Scenes of daily life, culture, and nature from Papua New Guinea.

The firedancers in the first two shots belong to a Papua New Guinean tribe known as the Baining. They live on the northeastern tip of the island of New Britain which is found off the west coast of Papua New Guinea. The Baining tribes get their name from the Baining mountains which they inhabit. Their language is also called Baining, of which their are a few different dialects. It is thought that the Baining people may have inhabited this area for thousands of years. The Baining are somewhat of an of an oddity amongst Melanesian cultures because they create art forms that have a very ephemeral existence. The mask you see in shot two is laboriously made from bark cloth, bamboo, and leaves, and used just once for the firedance ceremony before being thrown away or destroyed.

All photos by Taro Taylor.

Photo Essay
 

About The Author

Taro Taylor

Taro is a self-proclaimed "mongrel", having been born in Hong Kong to a Japanese mum and English dad. He's lived in HK and the UK and now finds himself in Sydney, Australia. Some of his likes are beaches, peaches and Dachshund puppies.

  • http://collazoprojects.com Julie

    These photos are just gorgeous. Thanks for sharing them here on Matador.

  • Benjamin

    Amazing shots! I’d love to see captions on all the photos. What are the stories behind these gorgeous shots.

  • http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/vagabonderz Carlo Alcos

    The shots are phenomenal. I checked out Taro’s other photos on Flickr, amazing. It’s a really nice window into an obscure culture.

  • http://www.lolaakinmade.com Lola

    Absolutely stunning photography. Thanks for the glimpse into Papua New Guinea

  • Alan

    Seriously nice photography right there. Thanks for sharing them with us!

  • Tim Patterson

    Spectacular pics.

  • http://travelexperta.blogspot.com marina villatoro
  • http://wayworded.blogspot.com/ Hal

    The sparks in the first pick grabbed me and I couldn’t look away till the end. Well done.

  • http://www.matadorlife.com Tom Gates

    It’s been a while since I have been so blow away by pictures. A great, varied series.

  • Travellohr

    Beautiful photos and beautiful people!!

  • J

    Amazing!

  • Paul

    New Britain is actually a part of Papua New Guinea. It is located northeast, not west, of the island of New Guinea. The eastern half of New Guinea is part of the nation of Papua New Guinea. The western half is part of Indonesia.

    It is not unusual at all for art works to be destroyed after use in Melanesia. The malanggan funerary sculptures of New Ireland are perhaps the best known example.

  • nicole

    These photos are amazing. I would love to go there!

  • Florence

    Amazing photos there! Too bad I hadnt the chance to see the firedance live!

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/YBON6UH3MVALYO5VMLRKT45TF4 Wayne

    would love to have  a look at PNG

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