Australian by Degree, Miriam Supuma, Papua New Guinea

Australia Awards scholar Preserving Traditional Knowledge in PNG

Papua New Guinean Conservationist, Miriam Supuma, says the biggest threats to her country’s environment are population growth and the expansion of human activities into tropical forests – home of the Birds of Paradise.

As life for rural people continues to change rapidly she hopes that her current PHD studies at James Cook University in Townsville, funded under the Australia Awards Scholarships, will help protect the Birds and preserve traditional tribal knowledge associated with the species. Drawing from both the biological and social sciences, Miriam’s research focuses on the use and habitat change of Birds of Paradise in the PNG Highlands. She spent eight months traveling through this beautiful but difficult and sometimes dangerous landscape to gather data on how land-use is changing and to interview local people.

“Some of the issues they are facing include the shortage of land and some of the species of birds are not as plentiful as they used to be,” she says. “Now that they have influence from the outside, like road networks coming to their doorsteps, it’s also taking people away and younger people are not spending as much time with the environment as they used to,” she says.

Many fear that traditional culture, so closely connected to the rhythms and seasons of the natural world in PNG, is slipping away, says Port Moresby resident, Oliver Nombri. “My family is originally from Simbu province [in the Highland],” he says. “It’s changing so fast, we now want to compete with the rest of the world and do what they are doing. And, we are forgetting our culture, which is more important and defines us as a people.”

A large part of Miriam’s research looks at and documents the use of the Bird of Paradise feathers. These are used to create elaborate traditional costumes that distinguish each highland tribe. The Simbu, for example, use red and long black feathers to create a headdress that signifies their heritage. Even though Oliver’s family is now permanently settled in the capital, they have kept their family’s traditional costume and it is worn with pride on special occasions.

“When you’re moving from one location to another you’re leaving all your feather behind,” says Oliver. “The traditional costume, we call it Bilas, is the only link that binds us to our land, our environment … it defines us as a people. If you don’t have that, it’s like you’re walking around without a name or a face,” he says.

As more and more families like Oliver’s move to the cities in search of better opportunities, through her research, Miriam documents their traditional knowledge associated with the Birds of Paradise. “I believe that my research can contribute to ensuring that the local knowledge is kept alive, if not in the communities, at least it’s documented somewhere,” she says.
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