Traditional ecological knowledge and local language amid a gold rush: age- and gender-related variation in the Awiakay community, Papua New Guinea

Abstract Background The start of a gold rush on the lands of the Awiakay (Papua New Guinea) in 2020 set in motion a range of adverse changes in social relations, community life, and everyday practices. Accompanied by a shift towards the lingua franca Tok Pisin, these changes may be disrupting the transmission of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to the younger generation. Here, we present the results of a study aimed at quantifying the TEK of Awiakay speakers – male and female – across three age groups. Methods The ability to name culturally relevant ethnotaxa was used as a proxy for a respondent’s level of TEK. Sixty-one Awiakay speakers were individually presented with colour photographs of 80 ethnotaxa, including plants, birds, bats and other small mammals, and asked to name them in Awiakay. Responses (including those given only in Tok Pisin, or those consisting solely of cultural/ethnobiological information, but no name) were noted, and analysed statistically using ANOVA, t-test and correlation analysis. Results Males performed better overall (51.4% correct Awiakay names, vs. 37.9% for females), but this was driven primarily by the former’s superior knowledge of birds and bats. There was also an increase in performance with age: among males, the scores plateaued rapidly, whereas females showed a more gradual increase in scores. Lack of knowledge of individual ethnotaxa could be related to recent lifestyle changes. Among the children, the lowest scorers tended to belong to families that were most intensely involved in the gold rush. Conclusions The results suggest that the gold rush is likely disrupting the transmission of TEK in the Awiakay community. Further research is required to conclusively disambiguate the effects of gold panning from the normal acquisition of TEK among young children.