The Ende tribe of Western Province, Papua New Guinea possess and make use of a huge trove of knowledge about the lowland forest, using a wide variety of plants for everything from fishing and hunting to making houses, clothes, tools, and toys.
Warama Kurupel building a yam house (Photo: Catherine Scanlon)
A canoe at Upiara (Photo: Catherine Scanlon)
Tonny Warama walking near Limol (Photo: Catherine Scanlon)
Limol village (Photo: Catherine Scanlon)
Spalek basket with produce (Photo: Elizabeth Conlan)
This project aims to begin systematic documentation of Ende material knowledge through two related strands of research:
- Identify a broad range of plant species that people use and note how they are utilised.
- Document a few of the most endangered practices in depth:
- Water containers made of palm and bamboo, ine kube, which have now mostly been replaced by plastic containers
- The distinctive cone-shaped spalek basket that women carry on their backs
- Tab, a practice of indicating which way you have gone or what is yours using specific plants.
Wagiba Geser and Catherine Scanlon working on Ende texts (Photo: Madeleine Scanlon)
Warama Kurupel and Catherine Scanlon working on Ende texts (Photo: Madeleine Scanlon)
Tonny Warama and Catherine Scanlon working on Ende texts (Photo: Madeleine Scanlon)
PI:
Catherine Scanlon, Graduate Student, Department of Linguistics, University of California Santa Barbara
Collaborators:
Warama Kurupel, Chair, Ende Language Committee
Kenneth Molem, Senior Botanist, New Guinea Binatang Research Centre
Location of Research:
Limol village, Western Province, Papua New Guinea
Top Banner Image: Lotus flowers (baob) near Limol, photo credit: Catherine Scanlon
