Music, tradition, and mission : a musical ethnography of the Kaulong of West New Britain, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

This musical ethnography is a base study of the music tradition of the Kaulong people near the south coast of West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. It embodies the description and structural analysis of traditional Kaulong music in its vocal, instrumental, and vocal-instrumental forms, song and dance celebrations (singsings) being the largest events which establish and strengthen family and trade relationships. Historical events such as the colonialisation by Germans and Australians and the consequent advancement of the Catholic Mission (MSC) had a lasting influence on traditional culture and music, mission being the most influential which effected the penetration of non-Kaulong cultural elements into Kaulong tradition. By adopting Christianity, the Kaulong reacted to a new, broader world view which is translated into music. Traditional singsings became less important and lost some of their meaning while trade contacts with the neighbouring coastal area (Kaul speakers) became frequent and resulted in the adoption of local coastal singsings as well as singsings from indirect trading partners in Kilenge (singsing tumbuan) and Siassi (singsing sia). New music genres such as kwaia (Christian choir music) developed and -after national independence -stringbands which play PNG popular music at State celebrations and sosol (social gatherings).