|
| |
The Education Department of Papua New Guinea and the Catholic Church
encourage cultural practices and activities - a recent countrywide educational
reform has placed traditional culture high in its list of values. The scene for
the cultural activities you can see in the photos is at Vuvu, just across the
road from the water and around the headland from beautiful Simpson Harbour and
the town of Rabaul on the island of New Britain. St Mary's Secondary School was
located there until two volcanoes erupted in 1994 and ash and mudslides forced
the school to move to higher ground. It is now located at Vunakanau, some twenty
minutes' drive away. Tavurvur volcano still sends clouds of ash and steam into
the air - if you wait for ten minutes you'll see another great cloud of grey
dust sent into the air. You can see the cloud from the Vuvu grounds.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Andy McBeath and Ray Marten |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
So where did the idea for the cultural day come from? It was one of the
initiatives of Br Andrew Kiaplai, currently headmaster of St Mary's. He, with
the support of the secondary school and the local Tolai people, planned to
acquire a traditional spirit called a 'tubuan'. On Wednesday 21 September, two
spirits arrived - the new, younger spirit accompanied by its 'mother'. The
tubuan has a much deeper significance to the Tolai people than simply being part
of traditional culture. It helps hold Tolai society together and keeps
discipline. To raise a tubuan there must be work for it to do: its purpose here
is to consolidate the cultural life of the local people. To the accompaniment of
kundu and garamut drums, the tubuans leapt and danced their way to their special
enclosure. It is hoped that eventually there will be a special building, called
a 'taraiu', built for the tubuan.
A stone monument was built in honour of the Christian Brothers who taught at St
Mary's Vuvu and also for those Brothers who are buried at Vunapope, the Catholic
Mission for East New Britain. Students who died while at St Mary's are also
commemorated on the plaque. Remembered also is George To Bata, a village chief
who welcomed the Brothers to the area. We thank Br Ambrose Tottenham for getting
the plaque made and sent up to Papua New Guinea - no small task.
On Friday 23 September the school, parents, ex-students and the Christian
Brothers celebrated together as a community. It was a fine day - the many
singsing groups performed to entertain the crowds and remind them this was East
New Britain, home to a proud Tolai culture.
Now the school has a tubuan with its own unique headdress design and purpose. It
will be revived every now and then to continue to strengthen the cultural life
of the people.
This could be the beginning of an Edmund Rice Centre at Vuvu. Such a centre
would cater for those who leave after Grade 10 should they want to pursue
cultural activities, sports, music, drama, agriculture and a Christian life. It
would be a preparatory period that would lead such students back to village life
after so many years of having concentrated on academic subjects.
The crowds expressed their support and admiration for the Cultural Day. You
should have seen it!
=============
|
