The Nature of Things

Changing Ground / Maisin People In Papua New Guinea (41x16)

: 28, 2001

On the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea, lives a tribe of 2,000 people, the Maisin. Unlike the more remote tribes, the Maisin were among the first to have contact with Europeans. It was Anglican missionaries who brought them the English language, Christianity, and a desire to see the world outside their villages. But recently something has changed their mind. The post-war generation that moved away to towns and cities as far away as Australia are deciding to come home, to live in a community without any of the modern conveniences... no running water, no electricity, no roads.