The ancestors of the Kewa most likely lived in the area now occupied by
the Central Enga people, which is well to the north and northwest. There
are very old trade links which extend southwest to Lake Kutubu and along
the Kikori River, as well as northwest to the Upper Mendi. The first
European visitors, patrol officers Jack Hides and James O'Malley,
penetrated the Kewa area in 1935, followed by I. Champion and
C. J. Adamson in 1936. There was little contact again until the early
1950s. Since that time both the missions and the government have built
airstrips, schools, roads, and medical facilities.
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