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.
End.
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