Origins
The Motu live in a comparative rain shadow – the dry season is unusually harsh, and there are not enough suitable areas for the growing of sago (rabia). On the other hand the Motu, unlike most people of Papua New Guinea, were skilled in the art of making clay cooking pots (uro).
The traditional Hiri voyages carried the much-prized Motu cooking pots to the people of the Gulf of Papua, and brought back plentiful supplies of sago for the Motu.
Read more about this topic: Hiri Trade Cycle
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