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Wednesday, May 25
Here are a couple of new soundbites.
Click here to hear the Papua New Guinea Anthem sung in pidgin.
Click here to hear the sound of Trobrian dancers.
Greetings Wings World Quest Supporters! We wish to thank you for your support, and the honor of carrying the very first Wings World Quest flag on expedition.
Yesterday we pulled into a beautiful area at Hoia Bay on the northern side of the East Cape peninsula above Alotau. Tawali, where we’re moored, is situated in the cusp of a small bay where dolphins play, surrounded by reefs. Small family compounds dot the shore, where people live in sago palm cottages that they construct themselves. Star fruits, paw paw, tomatoes, and other local produce are brought out to us by canoe each morning.
We visited two skull caves yesterday morning, near Hiliwao village. The caves are formed of limestone stalagtites, and each shelter hundreds of century-old skulls. Many of the skulls exhibit holes, but we don’t know whether they were the actual cause of death, or were made after the skulls were placed in the cave. The locals have either lost the knowledge of the significance of these places, or they weren’t talking. Or perhaps they are a new group of people who have no connection to the caves any more (after WWII especially, groups moved from one area to another and so there’s not always generational continuity). So for today, the meaning of the skull caves is a mystery to us. Unlike Skull Island in the Solomons, these are not so much shrines as repositories, and there’s no one who can, or will, enlighten us as to their history. Perhaps further research will shed some light on this puzzle.
Yesterday afternoon we visited a small school in a neighboring village, Wagohuhu, or Flying Fish Bay. We arrived by launch in a pouring rain proving that is possible to actually be cold in PNG! The school building was made of sago thatch, the desks and seats were handmade of local wood, and the floor was dirt. Otherwise, it resembled any other primary school, with rules and regulations about behaviour and good grammar posted near the blackboard. We donated school supplies to the teachers, and showed them images on our big screaming Dell laptop (lent to us by Intel). Neither the teachers nor the children had ever seen a laptop before. We showed them images of Caroline’s art and our photos, and explained what our project was all about. Needless to say, there were many oohs and ahs, and a few screams. The children here have lovely singing voices, and we got a little teary-eyed as they sang their national anthem for us.
Two days ago we arrived at Samarai, an island where the British colonial government had a strong presence. It’s apparent that the town was once a thriving commercial and colonial center, and in fact the natural beauty of the locale is breathtaking. Old, dilapidated cottages and commercial buildings remain among grassy lanes and an abundance of tropical flowers. One of Caroline’s most important portraits was accomplished here. Sarli and Wife illustrates a local man and a young woman who married against traditional rules, who loved each other dearly. Unfortunately the young woman died soon after her portrait was painted of an influenza brought in by a freighter. Sarli himself passed away not long afterwards. Caroline and Margaret stayed at the local hospital because there were no rooms available anywhere else when they visited here. We climbed the hill and found the location where another hospital building dilapidated and inhabited by squatters now stands amidst a spectacular water view.
The next day we attended a church service on the island of Kwato, just across the bay from Samarai. The people here are quite devout Christians, and the service was warm and uplifting. The open-walled limestone church building was located on the highest spot of the island, with lovely views of the surrounding China Straits.
Saturday, May 21
We are now in quintessential “tropical South Pacific” territory. Small coral atolls and islands with palm trees bending in the wind abound here. Motoring — at least, leaving and arriving by boat — must be done while there is still light in order to avoid shallow reef areas. Once out in open water we can cruise at night, but we have to leave and arrive before dark.
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On Thursday we got to know the island of Panapompom quite well in our search for information on the painting of “Iomai,” the sea canoe carver. We came ashore on the south side of the island, and were greeted by the local ward committee member, Martin. He led us through a beautiful and lush 2-mile walk through jungle filled with orchids, hibiscus, red dragonflies and multi-hued butterflies, to the north side. There we made “talk talk” with Onismo in Galowesan (aka Howaguma), a man whose grandfather may have been brothers with Iomai, about the meaning of the facial markings on Iomai and related body decor. Later that morning we returned to the south side to discover a sea canoe in the process of construction. This was a lucky find for us—the people of Panapompom are known as the master sea canoe builders in the region, and so we were able to learn many details about the boat building process. Thanks to our team anthropologist, Dr. Andrew Moutu, we also extracted information about the more mystical side of the process. Apparently quite a bit of “magic” goes into the making of these vessels. The technical and spiritual knowledge is always passed down only from the mother’s brother to the nephew. But the biggest kick we got was the next day when the two of us got to ride in one of the “canoes.” They are really more like outrigger sailing boats. And do they ever cut through the water! Our video crew riding in the tender along side us couldn’t keep up! I might add we also got “slightly” wet, and bailing was a constant process. But we absolutely loved the sheer exhilaration of speed on a sunlit, sparkling sea.
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Friday we motored to Panasesa, the island where Caroline rested and enjoyed the scenic beauty, including deeply hued turquoise waters and long stretches of pure white sandy beach. This is where Caroline first saw Iomai (even though he was from Panapompom, he was working on a palm plantation here). Indeed, the island was lovely, and we discovered a blue lagoon on the other side of the island. But as the poet said, beauty and pain are often closely linked. The two of us were brushed with the stinger of a man-o-war as we stood in those gorgeous waters. Karen only got a rash, but Michele had the stinger wrapped around her ankle and her leg was soon enveloped in pain so intense she couldn’t walk. We had to get her back to the other side of the island where the tender was moored, praying that she didn’t go into shock. We all made it back fine and Michele’s leg was soon better (especially after gulping down a pain killer). Karen had injured her right hand severely on the hilly walk on Wuli island a few days ago, when she fell and her Canon Mark II camera and lens came crashing down on it. Half of her hand is a lovely collage of blue, black, and red, and shooting is a bit challenging. So the dynamic duo is showing some wear. But neither of us are the least bit perturbed. We’re doing what we love, with people we care about, in a land of beauty and grace.
Wednesday, May 18
On Monday we picked our way carefully through miles of coral reefs encircling Yela Island (also known as Rossel) as we began the next leg of our journey. The reefs appeared virtually untouched and healthy, and the waters were brilliant turquoise against the indigo and steel of the surrounding ocean. As beautiful as they are, they are also treacherous, and many ships, including a submarine, have wrecked in this area over the years.
We arrived at Yela under a shroud of clouds and anchored within the Rossel Lagoon that is formed by the reefs — approximately 60 kilometers in length. We were actually parked in front of Wola, or Wuli Island, a small, verdant and hilly isle. If not for the palm trees you would have thought we were off the coast of Ireland. This is the rainiest area of the chain and therefore the greenest. There didn’t appear to be much sign of human life until we sent the tender to shore and met the few residents. Unlike the “fierce natives” described in Caroline’s books, these people welcomed us warmly. We had hoped to find a descendant of the “Yela Fisherman,” Caroline’s portrait from the area. Our quest took us on a two-hour walking tour of surely one of the most beautiful places on earth. William, a local resident, led us through thigh-high swaying grasses to the highest point on the island. Water views surrounded us on all sides and a gentle wind blew. We passed through jungle and visited a few family compounds where all dwellings were made of sago palm materials. A special red and pink shell money is made here and we were lucky to see how it is manufactured. The red chama scallop is found only in these waters, and small beads are made from the crimson lip of its shell. These beads are then traded to other island groups, who use them in the Kula trading ring further west.
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Yesterday morning we took the launch to an area of mangrove on Yela, very much like those described by Caroline. With a local to guide us through the reefs, we turned off the motor at the mouth of a natural canal and poled our way through. It became narrower and more overgrown as we entered. We noticed small blue crabs but no crocodiles. With no motor running the silence in such a place was ethereal. Later a small group went ashore at Damenu village. Again showing our print of “Yela Fisherman” to this group we were astounded to find his great granddaughter Daisy. Merely by looking at the portrait, islanders were able to pinpoint his family with certainty, and in fact Daisy resembles her ancestor closely.
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Last night we motored to the DeBoyne group and awoke this morning to a beautiful sunrise and turquoise waters at Panapompom Island.
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