ABOVE LEFT & RIGHT: Panning for gold is a task that involves the whole family, even children like this one as young as three or four are taught how to do it. Small-scale mining is very common in most remote areas of PNG and requires hard work as without this there is no money for food. Mothers and children carry loads of fuel and rations and walk for several hours to reach the Frieda River mining camps in East Sepik and repeat the process when they run low on supplies. Those pictured walked in from Oksapmin in the Telefomin District, a journey of several weeks. They buy basic goods like salt, cooking oil, detergent, solar lights and food rations to sustain them on the walk. The river attracts people from most parts of East and West Sepik to try their hand at gold panning.
LEFT: Young girls and their mothers from Bosset village (Middle Fly District, Western Province) use dugout canoes to travel to their food gardens and to collect firewood as they live on the edge of a vast lagoon.
PNG Air flies from Port Moresby to Wewak (East Sepik) and Kiunga (Western) five times per week For bookings: Call + 675 7411 2644
VOLUME 34 2023
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