Diversity and change of food consumption and nutrient intake among the Gidra in Lowland Papua

Abstract

Food consumption and nutrient intake of the Gidra in lowland Papua, who number 1,850 and inhabit 13 villages, were analyzed by compilation of five two‐week (or twelve‐day) records, in a single village in 1971 and in four different villages (including the above village) in 1981. The nutrient intake of the Gidra varied both over time and among the villages. Difference in food consumption patterns included different proportions of plant staples such as sago flour, garden crops and purchased cereals. The animal protein sources, mainly game and fish, also markedly varied among the villages. These differences in food consumption were related to environmental conditions such as the fauna and flora in the environment of each village and to the degree of modernization as reflected in ability to purchase foods not locally grown. The causal relationship between ecological (environmental and cultural) conditions and food and nutrition is discussed, and a schematic model for this relationship is presented.