Expert says documentation of traditions, culture important

Education

THE advent of Western influence is taking a toll on the preservation of Papua New Guinean culture and tradition and requires this information to be documented for posterity, an expert says.
The Lihir people were fortunate to have a book published recently on their traditional stories, which include songs and narratives.
The book was written by Queensland Museum senior curator in anthropology Kirsty Gillespie and published by the Institute of PNG Studies.
It is the 12th volume in the series Apwitihire.
The book includes a total of seven ancestral stories of Lihir Island in the Lihir language and English; there is an introductory essay about such stories which includes songs as part of the narrative.
The stories were collected between 2008 and 2010 and were recorded, transcribed and translated in collaboration with the Lihir Cultural Heritage Association.
The work was published by the institute as part of its ongoing efforts to document the country’s traditions.
The recording of the stories was funded by the Firebird Foundation for Anthropological Research and Lihir Gold Ltd.
Newcrest Mining Ltd funded the book’s printing.
Gillespie and her family, as well as the volume’s editor Prof Don Niles of the institute, travelled to Lihir on Sept 18 to launch the book.
The stories capture much of Lihir culture from mythological beings to everyday life.
Lihir Cultural Heritage Association represent Luke Kabariu said: “It comes at the right time when the Lihir language is under threat as a result of rapid changes in lifestyle.”