In the 1970s, Ragnar Johnson recorded Papua New Guinea's sacred flute and bamboo Jew's harp music before the traditions died out.

The article focuses on Ragnar Johnson’s 1979 field recordings of sacred flute and bamboo Jew’s harp music in Papua New Guinea, capturing endangered ceremonial traditions in the Madang and Highlands regions. Johnson, a social anthropologist, documented these musical practices as they were on the verge of disappearing, recording elderly musicians who were among the last to know these skills. His recordings, originally released in the 1970s and recently reissued by the US label Ideologic Organ, provide a rare ethnographic record of these cultural expressions. Johnson’s work involved challenging field conditions and reflects a unique historical moment when traditional practices were still alive but rapidly fading.