The broken arrows
Six years before the declaration of independence of Papua-new Guinea english ethnographer Malkolm Dirk interviewed inhabitants of Papuan`s villages. He was interested how they are concerning independence, what should expect from it and what are they thinking about Australian management which term expired in 1976.
The fifty years old Papuan Bely from village Jambon told then:
«White people do not understand us. However, they have medicines, they have constructed the roads for us. But we need much more than that. I’m afraid that people can start war again, when white people will leave…»
And each third person from the interrogated told me the same thing: «If only people haven’t started to kill each other. We can take care with the rest …»
Even before declaration of independence the majority of the Australians who lived in New Guinea, has started to pack suitcases. There were gossiping that Papuans start preparing slaughter, that soldiers of mountain tribes gather in a campaign to coastline, that sorcerers was already cooking poisons for arrows.
But it wasn’t any slaughter. In mountain villages where the message about creation of the young state has reached with essential delay, wasn’t at all apprehended as a signal to a campaign to coast: such far military campaigns simply is not the habit of Papuans. Nevertheless the alarm noticed in answers, written down by Malkolm Kirk, has not been deprived the bases. Obviously the prime minister of the country Michael Somare convinces the fellow citizens in cases of any interbreeding disputes to invite employees of local administration: there is a special post — the intermediary in interbreeding conflicts.
This post is usually work for young men who have got education and — the main thing — is not belonging to one of tribes of province. They are not complaining about absence of work.
On June, 17th, 1977 Kobale Calais, the official from capital, went to settlement Kundiava in a mountain province of Chimbu. Kobale Calais was going to propose his candidature in parliament and should address to voters on a meeting of his native tribe dinga. The way lay through the district of Koge, the earth of tribe numai. In one of turns on road has suddenly jumped out the little girl. The driver has suddenly stopped, but with left side of the car has stroke the girl and she fold down in roadside thickets. People have gathered around the motionless child.
Before they reached the car, the driver has switched on full gas, and the car on the maximum speed rushed to the nearest police post. The girl as it was found out then, was okay, but she was terribly frightened. But Kobale Calais had no time to find it out: he was too afraid for his life. The official fears were clear: by the breeding rules — and its power in mountains is stronger than hand-written laws — for child murder the people of numai would kill him on the place of a crime.
The police post arrested the capital visitor for some time, but he was released because he arrived there by his own will paid the penalty, and the girl was fine. Under armed security forces he was delivered to Kundiavu.
It seemed that this case is closed. But four days later when Kobale Calais was coming back through Koge, the car was stopped by the crowd from a tribe numai. Also among them there was mother of the girl, she shouted loudly with raised mattock. Numai forced Calais to leave the car. But noticed in time that he was wearing golfs — an obligatory accessory of clothe of the high-ranking employee. A little bit confused, he have been released, explained that from his occupied situation saved him from death, and as acknowledgement wounded with spear in a shoulder his brother — the policeman in a small rank.
The Dinga tribe to which belong Calais, expected such development of events. Men were in advance painted in fighting colours, armed with axes and spears, bows with arrows and waited for signal in suburb of Kundiavy. In two hours after brothers departure, the hearing was carried that Kobale Calais and his brother corporal Kobale Dzheffri were killed.
In half an hour soldiers-dinga attacked numai. They arrived on several Japanese semi-trucks to a stream that divide the earths of both tribes, and invade into numai`s village, setting on fire the huts and killing pigs. Attack lasted for one hour.
Numai were desperately protected and killed one of the attackers.
Next day united forces of a tribe dinga — couple hundreds of soldiers — attacked numai again. This time there wasn’t any human victims, but they burnt forty huts and killed twenty pigs. Pigs hulks dinga carried away with them. Two days of war, death of the soldier, material losses — this fact set both tribes to think. Representatives of dinga and numai went to provincial administration to Kundiavu, run on mountain footpaths, hiding from each other in thickets. The administration was the last hope. The problem was solved.
The armistice lasted almost a week before dinga attacked numai again. Feeling that he was the reason of war, Kobale Calais arrived from Port Moresby. He tried to dissuade fellow tribesmen from war, but they were relentless. They advised to the capital relative — if he does not wont to lose a voice on elections — he had to be painted, as a soldier, or to left this place immediately. The armed men have already crowded on coast of a stream.
The policemen standing knee-deep in water in the middle of a stream shouted in a megaphone vainly. The helicopter flayed over the people’s heads, photographed the most active trouble-makers. From the helicopter shouted through a megaphone that all this doing in order to to bring the guiltier to court. From coast to coast flied arrows and stones. It lasted for three hours. Then the peace was established again. Injured were carried away. In the evening the governor of a province Chimbu arrived, but the leader of dinga and numai refused to talk with him.
In two weeks numai came to dinga with the peace offer, but they were met with hailstones of arrows. One of arrow got the police officer accompanying this delegation.
Next day numai set on fire the dinga`s village.
And in a week the ambassador from a coastal tribe motu managed enemies to peace again. For this purpose they should make a holiday and to break arrows publicly.
Symbolical arrows break should finish the war and announce peace.
But soldiers of dinga afraid that they would be brought to court, they hidden the fighting weapon and instead of it broke some stems. In fact that this action called in people of numai well-founded doubt in sincerity of dinga. But the war finally came to an end. The matter is that because of this war the woman of both tribes were afraid to go on their gardens, and they were absorbed quickly by violent tropical vegetation. In both tribes the time of dearth was coming, and it was more important than all losses and insults.
The authorities sent in prison the most militant men not more than ten person. As the form of charge, them have shown the pictures made from the helicopter. Two months the prisoners dug a gardens till a dinner time, and in the evenings they should learnt a state language, pidzhin-English.
Nevertheless relations between tribes dinga and numai remained strained, and going on affairs, people went far around the territory of neighbours. For full calm should convince dinga to break the true arrows.
Only one ambassador from a tribe moty knows, how much patience it was required to arrange for both tribes a grandiose holiday sing-sing. Arrangements proceeded more than a year.
The main thing consisted in “body-business”. This word means the repayment for the suffered member of a tribe in kinah — monetary units of Papua New Guinea.
Except money, it is necessary to deliver feathers for ornaments, pigs and cockleshells.
Long counting of interbreeding losses was ended that conclude everything — from broken nose to burnt village. At last booming sounds of a drum-kundu announced the beginning of sing-sing.
Only after checked up everything that numai delivered, dinga brought the fighting arrows and broke them before the eyes of their former enemies.
After this the cares of the ambassador of moty didn’t came to an end. For full strengthening of the peace in territory between Giu and Kundiav it was necessary to organise some weddings between dinga and numai. And tribes should exchange equal quantity of brides. Synge-sing was an excellent occasion and a place to engagements. The part of wedding gifts was incurred by administration: transistor receivers, lipstick and richly illustrated book of prime minister Somare «Jumi Vanpela Pipal» — «We are the people of same land». With the marriages the peace between dinga and numai was established for long time.
By Alex_cman
Very interesting post
Fantastic article, keep up the good work.