Home
Caroline's Story
About the Expedition
Expedition Journal
Team Bios
News Room
Sponsors & Supporters
Contact
|
|
Monday, June 13
The stilt village of Hanuabada is a world unto itself. There are actually two villages next to each other, the other named Elevala. As one looks towards land from the sea, Elevala sits on the right, Hanuabada to the left. The configuration is meant to mimic an outrigger canoe. Rickety boardwalks run between the houses, and we carefully picked our way across wide gaps between the planks (amazingly, the children scampered along like cats).
The people of Elevala are from the Koitabu group, and those from Hanuabada are Motuan. We visited the area last Friday, and met with descendants of subjects from two of Caroline's paintings. We continue to be amazed that we've been able to easily locate such people. Desmond is the grandson of Ahuia, the Motuan man wearing the striking headdress in "Heera," our project's signature emblem. He and Ahuia's great granddaughter, Gertrude, spoke at length of what they could remember about the man who was a messenger for then Governor Sir Hubert Murray. Ahuia was Koitabun, and descended from a long line of sorcerers, according to Desmond.
We next met with Oala Mase, the grandson of Kori Tabora, the sorceress in "For the Dance." He actually had known about Caroline coming to the village over 70 years ago to paint his grandmother, and tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at the print of the painting and spoke to us of his grandmother's life. Apparently Kori was well known up and down the coast for her ability to heal, and to bring good fortune in fishing and gardening. Oala had compiled a comprehensive family genealogy of both his mother's and father's families, and he was very excited that someone had finally come to his village and was pursuing a story that included his grandmother.
On Saturday we documented a large and colorful festival honoring the silver jubilee of Father Michael Igo, a Catholic priest ordained by Pope John Paul II serving in Hanuabada. Fr. Igo had served in other parts of Papua New Guinea, and dancers from all of those areas had gathered to celebrate in traditional dress along with the standard Catholic mass ritual. The dancers had been up all night preparing their costumes, fasting, and celebrating. The event was an interesting example of how the old and new beliefs in this land are often celebrated together.
Last night we transferred off the M/V Febrina and into Loloata Dive Resort on Loloata Island. It was very sad to say goodbye to the crew and our home-away-from-home for nearly 7 weeks. Early this morning the Febrina pulled anchor and motored past us on her way out to the Gulf of Papua and back to New Britain. The morning sun softly highlighted her dark blue hull and white cabin, and we waved goodbye with heavy hearts.
But we had more work to do and soon after we were on our way back to Hanuabada to film and photograph the last phases of work on a headdress that we commissioned based on "Heera." We spent the morning sitting on a bare wooden floor with Siaka Heni, in his shanty on a busy dirt street in the village, surrounded by his family members and friends. We watched him put the finishing touches on the headdress, and when he finally placed it on his head, after painting his face, we both had lumps in our throats as it seemed we were viewing a living rendition of the painting we had looked at for so long. It was a fitting ending to our long project. The headdress will be donated to the National Museum at a reception tomorrow night at the U.S. ambassador's residence on Paga Hill. Siaka himself will be there, modeling his work of art.
After that, we have one day to run errands and pack, for we leave the "land of the unexpected" early Thursday morning. It's been an unbelievable, amazing, inspiring, and intriguing journey. We've all worked hard and have learned so much. It will be a bittersweet moment when our plane takes off from the Port Moresby airport, but we will be happy knowing it won't be long before we see our loved ones. Thanks for joining us on our journey.
Saturday, June 11
New sound bites added
Look in the two most recent entries below for some new sound bites.
<CLICK HERE> to find the first sound bite.
<CLICK HERE> to find the second one.
Thursday, June 9
Baby in a Bag
<CLICK HERE> for a sound bite of the village headman singing a lullaby.
One of the most interesting things we learned was how they care for their babies in Oro Province -- using billum bags. Instead of a crib, they put the baby in a bag! Specifically, they use a "billum" bag. Billums are woven from fiber made from a tree vine, and come in all colors and sizes. Everyone swings a billum bag over their shoulder for transporting and storing anything they need to carry. They ?re kind of like the village equivalent of a purse or briefcase. The bags are very strong, and can also be hung from a peg and used to store vegetables ?or babies. In fact, they make the perfect little nest for babies, who curl up in the bottom, snugly sleeping away. We saw such a site during our visit, and recorded a village lullaby sung by no other than the headman himself.
Wednesday, June 8
Bootless Bay, near Port Moresby
Explorers Club Day
Explorers Club Day - Thank you for honoring us with Flag #46 of this prestigious organization.
The past week seems like a month, considering all that has transpired. We arrived in the Port Moresby area Thursday morning, the 2nd, battered and windblown after 20 straight hours of running in rough seas. A strong sou'easterly continues to blow across the Gulf, and it made for a tiring passage last week. We approached Loloata Island off the coast of the capital, and anchored in a calm, quiet harbor where we remain.
Our first day was spent provisioning and setting up plans for the near future. We sent a small advance team into the local village of Hanuabada for reconnaissance and to establish introductions. Dr. Andrew Moutu, our team anthropologist, and Maggie Mea, our local contact with the PNG Dive Association who is from Hanuabada, actually located the grandson of the sorceress depicted in Caroline's painting, "For the Dance." Tomorrow the rest of the team will visit the village and document the man's experiences and daily life in this interesting stilt village built over the water.
After further logistical preparations and driving to and from various offices in Port Moresby, including meeting with Gus Krauss, the marketing manager at Airlines PNG, we finally had some real plans for our next extension. Until Saturday it was still very much up in the air whether we would be able to make it to the Fly River or have to go to plan B (actually, we had plans all the way through the letter K, it seemed). Unfortunately, due to the slowdown in industry in the Fly region, there are very few flights there, and many of the landing strips have closed. There are only weekly flights in and out to a few places. So a Fly River expedition will have to remain for the future, probably as a separate trip on its own. We were however, able to arrange a unique trip to Oro Province near Cape Nelson on the north coast of the peninsula. So on Sunday morning, our core team of Michele, Karen, Jeff, Austin, and Andrew set off on a DHC 6-300 Twin Otter for Tufi. We would stay in the village of Kofure for three nights, and experience real village culture as it is lived by those people today. We could also wrap up our subject of tattooing, for it is in this area that full facial tattooing is practiced by the women.
Our flight left POM Sunday at around 7:20 a.m., with stops at Itokama and Popondetta. The flight was spectacular. We flew over a green corduroy landscape of steep mountains and gorges, and touched down on a beautiful grass landing strip for our 1st stop. The locals were gathered around stick fences watching us land. The pilot let us deplane so we could wander around and shoot photos and talk to people before herding us back on for our next stop. From the air one could easily see the old WWII landing strips and berms at Popondetta. It was affecting to consider that a world war had been fought in this now peaceful, verdant valley. But the most spectacular portion was our continuation across Cape Nelson and the myriad fjords and peninsulas that reach out like knuckles into the Solomon Sea. We approached our grass landing strip at Tufi from the sea, a sparkling and exciting arrival.
Headman Davidson Yari-Yari greeted us and we were then transported to Kofure by two outrigger canoes. Watching our precious film and photographic equipment being loaded onto the flat platforms made of poles gave us a slight pause, but the men were so careful and appeared so confident that we soon relaxed. We arrived at the village to the sounds of Davidson's brother, Evirtuous Yari-Yari singing the "Oro" song, or "welcome." He was outfitted in full Kofure kit, complete with tapa bark loin cloth, headdress of colorful plumage, and face painted with local dyes. We spent the next three days there, living with and learning from the villagers.
The following are two sound bites of singing:
<CLICK HERE> for sound bite #1
<CLICK HERE> for sound bite #2
The afternoon we arrived we got to know the village as we were escorted around and met various families, saw their gardens of bananas, yams, beans, and other produce, and learned about how they wrest a living from the environment. It is continual, hard work, spent fishing, pig hunting, shell gathering, tending gardens, cooking, and caring for the young. Each family has its own outrigger canoe, and men and women were seen out early in the morning and late in the evening fishing. At times they fish by torch at night. Pig hunting can go on for 4 days. Working for survival is an everyday task.
Monday we paddled by outrigger to the nearest fjord and up to its estuary where a river runs into it. These are the only tropical fjords in the world and they are truly beautiful. Encased by coral reefs, they provide sustenance to the local people and lush habitat to sulphur-crested cockatoos, hornbills, birdwing butterflies, and numerous other colorful fauna and flora. As we drifted up the estuary, a cockatoo sounded a repetitive trumpet alarm, and we could hear the hornbills as they were out feeding. Speaking of fauna, that night Michele encountered a large, furry, brown spider the size of a dinner plate next to her bed. Not ones for being too proud, Michele and Karen promptly ran out of their room and pleaded for male assistance. The headman himself came to our rescue and dispatched the arachnid with his handy bush knife. Soon afterwards, Austin, our soundman, was heard yelling profanities from HIS room when he discovered a few more, smaller (although that's relative) spiders in his bed!
Tuesday morning we learned from a personal perspective what's involved in tattooing. We had documented and interviewed several women in various locations on our journey, and Caroline discussed tattooing in-depth in her book. Part of our venture to Kofure was to go directly to where the art is still practiced today. Karen had been considering getting a traditional tattoo. Michele was on the sidelines, trying to make up her mind. On Sunday afternoon Karen and Michele decided to go for it, so Ana, the woman who does the tattooing in the village (and also the headman's wife), drew several designs for them to choose from. The event was set for Tuesday after breakfast.
All they knew was that it might take about an hour and would involve sago palm thorns and charcoal scraped from the bark of a nearby burnt tree trunk. Karen was intent on doing this and so volunteered to go first. Without further ado, she laid down on her stomach on the wooden picnic table under an open-air thatched roof, pulled her shirt up half way and the procedure began. No anesthetic, no antiseptic. Ana had to make three passes over the same areas with her sago thorns. But Karen didn't wince or show any emotion. The women said she was a very "strong meri" (strong woman). Ana and the other women hugged Karen and Ana called her "my daughter." Now that she has gone through this procedure, she can fully appreciate what the local women have endured getting a full facial tattoo. That is hard to imagine. Traditionally it was done to show that a woman has come of age and is ready for marriage. And it is a dying tradition. The younger women are not getting the tattoos any more, and it is not expected of them.
The procedure in fact took much longer than expected, lasting three hours, and Karen was drenched in perspiration. The design ended up a bit bigger than originally envisioned but it is really beautiful. And yes, it was painful. After observing and photographing thorns drawing blood in Karen's back, Michele slowly backed off, giving more serious thought as to whether she would pursue it. Her prayers were answered when the decision was made that it would take too long and we had other filming to do.
Later that day the village put on a traditional sing-sing especially for us. It was the most beautiful pageantry we've seen. Hours are spent constructing headdresses and costumes, all made locally with native plants, feathers, and shells. The performances used to be done in conjunction with compensation ceremonies but are now done for other special occasions. That night we sat with the people and ate fried pumpkin, plantains, fish, and potatoes, and listened to them perform songs while they beat kundu drums. Chief Davidson illustrated how they conduct healing ceremonies, which are actually on the comeback since the decline in health services in the area.
On Wednesday morning, with incredible footage and plenty of dirty laundry, the team flew back to Port Moresby and are downloading hours of images, audio, and logging video tape. Tomorrow, Hanuabada.
Wednesday, June 1st
For those of you who think we are basking on the beach under a palm tree, drinking pina coladas, take a look at the image of us going to shore on the dinghy the other day. We had been waiting for the rain to subside so that we might interview an elderly woman with body tattoos similar to those shown in the "Sarli and Wife" painting of Caroline's. A dedicated group of filmmakers trying to outwit the elements!!!
The previous day we had met our first fully tattooed woman, the mother-in-law of a local counselor, and it was quite an exhilarating event. We had the print of Sarli with us and when the old woman emerged from her hut, replete in traditional grass skirt,, we both stopped in our tracks. Her tattoos were of the same design as the young wife in the painting. Noevea Salagomgom was born sometime before WWII. Her recollections of the tattooing werer translated through her relative since she only spoke "tok ples," her village language. The art of tattooing is "di pinis", which in pidgin means it's over, gone, finished.
It was "raining doorknobs" (a description Caroline used in her book describing the conditions on the rugged Southeast Coast) the day we tried to meet with the second woman, and while we did see her briefly, she was out in her sea canoe, alone, fishing in the rain There were no covered places nearby to film her, and our boat needed to get underway within the hour. So we headed back to the FeBrina. As we moved to a new bay and new villages, we continued our search for more women who had tattoos, and any other dying traditions. We carry the prints with us all the time now, as it is the quickest and most tangible way to unlock opportunities to openly engage people. Once viewed, the prints create an atmosphere of dialogue. No longer do landowners want to charge us for anchorage, no longer do they expect trade goods just a wonderful exchange of ideas and conversation.
We met two more tattooed women near Mullins and Milliport Bays during the next days. On Larouro Island, one of the women was almost 100 years old! She sat peacefully weaving her basket while questions and translations between her great grandson and Dr.Andrew Moutu, our team anthropologist, filled in the gaps. We asked if there were any tattoo artists still alive and the response was that there were none left that knew the old designs. As we departed, two young women showed us their tattoos. The sad part was that they were small and of Western design and not the beauty of the intricate patterns on the old woman. Hopefully, our visit will encourage them that if they desire tattoos, they should look at the beauty that is their own.
On the next island in the area, Mailu, we learned about a special tradition of pottery making that occurs only there. Our trip to the island was challenging. It was a long dinghy ride through large swells and some precarious landing locations. A villager kept waving to us and soon we realized that he wanted to help guide us into shore. The man actually swam through the surf and crawled onto the dinghy to help guide us, smiling all the while. After waiting for our contact to bring out an elderly woman who still makes the pots, we were gratified and amazed to see that she, too, exhibited the same full body tattoos. Bo'o Sebi is some 80 plus years old and one of the most spry. You could tell that she was in command and took no guff off of anyone. Bo'o carried with her a woven carrier full of the special clay and the tools necessary to form a pot. Once comfortably seated on her mat, she began the process telling us through an interpreter, the stories of her youth. We were surrounded by children listening as intently as we were. Maybe outsiders can encourage this form of story telling again which is so vital to pass down the unwritten history. Saying our goodbyes was very touching. Bo'o took our hands holding them tightly and told us we were also her children. We departed Mailu with clay pots that would serve as a reminder of all of these special women the last relics of a living museum.
The next morning, we departed for Port Moresby in hopes that we would find another way to get to the Fly River Territory. The 18 hour steam through rolling seas convinced us that it would have been too difficult and dangerous to attempt the crossing in FeBrina.
We would like to acknowledge photographer Susan Turner, who joined us in Alotau to share her knowledge of the Fly River. Susan lived in the territory for about 12 years and still travels there She has an intimate knowledge of the Fly, its culture and customs. Susan is as excited as we are to get to the Fly but she also said "This is PNG and change is expected." We are working on several avenues to either get to Fly River destinations or other options. Through Susan's experience and advice, we have targeted a couple locations we hope to fly to. Stay tuned, and find out where our next destination is!
Sunday, May 29th
Mullins Harbor, Southeast Coast of Papua New Guinea
As this is written, rain is pelting down and the world is an image of gray. We've just run three hours in roiling seas from Gabusenares Bay, near Fife, and the little village of AloAlo. Now we are anchored in calm waters well within the harbor.
Our previous report left us in Tawali, and on Tuesday, May 24th, our last day there we filmed and photographed four dance groups performing in more-or-less traditional dress of banana and pandanus leaves, feathers, and shells. We learned that these dances are rarely, if ever, conducted during the normal course of daily life in this area anymore, and it's questionable how much of the dancing and singing is authentic. But what is "authentic" in this day and age when so much of every culture is borrowed and adapted from others? The people here do indicate that instructions for these performances are passed down from father to son, and they take great interest in preserving, or re-creating, such traditions. They speak quite openly about these issues and the fact that the old and new ways are now mixed.
We departed Tawali that afternoon for Alotau in Milne Bay Province. This was primarily an "R & R" stop, re-fueling and re-supplying. It was also a chance for all team members and crew to take a breather, catch up on errands, send audio files from an internet café, and catch up on note-taking, image processing, and logging video. Garbage was hauled off the boat and new provisions and fuel taken on. The internet helped us again as we were offered the use of a truck from the brother of a man in Atlanta who found Karen through a network of media professionals. Leslie Williams teaches at the local International School in Alotau, and Michele and Karen were invited to give a presentation of their project to 7th and 8th graders there.
Unplanned events are often the most rewarding, and so it was when our film crew discovered two women from Tufi in the Oro Province at a local retail shop. The women exhibited beautiful full facial tattooing, and were delighted with our interest in them and their culture. During our interview with them, we learned how the tattooing is done and why. These days it's a matter of choice, and most young women opt out. But in the recent past the tattooing was done to all young women when they came of age and were ready to marry. The "needle" is made from a local plant they call "tata" and the "ink" is from mud mixed with charcoal from a special pot. According to the women, the designs are without meaning. Full facial tattoos can take anywhere from two weeks to two months to complete, depending on "how strong" the woman is during the painful process.
Early Friday morning, the 27th at around 0430, we departed for points south. Our route took us through a very narrow channel of the China Straits where the depth dropped from 500' to less than 15' in a matter of minutes. We spent nine hours in very rough seas, but our iron lady (FeBrina is derived from Fe-iron, and Brina-salt) with her big 350 twin reverse gear boxes, 300 horsepower Cummins diesel engines handled the churning with confidence. Objects were flying throughout the interior of the boat, and we had to dismantle our computer workstations, the TV and VCR, and all other heavy items and put them down on the floor. We couldn't stand or sit, so we were all lying down on the settees or in our bunks. Needless to say, we didn't see Captain Alan for the full 9 hours, as he wrestled the sea from the wheelhouse. When it was all over and we anchored in Gabusenares Bay, the salon looked like the aftermath of an 8.0 earthquake! At this point it became apparent that our original plan of crossing the Gulf of Papua to the Fly River was a non-starter. We were just doing a coastal crawl at this point and the seas were bad enough. Three full days of even rougher weather would be dangerous for us and for the boat. So we are entertaining several different options at this point a small core team might take a light plane to an airstrip along the Fly, or we could fly up to Tufi in Oro Province and investigate the tattooing further. There are a couple of other ideas being considered, but at this point it's one day at a time. After all, expeditions are about adapting to changing conditions. Or "expect the unexpected," as they say in PNG.
At Gabusenares Bay, we sent a first reconnaissance team ashore to meet the locals. Visitors rarely call here at AloAlo, and Michele's sun-bleached blond hair and blue eyes scared two little children into hysterics. The gracious mother then introduced the team to Pastor David and his wife Grace of the United Church. It appears that every village has its church, although they may be of different denominations. United Church is apparently an amalgamation of Methodist and Presbyterian beliefs. On our second visit ashore the next morning, the pastor and his wife, along with his relatives and deacons sat with us for some time as we described our project, and they told us about their local Christian culture and a few remaining believers in the "old ways." Apparently an older man in the next village knew something about sorcerers and the belief in the old god, Yabuwena, and we waited the rest of the afternoon to see him. But he was off at a land court dispute hearing something we are finding is not uncommon in this country. We did meet an elderly woman who still wore a grass skirt made of stripped palm leaves, a very rare sight anymore. We stayed at our moorage last night and took off again at dawn for our current position.
And still the rain falls.
