Island Living in Papua New Guinea


I found this short documentary made by Planet Doc and presented in Spanish. I tried to watch it and work out what the narrator is saying (without the sub-titles). Don’t worry, for you, there are English sub-titles. There is a sequel to this film which I can post later. I believe a cultural heritage of a person can influence what they value is important and how they present that value in a story. There were certain practices of intangible cultures from Papua New Guinea island tribes presented in this film. It stretched from the Trobriand Islands to the islands of New Britain. I don’t understand what the language (Spanish) the narrator is speaking, but watching the pictures, and knowing the culture, I can see what he is trying to show. Perhaps some Spanish speakers here can figure it out what the narrator is trying to say about the shell money he is showing , from both island traditions.  

This is the magic of story-telling. Simply, what you can show your readers. As good writers, we need every possible word that can draw a picture well in our reader’s mind.

4 thoughts on “Island Living in Papua New Guinea”

  1. I’ve only just had time to watch this video properly, so I’m a little late commenting. I found it extremely interesting. It covered so many different aspectf of life on the islands. The courtship rituals were fascinating and I loved the overview of the islands’ formation and structure – whether coral or volcanic. It seems strange to us that shells can still be used to barter with on the markets, and be used to make those huge rolls that act as status symbols. All in all, a wonderful video. Thank you, Joycelin. 🙂

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