Mekeo are a Melanesian people of Papua New Guinea. Most of them still live where their ancestors have lived, along the middle part of the Angabunga River, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of Port Moresby. There are more than 8,000 Mekeo living there today. They are known for wearing colorful clothing and painting designs on their faces. About one-fifth of the Mekeo work at various occupations in many parts of Papua New Guinea. They practically control the trade in betel nuts in the markets of Koki and other districts of Port Moresby. Before Australia took control in the early 1900's, the Mekeo were continually at war with neighboring peoples.