A Place against Time: Land and Environment in the Papua New Guinea Highlands

Place against Time: Land and Environment in the Papua New Guinea Highlands. Paul Sillitoe. London: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1996. 438 pp.     

Mines and Monsters: A Dialogue on Development in Western Province,Papua New Guinea

This article analyses an internal debate between Gogodala villagers, Western Province, Papua New Guinea, in which they explore the concept of development through a dialogue that revolves around ela gi or ‘way of life’. The analysis focuses on two developmental projects: the Ok Tedi gold and copper mine, which affects eight Gogodala villages on the lower Fly River, and a test oil drill carried out among northern Gogodala villages in 1995. I propose that it is through ela gi, a lifestyle that encompasses an evangelical Christianity as well as the actions of the first ancestors and is based on a bodily experience of the environment, that community development is envisaged and debated. Whilst the oil drill in the north is discussed in terms of approval, villagers on the Fly River to the south are increasingly concerned about changes to their lifestyle and landscape. They explore this ambivalence through a discussion of the movements and moods of ancestrally‐derived ‘monsters’ or ugu lopala, creatures who patrol the waterways of both north and south villages. At the same time, Gogodala from both communities are articulating what the transition from ‘living on sago’ to a lifestyle based on money might mean. This dialogue foregrounds an ongoing debate about the roles that the environment, village practices, the ancestral past and Christianity play in the constitution of the Gogodala way of life, and how these factors may initiate a certain kind of development.     

Alpha-thalassemia in Papua New Guinea

Summary A study of the distribution of -thalassemia in Papua New Guinea (PNG) was carried out by DNA analysis. A total of 664 DNA samples were screened for -thalassemia 2 and -thalassemia 1 caused respectively by either deletion of one or both of the duplicated -globin genes. -Thalassemia 2 was detected in high frequencies in coastal and lowland regions where malaria has been holo- to hyperendemic but in low frequencies in non-malarious highland regions. The highest frequency was observed in the north coast of PNG. The distribution of -thalassemia 2 seems to be in accordance with other conditions such as ovalocytosis and G6PD deficiency which are also prevalent in this population, suggesting that they may interact in protection against malaria. However, it appears to be negatively correlated with -thalassemia and -thalassemia 1, the latter being extremely rare in this population. Analysis of the types and subtypes of the single -globin gene deletion revealed a predominance of the –^4.2 type in general, except in some regions in the south where the –^3.7 type is prevalent. The –^3.7 I subtype is the common form of the –^3.7 deletion in the PNG mainland. The –^3.7 III subtype, previously reported to be unique in Melanesians and Polynesians, was detected in an offshore island of PNG. However, this subtype is very rare in Melanesians from the PNG mainland.     

Parasitic zoonoses in Papua New Guinea

Relatively few species of zoonotic parasites have been recorded in humans in Papua New Guinea. A greater number of potentially zoonotic species, mostly nematodes, occur in animals but are yet to be reported from humans. Protozoa is the best represented group of those infecting man, with Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora cayetanesis, Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis spp., Entamoeba polecki, Balantidium coli and, possibly, Blastocystis hominis. The only zoonotic helminths infecting humans include the trematode Paragonimus westermani, the cestodes Hymenolepis nana, H. diminuta and the sparganum larva of Spirometra erinacea, and the nematodes Trichinella papuae and Angiostrongylus cantonensis and, possibly, Ascaris suum. Other groups represented are Acanthocephala (Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus)), insects (Chrysomya bezziana, Cimex sp., Ctenocephalides spp.), and mites (Leptotrombidium spp. and, possibly Sarcoptes scabiei, and Demodex sp.). One leech (Phytobdella lineata) may also be considered as being zoonotic. The paucity of zoonotic parasite species can be attributed to long historical isolation of the island of New Guinea and its people, and the absence until recent times of large placental mammals other than pig and dog. Some zoonotic helminths have entered the country with recent importation of domestic animals, in spite of quarantine regulations, and a few more (two cestodes, one nematode and one tick) are poised to enter from neighbouring countries, given the opportunity. Improvement in water supplies, human hygiene and sanitation would reduce the prevalence of many of these parasites, and thorough cooking of meat would lessen the risk of infection by some others.     

Health research in Papua New Guinea

The Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR) is one of the most respected health research institutions in the developing world, and its studies of the local health problems of PNG have consistently had international relevance. This article examines the structural and philosophical factors that have enabled the success of the PNGIMR, and presents the PNGIMR approach to research as a potential model for other disease-endemic countries. An overview of PNGIMR research into malaria and filariasis is given with selected examples as an introduction to a Trends in Parasitology series on health research in Papua New Guinea.     

Hegemony and Voice in Papua New Guinea

Constructing Inequality: The Fabrication of a Hierarchy of Virtue Among the Etoro . Raymond C. Kelly.
Voices of Conflict . Andrew Strathern.     

Fungi from rachides of Livistona in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea

Anthostomella livistonicola sp. nov., Apioclypea livistonae gen . et sp. nov ., Astrosphaeriella aosimensis and Macrovalsaria megalospora are described form rachides of Livistona palm. The new species are compared with similar species and all are illustrated with differential interference micrographs. Apioclypea is compared with Apiospora, Clypeosphaena and Pseudomassaria. Macrovalsaria is compared with Kirschsteiniothelia.     

Nutrition, infection and child growth in Papua New Guinea

Growth patterns of populations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) have traditionally shown considerable variation, with the greatest difference lying between coastal and highland populations. While genetic differences in explaining these patterns cannot be excluded, the generally poor growth relative to western growth references is largely due to the complex interactive effects of undernutrition and infection. The effects of diet, nutrition and infection on the nutritional status of a child vary with age, the general disease ecology and the type and extent of exposure to it, patterns of infant and young child feeding, and types of food consumed. There are two possible ways in which the relationship between undernutrition and infection can begin; one in which poor nutritional status leads to impaired immunocompetence and reduced resistance to infection, and the other in which exposure to infectious disease can lead to a range of factors that reduce food intake, absorption of nutrients, or increase nutrient requirements. In PNG prior to, and at early stages of modernisation, primary malnutrition is likely to have been the usual initiating factor in the onset of growth faltering due to undernutrition-infection interactions. However, the possibility that infection may have been the initiating event in some societies cannot be excluded. This would have happened by way of early dietary supplementation of infants with foods of minor nutritional significance, which could have acted as a vehicle for the introduction of infectious disease to the child. With modernisation and adoption of primary health care principles, earlier supplementation of infant diet than was previously the case became common in PNG. This has lead to general improvements in growth and nutritional status. However, in populations where undernutrition is still common, infection has become more important than primary malnutrition as the initiator of growth faltering due to undernutrition-infection interactions.     

Mobility,Violence and the Gendering of HIV in Papua New Guinea

The links between gender, sexuality and violence hold serious implications for HIV transmission and its social and economic effects. In Papua New Guinea, enduring and pervasive patterns of male sexual behaviour involving coercion, violence and gang rape are highly conducive to the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and have a critical bearing on women's sexual autonomy and health. The realities of violence are intensified by the widespread view that women are responsible for the spread of the virus. This paper engages the theme of mobility to consider the fluid and dynamic character of gender relations and sexuality in contemporary Papua New Guinea, and to gain perspective on constructions of modern masculinity and the discursive representations of gender violence in the context of the escalating HIV epidemic.     

Food Rules: Hunting, Sharing, and Tabooing Game in Papua New Guinea

Food Rules: Hunting, Sharing, and Tabooing Game in Papua New Guinea. Harriet Whitehead. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2000. 330 pp.     

Fertility and family planning in Papua New Guinea

This paper examines some of the data on fertility, family size and family planning from a survey conducted between November 1979 and March 1980 in 8 provinces both in rural and urban areas of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The sample consisted of 6283 male and female respondents; a total of 3986 females in the age group 15-49 and 2297 males between the ages of 20 and 54 were interviewed. About 9% of the rural and 5.4% of the urban female respondents were pregnant at the time of the interview. The higher number of pregnancies recorded for the rural population, compared to the urban, is due to longer duration of marriage and higher mean age. Both rural and urban respondents have similar attitudes to the ideal number of children. 4 and 6 children were indicated as an ideal number for the urban and rural population, respectively. The results indicate that economic pressures are being felt within the family in both urban and rural areas, and that the costs of raising children are clearly perceived, at least among the educated. Nonetheless, the majority of the population desires large numbers of children, the main reason being economic security in old age. It is also evident that the people have a negative attitude to modern methods of contraception because they are not well informed about them. The most frequently stated reason, the harmful effects on the health of the mother and future offspring, is probably one of the obstacles to their more widespread use. Though there is physical accessibility to family planning services for most urban and about 1/2 of the rural dwellers, the problems of non-use are mainly of a sociological and psychological nature. The problems include the attitude of husbands to their wives' use of contraceptives, reinforcement of culturally acceptable behavior by the extended family and community members, and the desire for more children. Although the levels of contraceptive awareness are relatively high, the overall impression is that the practice of modern contraception in both the rural and urban areas is low. Despite the rural-urban differences in educational and income levels, living conditions, and the availability of family planning services, awareness and current use are only slightly higher among the urban respondents. For family planning programs to have more impact in reducing the high fertility levels, a much more intensive program of activites is needed for the country at large.     

Speaking for itself: Art,meaning and power in New Ireland,Papua New Guinea

Taking the example of the tubuan masked figure, an art form of New Ireland, I explore recent theoretical debates on the question of meaning in art. Challenging approaches that privilege the semiotic, I argue that this form of art is more appropriately seen as a revelation of power. The tubuan brings forth the concealed efficacy, capacities and intentionality of the producer, which elicit responses from, or act upon, the audience in various negative or positive ways. This art object is a form of disclosure in itself, and thus speaks for itself. The appreciation of this art is not a matter of cerebral contemplation, the unearthing of ideas and the translation of images into verbal form, but in an embodied form that is experienced directly as affect. I take seriously the embodied nature of social action, of which the production of art is one form.     

Female fecundity in highland Papua New Guinea

Demographers often assume that interpopulation variation in birth spacing is attributable primarily to behavioral differences (e.g., in breastfeeding, coital frequency, or contraceptive practice), and that the contribution of physiological factors is negligible. This assumption may be correct, but it should be tested, especially in light of recent evidence that there may be more variation in ovarian function among human populations than was previously believed. In this paper, we apply a stochastic model of the determinants of fecundability (the monthly probability of conception) to endocrinological data collected among the Gainj, a tribal population in highland Papua New Guinea. Based on previous research, the Gainj are known to have age patterns of ovarian function that differ markedly from the Western norms. When account is taken of the late menarche, early menopause, and long ovarian cycles that appear to characterize Gainj women, mean apparent fecundability across the female reproductive span is reduced by about 27 per cent (from 0.316 to 0.235), and the mean waiting time to next apparent conception is increased by just over one month. Thus, despite the fact that Gainj women differ from Western women with respect to reproductive physiology by as much as or more than any other known population, the demographic impact of these differences appears to be slight.     

Trace elements in the Upper Fly River, Papua New Guinea

SUMMARY. Measurements were made of calcium, magnesium and eight trace elements (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Cd, Co) in waters, sediment and biota at eight sites in the Upper Fly River, Papua New Guinea. Determinations from streams draining an area rich in copper ore showed relatively low values for soluble copper and this was attributed to the small amount of ore exposed to weathering, heavy rainfall and high pH of water associated with the limestone bedrock. More iron was transported in a soluble form down a headwater tributary (Alice River) than in the Fly River but higher iron concentrations were associated with particulate matter in the Fly than in the Alice. The geochemistry of the catchment and the distance from the headwaters were important influences on the amount of particulate iron and its distribution between soluble and particulate forms.
Levels of metals in the biota generally reflected the background concentrations of metals encountered at each site. Concentrations of Cu, Cd, and Zn were lower in starved invertebrates compared with unstarved individuals but no consistent changes were observed in Fe or Mn content.