Contenu du sommaire

A brief survey of cultural factors in Bougainville and Buka before the disruptions of mining development emphasizes the diversities associated with language, ecology and contact with other Melane- sians. Although certain themes (e. g., matrilineal descent) were common to all residents, variety existed as to the way in which these were played out in different communities. Despite modern rhetoric about Bougainvillean unity and political organization alleged to be rooted in the past, evidence suggests a considerable degree of political atomism, especially among the Nasioi so prominent in the current crisis. What needs further study is the extent to which the current situation represents continuity with the past as opposed to genuinely new developments.

This article is both a commentary on the film " Cannibal Tours " by the Australian film director D. O'Rourke and a reflexion on the influence of tourism on the rural economy of the Sepik River Valley in P.N.G. The criticism of tourism in this film is a little coarse and does not involve a vision of the importance of the tourist industry in the economic life of the region.