The next morning we met up with David Smith for a chance to meet our neighbors in the Ukarumpa village just off center. They live just across the river on a hillside overlooking the valley. The village is constructed in family groups with sets of houses arranged like small cul-de-sacs. Papuans are very individualistic. Although they are a village and a family, every individual builds his house and earns a living very uniquely. Some people live very traditionally in round houses and raise pigs. Others have windows in square houses and operate “stores.” Some grow coffee, others corn and taro. It was amazing to see how diverse the community was and how each person had carved out a unique way of living from their neighbors. I could write a whole book on all that I saw and learned from just those few hours of visiting with those people.
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