Where the birds call...

Where the birds call..

 

The birds eerie call sang out through the night like a piecing scream. The women gathered their children folded them in their arms, hugged them close covered them with bed clothes. The men guarded the doors locked them tight and laid across the threshold. Silent prayers spread out all over the village like an enveloping fog. Would it be enough to keep out the one calling on them for death was coming tonight and all knew that come the morning there would be one less in the village. The bird call sang out again and was answered by the silence of knowing...

Tari School Assembly

The Wigmen of Tari.

Tari School

When a boy comes to his age they are required to go out with others for a year in the bush. they must learn many things and must not meet or have anything to do with women. They must dance and hunt and stay pure. But above all they must grow their hair in the way that that they can make the wigs which will denote them as initiated.  This requires great sacrifice skill and patience that only a wigman can know...

 

The old man knew they were coming...

Once there was an elder who lived in Tari a mighty warrior was he with many wives, pigs and land.

But then when he was very old he started to leave his village a go away for long periods know one knew where he would go and he would not tell them of where he went or why.
Then one day the villages awoke to find that the man had brought back a huge stone angular grey and long. This stone was not known in this valley. The old man would not tell the people how he carried it and from where it came. Then he dug a great hole and stood the stone up into it where t still stands to this day looking over the people and the valley. The people gathered around and were amazed.

Child of Tari

The old people of Tari when they go so will their stories

 

The old man said I tell you this day that people are coming with skin like the clouds and hair like the sun yellow and long. They will be strong and rule over us. You must tell them that this is our land and we cannot give or sell it to you. This stone will remind you of this when I am long gone and this comes to pass.
And so the white people came many years after the old man had prophesised, and the mystery stone still stands watching over the people...

Dogs in the night

The spirit of those who die must be farewelled and taken care of and their graves protected from the dogs of the night who will come and take them for their own. In the morning if the graves are not protected you will see the footprints of the dogs of the night and you will know that they are attempting to take the spirit for themselves. If this happens then great peril will come to the people as  the spirits roam and cause distress and calamity to all they encounter. This is not to be endured and so the boys must go a sleep on the graves until the spirits are settled and at peace. Proper respect and dignity must be given to those who have died and a good place for them erected so that they may be at peace and we may all prosper and be happy.

I know little of PNG only having been there once just recently to visit my daughter who is married to a TARI man, but the little I do know informs me that it is a place of great beauty and its people have a rich history and traditions dating back as long as our own Koori people.

PS:I will tell you more about my daughters endeavours in another Blog.

 

Grave Site in Tari