7th HUON SEMINAR

ACHIEVING VISION 2050 THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION, RESEARCH, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY November 13th to 14th 2013, Papua New Guinea University of Technology, Lae, Papua New Guinea

174

HS72013-HS-078

Identification of plant materials used in the general construction of traditional houses in serongko village, finschhafen district, morobe

province, papua new guinea

Michelle Anania#1, Mex M. Peki#2* and Artis Vinas#3

#1C/- Denis Kone, P.O Box 233 University, NCD 465manania@gmail.com

#2#3PNG University of Technology, Department of Forestry #2mpeki@fo.unitech.ac.pg; #3avinas@fo.unitech.ac.pg;

*Corresponding author: mpeki@fo.unitech.ac.pg

ABSTRACT

In the face of modernization and inappropriate western housing models that are introduced into the country, we should document our traditional architectural knowledge and materials before it’s too late. All traditional houses are constructed using timber and non –timber products from natural forests in Papua New Guinea (PNG), however in some areas where people have access to cash and infrastructures such as roads and transportations, people have built houses using timber from the village-level sawmill. Other typical products used are adzed hardwood posts, sand and gravel excavated from river beds, small scale saw-milling, treated saplings, treated roofing shales and treated woven mats from sago, bamboo and cane. All houses are small and therefore inherently use fewer resources. This paper documents and preserves traditional building culture and materials knowledge in the Serongko area of Finschhafen District in the Morobe Province. The approach used in data collections were questionnaires, interviews and personal observation and collection of plant specimens from the nearby forests for further confirmation at Unitech herbarium. It was found that in general a total of 41 plant species were used in building a typical traditional house in this village (Serongko). Of these, 31 are tree species while 10 are non – timber species. The importance of preserving these 41 species in the Serongko village is paramount for the sustainability of the plant building materials and conservation for future generations. Cultural heritage in the traditional architectural knowledge will be preserved and will be pass on for future generations.

Key words: Traditional house, architectural heritage, cultural sustainability, plant species, conservation 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background With around 400 billion trees on earth, found on every continent except for the Antarctic, it is no

surprise that humans have turned to them for various uses. Wood has been used as a building material since the Neolithic period (between 4,000 to 11,000 years ago) when humans first used trees to build shelters. Wood has many qualities that make it ideal for building houses and furniture: it can provide insulation; it is flexible, light but strong. Aside from wood from well known species such as Pometia pinnata (Taun), Instia bijuga (Kwila), Tectona grandis (Teak) and many other tropical species, there are many other building materials that are derived from plants as Calamus spp (rattans), palms, bark, bamboos and others. Papua New Guinea (PNG) lies in the tropics and still a developing (Third World) country as 85% of

its population is rural based; thus, “most construction materials used in (the building of ) traditional buildings are local materials including timber, sago palm leaves and grass for roofing as well as bamboo and bush vines, tree barks, etc..”[1].

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175

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176

Figure 3: Front and side elevation of a common Mamalo village home: Source: [5]

Each house component is made up of different plant materials. The following table depicts the different plant materials used in the different components of the house (Table 1).

Table 1: Plant materials used in the different components of a traditional Mamalo house

Structure of a house Building Components Traditional Names Botanical names

Post a) Floor support roof b) Roof support post c) Main/ centre post

Kwaraugu*

Rakwa Sega* Kea*

Kwila (Intsia bijuga)

Floor structure a) Bearer b) Flooring

Gala Vuata* Vuata*

Kwila (Intsia bijuga)

Wall/roof structure a) Main rafter b) Minor rafter c) Main batten d) Minor batten e) Wall bracing f) Ridge beam

Lovusina#

Lovu#

Vane#

Reva#

Kabe#

Mani Pava#

Black Palm

End wall structure a) Lower front wall lining

b) Front wall studs (Upper)

Ko‛ge Kapana*

Papaku Peakanna#

Kwila (Intsia bijuga) Black Palm

Fixings Tie roof cover and tie of bracings, batten e.tc

Punata Bamboo (Bamboosa sp)

Bracing Horizontal bracing/ struts Iruva ? Roof lining roofing/ hatch Kunai Grass

(Imperata cylindra)

Source: [5] Note: #* Same plant species with different local names when applied to different

components of the structure of a house

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Figure 4:

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177

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ected after theumns and dooeams placed

178

uently in the a spp” [4].

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aditional housgenous builde

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own in Fig. 6.

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179

Hoya sp vines. The top ends of the interior studs of the building are then secured with vines to the wall beams in order to hold them firmly together.

Figure 7: Wall details in a Highlands house: Source: [8]

Round plan houses have one doorway, which are traditionally, closed by horizontal planks stacked between two pairs of posts as shown in Figure 8. Some houses in other parts of the Highlands region have banana or similar leaves attached to a horizontal plank above the doorway and hanging over the planks on the inside to inhibit cold air from being blown in between the planks. It also served as a warning device as the removal of the planks would cause the leaves to rustle and awaken the occupants who would arm themselves in case it was an enemy [6].

Figure 8: Typical highlands house doorways; Source: [8].

However, many houses today use hinges, plank doors with padlocks and other closing devices. The most common type of flooring is earth. However, some households may have low level platforms for the occupants to sleep and carry out other household activities. The roofing materials in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea use similar to lowland savannah areas, which is usually made from tall savannah grass Imperata cylindrica, which is commonly known as kunai. In the construction of ceremonial houses, the kunai thatched roof is a low-pitched gable construction and is much shallower than the typical residential buildings, which usually have a maximum slope of 8 to 10 degrees (Fig. 9) [6].

7th HUON SEMINAR ACHIEVING VISION 2050 THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION, RESEARCH, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

November 13th to 14th 2013, Papua New Guinea University of Technology, Lae, Papua New Guinea

180

1.2.2 Durability It must be noted that the structural timber used in contact with the ground is extremely durable hardwood, which are not susceptible to wet, rot or insect attack. These local timbers are used in preference against less durable species and they may be bought from the neighbouring communities if the resources in the neighbouring and adjacent forests have been depleted. The expected life span of these durable species is usually between 12 to 15 years, thus, they can be reused for subsequent buildings, as the life span of a house is usually between 4 to 5 years, and this is due to the breakdown of the grass thatching and wall linings [6]. In this way, the community itself contributes to the continued usage of the timber and its conservation from its resource. The review of literature associated to the topic has lead to the drawing of the following conclusion; the case studies researched, are all aimed at documenting the architectural styles of the building and pay little or no attention to the plant materials used in their construction. However, due to changing times, many Papua New Guinean people have resorted to the usage of modern building materials and techniques. This has lead to the loss of knowledge in traditional building materials and housing techniques. Therefore, the aim of this research is to initiate the identifying and documenting of the priceless knowledge of the plant species used in traditional buildings before it is lost to westernization.

Figure 9: Cross section through a round house roof: Source: [8].

1.3 General Site Information Serongko Village is located approximately 10 km from the township of Finschhafen and 2100 km from Lae, the provincial capital of Morobe Province. It takes an average of 7 hours travelling time, 4 hours by ship from Lae and 3 hours by vehicle from Finschhafen town, depending on the weather and road conditions. The geography of Serongko Village is situated on a ridge in the mountainous region of Finschhafen. The area has gentle slopes. According to [6], the general climate of the area is humid with heavy to light rainfall (500-1400 mm) which occurs the most between the months of May to August. The area has a mean maximum temperature between 25-30°C and a mean minimum temperature between 14-20°C. The forest type of the Serongko area is in the Lower Montane as it is located between 1500-3000 metres above the sea level. According to [2], the main features of this forest type include; low cloud cover, impression of wetness, low forest canopy which is more regular

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and dense in appearance, the vegetation reflects damp conditions with moss covered trees and fallen branches and the most dominant tree species are Castonopsis, Lithocarpus and Nothofagus species. The Serongko area has eutropeptic and dystropeptic soil types. This soil type is most common in PNG and occurs throughout humid areas at low to mid altitude. Soils of this type have thick dark topsoil and the “A” horizon has a dark reddish colour which is due to the heavy presence of iron oxide concentrations released by the weathering of primary materials [2].The village has a population of about 1000 people. This population is not concentrated in one area but is scattered around the Serongko area. In this study a research was carried out in Serongko Village, Finschhafen District, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The purpose is for identifying and documenting the scientific and local names of plant species from which plant materials are used for traditional house construction. The implications of this study include need for conservation of these tree species from which most of these plant materials originate from; and somewhat preserve traditional local knowledge of the usage of these species for future reference. 2.0 METHODOLOGY

2.1 Qualitative Approach Data collection was carried out through the qualitative approach. This approach used observation, description, interview transcripts, field notes and diaries and narratives to get the results. Data was qualified with accurate observation and description and also subjective and relative to research. 2.1.1 Informal Interview This method of data collection involved the selection of 10 different traditional home owners. This sample included both male and female home owners. This form of interviewing enabled the interviewer (researchers) to personally interact and fully understand the interviewee and their perspective and behaviours. It also enabled the interviewee to fully express him/herself on the above stated topic without any limitations. However, the questions which the researchers asked were pre-designed to obtain maximum and vital information only within the given time limit. 2.1.2 Personal Observation This method involved personal observation of the traditional homes and the materials used in the general construction of these buildings. The execution of these methods of data collection involved the researcher travelling to the site and obtaining additional information through photographs, sketching and measurements and building identification. 2. 2 Sampling and Sampling Technique 2.2.1 Sampling The study focused on 10 different traditional home owners who were randomly selected. The original proposed number of interviews to be carried out was 25, however, after the questionnaires were reviewed it was discovered that most plant materials used were common in all traditional house constructed. It must be noted that Serongko village consists of 20 houses, thus collecting information from 10 houses seemed adequate to provide the researchers with the information they needed to start specimen collection. The researchers were only able to interview 50% of the above stated number of home owners as well start specimen collection only when the weather permitted.

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2.2.2 Sampling Technique The sampling technique employed was the simple random sampling method. The representative 10 random home owners provided enough information for the researcher to draw adequate conclusions relating to the study and its objectives. 2.3Data Analysis The data obtained from the questionnaires and observations were analysed using Miles and Huberman’s Interactive Model of Data Analysis (Fig.10).

Figure 10: Process of data analysis

The model consists of three concurrent activities: Data Reduction, Data Display and Drawing Conclusion and Verification (Fig.10). The following steps were taken to analyse the data collected:

1. After collecting the completed questionnaires, the researcher went through the process of selecting, focusing, simplifying and transforming the raw data. Individual questionnaires were reviewed to extract information. Closed questions required a tallying system while open ended questions were written out in simple sentences.

2. The next step involved the displaying of data. This was where all simplified data was projected in some form to establish a clear picture from which conclusions were drawn. These displays comprised of organized assembly of all information to cater for conclusions and verifications were drawn from any trends and patterns in the data. The researcher displayed all the data collected on a table.

3. The third step involved the drawing of conclusions. These were derived from the tables displaying the data.Data analysis for this study was carried out according to the described process as  it  is an effective guideline and makes data analysis very apparent and efficient. 

3.0 RESULT AND FINDINGS

The following cross section (Fig. 11) depicts the main components of a traditional house in the Serongko area. The project was aimed at identifying the plant materials used for these components.

Data Reduction

Data Display

Conclusion: Drawing/ Verfying

Data Collection

[Type

text]

Fi

Figu

# Family

1 Cunnon

2 Myrtac

igure: 11 Cros

ure 12: Typica

y G

niaceae W

ceae Z

ss section of a

al Serongko tr

Table 2: Genus

Weinmania

Zanthomyrtus

183

a traditional S

raditional hou

Species used

Species

blumei

angustifolia

Serongko hou

use (left) with

for posts Vernacu name Zing

a Zazae

use.

h floor plan (r

ular HComPosts

Posts

right)

House mponents

s

[Type text]

184

8 Tilliaceae Microcos oblongifolia Kakao Posts

9 Podocarpaceae Nagia wallichianus Saundong Post

11 Rubiaceae Neonauclea obversifolia Qedebang Posts

16 Sapindaceae Pometia tomentosa Bizo-ngiric Posts

19 Rhizophoraceae Gyntraches axillaris Waweqac Posts

20 Rubiaceae Wenlandia panniculata Feng/Boketic Posts

30 Sapindaceae Pometia pinnata Bizo-wanzong Posts

Table 3: Species used as bearers

# Family Genus Species Vernacular name

House Component

7 Melastomataceae Astronia montana Obo Bearer 13 Cunnoniaceae Ceratopetalum sucirubrum Titi-qeqec Bearer 15 Clusiaceae Calophyllum Fitac Bearer 21 Fagaceae Castonopsis accuminatissma Zazibu Bearer 22 Theaceae Adinandra brassii Firic 1 Bearer 23 Elaeocarpaceae Elaeocarpus angustifolia Qozaric Bearer 24 Theaceae Ternstroemia merrilliana Firic 2 Bearer 25 Fabaceae Serianthes novoguinensis Maro Bearer 26 Ulmaceae Trema orientalis Mumung Bearer 28 Rhamnaceae Alphitonia macrocarpa Sowing Bearer 29 Fagaceae Lithocarpus celebicus Boring Bearer 32 Rubiaceae Neonauclea chalmansiae Qoru-biri Bearer 33 Burseraceae Canarium indicum Waha-

haluhahac Bearer

34 Euphorabiaceae Glochidion sp. Ninigang Bearer

Table 4: Species used as floor joists, starts, poles, rafters and beams Family Genus Species Vernacular

name House

Component 13 Cunnoniaceae Certopetalum sucirubrum Titi-qeqec Floor joists, Starts

15 Clusiaceae Calophyllum Fitac Starts, Beams, Rafter

16 Sapindaceae Pometia tomentosa Bizo-ngiric Starts, Floor joists

19 Rhizophoraceae Gyntraches axillaris Waweqac Poles, Beams

21 Fagaceae Castonopsis accuminatissma Zazibu Floor joists, Starts, Beams, Rafters

22 Theaceae Adinandra brassii Firic 1 Floor joists

23 Elaeocarpaceae Elaeocarpus angustifolia Qozaric Floor joists

25 Fabaceae Serianthes novoguinensis Maro Floor joists

26 Ulmaceae Trema orientalis Mumung Floor joists, starts

28 Rhamnaceae Alphitonia macrocarpa Sowing Floor joists, Rafters, Beams

29 Fagaceae Lithocarpus celebicus Boring Rafter

30 Sapindaceae Pometia pinnata Bizo-wanzong Starts, Floor joists

32 Rubiaceae Neonauclea chalmansiae Qoru-biri Floor joists

33 Burseraceae Canarium indicum Waha-haluhahac Floor joists, Rafters

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34 Euphorabiaceae Glochidion sp. Ninigang Floor joists, Rafters

Table 5: Species used for flooring # Family Genus Species Vernacular

name House

Component 5 Palmae Orania lauterbachiana Diwic Outdoor Flooring

35 Bamboosaceae Bamboosa sp. Qaring Indoor Flooring

38 Palmae Metroxylon Sagu Gai Outdoor Flooring

39 Palmae Kife Outdoor Flooring

Table 6: Species used for walls or weatherboards

Family Genus Species Vernacular name

House Component

Burseraceae Canarium macadamii Waha Wall

12 Myristicaceae Myristica fatua Kaselaong Wall

14 Myristicaceae Myristica womersleysii Qangborong Wall

15 Clusiaceae Calophyllum Fitac Wall

17 Meliaceae Toona sureni Fitic Wall

18 Apocynaceae Alstonia scholaris Zopang Wall

21 Fagaceae Castonopsis accuminatissma Zazibu Wall

29 Fagaceae Lithocarpus celebicus Boring Wall

31 Lauraceae Cinnamomum culilawan Musi Wall

36 Bamboosaceae Bamboosa Sp. Honing Wall

Table 7: Species used for roofing # Family Genus Species Vernacular

name House

Component 37 Bamboosaceae Bamboosa sp. Bac Roof

38 Palmae Metroxylon sagu Gai Roof

41 Poaceae Sarchurum spontaneum Sapaproc Roof

Table 8: Species used for door construction # Family Genus Species Vernacular

nameHouse

Component 1 Cunnoniaceae Weinmania blumei Zing Door

2 Myrtaceae Zanthomyrtus angustifolia Zazae Door

4 Lauraceae Litsea gupyii Qonzang Door

11 Rubiaceae Neonauclea obversifolia Qedebang Door

17 Meliaceae Toona sureni Fitic Door

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18 Apocynaceae Alstonia scholaris Zopang Door

22 Theaceae Adinandra brassii Firic 1 Door, door frame

Table 9 : Species used as fasteners # Family Genus Species Vernacular

name House

Component 3 Flagellariaceae Flagellaria indica Sowangang Fasteners

40 Pandanus Bohong Fasteners

Table 10: Summary of plant materials used in construction of traditional houses in Serongko

# Family Genus Species Vernacular name

Common Name

1 Cunnoniaceae Weinmania blumei Zing Weinmania 2 Myrtaceae Zanthomyrtus angustifolia Zazae Zanthomyrtus 3 Flagellariaceae Flagellaria indica Sowangang 4 Lauraceae Litsea gupyii Qonzang Litsea 5 Palmae Orania lauterbachiana Diwic Palm 6 Burseraceae Canarium macadamii Waha Galip 7 Melastomataceae Astronia montana Obo Astronia 8 Tilliaceae Microcos oblongifolia Kakao Microcos 9 Podocarpaceae Nagia wallichianus Saundong Brown Podocarp 10 Sapotaceae Planchonella montana Naru Planchonella 11 Rubiaceae Neonauclea obversifolia Qedebang Yellow Heartwood12 Myristicaceae Myristica fatua Kaselaong Nutmeg 13 Cunnoniaceae Ceratopetalum sucirubrum Titi-qeqec Pink Birch 14 Myristicaceae Myristica womersleysii Qangborong Nutmeg 15 Clusiaceae Calophyllum Fitac Calophyllum 16 Sapindaceae Pometia tomentosa Bizo-ngiric Taun 17 Meliaceae Toona sureni Fitic Red Cedar 18 Apocynaceae Alstonia scholaris Zopang Milky Pine 19 Rhizophoraceae Gyntraches axillaris Waweqac Gyntraches 20 Rubiaceae Wenlandia panniculata Feng/Boketic Wenlandia 21 Fagaceae Castonopsis accuminatissma Zazibu White Oak 22 Theaceae Adinandra brassii Firic 1 Oriomo Redwood 23 Elaeocarpaceae Elaeocarpus angustifolia Qozaric Quandong 24 Theaceae Ternstroemia merrilliana Firic 2 Ternstroemia 25 Fabaceae Serianthes novoguinensis Maro Wild Albizia 26 Ulmaceae Trema orientalis Mumung Silkwood 27 Palmae Gulubia coasta Mong Palm 28 Rhamnaceae Alphitonia incana Sowing Alphitonia 29 Fagaceae Lithocarpus celebicus Boring Brown Oak 30 Sapindaceae Pometia pinnata Bizo-wanzong Taun 31 Lauraceae Cinnamomum culilawan Musi Cinnamon 32 Rubiaceae Neonauclea chalmansiae Qoru-biri Yellow Heartwood33 Burseraceae Canarium indicum Waha-haluhahac Galip 34 Euphorabiaceae Glochidion sp. Ninigang Glochidion 35 Bamboosaceae Bamboosa sp. Qaring (roofing) Bamboo 36 Bamboosaceae Bamboosa sp. Honing (wall) Bamboo 37 Bamboosaceae Bamboosa sp. Bac (flooring) Bamboo 38 Palmae Metroxylon sagu Gai Sago

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4.0 DISCUSSION New home construction comes at a tremendous expense to planet. Building 1.7 million homes with traditional wood, steel and concrete frames consumes the same amount of energy as heating and cooling 10 million houses each year, according to the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial materials [3]. The environmental costs stem largely from the manufacture of the materials. Cement production, for example, requires an astounding amount of energy and results in water and air pollution and industrial waste that is usually not recycled. Using natural materials that require minimal processing or refining reduces these environmental impacts [3]. Therefore, natural building such as using traditional plant materials as seen in Serongko village offers a way to construct a home with renewable, naturally occurring and locally available materials, as opposed to industrial or man made products. Many of these are available throughout natural forest around Serongko village, so the cost and pollution associated with the transportation of these materials across the country falls. Using natural materials also reduce toxins in the home. As a bonus, many of these methods are energy efficient, inexpensive and easy to build with little construction knowledge. We’ll look at 41 species of building materials that are being used in Serongko village. From the above summarised tables 2 to 8 show different parts of the house where plants species are used. The general architecture of houses in Serongko village is depicted in Figs. 11 and 12. It must be noted that the different materials used in the different house components is due to the different physical properties and the availability of these materials, for example, Weinmania blumei is used as a post due to its high durability and strength. The different parts of house found in a typical Serongko house comprised of posts, bearers, floor joists, wall, studs, top plate (beams), rafters, buttons and roof thatch. There are a total of six species used for post (table 2), some of these species are also used in other parts of the house e.g., Weinmannia blume specimen number 6, is also used in door construction (table 8). From the tables 2 to 9, one will see that if same number is seen to occur in different tables then that means this species can be used in other parts of the building too. Table 10 is the summary information on a total of 41 plant species collected. Of this total, 31 specimens were tree species, most of which are currently deemed as lesser-known-species (LKS) in Papua New Guinea timber market. This includes genera such as; Weinmania, Zanthomyrtus, Astronia, Microcos and Gynotroches. However, there were a few commercial tree genera such as Castonopsis, Lithocarpus, Nothofagus, Nagia, Planchonella, Myristica, Pometia, Elaeocarpus, Trema, Neonauclea and Canarium also collected. Most of these trees species are used as posts, bearers, (refer Tables 4 and 5), floor joists, starts, poles, rafters, beams, (Table 6), walls (Table 8) and as doors (Table 9). The remaining 10 specimens are minor forest products such as Pandanus, Bamboos, Sago and Lianas, which are commonly used as flooring (Table 5), roofing (Table 7) and as fasteners (Table 9). There is no form of timber preservation carried out prior to these plant materials being used in traditional house construction. The materials were still green or wet when they were used to construct a house or building. However, one factor that does contribute to the durability of the timber is the “smoke from indoor fires” (Mamana; 2011 personnel communications).

5.0 CONCLUSIONS This paper tried to identify and document the plant materials used in the general construction of traditional houses in Serongko village. A total of 41 different plant species most of which are commonly unknown on the forestry commercial scale are identified. Of these, 31 are tree species while 10 are non

39 Palmae Kife Palm 40 Pandaneace Pandanus sp. Bohong Pandanus 41 Poaceae Sarchurum spontaneum Saparac Pit-pit

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tree species. Furthermore, most of the species are commonly unknown on major forestry commercial scale, however, others have the potential to be developed as commercial species.

Finally, these plant materials are used over other materials because of: 1. Availability of materials- these materials are closely available to the villagers. As one of the villagers

stated, why would we use kunai (Imperata cylindrical) to make our house roofs when it doesn’t grow here or when there is not enough for all the houses in the village;

2. Traditional knowledge about these species were passed onto the next generation, therefore, they have some knowledge on how to use these plant materials compared to other unknown plants;

3. These species are better suited for making houses than other materials due to their durability and ease of processing-for example Castonopsis is the better suited wood for making walls as it is easily sawn into planks than other woods;

4. The villagers evolved from using certain materials in the past (e.g. Bamboo sp. for roofing) which proved to be failures to more resilient materials (e.g. Sago palms);

5. It is recommended that similar study to be carried out in rural areas such as Serongko village in order for us (Papua New Guineans) to start identifying and documenting our traditional knowledge before it is lost.

6. It is also recommended that the next step is to assess these species to find out their sustainability for future generations to know and take pride in. It is a prestigious part of our heritage and should be documented. Acknowledgments We thank anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript. We thank villagers of Serongko for providing their time and hospitality in engaging in this research. We also thank Mr. Russell Tarutia for accompanying and assistance us in data collection. This work was supported by funding from the ACIAR project: FST/2006/120 “Increasing down streaming value adding in PNG’s forest and wood products industry” REFERENCES

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