Understand
New Ireland province is to the northeast of Papua New Guinea. It is made up of a long, narrow main island, also called New Ireland, as well as many smaller islands. Total land area is around 9600 km². The spread into the Pacific of human beings was through New Ireland and then down to the Solomon Islands. Lapita pottery has been found in a number of sites in New Ireland.
The first European explorers to arrive were Dutch, in 1616. These were followed by Abel Tasman in 1643, on his way home from discovering Tasmania. From the late 1700s the passage between New Ireland and New Britain was commonly used by vessels sailing from Sydney to England. The first missionaries arrived in 1875 and, at about the same time, came traders looking to capture the locals to work on plantations in Queensland and Fiji. This was known as "blackbirding". New Ireland was colonized by Germany in 1886 and the Germans carried on blackbirding for plantations in the Madang area. New Irelanders retaliated by capturing and eating German traders.
The area was taken over by Australia in 1914. Between 1942 and 1945 it was occupied by the Japanese. In 2000 the population was close to 120,000 people, who talk 20 languages and around 25 dialects or sub-dialects. New Ireland's economy depends on timber, coconuts, cocoa and fishing.
The traditional culture in northern New Ireland is the Malagan. Its ceremonies are large, cultural events that take place irregularly and require considerable preparation. The word malagan both refers to wooden carvings that are prepared for the ceremonies, and to the entire system of traditional culture. Malagan carvings are created for use in the ceremonies. These used to be burnt at the conclusion of the event but most are now retained, as few skilled carvers remain.
