The cultures of
Vivian Ogu

Nigeria &
Papa nueva guinea

Culture is defined as a plethora of totally learned, socially transmitted behaviors that compile into social norms that create the social structures of a nation or region. In a way culture “Clearly depends on the interaction between the individual and the group.”- (Chris Frith, how the brain creates culture lecture) This means that the way individuals in a society interact effect the constructs of a culture. And although it is believed that cultures can be completely opposite from each other as far as traditions and norms, it can still be seen however that from the simplest to most complex cultural societies cultural universities such as the learning of survival skills exist weaving all cultures around the world together. Whether its the diet of people in a culture or marriage ceremonies, to simply cultural traditions both Nigeria and Papua Nueva Guinea are connected by universals as well. One of the most distinct characteristics of Nigerian culture is the food and it's preparation. And although there are many foods and recipes found throughout Nigeria, The most common foods in the diet of a Nigerian consists of fried rice and chicken with mixed vegetables,there are many varying recipes of this meal depending on the tribe. Other meals include foul, goat or young chicken coupled with shredded dried fish and a variety vegetables such as ocra and onugbu (a bitter leaf) in the forms of thick soups or stews accompanied by garii. Garii is a grainy powder form of cassava tubers that are peeled, washed and shredded to produce a paste. The paste is placed in a porous bag and fermented for one or two days, at the same time weights are placed on the bag to remove any excess water. It is than sieved and roasted by heating it in a bowl. The result is the dry powder that can be cooked into a stiff dough than eaten with the soup...with your fingers! The meal is enjoyed with the tips of the fingers by rolling the garii into several small balls for easy consumption and used to gather the soup with the same hand. There are many cultures that may see the method in which garii and soup are consumed as un-civilized or maybe even primitive, however the cultural universal found even in this example is that food is lifted and brought to the mouth either with a utensil or hand. Another culture that has a seemingly extraneous diet and method of eating is the tribes in Papua Nueva Guinea. In Papua Nueva Guinea (png) survival is very important considering the tribes residing in its dense forests are very isolated. Papuan is an all inclusive term that accounts for all the various tribes of the indigenous peoples of New Guinea and neighboring islands. In these islands life is relatively simple and free of the distractions that exist in heavily populated industrialized nations, for example when hungry the people of a tribe fish, hunt and than eat together with no food wasted. A main dish of many of the indigenous png peoples is muno, a thick sauce like meal made of squash, plantains, yams and sweet potatoes prepared by placing the mixture on top of piled bamboo leaves heated by hot rocks and cooked for 2 hours along with. Even though the tribes of png are united by tittle they are very isolated from each other, rival tribes have a cannibalistic history where they would would feast on the bodies of dead rivals as a form of revenge for an offense committed by the enemy. One member of the Somo people in png stated that “Another village stole a woman to eat, as revenge we stole one of their own women and ate her.”- (Titikawa eating with cannibals documentary.) This is considered a taboo in most cultures, however to some tribes consuming human flesh was a way of expelling the demon that had possessed the human body. It was also a way of seeking revenge against a “magic man” or sorcerer that was believed to be responsible for the death of someone in the tribe.