Mambai

Mambai refers to an indigenous people of Papua New Guinea and their language, Mambai. The Mambai are part of the country’s rich ethnolinguistic mosaic and live in communities across various regions of Papua New Guinea.

The Mambai language is a Papuan language spoken by members of the Mambai community. It has regional dialects and is used in daily communication as well as in the transmission of oral traditions and local knowledge. The language has attracted linguistic fieldwork and documentation as part of efforts to describe Papua New Guinea’s linguistic diversity.

In contemporary times, Mambai communities navigate the pressures and opportunities of modernization, including education and media, while seeking to maintain language and cultural practices. The term Mambai also appears in anthropological literature when examining social organization, kinship, and ceremonial life among Mambai communities. The Mambai remain one of many groups contributing to Papua New Guinea’s cultural landscape.