23/05/2025
Hidden Paradise in Bismarck sea🇵🇬
Wuvulu Island in Papua New Guinea has a history of being part of German New Guinea, having a population decimated by disease, and being home to Micronesian-style art.
Wuvulu was part of German New Guinea until World War I.
The German Administration purchased the island, but excluded three areas for native reserves.
The German Administration transferred the rest of the island to Rudolph Wahlen in 1907.
The population of Wuvulu was estimated to be around 1,500 in the 19th century.
Disease brought by German planters and missionaries in the late 1800s and early 1900s reduced the population to less than 300 by 1905. Today, the population is around 1,000 people.
Wuvulu is known for its hourglass-shaped bowls, which were made to collect coconut milk. The bowls embody the minimalist aesthetic of Micronesian art.
The bowls are similar in style to those from the Micronesian islands to the north.
The Wuvulu people had little contact with the rest of the world until recently.
They were mainly in contact with the Aua Islanders to the northeast.
