Kitava Island Trobriand (Papua New Guinea)

Kitava Island is one of the four largest Trobriand Islands PNG - together with Kiriwina, Kaileuna, and Vakuta.

Kitava's inhabitants (population around 2,500) are famous worldwide for their excellent health and traditional dietary habits.

The Trobriand Archipelago's total population is around 13,000 (all indigenous people), most of them living on Kiriwina (the largest). The indigenous population lives a peaceful lifestyle with little disturbance or influence from outsiders. Locals use small canoes for trade and gift-giving around the Islands.

Over 6% of the inhabitants are between 60-95 years of age. These people are mostly horticulturalists. Matrilineal clans control the land and its resources. Hunger and scarcity of food is an issue due to poor growing conditions.

Eating in front of others is taboo. They eat alone or turn their backs on one another and eat rapidly for fear of being observed. They eat mainly yams (vegetables) and often chew betel nuts (mixed with pepper plant and slaked lime), causing their teeth to appear red.

At 7-8 years of age, children are allowed to play erotic games and start to imitate adult seductive behaviour. At the age of 12-15, they begin to pursue sexual partners. Partners are often changed (no traditional marriages). Women are equal to men in pursuing or refusing a partner. The married couple starts to eat together (which is officially recognized as a marriage) for about a year, then go back to eating separately. If after 1 year the woman is unhappy, she may divorce her husband. Couples get divorced also if the man chooses another woman.