Eleman

The Eleman languages form a small Papuan family spoken around Kerema Bay at the head of the Gulf of Papua on the southern coast of New Guinea. Eleman proper comprises five related languages in two branches: a western branch of Keuru, Opao and Orokolo, and an eastern branch of Toaripi and Tairuma.

Kaki Ae and Purari have at times been linked with Eleman, but much of the resemblance is attributed to borrowing, so their place remains debated. The gulf's coastal villages were the western terminus of the hiri, the Motu trading voyages that carried clay pots from the Port Moresby area to exchange for sago, and an early pidgin form of Motu served as a contact language with Eleman speakers.

The Spanish voyage of Torres passed the approaches to the gulf in 1606, yet the sheltered bay and its swamps were not penetrated by outsiders until long afterward.