Cultural Bridges: Kwoma art strengthens ties between PNG and United States

The soft hum of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York enveloped Tobi Borungai, Chairman of the Kwoma Arts Group, and Mathew Kuarchinj, Chief of Mariwai Village, as they stepped into the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Their eyes traced the intricate designs etched onto 250 painted sago palm branches—each a symbol of Kwoma identity, carefully crafted by their fathers decades ago.

The Kwoma people, an Indigenous language group from Ambunti District, East Sepik Province, have long preserved their traditions through intricate artistry. Their ceremonial houses, built with devotion, tell stories through painted sago palm ceilings—each branch representing the spirit and heritage of a distinct clan. The very branches now displayed at the Met were collected in Mariwai Village in the 1970s by Douglas Newton, a distinguished curator and scholar of Oceanic art. They bear the paintings of Tobi’s father, Borungai, Mathew’s father, and other skilled artists of Mariwai Village from that era.

Their journey to New York from the 1st to the 8th of June, 2025, accompanied by Shiva Lynn Burgos, artist and founder of The Mariwai Project, was more than an exhibition visit—it was a homecoming of ancestral craftsmanship, a reunion with art that had travelled across the world but never lost its connection to its people.

Supported by the PNG Government through the PNG National Cultural Commission, the U.S. High Commission, and the Culture and Arts Office under the East Sepik Provincial Administration, the visit underscored the transformative power of cultural exchange. Upon their arrival, Borungai and Kuarchinj stood before the artworks—not simply as spectators but as descendants honoring their lineage. In that sacred moment, they performed a kastom ceremony, invoking the spirits of their forebears before the grand reopening of the Met’s Rockefeller Wing.

“Those 250 painted sago palm branches displayed in the Met aren’t just decoration—they carry our history, our spirits, our identity,” Borungai reflected. “Seeing our fathers’ work there… it brings pride but also sadness. We were so far from home, but at the same time, they are there with us.”

Burgos, who played a vital role in arranging the visit, expressed her deep appreciation for the PNG Government and all those who contributed to making the journey possible. She emphasized how art fosters relationships between nations, helping to preserve histories beyond borders.

Borungai and Kuarchinj returned to Wewak, East Sepik Province, on June 8th, carrying with them not just the experience of witnessing their ancestors' work but the strengthened ties between Papua New Guinea and the United States.