page_title: Enga Province
section_title: People
hierarchical_section_title: Enga Province / People
caption_attribution_description: English: Kaukau (aka kumara, aka sweet potato) gardens, Ambum Valley, Enga Province, PNG
context_page_description: Enga is one of the provinces in Papua New Guinea. It is located in the north most region of the highlands of PNG, having been divided from the Western Highlands to become a separate province when the provinces were created at the time of independence in 1975. The people of Enga are called Engans—they are a majority ethnic group—speaking one language in all its five districts: approximately 500,000 people. A small minority of Engans' land on the eastern side of the region remained in the Western Highlands, their territory being accessible by road from Mount Hagen but not directly from elsewhere in Enga territory.
context_section_description: Like many ethnic groups in the Papua New Guinea Highlands, Engans often possess a strong and sturdy frame, being neither remarkably short nor tall.  Most men cultivate a beard after their early adult years have passed, which will be allowed to grow until it is a fine length.  Women too will occasionally cultivate facial hair, it not being regarded as particularly attractive or unattractive.
  Facial tattooing of women is common, for various reasons, and the markings can be as simple as a small circle, all the way to complicated striations which cover the entire face.
  As elsewhere in Papua New Guinea, the wantok system is a key cultural item.
  Polygamy is practiced by some Engan men.
caption: Kaukau (aka kumara, aka sweet potato) gardens, Ambum Valley
exif: {}