OK TEDI FLY RIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Suki, Fly, Gogodala and Middle Fly Women

 

Brief Profile

Women in Suki, Fly, Gogodala and Middle Fly are traditional weavers.

They have distinctive baskets, mats, crafts and house walls made from natural fibres in planted or sourced from their environment. The men also carved distinctive canoes, paddles, spears, bows and arrows and other crafts that are used today.

Many of the villagers identified under the Mine Closure Programmes are lagoon dwellers along flood plain of the Aramia and the Fly River.

Gogodala, one of the language groups is known as Papua New Guinea’s most decorative art of the Papua Gulf Region and maintains a rich art form today despite many changes and series of fires, often accidentally lit for hunting. Many of their oldest collections are now held in international museums and art galleries in Europe.

Middle Fly Women and Children’s Plan 2009-2019 and the Suki, Fly Gogodala Women and Children’s Plan 2009-2019 is aimed at empowering and increasing women’s participation in social and economic development in the region. In line with the action Plan women in the 35 communities of their respective trust regions anticipate to improve their local skills of producing and marketing of local produced baskets and other related hand crafts as means of income. The handicraft project has introduced new weaving technics and weaving materials including re-cycled material and objects to be made into jewellery and wall deco. The women are currently preparing larger objects in groups for an exhibition later this year.