Tikai Ka Ra Ngiem

A ura talingam,
Ma tikai ka ra ngiem.
     Una valongore ta do na tinata,
     Ma una tatike ta paupau tinata.
A ura kiau na matam,
Ma tikai ka ra ngiem.
     Una giragire ta do na magit,
     Ma una varike ta paupau magit.
A ura limam,
Ma tikai ka ra ngiem.
Ma na da?
     Una varike ma ra ur limam,
     Ma una ean ma nam ke ra ngiem.


Source: Department of Education. 1955. Tina Tuna: Reader 3. Port Moresby, Department of Education. p 13.

The Sound 'ng"

Ismael K. Isikel 10/01/2018

The sound "ng"is pronounced similar to the "ing" in running, walking, sing, and eating. "ng' is pronounced by the breath resonating in the nose. It is one of those nasal pronunciations in Kuanua sounds.

To help the Kuanua learner and readers, here are some Kuanua words beginning with the sound "ng". The last part of the post consists of some words with the sound "ng' in them.

Words beginning with the sound "ng" include the following:

Nga - Path, road

Ngali - Uncle

Ngalie - Unrecognized.

Ngala - Big

Ngalana - His/Her/Its mother

Ngalagu - My mother

Ngatngat - Precious, important.

Ngeve - gape, out of breath

Ngu - Deceive, trick
Ngungu - Half, part, portion

Ngik- Squeek

Ngo - Rest, asthma
Ngolop - Eat

Ngovo - Hollow 

Some words with the sound "ng":

Kaongo - Cough 
Kongo - Drown
Kong - Ransack
Mang - Bandicoot

Mangolo - Slippery

Paringut - Crunchy

Ong - Fill, Curse
Ongor - Strong
Ongure - Depend on

Mong - Dress, Shark

Minong - Attire
Nongon - Laugh
Nongone - Laugh at
Nonganongon - Laughing

Tang - Shake, Snare
Tangi - Cry
Tangie - Cry over
Tangtangi - Crying

Tangur - Grunt
Tangtangur -Grunting
Tolong - Poor

Labira ure ra minong na malagene. iki pic

Source: Written from oral source. Ismael K.Isikel 10/10/2018

Kuanua Arrangement

Arrange (Togore)

iki pic

 Ismael K. Isikel 20/12/2017

Togore

Togore is a word that is commonly associated with market sale arrangement. It means to arrange in some order. It is a common activity that market vendors do at the market. It is a verb. Here togore is presented together with related terms.

Togotogore  is the present continuous tense of togore. The completed arrangement of items is called totogorei. It becomes a noun then.

Tamile, waninara, mal,  pait

Tamile, waninara, mal, and pait are related words with close meanings to togore.

Tamile  is to arrange or put in order. Example:  I tamile kana robong. He arranged items in his basket.
Tatamilei is the description of the continuing activity of tamile. It becomes a noun then. Tamtamile is the present continuous tense of tamile. The past tense of tamile is ga tamile or tar tamile.

Example Usage:

1.  I tamile kana robong. He arranged items in his basket.

2. Awa nam u papaitia?What are you doing?
Iau tamtamile kaugu robong. I am arranging items in my basket.

Waninarara

Waninara is a related term that means ready or prepare. It is a generic term. Wanwaninara is the present continuous tense of waninara. Wanwaninara  becomes a noun when  speaking in reference to the arranged/prepared items- arrangement or preparation. Waninare is used when speaking of a particular activity of preparation; to prepare for. The past tense of waninara is ga waninara, ga waninare, tar waninara and tar waninare. The past continuous tense is ga wanwaninara.

Note for the non-Kuanua speaker: The first a and last letter a in waninara are pronounced as in the er in the pronoun her.

Example Usage:

1. Una waninara.                          You get ready.
2. Una waninare.                           You prepare it.
3.I ga waninara ra kilala;la ipar.  He/She made preparations las year.
4. I tar waninara.                           He/She has made preparations.

Mal

Minamal is formed from the verb mal. Mal means to do or make. Minamal is the finished product. Malmal is the present continuous tense. The past tense of mal is ga mal or tar mal.

Note for the non-Kuanua speaker:  Letter a  is pronounced as in the er in the pronoun her. Malmal also means peace but pronounced slightly different. The a sounds more like the a r in art. Malmal also means spoilt; spoilt child.

Kubak

Kubak means to prepare however, it is frequently used in association with traditional activities such as dance preparation or tubuan activities. The phrase " to go into camp" is a good synonym for kubak. The continuing activity of kubak is called kunubak. It is used as a noun. Kubakubak is the present continuous tense. Past tense is ga kubak and tar kubak. Kubake is used to mean prepare for; in preparation for.

Pait

Pait means do; make; or carry out. The noun form and present continuous tense are spelt the same (papait) but used differently. Past tense of pait is ga pait;  tar pait. Past continuous tense of pait is ga papait. Papait pronounced fast means a different thing altogether. It means behavior which is synonymous with pinarua and mangamangana.

Papalum

Papalum is formed from the word palum which means work.

Balaguan

Balaguan

Ismael K. Isikel 14/12/2017

This is a Christmas mood post for 2017 on the word balaguan and related terms.

Tagete is used in many balaguan decorations

A feast is called a balaguan. Warwakai is a word that is frequently used to mean balaguan. Balaguan is a time to be happy (gugu); a time to mark an occasion (matamatanai); a time to display wealth in honor of dead relatives (nuk midimidi); and a time to close the balaguan (riat kaur). Sometimes bamboo poles are erected and decorated during a balaguan. The setting up of bamboo poles is known as watut kaur. Depending on resources and time, a watut kaur and riat kaur are performed at the same time or at different times. Some balaguan do not involve the erection of bamboo poles for decoration.

Matamatanai evokes terms such as nuk warpa, nuk midimidi, pite warpa. Nuk warpa is to remember and nuk midimidi is to remember by conducting a feast. Pite warpa is praise.

Another word synonymous with balaguan is lukara. It is also used to mean food and other items used in a feast.

Lukara na warbean is a wedding feast; a marriage ceremony. And lukara na kinakawa is a time to remember and celebrate the time of birth.

Relatives and friends express best wishes to the person or people celebrating by saying:

Bona lukara na warbean

Bona lukara na kinkawa.

Kuanua Journey

Winawana (Travel, Journey)

Ismae K. Isikel 12/12/2017
Edited13/12/2017

Winawana is formed from the word wana that means go, walk. Winawana means travel or journey, a long journey by foot or sea. Well, today one may include truck and airplane as means of travel.

Present continuous tense of wana is wanawana. Past tense of wana are stated as 1. ga wana; 2. iga wana; 3. tar wana; and 4.itar wana. These are past tense indicators and are used as separate words before the verbs to indicate action in the past.

Tense rules:

1. To change a verb to present continuous tens, repeat the first two or three letters of the verb.

Example:     wana  = wanawana      walk = walking
                  warwut = warwarwut     run  = running 
                  tangi = tangtangi          cry = crying
                  long = lolong/loalong    steal = stealing
                 warwul = warwarwul      swear = swearing
                 walua = walwalua          shake = shaking
                 gire = giregire/giragire    see = seeing


2. To change a verb to past tense add the past tense indicator as a separate word before the verb.

Example:   wana =  ga wana         walked
                              iga wana        He/She walked. 
                              itar wana       He/She is gone
 
There is another meaning of wanawana. A walking aid is called a wanawana. A walking stick, for example. A wanawana is also called a tututuk.

Example Usage of winawana and wana:

1. Iau gire nabung i wanawana.      I saw him/her yesterday walking.

 The words used in sentence structure:
Iau (I); gire (saw); nabung (yesterday); i (him/her); wanawana (walking).

2. a. Wakir una wana.         You are not going.
   b. Wakir ina wana.           I am not going.
   c. Wakir ina wanawana.   I am not going to travel by foot

 Sentence structure of 2.a: Wakir (not); una (you will); wana (go).

Meanings of wakir: will not, not, none, patana (Raluana), patai/pate, (Boawa)

3. a,  Una wana uti.           You come here
   b.  Wana uti.                   Come here
   c.  Una wana uwe?         Where are you going?
   d.  Ina wana nagunan.     I am going home.
   e.  Wingaia una wana?   When will you go? When are you going?

Tama is a word that is used in association with winawana and it means items carried for sustenance on a journey.  Another meaning of tama is father.

A tama ai ra winawana: a iawa ma tup. iki

Bona winawana. Good traveling.

Book review

A book review on Tinikan na Bakungo (Cave Exploration)

 Ismael K. Isikel 28/11/2017

Beck, Howard M. 2003. Beneath the Cloud Forests: A History of Cave Exploration in Papua New Guinea, 1st Edition. Switzerland, Speleo Projects.

The purpose of this brief book review firstly, is to publicize the book as it is based on Papua New Guinea and secondly to associate Kuanua vocabulary with some terms used in the book. The book was published in 2003 however; speleology is not a widely known subject in Papua New Guinea.

Beneath the Cloud Forests is a mesmerizing account of cave exploration and speleology in Papua New Guinea. The review begins with personal anecdotes and Kuanua words related to caves then explores the book in some detail. Primarily, the book is based on cave exploration and speleology in Papua New Guinea.

The title of the book alone evokes stories and very limited experience with natural caves. One story was told to me by a distant relative from Ramalmal village. There is a cave at Ramalmal village on the North Coast of East New Britain where you can hear the waves breaking either at the beach or on the reef. This is heard as one stands at the entrance of the cave.  It is not clear exactly where the waves break. The location of the cave in the village is more than three kilometres away from the shore. Another related story i came across on Facebook is that of another cave at the North Coast of Rabaul. At the foot of Mt To Kunar are several villages, including Boawa, Vunadawai, Vunavulila, and Vunagamata. Someone reported a site that appears to be a cave containing Stone Age artefacts at Vunavulila village. These artefacts appear to be of the Lapita culture however, it has yet to be confirmed.

In Kuanua mata is used for hole and cave. It also means eye. Tung is another word for hole and mata na tung is the phrase for cave entrance. In other dialects (Boawa and Wuatam Isand) of Kuanua the word for cave is bakungo. A Kuanua translation of the title is Navavai ra Bakut na Lokalokor: A Warwai Ure ra Tinikan na Bakungo ati Papua New Guinea. That is Kuanua. Now back to the book.

A book with mesmerizing, and in many parts breath-taking, writing depends on the author's penmanship, affinity with nature, and experience in the subject. And who is the author? Howard Beck is the author and is no stranger to Papua New Guinea. He has well over 30 years of experience as an explorer and global traveller. In addition, he has been a freelance photographer and writer for well over twenty years. His work has appeared in journals, magazines, and books.  The title of an earlier book by Howard Beck is "Gaping Gill: 150 Years of Exploration" was published in 1984. It is out of print but it is listed under Google Books where excerpts from selected pages appear.

Beneath the Cloud Forests is an authoritative work on the subject of speleology and cave exploration in Papua New Guinea recording cave explorations from 1962 to 2001.

From  Kagua to Telefomin and across the Bismarck Sea to the limestone tract of Lelet Plateau in Namatanai caves were explored and are recorded with excellent photographs and sketches. These sketches are drawn to scale and neatly presented providing graphical details of the caves. Most of the details of these caves were unknown to the locals. The locals named the caves and knew the location of the entrances or parts of them as well as associating the caves with the spirit world. Cave explorations have shed more information on these caves.

Most of these caves a located in lime stone areas making the book useful in recording lime stone regions in the country. Wat pua is used in Kuanua for lime stone. Wat pua is literally translated to English as 'white stone'.

Ten (10) deepest caves located within the Nakanai Mountains of West New Britain are recorded. The deepest of these ten is known as Muruk Hul with a depth of 1,178 metres. Other caves recorded are located in other parts of the country, including the Atea Kananda cave located in the Muller Range of Southern Highlands and Arem Tem cave found in Western Province. Also located in the Muller Range is the longest cave known as Mamo Kanada.

Beneath the Cloud Forests is one of those books that is written in an organized manner suitable for study purposes. Apart from the Bibliography and a very good index, there are excellent photographs both in black and color. There is also a Glossary of Caving Terms giving quick definitions to speleology  terms, helping the reader along in comprehension. It also lists Major Caving Expeditions and Major Caves in the country.

The copy of Beneath the Cloud Forests that i am reading was kindly donated to the University Library by Mike Bourke who is a pioneer cave explorer in Papua New Guinea. Mike Bourke is mentioned in various pages of the book. Mike was the editor of Niugini Caver which was the quarterly newsletter of the Papua New Guinea Cave Exploration Group formed around 1972.

End.

Caution and Construction

Wawatur

Ismael K. Isikel 17/11/2017

Two words in English that relate to the Kuanua word wawatur are caution and construction. Caution means taking care to avoid something unpleasant or danger. The first meaning of the word construction is the action of building something, and in general the building of a large structure. The second meaning of construction is the creation of an abstract entity. This definition is further explained by the statement "language plays a large part in our construction of reality."

Wawatur

Wawatur has three meanings in Kuanua. Firstly, it means to hold on to something as a measure of safety against danger or unpleasantness. For example, when riding a canoe we hold on the side of the canoe or something steady for safety and stability against the movement of waves. Two other Kuanua words synonymous with wawatur are  adek and auwia. They are issued as caution to someone about to or carrying out  an activity that may involve risk such as climbing a coconut or using a sharp tool.

Wawatur na pal

Secondly, wawatur means establishment of building a house; the beginning of construction of a house. Watur ra pal is used to mean build the house. Wawatur na pal is used to mean establishment of building a house

Wawatur na bata

Thirdly, wawatur means the beginning of rain; clouds forming as a sign rain is about to fall. It is described as wawatur na bata. Watur , as in construction of a house, is not used when describing rain is about to fall because no human constructs rain.

iki pic

End.

Source: Except for the definition of caution and construction, which were taken from Google, this post is written from oral source.

Disclaimer: Any errors in definitions are mine alone and not Google.