Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse nations on earth, with more than eight hundred languages and a wealth of distinct ceremonial and craft traditions.

Textile & dress Music & dance Crafts Language & oral

Knowledge in this place

Bilum string bag making

Bilum string bag making

Looped string bags made from plant fibres or yarn, carried across the highlands and lowlands for daily and ceremonial use.

Textile & dress

Sing-sing gatherings

Sing-sing gatherings

Festive gatherings where clans perform dance, song and elaborate feather and shell adornment to share their identity.

Sepik wood carving

Sepik wood carving

Carved masks, figures and house posts from the Sepik River region, central to spirit houses and clan ritual.

Kundu drum traditions

Kundu drum traditions

Hourglass-shaped hand drums with a lizard or snake skin head, used to set rhythm in dance and ceremony.

Tok Pisin

An English-based creole that serves as a shared language bridging hundreds of local tongues across the country.

Language & oral