Motu
- proper noun
- Understanding Motu is essential for communicating with locals in Papua New Guinea.
- Motu pottery
- Motu pottery production
- Motu hiri
Examples
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The hiri voyages of the Motu could last from three to six months.
Academic text (1994) -
This appears to have been less true of Motu and was still less the case for Murik.
Academic text (1994) -
The level of production was high, as Allen's estimates of Motu pottery production indicate.
Academic text (1994) -
Armshells were manufactured by the Motu and imported, but in what proportions is not known.
Academic text (1994) -
The Motu exchanged fish and pots for staple foods locally, but it is not known in what proportions.
Academic text (1994) -
In general, the agricultural communities raised pigs and exported them, whereas the traders (with the apparent exception of the Western Motu) imported them.
Academic text (1994) -
The other four trading groups imported sago (Motu and Murik on the largest scale) and retraded a portion of it.
Academic text (1994) -
To illustrate, he estimates that at the turn of the century, 600 to 800 Motu potters were producing 35,000 pots annually.
Academic text (1994) -
The Motu language is unique to the region around Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
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Children in the Central Province learn the Motu language from a young age.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Motu names an Austronesian people and their language near Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. It comes from a Pacific word motu meaning 'island', so the name helps you remember that this is the language of island people.
