Madang Museum

Coordinates: 5°13′34″S 145°48′03″E / 5.2261938°S 145.800925°E / -5.2261938; 145.800925
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Madang Museum
Map
Established6 June 1981
LocationMadang, Papua New Guinea
Coordinates5°13′34″S 145°48′03″E / 5.2261938°S 145.800925°E / -5.2261938; 145.800925
TypeLocal

Madang Museum is a museum in Madang, Papua New Guinea, which displays objects from its locality and the East Sepik province.

Background[edit]

In 1975 the suggestion arose that a local museum should be created in Madang, an idea that was supported by the government of the province, expatriates, and local tourist businesses.[citation needed] The museum opened on 6 June 1981. It was opened by Kaki Angi, then Minister for Tourism for the province.[1] The museum shares a building with the Madang Visitors and Cultural Bureau.[2] In 2015 the museum underwent a restoration programme, led by ethnographer and volunteer Mary Mennis. Madang Provincial Government covers wages and utility costs for the museum, but other funding comes from private donations.[3]

Collections and research[edit]

The museum collection contains both ethnographic and natural science objects.[1] One notable object is a head-dress from Bosmum village which was worn as part of a male initiation ritual.[2] As of 2008 approximately half of the objects on display were from Madang and the rest from East Sepik Province.[1] The museum was a partner in a research project which explored diet in the region over the last millennium through zooarchaeological analysis, as well as lipid analysis.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Stanley, Nick (2008). The Future of Indigenous Museums: Perspectives from the Southwest Pacific. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-84545-596-5.
  2. ^ a b "Madang Museum | Madang, Papua New Guinea Attractions". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  3. ^ "Volunteer Help Madang Museum – EMTV Online". Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  4. ^ Gaffney, Dylan; Greig, Karen; Stoddart, Debbie; Tromp, Monica; Field, Judith H.; Luu, Sindy; Coster, Adelle C. F.; Russell, Tristan; Mandui, Herman; Summerhayes, Glenn R. (2020-10-02). "Tropical Foodways and Exchange along the Coastal Margin of Northeastern New Guinea". Journal of Field Archaeology. 45 (7): 498–511. doi:10.1080/00934690.2020.1786285. ISSN 0093-4690. S2CID 221666697.