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**Name :** Gabriel Richard

The Papuan culture originated in the present day island of Papua New Guinea. After World War II, German and British forces in the region joined together and became jointly administered by Australia as the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. It became Papua New Guinea in 1975 after the local Papuans gained their Independence from Australia’s colonial rule. Papua New Guinea has a very hot and humid climate, as 75% of the island is covered in dense tropical rainforest. Right now, a little under 4,000,000 people inhabit the region and nearly 85% of that amount live in small outposts and rural villages. The Papuan peoples share a strong belief in Christianity and take great pride in their relations with other South Pacific nations and is shown through the five white stars on the Papua New Guinea flag. Their economy is run off of home farming and open-air market trading. Local small trade stores also play a significant role in the Papua New Guinea economy. Overall, Papua New Guinea hasn’t advanced and industrialized as much as the rest of the world and they tend to rely on original colonial methods. Besides their inability to industrialize with the rest of the world, Papua New Guinea has some means of modern communication such as their own television networks and radio stations.
 * Papuan Culture **

Before Papua New Guinea gained Independence, the many different cultures that inhabited the regions of present day Papua New Guinea needed a means to communicate information with eachother. As a result of this, the native language of Tok Pisin was created. Tok Pisin is the prefered language of the peoples of Papua New Guinea, but English continues to be the dominant language in business and government. Tok Pisin shows the national identity of the Papuans, where as English shows their connectivity to the world.
 * Language **

The Papuans value their religious beliefs and remain a Christianity dominated culture. Their commitment to Christianity is shown in their national son, “O Arise All You Sons,” and its various references to the “Lord” and “God.” The Papuans also strongly believe that when handing down land to family members and relatives, it is important to take care of the land before passing it down. It is also important for the receiver to show their gratitude to the owner by paying them with gifts and other appreciated gestures before accepting the land. Those who don’t risk being “dispossessed” by another local landowner.
 * Beliefs/Religion **

The Papuan culture and economy relies on local farming and hunting and domesticating animals. Farming has been a tradition in Papuan culture even before Europeans began to settle the land in the 1700-1800’s and it is a huge staple in the Papuan economy. The domestication of animals shows evidence of early modernization from the result of the agricultural revolution, but amidst these advances hunting is still a large part of their culture. Some factors that influence these activities are the fact that 75% of Papua New Guinea is covered in dense tropical rainforest, and the climate is favorable towards practices such as year-round agriculture.
 * Behaviors **

The flag of Papua New Guinea shows a few key values that the Papuans hold evident. The colors red, black, and yellow are traditional colors in Papuan society. The five stars at the bottom of the flag represent the Southern Cross, a constellation of stars that can be seen in the southern portion of the night sky. The constellation is greatly valued by original indigenous peoples and continues to be an important part of Papuan culture to this day. The Southern Cross represents their strong relationship with other South Pacific regions. There are two distinct classes of people in Papuan society: the “grassroots” (poor) and the “elites” (rich). Evidence of a middle class is starting to form in Papuan society, but not enough numbers have made the class a significant part of society. Cannibalism also plays a big part in the Papuan culture, as it shows bravery through events like head-hunting.
 * Values **

The Papuan culture underwent major changes in society after its colonization. Before European settlement, the area was filled with small houses, made from materials excavated from the rainforests, and kins (families) were connected by small passageways and settlements were dispersed across the region. Upon colonization, these settlements were connected and larger villages began to form. Common sites for large villages were by port cities and large urban trading centers. Radio stations and television networks are a part of Papua New Guinea’s attempt to connect with the rest of the world while staying rather unindustrialized.
 * Cultural Change **

Papua New Guinea is not well known for their advances in technology. Ever since copper was discovered in the mid 1900’s, Papua New Guinea has developed tools and technology to exploit their vast mining sites. As a result of this, copper and gold are two of the most important exports that come out of Papua New Guinea.
 * Technology **

Papuans use methods such as cash crops to commercialize within their region. Because of the ability to mass produce these crops and make money off of them, it is easy to exploit them and use them to benefit the region economically. Exporting is also a large part of the Papuan economy. Some of the major exports are copper, gold, coffee, and cocoa. Papua New Guinea is able to connect to the world especially through their vital exports of gold, copper, and other mining minerals.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Commercialization **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Europeans migrating from Europe dominated the region we know as Papua New Guinea in the early 1700-1800’s. Some Europeans that settled in these regions were the Dutch, British, and Germans. After Australia colonized the western portion of the region, the Dutch immigrants decreased and the British and Germans colonized the eastern portion. After World War II, the two countries merged and and were jointly administered by Australian rule. After several urges for Independence, the Papuans finally declared Independence from Australian colonial rule in 1975.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Travel **

**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">MLA Citations **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Primary Source **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Save Papuan Culture. Dir. Leon Deonggat. Engage Media. N.p., 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2013

This documentary shows how Malind Anim and his fellow indigenous peoples are upset by the actions taken by the Indonesian government, which could ultimately destroy the Papuan culture with other South Pacific cultures. He provides insight to how he believes his peoples ecological culture should be accepted and stresses his ideas through traditional dance and ceremonies. This source is dated in the year 2011.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__https://www.engagemedia.org/Members/papuanvoicesmerauke/videos/save_papuan_culture/view__]


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Secondary Sources **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"The Southern Cross." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.

This website shows an important aspect of the Papuan culture, which is the Southern Cross. It includes information on what the Southern Cross is and the story behind the belief.

Link: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://library.thinkquest.org/C005462/scross.html__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Papua New Guinea. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013

This website gave me a lot of information about the Papuan culture. It revealed some interesting conclusions about the Papuan culture, including it’s lack of modernization and it’s peculiar interest in cannibalism.

Link: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Papua-New-Guinea.html__]