Papua New Guinea Tok Pisin

Halo Olgeta!

Sunday 6 September – Saturday 12 September 2026 is Papua Niugini Tok Pisin Wik, Papua New Guinea Pidgin Language Week.

Community drop-in

TUE 9 SEP, 5PM - 8PM
FREE, BOOKINGS REQUIRED

Our Te Aho Mutunga Kore team warmly invites our Papua New Guinea community members to join us to view a selection of Papua New Guinea textile and fibre material in our collections here at Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland War Memorial Museum. Sessions are limited to 8 people and must be booked in advance.

_{charm, Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum. 15342; U25}

Bilum Tok Stori: A celebration of language, culture and craft

HELD TUE 9 SEP, 6PM - 7PM
LIBRARY READING ROOM, LEVEL 2
FREE, NO BOOKINGS REQUIRED

Our celebration event for Papua New Guinea language week has now passed. To stay in touch with what’s happening across our Pasifika community, including our Pacific Language Week events, sign up to Le Moana Post, our Pacific newsletter.

_{Bag, AWWM. 1998.34.2, 55394}

Papua Niugini Tok Pisin Wik: Celebrating Connections

Heidi Henshaw kindly shares her perspectives and insights for Papua Niugini Tok Pisin Wik.

Heidi Henshaw

To highlight Papua Niugini Tok Pisin Wik, we want to celebrate the work of one of our volunteers, Heidi Henshaw, and her deep personal connection to some of Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Papua New Guinea collections.

Heidi has been working closely with our Pacific Collection team and the associate curator Juliana Satchell on the Mick Pendergrast acquisition. Her keen eye and dedicated effort have been invaluable in cataloguing a collection of textiles, with a special focus on identifying those in need of further conservation treatment.

For Heidi, this was a project that resonated on a deep personal level. She discovered that some of these textiles are from her maternal grandparents' province, Oro province in Papua Guinea. During her volunteering, Heidi travelled to Papua New Guinea, spending time in Port Moresby and her grandparents' village in Oro province. Her work with the collection inspired her to seek out barkcloth from her own province. Surrounded by elders, she was able to deepen her understanding of her heritage and strengthen her connection to Oro province material culture and her ancestors.

We are so grateful for Heidi's passion and dedication. Her story is a beautiful reminder of how our collections can connect us to our past, our people, and ourselves.

Below is a conversation between Heidi and Juliana.

Juliana - Halo Heidi, to start, can you tell us a bit about your own cultural background and how it has shaped you?

Heidi - Halo Juliana, mi blo New Zealand mix Papua New Guinea. Tumbuna man em blo Popondetta, liklik ples em Iaudari. Tumbuna meri em blo Alotau, liklik ples em Awaiama, lo side blo mama blo mi.

I am half Papua New Guinean and New Zealand Pākehā. My grandfather is from Popondetta, from Iaudari village, and my grandmother is from Alotau, from Awaiama village. So my maternal side is a mix of both Milne Bay and Oro cultures. I was born and raised in Aotearoa, so belonging to two different cultural groups but being raised in a different context has shaped me to be appreciative of art as a bridge between both worlds. Different methods of storytelling through performance and sculpture have been tools for me to learn of my heritage, preserve family history, and express my identity.

Juliana - As we celebrate Papua Niugini Tok Pisin Wik - the theme this year is 'Lukautim, strongim na kirapim tokples na pasin blo tubuna - Preserve, revitalise and promote our language and culture'. What does this week mean to you personally?

Heidi - For me, this week reminds me of the important role language plays in being connected to family, culture and heritage. Growing up, I was taught that speaking English was more valuable than learning my mother tongues, Wedau & Binandere, and even Tok Pisin, in terms of progressing through education. Now as an adult, I see how this has hindered my connection with my family and even to myself. Language week pushes me to keep pursuing learning language despite the difficulties.

Juliana - You've been spending time with some incredible collections and objects. Is there a particular piece from the Papua New Guinea collection that you feel a personal connection to?

Heidi - I recently had the chance to work closely with two bark cloths from Oro Province that are being held in the Mick Pendergrast collection. Everything I know about Oro bark cloth has been taught to me from family members, so it felt very special to be able to tap into that knowledge and to closely examine the craftsmanship and capabilities of natural materials and pigments.

Bark Cloth 1990.140. All rights reserved.
More information ›

Bark Cloth 1975.155. All rights reserved.
More information ›

Juliana - Have you found that your own cultural background has given you a unique perspective on the material you've been handling?

Heidi - Being of two differing cultural groups, one that is coastal and one that is in the bush, has given me insight into the role that environment and landscape play in material culture. Understanding this has been useful when getting to know new objects in the collection, for noting differing materials and approaches. Knowledge passed down through family has been helpful for understanding material, symbols, and function and has provided meaningful insight on the material that I have been working with.

Juliana - Beyond the work itself, what's been the most meaningful part of your volunteering experience here?

Heidi - It has been a meaningful experience to observe the care and expertise invested behind the scenes at the museum. Witnessing the passion from staff in preserving artifacts and generously sharing their knowledge has been inspiring and I am glad I can contribute even in a small way.

Juliana – If you could share one thing with our museum visitors about Papua New Guinea's culture and heritage, what would it be?

Heidi - When we say it is the land of the unexpected, we aren’t kidding. The diversity of Papua New Guinea’s culture and landscape cannot be understated. I think this is important to be aware of when touring the Pacific Masterpieces Gallery because such a large amount of the collection is from Papua New Guinea. Within the nation’s 22 provinces there are over 800 languages, so even in one province the language, culture and customs differ throughout the area. For a Papua New Guinean, our identity is anchored to our land which encompasses our language, customs, traditions and lineage.

Juliana – Tenkyu tumas – thank you very much Heidi and Happy Papua Niugini Tok Pisin Wik!

Heidi -Tenkyu na Hepi Papua Niugini Tok Pisin Wik bilong yu na olgeta Papua Niugini lain bilong Aotearoa – thank you and Happy Papua Niugini Tok Pisin Wik to you and all the Papua New Guineans living in Aotearoa.

Binatang bilong Papua Niugini

To celebrate Papua New Guinea Language Week, Curator of Entomology Dr Leilani Walker shares some of the insect species native to Papua New Guinea, one of the richest biodiversity hubs in the world.

My Islands, My Stories:

A Journey Through Daru and the Torres Strait

Juliana Satchell-Deo, Associate Curator Pacific

Living far from my birthplace, I've always felt a deep connection to my indigenous heritage. Nurtured by the remarkable women in my family – especially my late Abere (maternal grandmother from Torres Strait Islands and Daru Island).

A Sea Divided, a Culture Shared

The Torres Strait Islands, a chain of over a hundred islands, lie in the waterway separating the Australian mainland from Papua New Guinea. Named after Spanish explorer Luis Vaez de Torres in 1606, the islands are inhabited by vibrant and thriving communities with a rich Melanesian heritage stretching back thousands of years.

Daru Island, the capital of Papua New Guinea's Western Province, shares many similarities with the Torres Strait Islands due to their geographical proximity, inter-marriages, and shared traditions in storytelling and Ailan Kastom (Island Custom). In 1975, a political border severed what was once a united cultural landscape. Yet, the bonds of kinship and family remained strong.

Memories on the Motomoto

I vividly recall childhood journeys on our motomoto (a large Kiwai canoe built and captained by my Nogere, (maternal grandfather). We'd travel from Daru Island to visit relatives in the Torres Strait Islands. Back then, this was my entire world – a Daru and Torres Strait Islander. It was hard to imagine anything beyond this vast network of islands and stories.

As we sailed across the waves on the motomoto, Abere would weave tumbuna (ancestor) stories. She'd explain how Nogere navigated by the stars, prompting me to gaze at the ocean of lights floating above. The crackling fire in the momogo (fireplace) danced with the rhythm of the motomoto, providing a warm counterpoint to her captivating stories. She spoke and sang in Kiwai, using songs and expressive hand gestures that mimicked the fire's movements. The brave heroes and legends she described became like constellations twinkling down upon us.

Abere emphasised the importance of these stories, passed down through generations. I knew I'd carry this tradition forward, sharing them with my own children someday. Kiwai, my first language, is just one of the many diverse languages spoken across Papua New Guinea. This linguistic richness highlights the importance of Tok Pisin, a lingua franca that connects people from different cultural and geographical backgrounds.

Celebrating Tok Pisin: A Bridge Between Cultures

As we celebrate the first Papua Nuigini Tok Pisin Wik in the MPP Calendar, I want to pay homage to the rich linguistic diversity of Papua New Guinea. While we can't possibly share all 830+ languages or 1000+ dialects, we can acknowledge and celebrate Tok Pisin, a lingua franca claimed by the people of Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea utilises three main languages in government, news, and media: Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin, and English. Tok Pisin, in particular, serves as a vital tool for communication, especially in a country where neighbouring villages often speak vastly different languages.

By recognising Tok Pisin, we honour the linguistic heritage of Papua New Guinea and the power of language to connect people across cultures.

Juliana Satchell-Deo was brought up in Papua New Guinea, Australia and Fiji. She is of Kwaio, Malaita, Solomon Islands; Mer, Mabuiag and Kubin Island, Torres Strait Islands (Australia) and Daru Island, Western province (Papua New Guinea) peoples.

_{Community Drop in image: Bag made of bilum, wool and string, formed in a geometric pattern. Collection of Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, 1998.34.2}

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Papua New Guinea Tok Pisin Language Week