The Denial of Traditional Land Rights in West Papua

Wellem Korwam's dismembered body was found wrapped piece by piece in plastic bags and floating in a river in the Wasior area of West Papua in September 2001.

More than a Matter of Distance: Refugees in Papua New Guinea

Since 1962, military actions and policies implemented by the Indonesian state to secure Irian Jaya as part of the Republic have impelled many West Papuans to flee eastward into Papua New Guinea seeking political asylum.

Melanesia: The Future of Tradition

Western Melanesia, comprising New Guinea, Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides), New Caledonia, and the Solomon Islands, has long been one of the most ethnographically investigated regions of the Fourth World.

Ceremony as Resistance

New Caledonia is a French colony in the Western Pacific, today labeled Territoire d’Outre Mer (TOM). The indigenous Melanesian inhabitants, who call themselves Kanak, number about 85,000 (approximately half the total population) and speak 28 austronesian languages.

Bougainville: Beyond Survival

Located 1,000 kilometers east of the mainland national capital of Port Moresby, Bougainville is the most remote of Papua New Guinea's 19 provinces. It consists of two large islands, Bougainville (8,646 square kilometers) and Buka (598 square kilometers), separated by a narrow passage, as well as many smaller islands.

Anthropology and Colonial Violence in West Papua

West Papua has been described as "an earthly paradise for anthropological research" where indigenous societies are "untouched by Western culture." (de Bruijn, 1959) Colonialism has often been considered a force that can corrupt indigenous societies.

<i>Kastom</i> as Development: Opening the Na'hai Kaljaral Senta

On October 24, 1998, a new cultural center opened in Leunari Bay, in the Na'hai-speaking area of south Malakula, Vanuatu. Called simply the Na'hai Kaljaral Senta in Bislama, it is the first language-based cultural center to exist in Vanuatu. The building resembles a typical local house, albeit on a much larger scale, with a cement floor, woven bamboo walls, and a pandanus roof.

Public Health, Personal Beliefs: Battling HIV in Papua New Guinea

According to the Papua New Guinea National AIDS Council Secretariat and the Department of Health, there were a total of 4,075 HIV cases in Papua New Guinea as of July 2001.

Litigating Ok Tedi (Again)

Several years ago the corporate consultants Control Risks Group published a report entitled No Hiding Place. (Bray, 1997) Noting the success of non-governmental organizations in challenging the conduct of corporate giants like Shell, Texaco, and Freeport-McMoRan, the report urged transnational corporations to become more proactive in response to criticism.