PNG Independence Day – Thursday 16th September.
Everyone was excited today because it is Independence Day and there are lots of celebrations. Unfortunately we were not able to have the public holiday, despite starting Monday instead of Tuesday the powers that be decided the course was too important to have a day off. I just think they want their pound of flesh while we are here. Last trip Gerard had a public holiday and had the day off.
Anyway, we were allowed to have an extra half hour at lunch time and we got driven to the soccer oval where the celebrations were taking place. It was amazing!!! I had seen natives in traditional costume dancing and singing on TV, but I never expected to see anything like that in real life. It took my breath away and I had a lump in my throat. What an amazing thing to witness first hand.
Various tribes had come into town in their traditional dress and they took it in turns to dance and sing their tribal songs. They are such a musical, friendly people. They all love having their photos taken and the kids actually ask to have their photos taken. We wandered around the oval just trying to take it all in and getting lots of photos, as you will see.
One of my students, Rerem, is from over the mountain and he was going to be painted black and white, (you will see a couple of photos of them) and participate. They are from the whipping tribe and they mesmerise themselves and during the dance they are whipped with a branch. They don’t feel it, in fact it makes them itchy, so they want more. He couldn’t explain the reason for the painting of their bodies like that as that is part of the male initiation ceremony and is a village secret, and certainly couldn’t be told to a “one plah mary” (woman). “One plah” is a man.
Have a look at the photos, we are still trying to find out more about where the dancers are from and what it all means. The ones with the big head dresses and the horns on their penis’s are from the local tribe here. I guess they are supposed to be scary, but they were all laughing and happy to line up for the photo shot.
