Photo Series: The Beautiful People   (PNG 2009)

Asangamut was the most beautiful village we saw in Papua New Guinea, this was the idealistic village lifestyle we’d always hoped existed. Perhaps it’s simple geography that makes this place so special; lying half way between two of PNG’s most diverse ecosystems (the Highlands and the Sepik River) the climate is perfect for cash crops such as coconut and beetle nut, not to mention fresh fish from the nearby Yuant River.

This also provides a vital trade connection to the populated east coast allowing locals to carefully pack boats to the limit of their buoyancy, and float their stock towards markets in Madang. Trade is healthy, people have purpose, and life is generally comfortable, a far cry from the tribal conflict and tension of the nearby Highlands. The hostility of the Highlands has much to do with the land and its resources, they are not as blessed with the fertile conditions and trade that,

Asangamut enjoys, and as a result, people can develop a defensive and territorial attitude towards outsiders. For the children of Asangamut however life is good, the community has a well organised education system including organised sports and arts. When comparing the quality of life here to the fast paced city I’ve grown up in, Asangamut left me very envious of the village life.