Kiriwina is the largest of the

Trobriand Islands The Trobriand Islands are a archipelago of coral atolls off the east coast of New Guinea. They are part of the nation of Papua New Guinea and are in Milne Bay Province. Most of the population of 12,000 indigenous inhabitants live on the main isla ...

, with an area of 290.5 km². It is part of the

Milne Bay Province Milne Bay is a province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Alotau. The province covers 14,345 km² of land and 252,990 km² of sea, within the province there are more than 600 islands, about 160 of which are inhabited. The province has a ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. Most of the 12,000 people who live in the Trobriands live on Kiriwina. The

Kilivila language Kilivila (Kiriwina) is one of the Kilivila–Louisiades languages (of the Austronesian language family), spoken by the Trobriand people of the Trobriand Islands (Papua New Guinea). It is used in local schools. Phonology Phonology of Kilivila: ...

, also known as Kiriwina, is spoken on the island. The main town is

Losuia Losuia is a village on Kiriwina Island, part of the Kiriwina Islands, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. It is served by Losuia Airport Losuia Airport is an airport in Losuia, on the island of Kiriwina, Papua New Guinea. History Kiriwina Air ...

. The island falls under the administrative division of

Kiriwina Rural LLG Kiriwini Rural LLG is a local-level government (LLG) of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, I ...

History

A Kiriwina Village, Memoirs Bishop Museum, Vol

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

forces landed on Kiriwina and

Woodlark Island Woodlark Island, known to its inhabitants simply as Woodlark or Muyua, is the main island of the Woodlark Islands archipelago, located in Milne Bay Province and the Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea. Although no formal census has been conducted sinc ...

on June 30, 1943 during

Operation Chronicle Operation Chronicle was the Allied invasion of Woodlark and Kiriwina Islands, in the South West Pacific, during World War II. The operation was a subordinate action that formed part of the wider Operation Cartwheel, the advance towards Rabau ...

in World War II. Following the landing U.S. Army Engineers supervised construction of Kiriwina Airfield, including a 2,000 metre (6,000 ft)

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

-surfaced runway. "In September 1943, at the request of the 6th Army, 12 officers and 306 men of the 60th Naval Construction Battalion were sent to Kiriwina to assist in the airfield development. The primary task of the Seabees was the construction of two taxiways, one 7,000 feet long, with 25 fighter hardstands; the other, 5,300 feet long, with 16 bomber hardstands. The first taxiway was completed on October 12, two days ahead of schedule, in time to support a major air raid against Rabaul. About a week later, the second taxiway was completed."

No. 73 Wing RAAF No. 73 Wing was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) wing of World War II. It was formed in February 1943 at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, as part of No. 9 Operational Group. The wing initially comprised three attack squadrons flying ...

was based at this field in August 1943. A seaplane base was constructed at Losuia, consisting of an anchorage and jetty.

21st century

30 people were killed in tribal warfare on Kiriwina in October 2022.

References

External links

pacificwrecks.com
Trobriand Islands Islands of Milne Bay Province {{MilneBayProvince-geo-stub

History

21st century

See also

References

External links