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.

Rising from the Ashes

Ismael K. Isikel Edited 22/9/2017

Rising from the Ashes is viewing the return of Rabaul through the eyes of photographer Esau Meli after the twin volcanic eruptions on 19th September 1994. 

Faith propels
That nature bashed

Seemingly desolate
A booster  of hope

The aftermath
Is beauty
Of the divine brush

Now thrive back
To find your sustenance

The grass shall grow back
The palm standing
Promises that

The mountains
Distant they may
We shall get there

Toiling on the  sea
Shall we sail again.

We are harvesting again

Knowledge we shall find
Through nurturing
The next generation

We  refuse to lie down shaken

Even if the road is rough

We shall get there

However long and winding
We shall get there

Even from humble beginnings
We shall rise from the ashes

Fire Dance

The descriptive phrase "malagene na iap"may be translated to English as fire dance.  No, in Tolai culture fire dance is not part of the types of dances. However, our neighbors the Bainings do perform fire dance as it is part of their culture. Recently I learnt that there is a type of Baining fire dance that is performed during the day.  The other type that i had witnessed many times is the one performed at night over a big fire. And big fire means a fire of small size logs with flames  higher than an adult height.

The fire dance that is performed during the day was recently performed at the Kenu and Kundu Festival in Alotau, Milne Bay Province. A photograph of it appeared in the Post Courier (7/11/2016, p.8).  I posted this on Facebook in the New Guinea Islands Historical Society Group  because i doubted that this was a Baining fire dance and sought help there.  Indeed it was a Baining fire dance; the one that is performed during the day as confirmed by Gideon Kakabin in his description with photo:

These creatures do not jump into the fire. They dance around a small fire during the day. I photographed them dancing last month.

I also interviewed the man in charge and he said that this is a fun creature that lives in the trees. When it comes out to dance it carries goodies in a small bilum bag that kids and adults keep running over and stealing.

The dance was performed by the Uramat at Gaulim village.

Further confirmation of this type of Baining fire dance are reaffirmed by the following photographs by Angie Kolita-payne taken during the Kenu and Kundu Festival in Milne Bay.

Head dress
Photo credit: Angie Kolita-payne

Fire Dancer
Photo credit: Angie Kolita-payne

Members of the fire dance group.
Photo credit: Angie Kolita-payne

Fire dance performance.\
Photo credit: Angie Kolita-payne

Acknowledgement

My gratitude to Gideon Kakabin (one photo and description) and Angie Kolita-payne  (4 photos) for enabling me to do this post, Iau watang boina tuna.

Note: After about a month of this post the borrowed photos no longer appear due to "expiry of url" iki 13/9/2017

Mourning (Palai)

Mourning is a time of grief (niligur) over the passing of a relative, a loved one, a friend, or a colleague. The time of grief, pakana bung na niligur, may take a week or more before it ends with a ceremony. The period of mourning is known as palai and the ending ceremony is known as kutupalai.  Kutupalai is made up of two words kutu and palai. The prefix kutu means cut. Others call the ending ceremony as umawoko. The prefix  U (oo) means wipe and mawoko is the word for dew. Umawoko means wiping off dew. In other dialects of Kuanua tunkubin is used. Similarly, tunkubin is made up of two words: tun and kubin. The prefix tun means burn and kubin means mat and in English that is "burning off mats". There are other terms depending on the dilaect but these are just a few.

Ending of mourning ceremony is usually a ceremony of gratitude to relatives and friends who come and stay with the grieving family. It involves the distribution of food, nian, and shell money. tabu, to the mourners.

In some cases the kutupalai is the initial mortuary ceremony and a big one or two (warwakai ba balaguan) usually follows some months or years later.

Late Tevita of Rakotop Village

All of us have attended a kutupalai and i have lost count of the number of times. However, i remember one that I attended of a dear friend and fellow villager. He passed on at a very very old age in his nap one evening in 1996.

The kutupalai for late Tevita was conducted by the late Conrard ToBung after about two weeks of mourning. Food including rice, bananas, pork, tinned fish as well as tabu were distributed during the kutupalai.

Dance (Malagene)

Types of Dances (Aumana Mangana Malagene)

Ismael Isikel Edited 30/06/2017

Types of Tolai dances performed during traditional ceremonies and celebrations are briefly discussed and listed here. Some of these dances may be performed by both males and females (tarai ma warden) together while others are restricted to one gender. The actual performances of most Tolai dances are usually in a two-line formation with the two at the front as lead dancers (lualua) and the last pair is known as murwarbat.  So, you dance in pairs. The term for partner in a dance is wartalai.

Many Tolai can tell from far away when a dance is about to be concluded when they hear the slow beat or tempo of the olo oloai. Introduction of the dance is known as lalarai where short rapid beatings of tidir or kundu is done and accompanied by quick body movements.

Tubuan dances (tapialai) are performed by initiated male members only of the tubuan society. One has to be an initiate in order to take part in the “ancestral dance” of tapialai. Pairing (wartalai) also occurs in tubuan performances where two tubuan dance together. There are other types of dances but the list provided here are of the commonly performed types.

Types of dances and which gender performs.

Libung                Male and female

Perapere              Male only

Kulau                  Male only

Pinpidik              Male

Parpari                Female

Patete                  Female

Bilolo                   Male and Female

Tabaran              Male 

Tubuan               Initiated   Males only

Dance Terms

Kubak -  Preparation; preparation for the actual performance may take a couple od days to a week or two and include final practice and costume.  The action of preparation is called kunubak.

Lalarai -  Introduction; introduction of the dance is known as lalarai where short rapid beatings of tidir or kundu is done and accompanied by quick body movements. Lalarai is the noun form of the verb Lalare.

Langoron -  Charm; dance charm.

Lartamuna -  Rehearsal; dance rehearsal usually conducted a day before the actual performance.

Lualua -  The leading pair of dancers

Minong -  Dance costume 

Murwarbat -  The last pair of dancers at the end of the line. 

Olo oloai -  Concluding part of the dance in slow motion.

Pinipit -  Composition of the dance song including choreography.

Puak -  Begin; begin the dance song and involves solo and responsorial singing.
Tena buai - A dance choreographer and may also be the composer of the dance song.
Wartalai -   Partner; dance partner.
Wartumu -  Design; body design.
Wunuwung  - Choreography; dance movements.

Kewapi Language

The purpose of this review is twofold and the first is to publicize this book The Kewapi Language of Papua New Guinea  to interested readers and in particular the Kewapi speakers of Southern Higlands, living at home and in other parts of the country. Those who study language will find this book interesting, especially those working on morphology and syntax. It poses an important challenge to many other languages in PNG that there is a need for most of them to be studied and their syntax, grammar, verbs, etc., are recorded. Therefore another purpose of this review is to draw attention to the importance in study and record of languages in Papua New Guinea.

Dr Apoi Yarapea showing a copy of his book The Kewapi Language of Papua New Guinea

The Kewapi Language of Papua New Guinea was written by Dr Apoi Yarapea.' The book  resulted from  his doctoral thesis Morphosyntax of Kewapi Language conferred by the Australian National University in 2006. An electronic copy of the thesis is kept at Matheson Library, PNG University of Technology. The abstract of the thesis may be viewed freely on the university's website.

At the beginning of the book there are black and white illustrations including a map of Southern Highlands specifically showing where the language is spoken. The book is appropriately organized for study. Abbreviations used are clearly explained in the beginning and at the end there is an excellent index as well as references. In-text citations clearly lead the readers to other works on the subject.    It is hard cover and sells at  K150 per copy and may be purchased from the University of PNG Bookshop.

The study and description of how words are formed in language is known as morphology. That is largely the main part of this book. Specific topics such as phonology (sound system), grammar, noun, verbs, and verb  structures and phrases, are treated in various chapters of the book.

This work secures further Kewapi language because it adds on to the existing literature (previous studies) that have been conducted on this language. In addition, and my own view, it makes Kewapi a language for development, especially in the modern era. The Kewapi speakers have a broader understanding of their language. They are able to communicate orally and in writing. They identify with local and world events and issues and are able to make informed decisions relating to their local needs. Furthermore, the Kewapi cultural practices are guaranteed continuity.

 What about other languages in the country?

Other languages have been studied and recorded in Language and Linguistic studies and Anthropology however, there  are others that are in danger of disappearing or on the brink of extinction. For example, Makolkol, in East New Britain,  is listed under  Highly Endangered Languages as shown in SIL's webpage. There is also discussion in Wikipedia on  endangered languages in PNG. I am from East New Britain but to date I have not heard anyone speaking the Makolkol language. I hear and read from time to time Baining people talking, singing, and writing.

The preservation of our languages is not only the responsibility of government institutions and other organizations, but all capable individuals and groups in the communities.

Cover page of the Kewapi Language of Papua New Guinea.

References
Yarapea, Apoi. 2013. The Kewapi Language of Papua New Guinea. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea University Press.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_endangered_languages_in_Papua_New_Guinea (23/09/2016)

www-01.sil.org/pacific/png/endangered.asp (23/09/2016)