In a Papuan Village, New Guinea
- Categories
- Special Collections > Keystone Slides
- Type
- tiff scanned file from original glass slide
- Description
- New Guinea is a large island, north of Australia. It is surpassed in size only by Greenland. Its length is nearly 1500 miles and its greatest width is over 400 miles. The area of New Guinea is almost exactly that of Texas and Louisiana. The western part of the island belongs to the Netherlands; the eastern part since the World War is under English control. Lying just south of the equator, the climate is hot and the land covered with deep tropical forests. The island has not yet been fully explored, and little is known of the interior. Here we have a native village, its houses built high from the ground for the sake of dryness, coolness, and better protection. The sides are of woven matting and they are thatched with palm leaves. The foundation is a framework of poles tied together. Notice how the ridge pole of each house curves upward at the front. The people need very little clothing. Grass skirts for the women and loin cloths for the men furnish complete costumes. The Papuans are very fond of ornament. You will notice how tightly these are bound about the arms. The upper lip or nose is pierced to hold a piece of bone. In some ways these people are really very artistic and their ornaments, weapons, and utensils are often carved very beautifully. The Papuans are black with bushy hair which stands out on every side. They closely resemble the Australians. Formerly many of them were cannibals. The pig in the foreground is not the result of careful breeding. To what race do these people belong? Keystone ID: 15985 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.
- Rights
- Copyright by the Keystone View Company. The original slides are housed in McConnell Library's Special Collections.
