Pasin PNG

24/07/2025

🌺 Why PNG Youth Must Know Their Culture

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In a world that’s moving fast — with smartphones, TikTok, and constant change — there’s something we risk losing without even noticing: our cultural identity.

Papua New Guinea is known for its diversity. We have over 800 languages, thousands of traditions, and unique ways of life across our provinces. But slowly, these are being forgotten — especially by our younger generation.

Let’s talk about Tok Pisin.

It’s one of our three common languages — Tok Pisin, Police Motu, and English — but Tok Pisin is the one spoken most widely by Papua New Guineans across the country. It's our bridge language — from Hela to Manus, Milne Bay to Enga. Yet even Tok Pisin is changing... and not always for the better.

Take a look at how we speak today:

What was once “blong yu” is now shortened to “blo yu”, or even worse — “bliu.”

Some of this is natural — language always evolves. But some of it reflects a disconnection from where Tok Pisin came from and the cultural values it carries. It’s not just about grammar. It’s about identity.

When we lose our language, we lose how we express respect, how we tell our stories, how we relate to each other.
When youth say “me no save long kastom bilong mipla” — that’s not just a sentence. That’s a warning.

🌱 Culture grounds us.
It tells us who we are. It reminds us that before the phone, there was the fire. Before the internet, there was the hausman, the singsing, the tumbuna stories under the moonlight.

So why must our youth know their culture?

Because culture teaches respect — for self, elders, and community.

Because language connects us — to place, to past, and to purpose.

Because knowing who you are gives you strength — in a world that’s always trying to change you.

📢 Let’s talk:

What words or expressions in Tok Pisin do you think are fading away?

How can we help youth reconnect with traditional stories, customs, or language?

👇 Drop a word, a memory, or a reflection in the comments.
Let’s not just be proud Papua New Guineans — let’s live it, speak it, and pass it on.

23/07/2025

Growing Up in the Village: My Childhood in Kawaliap, Highway 32

By Roy Yohang

Nestled along Highway 32 in the Manus hinterland, Kawaliap Village was more than just home — it was my world. It was a place where time moved slowly, where life was lived barefoot and full-hearted, and where every path, hill, and creek held a memory.

Back then, our days weren’t controlled by alarms or mobile phones. The rooster’s crow and the first crack of sunlight told us it was time to get up. Life was simple — and honestly, it was beautiful.

Bush Food, Firewood & Fresh Air

We didn’t grow up with fast food or takeaway — we had something far better: real food from the land. Our breakfast came straight from the earth and fire — roasted kaukau, smoked fish, green bananas boiled in coconut cream, or hot taro dipped in crushed ginger sauce. 🍠🌿🥥

I remember helping my mother gather firewood from the bush, sometimes dragging sticks twice my height down muddy tracks. We used bamboo to fetch water from the creek and stacked the fire with just the right mix of dry leaves and coconut husks. 🔥

In Kawaliap, the garden was our supermarket. We ate what we planted. And when the mangoes and laulau trees were in season, we didn’t ask — we climbed!

Games Without Gadgets

Entertainment didn’t come from screens — it came from each other.

We built our own toys from bush materials — pop guns from bamboo, cars from wire, and spinning tops from coconut shells. We played hide and seek behind sago trees, chased each other through kunai grass, and got into wild games of “Mr Wolf,” “Touch Peggy,” “Dismisso,” “Tintin,” and “patpat” with twisted rubber bands. 🎯🧒🏽🌳

Our playground was the village street, the soccer field, and the bush trails. And when it rained, even better — we slid down muddy slopes, wrestled in puddles, and splashed in swollen creeks. The laughter was louder than the thunder.

The Walk to School

School was not just a place — it was a mission.

We walked long distances through steep bush tracks, our books wrapped in plastic or tucked in bilums. Some days, our feet were wet before the first lesson even began. But we didn’t complain. 📚👣

We sat on worn benches and listened intently to our teachers. Lunch was simple — kaukau in foil, rice in banana leaves, or a piece of smoked fish from yesterday’s dinner. If we had coins, maybe a 20t twistie or biscuit from the tiny roadside canteen.

And no matter how tired we were, education was a big deal. We knew it was our way out — or our way forward.

Discipline, Respect & Community

Growing up in Kawaliap taught me respect the hard way. If you mouthed off to an elder or didn’t do your chores, you’d feel the discipline — whether it came from a slipper, broom, or fresh-cut cane. But it came from a place of love. 👵🏽👴🏽🪣

Everyone in the village had a role in raising you. Aunties scolded you like your mum. Uncles gave you tough advice. The entire community watched over you, and in return, you showed respect, humility, and care.

We went to Sunday school faithfully, sang hymns with cracked voices, acted in church dramas, and knew our Tokples songs by heart. God, family, and community shaped who we were.

Highway 32 — The Road That Raised Me

Today, Highway 32 stretches long and silent through Kawaliap, but every corner still echoes with voices from the past. The laughter of children playing marbles. The calls of mothers summoning kids from the bush. The beat of stringband guitars on a lazy evening.

Kawaliap didn’t just raise me — it grounded me. It taught me resilience, gratitude, simplicity, and love. I carry those values with me every day, wherever I go.

If you grew up in a place like this — where mangoes were free, chores were shared, and life was wild and honest — you’ll know what I mean.

Never forget where you came from. Kawaliap, you’ll always be home. 💛🏡

23/07/2025

👋 Welcome to Pasin PNG!

Hi, I'm Roy — and I'm glad you're here! 🌴🇵🇬
This page is all about our life in Papua New Guinea — the pasin bilong yumi that makes us who we are.
I’ll be sharing stories from the village, real conversations about youth life, culture, traditions, and everyday PNG experiences.

💬 If you love hearing true PNG voices and seeing life through a local lens, this page is for you.

👉 Hit Follow, tag a friend, and let’s walk this journey together.
Together, we’ll keep our culture strong and our voices heard.

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