Adaptive Strategies of Highlands-Origin Migrant Settlers in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

This study examined adaptive strategies of Huli-speaking migrants from the Tari Basin in the Southern Highlands Province to Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. An interview survey of all migrant dwellers in two Huli communities, and time allocation and food consumption studies in their three primary settlements revealed that the subject households relied for their livelihood on a variety of activities in the informal sector (e.g., vending, small-scale retailing, moneylending, and chicken rearing) and jobs in the formal sector (e.g., driver, public servant, security guard, and storekeeper). Unexpectedly, the average income of households that exclusively depended oninformal sector jobs was equivalent to, or higher than, that of households which included an employee in the formal sector. In addition, the average working hours were shorter in the former. Large interhousehold variation characterized the sample. The residential environment and composition of each household influenced economic strategies, which in turn determined the income, labor hours, and labor efficiency. However, food and nutrient intakes did not vary widely because leveling mechanisms among households, which are social norms in their homeland, still function in the urban settlements. The roles of settlements in Port Moresby are also discussed in relation to urban problems and rural-urban connections.     

The colonization, ecology and breeding of the Pied Stonechat Saxicola caprata at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Data are presented on the colonization, ecology and breeding of the Pied Stonechat Saxicola caprata at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The species apparently colonized the area in the 1950s and its habitat requirements seem correlated with the works of European settlement. Pairs appear to occupy a home range year-round and defend it for the greater part of the year. Breeding details are given, including nest site, participation of sexes, clutch size, incubation, breeding success and plumage of fledglings. The large clutch size, double-brooding, breeding with increased day-length, circumscribed breeding season and preference for cooler climates suggest that the species is a fairly recent colonizer from continental Asia. Reasons are advanced for the discontinuous range of this wide-spread species.