About PNG Culture
About Papua New Guinea (culture)
Highland Lutheran International School
Papua New Guinea is a developing country, geographically comprising the eastern half of the New Guinea Island north of Australia. Its rich cultural heritage includes more than 800 language groups, each with a unique tradition, from the boat people of Milne Bay to the rugged mountain tribes of the Chimbu, Enga and Southern and Western Highlands.
Highlands Lutheran Internatinal School is situated among the Enga people of the Enga Privince west of Mount Hagen. A single road and a single air strip connect this area to the outside world, and while missionaries first entered the area after World War II, many people here are very unfamiliar with white faces.
Homes among the Enga are hidden in the subtropical bush of the mile high mountains and accessed by orange clay paths. Families include extended relatives and relationships are deep, communal and fiercely loyal. Traditional ceremonies are many and include weddings, singsings and Christmas gatherings, all of which call for traditional clothing and body decoration (right).
The spiritual life of the Enga is intense and very real. People are not only open to the gospel message of the Bible, but over the years since missionaries arrived, the church at large has also grown and cultural patterns and celebrations have been integrated in an exciting way with worship and faith.
To remember and celebrate the multiple cultural heritages of students, Highland Lutheran International School features an annual ”Culture Day.”
