Tribesman hanging around the market  Land ownership in Papua New Guinea is highly complex and very important, so disputes over land are often the root of conflicts.  A man inherits land rights, not just from his father, but from any known ancestor on both his mother's and father's side.  All the descendants of a man who planted a tree might have rights to its fruit; and a man will more than likely have rights to a number of widely scattered pieces of land.

Although casualties are fairly rare n traditional warfare, in 1952 Tribal warfare was prohibited.  That said, tribal fights are still quite common.  Couldn't help but notice that rock throwing seemed to be a favorite tradition.