dobu

Dobu is a term used for an island, its indigenous people, and their language in eastern Papua New Guinea. The name is most often associated with a community and culture on Dobu Island, which lies in Milne Bay Province.

Dobu Island is the principal landmass of the Dobu Islands group in Milne Bay Province. The island is inhabited by the Dobuan people, who speak the Dobu language.

The Dobu language is an Austronesian language within the Oceanic branch. It is spoken by the Dobuan people on Dobu Island and in nearby areas.

In the early 20th century, the Dobuan people were the subject of ethnographic fieldwork by anthropologists such as Bronisław Malinowski. His observations contributed to understandings of social organization, exchange, and ritual life in Pacific Island communities and influenced later anthropological theory.

Today, Dobu remains part of Milne Bay Province. Residents continue to rely on fishing and subsistence horticulture, with related small-scale trade and contact with neighboring communities shaping daily life.