East Sepik Connections

PhD student Kulasumb Kalinoe recently returned from nearly five months of fieldwork in Papua New Guinea. Most of her time was spent in Port Moresby, conducting fieldwork at the National Museum and Art Gallery and meeting with various stakeholders. The  aim was to gain an understanding of the issues regarding access rights and repatriation surrounding traditional knowledge when held in public institutions in PNG.

Currently, due to disputes over customary land ownership, communities and individuals are increasingly approaching institutions to access their records, documents and cultural items for use in their land dispute claims. Kulasumb’s initial findings indicate that institutions need to prioritise knowledge preservation but there is often a lack of clear of guidelines or protocols regarding access to such knowledge.

Additionally, Kulasumb also conducted fieldwork in the Ambunti district of the East Sepik Province. She visited a few communities to gain their perspective on the 200 interviews with Sepik Elders held in the Bragge Collection at the JCU Library. The objective was to determine whether the material was considered culturally secret/sacred, and if so, who should have access to it, and what are the intentions of the communities.

"Upon conducting village meetings and discussions with families and elders from Yau’mbak, Avatip, Malu, and Chambri Lakes, it became evident that the interviews in the Bragge Collection were not regarded as secret/sacred. In fact, the communities have requested copies from the JCU Library of the interviews from their own respective villages and expressed their gratitude to Laurie Bragge for documenting their oral histories. The interviews will assist with any land dispute claims they may have and also with knowledge transmission within their communities with the passing of elders."

Kulasumb’s reflections on her fieldwork highlight the importance of extended periods of engagement in the field, building relationships, and utilising existing networks. Her fieldwork  would not have been possible without the support of her family in Port Moresby, Yau’mbak and Avatip in the Sepik.

Image credit: K.Kalinoe