Travel Guide Îles Trobriand

The Islander Islands archipelago is a world apart from Papua and the Province of Milne Bay. 370 km from the coast of New Guinea, these coral islands have no significant relief and are rather dry. The people are frankly of the Polynesian type and have little contact with the rest of the country. The archipelago has virtually no economic activity and life continues to exist almost as it once, with great respect for customs. A "king" leads the island and enjoys immense respect. It will be a good taste for visitors to report their presence in one way or another, but always respectful. The archipelago is named after Denis de Islander, one of the officers of the expedition of Entrecasteaux.The largest island is Kiriwina, where there is the airport and the capital Losuia, which elsewhere would be described as village… there is no bank or supermarket, and it is important to take many small cuts with you, especially if you think of staying in the villages. The Trobriandais are quiet and polite, but show themselves to be very curious about tourists, whom they do not often meet.The population of the interior lives only in agriculture, while that of the coast benefits from fishing to improve its ordinary. The Trobriandais are also renowned for their talents as sculptors and many of them go to Alotau to sell their works to Promise and Pass tourists. The anthropologist Malinowski made several trips to the Islander Islands and his books made the famous archipelago, after the First World War, for bad reasons. The islands were referred to as the islands of love, because of the sexual mores described by Malinowski. Indeed, adolescents are encouraged to multiply sexual relations before marriage, in order to gain experience and be sure to choose the right partner. This "sexual freedom" reaches its climax during festivities celebrating the harvest of yams, with very free dances and singing songs. In the conservative society of the time, the works of Malinowski caused thousand fantasies. In reality, the rules of trobriandaise society are part of a very complex system and are certainly not addressed to foreigners.The beauty of the beaches, the seabed and the richness of culture make the archipelago a dream destination, but the infrastructure remains rare. Isolated villages are only available at gold prices, renting boats, unless they agree to travel to the local population, which can take a lot of time and prove to be fairly uncertain…A festival, the Milamala, celebrating the harvest of yams, is supposed to be organized each year, but it remains very random. Contact the Tourist Office of Alotau.