Conch Shell

Around Papua New Guinea different methods were used to call people to feasts or warn them of danger etc. In the Highlands they would call to each other from mountain tops, in my village in the Milne Bay Province, a Conch shell was used.

Only certain families were allowed to blow the shell. Each family has a particular call. This was particuarly important as the type of the call would let the villagers know, where ever they were, what was happening.

The conch was used to:

1. call people to battle

2. call people to feast (there are different calls to signify what sort of feasts)

3. call people to initations

4. call people to go hunting or fishing (different calls for each)

5. call people to family gatherings (each family had their own call)

Sadly the Conch Shell is never used now in the village only as a demostration during performances, like the one in the picture above which was used during the DWU cultural day earlier this year. Years ago, it was an important and vital method of communication.