Tribesmen from Papua New Guinea visit ahead of plans to build village in NYC

Mundiya Kepanga, a ritual wig man, and Fabian Paino, a well-known Malagan carver, visited New York City for the first time to attract tourists to their home.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Sunday, June 15, 2014

 

Two tribesmen from Papua New Guinea hit the city last week to lure tourists to their island homeland.
This June, a Papua New Guinea village will be built in New York City, and Mundiya Kepanga and Fabian Paino flew in for the event — their first time in the big city.
Papua New Guinea, located around 100 miles north of Australia, is home to 7.5 million people with more than 800 languages and cultures.
"We had quite a large task of bringing that kind of diversity of Papua New Guinea to America,” says spokesperson Ally Stoltz.
Kepanga and Paino had the typical tourist experience — including a run-in with the Naked Cowboy — but their trip had a deeper purpose.

David Handschuh/New York Daily News Mundiya Kepanga checks out some 'I Love New York' T-shirts. Enlarge

 

David Handschuh/New York Daily News Mundiya Kepanga and Fabian Paino help the Naked Cowboy into a mask. Enlarge

 

“Essentially, they’re here to build a bridge,” Stoltz says. “They’re building a bridge back to Papua New Guinea, and inviting Americans to continue the journey that they started here today and actually visit.”
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