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The Goroka Show is held every year, during the weekend closest to Independence Day (16th September) in the town of Goroka.
More than 100 tribes participate in the event performing extraordinary displays of traditional song, ritual and dance.
The staging of the Goroka Show began in 1957 at the Independence Park, opposite the Goroka main market.
The show was first introduced and organized by Australian patrol officers or 'kiaps'. Kiaps from each district built round houses typical of their districts where they displayed the various and unique cultures of the people living there. The kiaps brought in 'sing-sing' groups from surrounding areas. It created an entertaining weekend for everyone in the Province helping people forget their tribal differences. The show then was also a competition to see who was the best organized and administered district.
Sing-sing is a gathering of a few tribes or villages in Papua New Guinea. People arrive to show their distinct culture, dance and music. The aim of these gatherings is to peacefully share traditions. Villagers paint and decorate themselves for sing-sings.
Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sing-sing
The Abelam are a people who live in the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. They are a farming society in which giant yams form a significant role. They live in the Prince Alexander mountains near the north coast of the island
Farming and hunting
The Abelam live in the tropical rain forest and clear ground by burning. Their main food crops are yams, taro, bananas, and sweet potatoes. They supplement this with food gathered from the rain forest as well as pigs and chickens raised domestically. They also hunt small marsupials and cassowaries.
Yam growing forms a large part of Abelam society. The growing of large yams (they can be as large as 80-90 inches (2,300 mm) long) determines the status of individuals as well as the whole village. At yam festivals an individual would give his largest yam to his worst enemy who would then be obligated to grow an even larger yam or have his status fall each year in which he was unable to do so. Separate villages would gather at yam festivals where the hosting villages status would be determined by the size of their yams as well as their ability to provide more food than could be eaten and carried away by the rival village.
During the yam growing season strong emotions were kept to a minimum as they were thought to impede the growth of the yams. Fighting was taboo as was sexual activity. It was thought that the yams had a spirit and could sense any of these strong emotions.
Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abelam
The Goroka Show is held every year, during the weekend closest to Independence Day (16th September) in the town of Goroka.
More than 100 tribes participate in the event performing extraordinary displays of traditional song, ritual and dance.
The staging of the Goroka Show began in 1957 at the Independence Park, opposite the Goroka main market.
The show was first introduced and organized by Australian patrol officers or 'kiaps'. Kiaps from each district built round houses typical of their districts where they displayed the various and unique cultures of the people living there. The kiaps brought in 'sing-sing' groups from surrounding areas. It created an entertaining weekend for everyone in the Province helping people forget their tribal differences. The show then was also a competition to see who was the best organized and administered district.
Sing-sing is a gathering of a few tribes or villages in Papua New Guinea. People arrive to show their distinct culture, dance and music. The aim of these gatherings is to peacefully share traditions. Villagers paint and decorate themselves for sing-sings.
Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sing-sing
The Abelam are a people who live in the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. They are a farming society in which giant yams form a significant role. They live in the Prince Alexander mountains near the north coast of the island
Farming and hunting
The Abelam live in the tropical rain forest and clear ground by burning. Their main food crops are yams, taro, bananas, and sweet potatoes. They supplement this with food gathered from the rain forest as well as pigs and chickens raised domestically. They also hunt small marsupials and cassowaries.
Yam growing forms a large part of Abelam society. The growing of large yams (they can be as large as 80-90 inches (2,300 mm) long) determines the status of individuals as well as the whole village. At yam festivals an individual would give his largest yam to his worst enemy who would then be obligated to grow an even larger yam or have his status fall each year in which he was unable to do so. Separate villages would gather at yam festivals where the hosting villages status would be determined by the size of their yams as well as their ability to provide more food than could be eaten and carried away by the rival village.
During the yam growing season strong emotions were kept to a minimum as they were thought to impede the growth of the yams. Fighting was taboo as was sexual activity. It was thought that the yams had a spirit and could sense any of these strong emotions.
Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abelam
The Goroka Show is held every year, during the weekend closest to Independence Day (16th September) in the town of Goroka.
More than 100 tribes participate in the event performing extraordinary displays of traditional song, ritual and dance.
The staging of the Goroka Show began in 1957 at the Independence Park, opposite the Goroka main market.
The show was first introduced and organized by Australian patrol officers or 'kiaps'. Kiaps from each district built round houses typical of their districts where they displayed the various and unique cultures of the people living there. The kiaps brought in 'sing-sing' groups from surrounding areas. It created an entertaining weekend for everyone in the Province helping people forget their tribal differences. The show then was also a competition to see who was the best organized and administered district.
Sing-sing is a gathering of a few tribes or villages in Papua New Guinea. People arrive to show their distinct culture, dance and music. The aim of these gatherings is to peacefully share traditions. Villagers paint and decorate themselves for sing-sings.
Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sing-sing
The Abelam are a people who live in the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. They are a farming society in which giant yams form a significant role. They live in the Prince Alexander mountains near the north coast of the island
Farming and hunting
The Abelam live in the tropical rain forest and clear ground by burning. Their main food crops are yams, taro, bananas, and sweet potatoes. They supplement this with food gathered from the rain forest as well as pigs and chickens raised domestically. They also hunt small marsupials and cassowaries.
Yam growing forms a large part of Abelam society. The growing of large yams (they can be as large as 80-90 inches (2,300 mm) long) determines the status of individuals as well as the whole village. At yam festivals an individual would give his largest yam to his worst enemy who would then be obligated to grow an even larger yam or have his status fall each year in which he was unable to do so. Separate villages would gather at yam festivals where the hosting villages status would be determined by the size of their yams as well as their ability to provide more food than could be eaten and carried away by the rival village.
During the yam growing season strong emotions were kept to a minimum as they were thought to impede the growth of the yams. Fighting was taboo as was sexual activity. It was thought that the yams had a spirit and could sense any of these strong emotions.
Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abelam
The Goroka Show is held every year, during the weekend closest to Independence Day (16th September) in the town of Goroka.
More than 100 tribes participate in the event performing extraordinary displays of traditional song, ritual and dance.
The staging of the Goroka Show began in 1957 at the Independence Park, opposite the Goroka main market.
The show was first introduced and organized by Australian patrol officers or 'kiaps'. Kiaps from each district built round houses typical of their districts where they displayed the various and unique cultures of the people living there. The kiaps brought in 'sing-sing' groups from surrounding areas. It created an entertaining weekend for everyone in the Province helping people forget their tribal differences. The show then was also a competition to see who was the best organized and administered district.
Sing-sing is a gathering of a few tribes or villages in Papua New Guinea. People arrive to show their distinct culture, dance and music. The aim of these gatherings is to peacefully share traditions. Villagers paint and decorate themselves for sing-sings.
Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sing-sing
The Abelam are a people who live in the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. They are a farming society in which giant yams form a significant role. They live in the Prince Alexander mountains near the north coast of the island
Farming and hunting
The Abelam live in the tropical rain forest and clear ground by burning. Their main food crops are yams, taro, bananas, and sweet potatoes. They supplement this with food gathered from the rain forest as well as pigs and chickens raised domestically. They also hunt small marsupials and cassowaries.
Yam growing forms a large part of Abelam society. The growing of large yams (they can be as large as 80-90 inches (2,300 mm) long) determines the status of individuals as well as the whole village. At yam festivals an individual would give his largest yam to his worst enemy who would then be obligated to grow an even larger yam or have his status fall each year in which he was unable to do so. Separate villages would gather at yam festivals where the hosting villages status would be determined by the size of their yams as well as their ability to provide more food than could be eaten and carried away by the rival village.
During the yam growing season strong emotions were kept to a minimum as they were thought to impede the growth of the yams. Fighting was taboo as was sexual activity. It was thought that the yams had a spirit and could sense any of these strong emotions.
Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abelam
The Goroka Show is held every year, during the weekend closest to Independence Day (16th September) in the town of Goroka.
More than 100 tribes participate in the event performing extraordinary displays of traditional song, ritual and dance.
The staging of the Goroka Show began in 1957 at the Independence Park, opposite the Goroka main market.
The show was first introduced and organized by Australian patrol officers or 'kiaps'. Kiaps from each district built round houses typical of their districts where they displayed the various and unique cultures of the people living there. The kiaps brought in 'sing-sing' groups from surrounding areas. It created an entertaining weekend for everyone in the Province helping people forget their tribal differences. The show then was also a competition to see who was the best organized and administered district.