpetuated. Their space and place is largely being represented as a primitive land with primitive people, which may, in few places, be true, but progress has been made in PNG since the colonisation in the 1800’s. I think it is important to think about where a place has ‘come from' when considering it in the modern day.

http://www.janesoceania.com/oceania_postcards1/index1.htm

http://topuriro.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/top-10-most-dangerous-cities-in-world.html

Tackling Papua New Guinean Symbolism

Blog Post One

Literature and music are often the ways in which a place can be symbolised and  portrayed to an outside audience.

For Papua New Guinea literature reflects not only a kind of life people live but also reflects the educational progress. Not long after the University of Papua New Guinea opened the most notable writers began to appear.

Before this Papua New Guinean history and symbolism was passed on through story telling, music and dance.

Music is therefore perhaps a more accurate form of expression of Papua New Guinean culture. Their national anthem may not be the best representation of the people, for starters it is in English, a language that was introduced into Papua New Guinea and still isn’t widely spoken. Considering there are over 700 languages spoken in Papua New Guinea, and many individual tribes, the need for a national anthem doesn't seem important. The song was written by an English marine, who is clearly not a representation of the population. Instead of using the Papua New Guinean national anthem to represent this population, I looked for more cultural relevant songs.

After youtubing some Papua New Guinea music I came across this beautiful song called Abebe (Which means butterfly). 

After reading up on Papua New Guinean culture and life it has been very apparent the significance of animals to their lives and rituals. They do have the most diverse and largest range of animals on the planet. But each tribe, of which there are hundreds, have their own beliefs and symbols.

The ‘primitiveness’ of their culture is what is exported about Papua New Guinea to the rest of the world. Tourism often focuses on tours designed to travel 'back in time' and experience the life of primitive indigenous tribes. 

It's important to understand the complex cultures of Papua New Guinea, but any symbolism is going to be vast due to the complexity of Papua New Guinean cultural life. It's not an easy country to define or discuss in a short amount of space where much much more can be explored.