Kewa - History and Cultural Relations

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.