Papua New Guinea activities with Distinguished Professor Alexandria Aikhenvald

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

PNG Field trip April - May 2016

Distinguished Professor Sasha Aikhenvald spent two weeks in PNG visiting & working with villagers from Ambunti, Avatip & Yalaku.

Presentation of Manambu Grammar, Avatip Primary School

On 23 September 2013, there was an official presentation of three books to the Library of the Avatip Primary School:

• The Manambu language of East Sepik, Papua New Guinea, by Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald with the assistance of Pauline Luma Laki and Jacklyn Yuamali Benji Ala. Oxford: Oxford University Press (hard back edition 2008, paperback edition 2010),
• Daft edition of the Manambu. English dictionary (2013), by Alexandra Aikhenvald and Pauline Luma Laki, and
• Volume 1 of Traditional stories in Manambu (2013), by Alexandra Aikhenvald and Pauline Luma Laki.

The presentation was organized and coordinated by Mr Laurence Yambwi, the Head Master, and Jacob Kassa, the Master of Ceremony.

This consisted in speeches (mostly in Manambu, with elements of English and Tok Pisin) and traditional dances, shown in these pictures (taken by Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald and Pauline Laki).

The Sepik & lake views

The Sepik River around Avatip and Yambon

These pictures of the Sepik River around Avatip and Yambon were taken in September 2013 by Alexandra Aikhenvald. There are also some pictures of the lake Kasanab and of little rivulets around the area.

The Villagers of Avatip

These pictures of Alexandra Aikhenvald's classificatory relatives in Avatip, ESP, PNG, speakers of Manambu (Ndu, ESP, PNG) were taken in September 2013.

Yalaku people & Padibau

In September 2013, Alexandra Aikhenvald made first contacts with speakers of Yelogu, a Ndu language spoken off the Sepik river, and started working on the language and recording stories. The water in the lakes and the rivulets leading to Yalaku (one of the three villages where the language is spoken) was very low, and it turned out to be impossible to reach the village itself. Alexandra and her classificatory relatives, all Manambu speakers from Avatip, managed to get together with the Yalaku people in a place called Padibau. This is a make-shift settlement where the Manambu stay while they smoke fish, to be later sold at markets. These pictures were taken by Alexandra Aikhenvald and by Pauline Laki.