Bride price ceremony a norm

BRIDE price is a norm in some parts of the Papua New Guinea and this was evident when a family in Lae received more than K20,000 over the weekend as payment for a young woman.
The family of Manus and Northern origin who live along Salamanda Street in Lae received a total of K22,500, two pigs, garden food and chickens during a bride price ceremony on Sunday. Samuel Narokau, who is from Manus, said bride price was part of his culture and his family had been paying bride price for all his sons over the years.
However, on Sunday it was different when he received his daughter Sarah’s bride price from the groom’s family from East New Britain.
“Bride price payment is simply a payment given to the immediate family of a bride as a token of appreciation for raising their daughter,” he said.
He said his family and relatives in return gave two pigs and some garden food to his to-be in-laws in appreciation for the bride price.
Narokau is a long-time resident of Lae and has worked with the education department for over 30 years.