In August 2025, we embarked on our most ambitious matri-journey yet. Our destination was one of the world’s most remote places—the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Tourist infrastructure here is practically non-existent, with the only visitors being development workers and missionaries helping the island recover from a decade of civil war.
An Island Shaped by Conflict
The Autonomous Region of Bougainville is still recovering from a decade-long civil war. The conflict was sparked by the exploitation of the massive Panguna copper mine by the governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea, claiming the lives of up to 20,000 people. Although a peace agreement was signed in 2001, the legacy of the “Crisis,” as the conflict is locally known, remains deeply woven into everyday life.
Facts:
- Location: Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Papua New Guinea)
- Population: Around 250,000
- Religion: Mostly forms of Christianity and Protestant religions. Some indigenous animist beliefs in ancestors and spirits.
- Language: Pisin, English, and 25 other Austronesian and Papuan languages
- Civil War: The fighting ended with the signing of a peace treaty in 2001. A referendum was then held, with the vast majority voting for independence
We head down to the small coastal town of Arawa in the South to meet the most traditional matrilineal cultures of Nasioi and Nagovisi. Everyone we speak to is convinced that the independence they overwhelmingly voted for in the referendum will finally become a reality in 2027. A strong sense of patriotism fills the air, alongside a search for a shared identity that can unite the island and distinguish it from mainland Papua New Guinea.
Pride in a Matrilineal Society
Bougainvilleans take pride not only in their reputedly darkest skin in the world, but above all in their matrilineal social system.
From primary school onward, children are taught that “Mum is the boss at home,” while the father works for her. Women are seen as the investors of the family: they own the land and property, and their husbands are expected to manage and develop those assets.
Families hope for daughters, because it is daughters who ensure the continuation of the clan. Teachers tell us that girls are generally more disciplined and often more successful students than boys. Many young people leave the island to study on the mainland, but almost all eventually return—to their safe matrilineal island to grow cocoa and build their own businesses.
By contrast, mainland Papua New Guinea is often seen by locals as patrilineal, patriarchal, aggressive, and dangerous. “Here, women are in charge, and that’s why it’s peaceful,” teacher Mikaila says with a smile.
You can watch ABC News’ short report on the women of Bougainville here…
Tama Festival: A Celebration of Tradition and Women’s Strength
The island’s cultural identity is also reinforced through the Tama Festival—a vibrant celebration of music, dance, and traditional rituals. Performance groups from across Bougainville take the stage to the deep, resonant sounds of bamboo flutes, transporting audiences into a world of ancestors, spirits, and sorcery.
The festival also features a competition to prepare the traditional dish tama—a mixture of bananas, cassava, or taro blended with coconut cream, wrapped in banana leaves, and baked over an open fire…Yum!
Matriarchal features:
- Most of Bougainville’s linguistic groups follow a matrilineal system, with the Nagovisi and Nasioi considered the most traditional.
- Children belong to their mother’s clan.
- The senior woman is the head of her clan. She controls the clan’s land and decides who has the right to use it.
- Land, property, and decision-making authority are typically inherited by the eldest daughter.
- When a man marries, he moves in with his wife’s family. From then on, he works and provides for her family rather than his own.
- Women are responsible for safeguarding family wealth, passing on cultural traditions, and organizing traditional celebrations.
- Matrilineality is central to the identity of the people of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. Children begin learning about it from their very first years of primary school.
