Group keeping traditions alive

A traditional culture group in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, is focused on teaching practical cultural skills and passing knowledge to its younger generation.
The Suai Women’s Culture Group, apart from staging performances at provincial shows, events and gatherings, is heavily involved in teaching the younger generation about traditions, group manager Peter Kelaga said.
“One of the core aims of Suai Women’s Culture Group is to teach young girls and even boys on how to wear traditional cultural performance costumes, when to wear, how to perform (dances) and traditional songs,” Kelaga said.
“Why we do this? Because we notice that modernisation is too fast our diverse traditional cultures are fast fading.”
Kelaga said in every performance, they involved young girls to perform alongside their mothers to ensure the younger ones learned the skills and knowledge from their mothers.
“We want to ensure that the skills and knowledge remain with the future generation so our traditional culture does not fade off, we have age groups from 13 years old to 50 years old,” he said.
He said group based in Goroka comprised women from Suai local level government area in Sinasina-Yongumugl district in Chimbu who were permanent residents in Goroka town.
“Most of these mothers are betel nut sellers at Suave Buai (betel nut) market, this is how we make ends meet living in this tough economic environment,” he said.
Kelaga said the group also had membership from women in other districts in Chimbu like Gumine, Chuave, Kerowagi and Kundiawa-Gembogl.
The group was initially formed in 1994 with 24 members and today it has 100 women.
The group was registered in 2014 with the National Cultural Commission (NCC) that gives them exclusive rights to perform anywhere at any NCC sanctioned events.
Kelaga said the group performed at nearly every provincial show.