MENDI People

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The people of the Mendi Valley, commonly referred to as “Mendi,” is located in the Mendi Subprovince of the Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. In precolonial times, Mendi had no collective name for themselves; nowadays, they still speak a variety of languages and dialects, and Mendi Valley clans have active sociopolitical relationships of long standing with peoples living elsewhere.

Indigenous localities in the Mendi Valley have perhaps 20-100 residents. Each locality, or “su,” is associated with an individual clan or subclan section and is socially centered around a clearing called “koma,” where meetings and collective events are held.

Extended info about Mendi People