SHP group set up to revive kina culture

Highlands
Source:
The National,Wednesday June 15th, 2016

A CULTURAL group has been set up for the purpose of organising and reviving the kina culture of Southern Highlands.
The Kina Culture Group was formed following an exhibition at the 2014 Melanesian Arts and Cultural Festival in Port Moresby.
The culture existed for many generations in Southern Highlands where kina shells were used as the dominant medium of exchange in trade, commerce and governance.
Chairman Yake Pua said the exhibition of the kina culture was the first of its kind and the starting point of the formation of the group.
“Kina Culture Group is a collection of kina shells and of stories, rituals and songs from areas thoughout Southern Highlands about the kina culture and its importance,” Pua said.
He said the group would provide cultural education for the younger generation.
It would also promote tourism and become an income-earning opportunity for local communities whose culture was influenced by the kina culture. “Local communities will be encouraged to produce artifacts and ornaments for informal markets organised and promoted by the Kina Culture Group.”
He said the group would soon be exhibited nationally once it was officially launched.
The group already has a working committee in place.
“I hope people from other culture groups within PNG will follow the initiative of KCG and form organisations which will tell the stories of their culture and how they came to be.
In a way, we are preserving our culture.”