Papuan

Papuan is a broad ethnolinguistic term for the indigenous peoples and languages of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands, spanning the eastern half of the island, mainly Papua New Guinea, and the western half comprising the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua. The term is not a single cultural or political entity; it covers hundreds of diverse ethnic groups with distinct cultures, languages, and histories. In some contexts it is used to refer to non-Austronesian-speaking populations, in others to all indigenous inhabitants regardless of language.

Linguistically, Papuan languages constitute a diverse and heterogeneous collection rather than a single language family. They include numerous language families and isolates and are primarily spoken in the highlands and inland areas of New Guinea. They are distinct from Austronesian languages, though contact between language groups has produced bilingualism and language shift. Many Papuan languages are endangered due to shifting to more dominant languages such as Tok Pisin, English, Indonesian, or larger local languages.

Geography and history: New Guinea is one of the world's most linguistically diverse regions. Human settlement is documented for tens of thousands of years, with multiple migration periods shaping the current distribution of peoples. Trade, intergroup alliances, and later colonial and national borders have influenced cultures and identities. The eastern portion became the independent state of Papua New Guinea in 1975; the western portion remained part of Indonesia as Papua and West Papua provinces.

Contemporary usage and cautions: The label Papuan is widely used in scholarly contexts, in anthropology and linguistics, to classify non-Austronesian-speaking peoples of New Guinea. However, many groups prefer specific ethnonyms and reject broad labels. The term should be used with attention to local self-identification and linguistic distinctions.