Motuan people

The Motuans are native inhabitants of Papua New Guinea, living along the southern coastal area of the country. Their indigenous language is known as Motu, like several other languages of the region an Austronesian language. They and the Koitabu are the original inhabitants and owners of the land on which Port Morseby - the national capital city of Papua New Guinea - stands. The largest Motuan village is Hanuabada, north west of Port Moresby.

Friedrich Ratzel in The History of Mankind^[1] reported in 1896 on tattooing in Melanesia that among the light-skinned Motus he found tattooing in patterns similar to those of Micronesia. He also reported, among the old women, blacking the body with a kind of earth which gives a lustre like black lead. This was said to be a sign of mourning.

References

1. ^ Ratzel, Friedrich. The History of Mankind. (London: MacMillan, 1896). URL: www.inquirewithin.biz/history/american_pacific/oceania/melanesian-tattooing.htm accessed 21 October 2009.

See also

• Motu (language)
• Hiri Motu
• Hiri trade cycle

External links

• The Races of Man in the Malay Archipelago
• New Guinea and Its Inhabitants

This Papua New Guinea-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article related to an ethnic group is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e