Vuna and Ra

This post is on the terms Vuna and Ra.

Edited 6/072017 Ismael Isikel

Vuna and Ra commonly appear at the beginning of place names to form the names of villages found in the Tolai areas of East New Britain. Vuna has two meanings: 1. reason; 2. cluster, group. Ra is the definite article the in Kuanua.

Examples of Usage

Ava ra vuna? What is the reason?
A vuna barnavudu. A cluster of bananas.
A vuna tarai. A clan. A group of people (a clan) from one of the two tribes (Pikalama and Marmar) in Tolai culture.

Examples of place names beginning with Vuna and Ra.

Rakunai (the grass) is the name of several villages in East New Britain. The most popular of them is Rakunai village where a Catholic Church and school are located. It shares borders with Raluan (the bulge) and Rakunai United Church.

Other place names beginning with Ra and their meanings include:

Rakandakanda - the cluster of canes
Rakotop - the crossing
Ramale - the valley
Ratongor - the mangrove

Place names beginning with Vuna and their meanings include:

Vunamami - Group of coconuts. Mami is the word that describes a species of coconut. The green husk is sweet and is chewed, similar to sugarcane. Vunamami is a village in Kokopo District.

Vunairoto - Group of iroto trees. Iroto is a species of wood. Vunairoto village is predominantly United Church and shares borders with Kabakada, Nabata, and Vunalir villages along the North Coast.

Vunagamata - Group of laulau trees. Laulau tree bears edible fruits when in season. Vunagamata village is located between Ratongor and Vunavulila villages along the North Coast road.

This post is based on one dialect of Kuanua and that is Kabakada. There are other terms depending on dialect as recently pointed out by Esekia Warvi. After reading my shared post on Facebook (13/6/2017) Mr Warvi commented, "Of similar meaning in Kokopo dialect it's "Bita" as in Bitatita, Bitavavar, Bitamarita, Bitapetep, etc...". My response, "Raluana/Kokopo dialect is bita. It means base or base of. That is one meaning I know. There may be another meaning. My vocab on Raluana/Kokopo dialect is less than comprehensive." There is a term in my Kuanua dialect that means "origin. It is also used to mean "base of" as in "bita"in Raluana/Kokopo dialect. The term is vunapaina. A synonym of vunapaina is turpaina and pronounced in other dialects as turupaina.

Sacred Practices

Sacred Practices (Umana Papait na Pidik)

Ismael K.  Isikel 9/6/2017

Sacred practices in the Tolai culture are found in the Tubuan and Iniat societies. Initiation is the socially prescribed prerequisite for membership in these  males -only sacred societies. Males who want to be initiated pay a fee in tabu to the owner of the tubuan.  

Sacred practices

Tubuan and Taraiu

A Taraiu is a special place set apart for the practice of Tubuan performances and other activities. Only initiated males are allowed to enter the Taraiu and take part in Tubuan activities. Females and uninitiated males are forbidden from entering the Taraiu or participate in Tubuan activities. The Taraiu is a sacred place and worthy of respect in Tolai culture. Females and uninitiated males do take part in feasts involving tubuan performances outside of the taraiu but keep to a respectable distance from the tubuan and men of the tubuan (tarai na tubuan).

Iniat and Marovot

A marovot is a sacred place for Iniat practices carried out by certain male members of the village. Wood and stone carvings of human figures, birds, and animals were carved at the marovot and used in Iniat rituals and other sacred practices.  As oral history goes, my grandmother (my father’s mother) told me on several occasions that one of the practices at the marovot was for the person to enter the marovot and perform certain rituals before taking a “deep sleep” so that his spirit depart the body and travel in the form of a bird or other animal form. The purpose of the “spirit travel” varied but one of them was payback killings.

Related terms and practices

Palnapidik. A  Palnapidik today is essentially ceremonial and is used in various traditional ceremonies in Tolai communities as part of decorating the ceremonial location. It is usually a small ornately decorated house. The current practice and purpose may not be the same as that of the past, especially before and during the arrival of Christianity and other foreign influences. Information now surfacing from archives, including old church records, (NGI Historical Society 4/5/2017) points to a traditional ceremony on its own involving the construction of a huge tall structure as the Palnapidik.

Tabalar.  Tabalar is the Kuanua word for carving. Other words that may be used to mean carving are Pokopoko and Tanua

Tulungen. Tulungen is the word for spirit.

Watabalar.  the practice of sleeping at the marovot in order for the spirit (tulungen) in the human body to depart and travel  in another form such as a bird, pig, shark (balilai) or other chosen animals. This animal form is chosen before the Iniat (the man) sleeps in order to accomplish the watabalar in order to carry out a task in non-human form.

Note: This post is written mostly from oral historical sources except for the reference to the Palnapidik ((NGI Historical Society 4/5/2017).

Harvesting Coral

A Pinipit na Raga

This post is an adaptation of "Harvesting Corals: The Past and Today" from watnata.blogspot.com by Ismael Isikel , 2/05/2017.

The sea, like the land, has been a source of sustenance for humans since the stone ages (ra eae kai raumana tubuidat). In the Old Stone Age humans wandered from place to place, foraging for food, eating, resting and moving on. Eventually humans learnt to settle and do things by using the land and sea. One of the things learnt was making and use of lime powder (kabang) from corals. Initially wood ash (tobon na iap) was used but gradually humans found out that coral stone from the sea was of the best quality. That was a long time ago and today there is far more interest in harvesting from the sea, including the continuation of search and collection of precious stones.

Coral stone (raga) from the coral reefs are harvested and processed into lime powder. It is practiced by the Tolai of Rabaul as well as other coastal villages in PNG, including the Kiriwina coastals in Trobriands. The practice had been around since our ancestors discovered coral as a mineral for processing into lime powder. This powder is used for chewing betel nut (minamai na buai) and ceremonial decorations.

  

The traditional method of mining coral is simple. People wait for the right tide level and go out in canoes (umana oaga) and harvest the coral.  The harvesting of coral is not done on the deep sea bed but on the coral reefs. Now goggles and gloves are used. Before the arrival of goggles and gloves bare hands and sticks were used to break off the corals.

This practice has been in place for over hundreds of years. Besides the economic benefits, there is no doubt that the continuous practice, especially irresponsible practice, is very bad for the healthy continuity of marine environment and its inhabitants. The introduction of the modern currencies (Deutsche, British, Australian, and eventually PNG) hastened the disruption, and in some areas destruction, of large areas of coral as the lime became part of the goods exchanged in the modern economy. The lime was, and still is, made and sold in the markets today.

One of the many bed effects of harvesting coral is the smell. The smell of dying coral (ang na minat na raga) is very bed and can remain in the air for months (gaigai). That is the reason harvested corals are stored well away from the village. Usually the harvested corals are left to dry by the shoreline (valian). Now, how great would the smell come from large scale harvesting of rocks from the seabed, remains to be seen.

Modern Interests on Marine Stones

Today (gori) seabed mining interest and activities has found its way into territories rich in minerals for harvesting of the precious stones (umana ngatngat na wat). The Bismarck Archipelago is one rich area. The modern practice of harvesting differs greatly from harvesting coral in many ways. Some of the obvious differences are magnitude, depth and the type of stones. The type of stones that are of current interest are located well below the corals that is harvested for lime.

Special machinery and equipment are going to be used.  Most of these equipment have not been used anywhere in the world. This seabed mining in the Bismarck Archipelago will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world where copper, gold and other minerals are going to be dug and extracted. The seabed mine will generate wealth for people around the world, not only PNG. After the minerals have been extracted, what will happen to the environment in the future? Do we know for sure what will happen?

Preparation including scientific studies and conferences on seabed mining started well before people in Papua New Guinea were fully informed that it is possible to mine the minerals under the seabed of the Bismarck Archipelago. 

It is important to be informed on seabed mining since it has found its way into our part of the sea. This is not just for awareness but taking responsible action whether one supports seabed mining or disapproves.

Gender Terms

Males - Tarai

Edited 17/03/2017 Ismael Isikel

The word tarai means men and the singular is tutana. It is also used to mean people in general, including females and children. And that is not gender sensitive according to modern gender concerns. Certainly, females (warden) do not want to be called tarai.  The term gunantuna means human and it is an ideal term to use instead of tarai to avoid gender bias.

Sample Usage

Tarai ma warden. Men and women
A wardenika. Only women. Using kake it can also be said, A warden kake.
A taraika. Only men.  A tarai kake.

Note ika is added at the end to mean only. If kake is used then ika is dropped because it means the same. It is one of those Kuanua rules.

Children - Umana bul

Bul   Child
Umana bul  Children.
Aumana bul ikilik.  Little children.

Bultutana is a young lad of pre-teen age.  Plural of the term is umana bultutana.
Barmana is a male youth of teen age and up. Plural of it is umana barmana or barbarmana.

Sample usage

Aura bultutana. Two boys.
Aura barmana. Two young men.

Females -Warden

Warden means women and the singular is wavina. Bulwavina is a young female of preteen age and the plural of that is umana bulwavina. Gara is a teenage female. The plural of that is umana gara or garagara.


Sample Usage

Warden ma umana bul. Women and children.
Akave ra umana bul? Where are the children?

Wawaguai ma umana beo - Animals and birds

Tomotoi is a male animal such as a dog or a pig and a male bird is a loko. A female animal or bird is known as nana.

Note to readers: I will add more to this.

Family Relationship Terms

Ismael K. Isikel 24/02/2017
25/05/2017 Edition

This post is on family relationship terms used in Kuanua covering both nuclear and extended family. My gratitude to Simon R. P Kaumi Jr for prompting this post by raising concern in the "misuse" of the honorific term maku.  There are variations in pronunciations and spelling depending on dialect and I may have missed out one or two terms because i am writing based on my dialect. The prefix bar  and suffix na changes a specific relationship term to generic- a general term that covers two persons or more in a relationship. For example, tama is the Kuanua word for father and bartamana means: 1. father and mother (wife and husband); 2. father, mother, and children; 3. father and child or children.

Family Relationship Terms

Barnana - Mother and child or children
Barnana is also pronounced bartana and bartinana. This is the same for most of the terms that are presented here.
Mama/Nana - Mother

Ngalagu or Nagu - My mother
Ngalam - Your mother
Ngalana or nana - His/her mother 
Ngalai diat or Nai diat - Their mother

Bartamana 1. Father and mother (wife and husband); 2. Father, mother, and children; 3. Father and child or children. 5. Family
Tama - Father
Tamagu - My father
Tamana - His/her father
Tamai diat - Their father.
Tamam -Your father

Bartubuna - Granny and grandchild or grandchildren.

Bubu/Papu/Pupu - Granny
Tubum - Your
Tubugu - My
Tubuna - His/her
Tubui diat - Their
Tubui dat - Our

Papu ma ailima na tubuna

Barlabana - Great granny.

Bartanawavina - Sisters
Wavi - Sister

Tanawavigu - My sister
Tanawavim - Your sister
Tanawavina - Her sister

Barturana - Brothers

Turan - Brother

Turana - His/her brother

Turam - Your brother

Turagu - My brother

Barnauvana - Cousins
Nauva - Cousin
Nauvam - Your
Nauvagu - My
Nauvana - His/Her

Barmatuana - Uncle (general)
Matua - Uncle
Matuam - Your
Matuagu - My
Matuana - His/her

Barnimuna - Father/mother inlaw
Nimuan - Inlaw
Nimum - Your
Nimuna - His/her
Nimugu - My


Barenana - Sister in-law

Bartamaiana - Brother in-law (female addressing male)

Barpalikana - Brother in law (male addressing male)
Barmaku -  Brother in-law.

Maku is one of those relationship terms that has taken on another meaning . And here is the post on Facebook that prompted this article:

Maku
The tolai word MAKU is a honorific term used strictly amongst men, meaning, brother-in-law but is also used by a woman's brothers to address a niece's husband and vice-versa.

Nowadays, tolai women and even non-tolai meris are using it loosely to address their tambus whether male or female .

It's become a kinda slang and has taken on a whole new meaning.

Niupla level.........NIMUM

Simon R. P Kaumi Jr. December 30, 2016 at 7:23pm 

·

The next set of terms below is a tough one. It is tough because the term aunt (vivi) in Kuanua refers to your father's cousin sister as your aunt. At least that is what i remember and appears mixed up with the English meaning that says an aunt is the sister of one's father or mother or the wife of one's uncle. Added to that is the informal English meaning commonly used by children and young adults calling an unrelated female friend aunt.

Barvivina. Relationship between you and your father's cousin sister.
Vivi   Aunt
Vivim   Your
Vivina   His/Her
Vivigu   My

Barniuruna. The general term for relationship and relative in Kuanua is Barniuruna.
Niurugu My
Niurum Your
Niuruna His/Her

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Note to readers:
Readers (those who write and speak Kuanua fluently) may add other relationship terms, by commenting,  that i may have missed out. Variations in dialect are also welcomed.This post will be updated from time to time. Some missing terms are yet to be added.

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Guria

Pirpir Ure Ra Guria (Guria Story)

Ismael K. Isikel

After the destruction and loss caused by a guria and tsunami we realize or remember the funny things of the event  and in spite of our losses we laugh (nongon) about them. Da nongone. We laugh over it/them.

The word GURIA is known and used widely in Papua New Guinea and understood by some people abroad, especially those working in seismology. It means earthquake or tremor. In many parts of the world where it occurs it is terrifying, depending on the magnitude, and destructive.  In maritime areas a guria is sometimes followed by tsunami forcing people to escape to higher ground. Tsunami is Japanese for tidal wave.

Last week, Saturday 17th December 2016,  there was a major guria centered somewhere in the area of  New Ireland Province, That is only a speedboat ride away from East New Britain Province to the closest point at Namatanai. After feeling relieved that most things were alright, I remembered  some funny stories relating to guria occurrences and share two of them here.

The first one was of an old man, his puppy, and his grandson. They were in a hut sharing the same coconut mat on the ground floor. Grandpa was sitting up while his two companions were fast asleep. When the guria suddenly struck, grandpa  quickly picked up the puppy and ran out. Someone noticed he was cradling something and asked, what are you holding? He quickly glanced at what he was cradling and responded, "aisiah ra papu ta" (Oh, the puppy). Instantly he dropped the puppy and ran back into the hut to fetch his grandson.

The second one is about an old folk at Rakotop village. This old fella was notorious for holding onto something steady when a guria struck. He would grab something that was steady, including tree trunks and house post, One time a guria struck and the nearest steady object was a cocoa tree. He dashed for it, grabbed hold of a branch, and hung on it for dear llife. Iga taba tara ingara kakao.

Counting: Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers

Niluluk
Ismael K.Isikel 13/12/2016

In response to queries on Counting i now post on cardinal and ordinal numbers bearing in mind that  there are no written records of counting in higher numbers especially by the thousands and up when counting in general. This excludes counting shell money (tip ma tabu) which is the Tolai traditional currency, and still in use today, Tabu once it is in a loop is called a tutana regardless of the number of fathoms, but the individual owners knows how many fathoms of tabu is in the loop. Bear in mind also our old folks had different counting types for certain items such as taro, coconuts, and fish. A bundle of four or six taro (pa) is called a kura pa. Let me not digress further and get back to cardinal and ordinal numbers. Below is a table showing the numbers.

CARDINAL	ORDINAL
1. Tikai	1st Lua, Luaina, Tamaluina
2. Urua	2nd Waurua, Wauruana
3. Utul	3rd Wautul, Wautuluna
4. Iwat	4th Waiwat, Waiwatina
5. Ilima	5th Wailima, Wailimana
6.Laptikai	6th Walaptikai, Walaptikaina
7. Lavurua	7th Walawurua, Walawuruana
8. Lavutul	8th Walawutul, Walawutuluna
9.Lavuvat	9th Walawuwat, Walawuwatina
10.Winun	10th Wawinun, Wawinununa
11. Winun ma tikai	11th Wawinun ma tikai
12. Winun ma urua	12th Wawinun ma urua
......	......
20. Urawinun	20th Wawaurawinun
30. Utulawinun	30th Wawautulawinun,
40. Iwat nawinun	40th Wawaiwat na winun
50. Ilima na winun	50th Wawailima na winun

Sample usage of ordinal numbers

ToWaira a wawaurua na bul kai IaWalaun. ToWaira is IaWalaun's second child.

Ia ra wawauruana. He is the second.

Nam awawautuluna. That is the third.

Nam ia ra wawaiwat na koai utar ienia. That is the fourth mango you have eaten.

A tamaluaina wunuai kai nam ra wudu. That is the first time for that banana to bear fruit.