Portal:Oceania/Selected article/April, 2006

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The culture of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is many-sided and complex. It is estimated that more than 1000 different cultural groups exist in PNG, and most groups have their own language. Because of this diversity, in which they take pride, many different styles of cultural expression have emerged; each group has created its own expressive forms in art, dance, weaponry, costumes, singing, music, architecture and much more.

To unify the nation, the language Tok Pisin has evolved as the lingua franca—the medium through which diverse language groups are able to communicate with one another in Parliament, in the news media, and elsewhere.

People typically live in villages or dispersed hamlets which rely on the subsistence farming of sweet potatoes and taro. The principal livestock in traditional PNG is the oceanic pig (Sus papuiensis). To balance the diet, people of PNG hunt, collect wild plants, or fish—depending on the local environment and mode of subsistence.