Culture reflects identity

OUR culture is a reflection of our identity.
It is part of a person’s self-conception and self-perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture.
So, cultural identity is both characteristic of the individual but also of the culturally identical group of members sharing the same cultural identity or upbringing.
Over the weekend in Wewak, more than 40 cultural groups convoyed onto the Sir Michael Thomas Somare stadium for the Sepik Culture and Agriculture show under the theme: ‘Honouring Our Past, Embracing Our Future’.
The weekend activities promoted tourism, culture and agricultural businesses in the province.
The PNG culture is many-sided and complex.
It is estimated that more than 7,000 different cultural groups exist 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.
According to Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London, culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things.
On Sepik River, there is a world-renowned tradition of wood carving.
These carvers create forms of plants or animals, because they believe these are their ancestor beings and because they feel they are beautiful.
They create traditional skull portraits.
Also well-represented in the collections of museums around the world is the Malagan art tradition of New Ireland.
Even though sea shells are no longer the currency of Papua New Guinea – sea shells were abolished as currency in 1933 – this heritage is still present in local customs.
In certain parts of the country a groom should bring a bride price to the wedding ceremony.
In some cases, this is paid in golden-edged clam shells.
In other areas, a dowry is payable rather than bride price.
These payments may take the form of shell money, food, pigs, cash, or other goods.
In some parts of the New Guinea Islands, people engage in colourful local rituals called “singsings”.
They paint themselves and dress up with feathers, pearls and animal skins to represent birds, trees or mountain spirits. Sometimes an important event, such as a legendary battle, would be enacted at such a musical festival.
Culture is the patterns of learned and shared behaviour and beliefs of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.
Humans in turn use culture to adapt and transform the world they live in.
Many say if you do not know your culture and heritage, it means you don’t know where you come from and where you are going.
It puts us at risk of having a young generation growing up without an identity.
We need to celebrate and practise our heritage and traditions with pride.
If we don’t celebrate heritage we will not understand its values.