Papua New Guinea's culture is extremely diverse. There are nearly 1000 localised languages spoken. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a nation of villagers. The people live by family groups. They are subsistence farmers, who hunt to balance out their diet. Yams are the staple food of PNG. For a man to gain respect in PNG, he must be good at gardening, hunting, and fishing. Most people never leave their village, but that is beginning to change.
The People of the Sepik River are known for their incredible wood carvings. The believe that they descended from plants or animals, so those are the items they carve.
The People of the Highlands are known for their "sing sings." Sing sings are festivals to celebrate different rituals. They are a re-enactment of some dramatic event, such as a legendary battle. The people paint themselves so they will look like such things as trees, birds, or mountain spirits. They use feathers, pearls, and animal skins to dress up with.
Until 1933, sea shells were currency of PNG. Even now, the price for a bride is counted by the size and number of great golden-edged clam shells the groom must produce.
Links:
Go to Welcome (on the bottom left), then to Culture(top right). This page has a lot of neat information about PNG Culture.