Papua New Guinea, a photo essay by Pamela Pitt

Journeys
Visual Arts

Papua New Guinea
a photo essay
by Pamela Pitt

A Note from the Photographer

In 1985 I quit my job and took my first retirement. I left my oil company job and traveled for four months in the South Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. I went to New Guinea on my own with plans to join a four-wheel-drive tour through the highlands. The people there chewed betel nut as a type of stimulant. It left a red residue on the teeth and gums.

Before I got there, I had seen on TV that there was an epidemic of rape of white women. I decided not to venture out at night on my own before I joined the tour. I ate dinner in the hotel. The hotel waiter showed up at my table, gave me a big smile and revealed a very red mouth. After dinner, I returned to my room and wrote long letters to my friends about my travels. I was glad to finally join the tour, which was a small group of people from Germany, Australia and the United States.

The tour leader was a very tall Aussie, well over 6 feet. I want to say 6 feet 6. I would probably be exaggerating, except he kept the group at a very good pace. I was 5 feet tall and always brought up the rear on a hike. One day was particularly difficult for me, and I could barely make it. The next day they were going to hike to a waterfall. I had seen a lot of waterfalls and decided to stay back at the hut where we were staying. I needed a rest. That turned out to be the best day I have ever had while traveling.

I don’t know if it is politically correct to say, “hut,” but there was no running water or electricity. The men who lived there went out with the rest of the tour group. The women and children stayed back. After everyone else was gone, the women and children started living their lives and were very friendly to me. Not too many white people got out that way and I was really the subject of positive attention and communication. (When I was in the airport leaving, a small girl walked over to me and gently touched the skin on my hand because I was so different.) Anyhow, on my day in the hut, the women and children posed for pictures. I’ve included some of them here plus a few others I took on the trip. I hope when you view them you can see what a good day I had.

Pamela Pitt

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ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER

After becoming an attorney, Pamela Pitt graduated with an MFA (1990) from the San Francisco Art Institute. She showed her photography work nationally in group and solo shows. Seeking daylight after years in the dark room, she worked on collage with mixed media painting and photography. Ideas from social issues became the basis of certain collage series:
2014: ripped pages from a law book on the “Patriot Act” to use as collage elements.
2016: used tissue dress "Patterns" in a series about the place of women.
2017: produced a collage series based on the concept of making land a commodity.
With her current focus on photography and scanner digital art, Pam works on achieving peace through creativity and beauty.

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