Adaptive strategies of Highlands-origin migrant settlers in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

This study examined adaptive strategies of Huli-speaking migrants from the Tari Basin in the Southern Highlands Province to Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. An interview survey of all migrant dwellers in two Huli communities, and time allocation and food consumption studies in their three primary settlements revealed that the subject households relied for their livelihood on a variety of activities in the informal sector (e.g., vending, small-scale retailing, moneylending, and chicken rearing) and jobs in the formal sector (e.g., driver, public servant, security guard, and storekeeper). Unexpectedly, the average income of households that exclusively depended oninformal sector jobs was equivalent to, or higher than, that of households which included an employee in the formal sector. In addition, the average working hours were shorter in the former. Large interhousehold variation characterized the sample. The residential environment and composition of each household influenced economic strategies, which in turn determined the income, labor hours, and labor efficiency. However, food and nutrient intakes did not vary widely because leveling mechanisms among households, which are social norms in their homeland, still function in the urban settlements. The roles of settlements in Port Moresby are also discussed in relation to “urban problems” and rural-urban connections.