1973 Papua New Guinea trip

1973 Papua New Guinea trip by Charles & Karen Opitz

In October, 1973 my wife Karen, and I (Charles Opitz) left Milwaukee, flew to Los Angeles and then on to Honolulu, then Nandi, Fiji, and finally to Sydney, Australia. There we stayed at the Hotel Wentworth. We spent a day touring Sydney and the next day flew to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. We arrived one day early for our guided tour by Lindblad Tours. Left picture is newly completed Sydney opera house

I am a collector of items used as money, but not coins or paper money, (I collect traditional money, primitive money, odd & curious money) and on this trip I hoped to purchase many items for my collection and learn how and why these items were used. On the trip I was able to purchase many hundreds of artifacts and masks for my collection.

In 1973 Papua New Guinea was under Australian control, but was scheduled to get its independence in 1975. While in Mount Hagen there was fighting in the village between tribes. Some wanted independence in 1975 and others wanted independence to come much later when they felt they would be more prepared to run a country. At that time the Australian patrol officers ruled the country. They were the judge and jury. In large they did a very good job and prepared a country that had been in the stone age to operate in the twentieth century. This required training people to understand business, know how to make change, drive cars, make laws, stop fighting, stop payback, have courts and judges, have bank accounts and many other activities we take for granted.

When we arrived in the capital, Port Moresby, we decided to walk down the main street of Port Moresby and see what the city was like. We met some children who talked to us and we showed them pictures of items I wanted to purchase. They said they were familiar with these items. They then added they saw them in the museum. This was not the start of the trip I wanted.

We stayed at a hotel that was originally was used in World War II. The rooms were upstairs with the bathroom down the hall. Downstairs was a bar which was loud until late in the night. The city had only one traffic signal. Port Moresby was the capital, but was very small as shown by the aerial photo.

Upper left: Our Port Moresby hotel. Upper right: Aerial view of Port Moresby. Lower left: Hanabada village, suburb of Port Moresby

The following day we met up with our tour and our leader, Keith Buxton, and embarked by native outrigger canoes to Waijug. There we saw the Wanigela’s Maypole Dance by a group of young girls. The next day we flew back to Port Moresby and then on to Goroka. We then visited Goroka’s fascinating and busy biweekly market and began our drive along the Highlands Road to Bartown village to witness the unique dance performance of the mud men called the Asaro mud men. We were told the dance started when a rival tribe attached them and drove them into the swamp. Later that night the warriors slipped out of the swamp covered with mud and surprised the enemy. The attackers thought that these men, covered in mud, were the ghosts of the men they had killed the day before. The enemy all ran in terror and the Asaro people perform this dance to commemorate their victory over their enemies.

Left: Karen Opitz with Asaro mud men. Right: Asaro mud men

We then flew by small plane to a remote air strip in a mountain valley to visit the Kukukuku tribe. This tribe was considered the ferocious tribe in all of Papua New Guinea. Until 1967, only six years before, even missionaries were not allowed in the area alone. We were met on the ground by an armed patrol officer. The people were short and most carried a stone axe and wore a bark cloth cape. Some carried a bow and arrows. Most of the men were armed. I was able to purchase many nice artifacts from them. Our tour leader, Keith, showed us an old man who was wearing a smoked human finger necklace. Before many of our tour had even seen it Karen offered that she would like to purchase it. This came as a surprise to everyone as our guide explained that this was the first time they had shown it to westerners. Our guide told the grandchildren of the old man that we were rich people. He did this because rich people pay more then ordinary people. He wanted to get as much for the natives as possible. After the old man and his grandsons discussed the price at length they announced that they wanted 50 cents for the necklace. That was the largest amount of money the old man could think of. Our guide changed it to $5.00 and we paid $5.00 for the necklace. The grandsons were so happy with that amount that one went to his hut and brought back a necklace containing a smoked human baby’s hand. He sold it for $20.00. He was very happy with himself. The Kukukuku smoke their dead and keep them in a cave high in the mountain.

A woman in our group took two Polaroid pictures of three young men from the tribe. She kept one for herself and gave the other picture to the men. The man receiving the picture looked at it and pointed to one of the men in the picture and then excitedly pointed to the man standing next to him and said something we did not understand. He then pointed to the other man in the picture and pointed to the other man standing next to him. He then looked puzzled at the remaining man in the picture and looked around to find him. He then appeared to ask them if they knew the man. They pointed to him indicating it was his picture. This seemed to shake the man as to was obvious he had never seen a picture of himself and did not make the connection the picture was of the three of them. I had the same experience when I used a tape recorder.

Left: Kukukuku tribe girl with bark cloak and air-strip white cone. Middle: Karen Opitz with Kukukuku warrior, note arrows and lily root bandolier . Right: Kukukuku warrior.

We then continued along the road to Chimbu Lodge in Kundiawa village in time for supper. The next day we went to see a Chimbu play at Wandi village. We met the chief and his wives. One of the skits showed a young poor man attempting to purchase a wife with only a few plums and one or two stone axes. He explained to her parents and family that she was worth only this small bride-price because she was a leper. The chief, Mintina, dressed in his finest along with his assistant for us to see how a real chief looks. Many of the girls were dressed in their finest to show how they look when they are trying to attract young men for marriage. They sure look attractive wearing their dog tooth necklaces and cuscus (opossum) furs. They are also attached to western items like beaded belts and necklaces.

Left: Chimbu native in front of hut Right: Charles Opitz with chief and other members of Wandi village

Left: Karen Opitz with Chimbu natives. Right: Chimbu natives.

Left: Chimbu natives Right: Chimbu girls dressed to attract a husband. Notice stone axe in middle, cassowary feather headdress on left and bird of paradise feather headdress on right with beetle headband on right.

Left: Chimbu woman with nassa shell headband on left shoulder. Woman in upper right corner has a cassowary hat on (now in my collection) Middle: Chimbu man with shells through his nose and a broken kina shell waist band. Right: Chimbu girl with kina shell and dog tooth necklace around her neck and cuscus fur down her chest.

Left: Chimbu man with drum. Middle: Man with an omak on his chest. Right: Karen & Charles Opitz with Chimbu natives.

After lunch we used a four-wheel vehicle to visit primitive villages in the somewhat inaccessible Yongamugl area.

Left: Aerial view of the gardens, each tuff is a garden. Right: Chief Mintina with our guide and the domestic pig we gave him as payment for the sing-sing.

Left: Girl in Chimbu market Right: Chimbu marriage stick. Paper money is attached to the stick as additional bride price.

The next day we took the Highlands Road to Minj in the afternoon. The colored mud on their noses indicate they are available for marriage. In Minj we saw the carim-leg (carry leg) ceremony which is a means for the young people of marriageable age to meet others from surrounding tribes. We also saw the tarnim-ed (turning head) courting ceremony. In this village many of the natives wore headbands containing iridescent beetles held in a lily root frame. These were also added to my collection of artifacts.

Left: Two girls we found along the road, the mud on their noses means they are available for marriage. Middle: Wandi village natives. Right: Wandi natives dressed for a sing-sing

Left: This is the carim-leg courting ceremony Right: This is the tarnim-ed (turning head) courting ceremony.

The next day we returned to see the buying of the bride which was exceedingly colorful where we saw the live pigs, plumes and pearl shells used in bride-price. In the afternoon we drove to another village where we saw a sing-sing which consisted of the killing of a pig, dancing and feasting for the actual marriage. The natives were all dressed in their finest and we were able to get some good photographs and I was able to purchase many items for my collection.

Left: Chimbu marriage ceremony. Notice bird of paradise feather headdresses Right: Chimbu girl with King of Saxony feather through her nose in a circle. Yellow bird of paradise feathers.

Left: Chimbu play with a poor man trying to purchase a wife. Middle: Participant of the carim-leg and tarnim-ed ceremonies. Right: Our guide Keith Buxton next to the chief (in western cloths) and some of his subjects.

The following morning we drove through the Wahgi valley to Mount Hagen.When we arrived in Mt. Hagen our guide told me about an artifact store in town. My wife and I immediately went to the store to buy what I could. The Australian woman who ran the store got all of her items from her husband who was a patrol officer. He was able to purchase the items for next to nothing as he was the only non-native in the area. I proceeded to purchase almost one-third of her entire inventory. It consisted of stone axe heads stone axes (15), boar tusk necklaces (4), shell nose pieces (6), dog tooth necklaces (6), mia masks (8) and many other items. She agreed to pack and ship the items along with other items I had purchased along the way. That evening we heard there was fighting between rival tribes. Our guide said as long as we did not get between the two tribes we were safe as they all had no problem with us. While in Mt. Hagen we visited the Andagalimp people. They put on a play showing how bride-price was negotiated for a wife. Before the play I had purchased four very nice kina moa. As the skit started they had to borrow them to put on the skit.

Left: Chimbu girl with kina shell and dog tooth necklace around her neck and cuscus fur down her chest. Middle: Chief Mintina with an assistant. Right: Wahgi boy with King of Saxony feathers at forehead with a chief’s medal with them.

Wahgi men dressed for a sing-sing

Andaglimp people with bird of paradise headdresses, drums, kina and omak (parallel bamboo sticks down chest showing how many items were owed to them).

Left: Andalimp girls with man wearing a headdress. Right: Andagalimp man with kina moa (red shield with kina in middle), omak and kina shell.

Charles and Karen Opitz with Andalimp villagers.

The following morning we flew to visit the Lake Kopiago people, many of whom had walked several days to meet us. Unfortunately there was fog in the area and we had to return to the airport without seeing the natives as it was unsafe to land the plane. The plane had no instruments and the airfield was merely a grass field. We then visited the Baiyer River Bird of Paradise Sanctuary created by Sir Edward Halstrom. We were able to see the birds in the wild. The birds are all very rare and protected by law. Even in Papua New Guinea no white person could own any of the birds. The natives could and did own the plums for their ceremonies. The birds had to have been killed by traditional methods – no guns.

We then flew to the little town of Ambunti where our river guide, Wayne Heathgcote, had his home. The natives were building a Council House with decorative carvings and the entire ceiling was a maze of bark paintings. For the next seven days we will live on the houseboat as we travel down the Sepik River to its mouth at Angoram.

This was the houseboat we took for seven days down the Sepik River. The red boat along side is one of two river houses we used to visit the villages located in the tributaries and in the shallow water.

The house boat had seven cabins for the 14 members of our tour. It also had a nice dinning area and bar. We had two smaller boats used to reach the villages while the main house boat remained on the main river.

Left: Woman fishing with a woven weir on the Sepik River. The water is brown with only some small fish. The fish are dried and ground up to provide some protein. Right: A village along a tributary of the Sepik.

We visited the Waskuk Lagoon and the Melawi village on its shore. From there we went through the Melawi Lagoon and the Meno Channel arriving at the village of Tonwingjamb. In the afternoon we visited the Swagup village. We visited it and saw a sing-sing. We also visited Nakak village and Yambon

Melawi village sing-sing along the Sepik River. Notice the sing-sing pole on right side of left picture. I purchased it and sent it home.

Melawi village sing-sing. (Both pictures)

Left: Melawi man and boy dressed for the sing-sing. Middle & Right: Melawi men dressed for the sing-sing.

Left: Swagup village along Sepik River tributary. Right: Swagup but. Notice the notched log for a ladder.

Left: Swagup village former headhunter. Middle: Swagup village ceremonial house. Right: A grave site with the man’s cooking pot and shield.

Left: Woman breaking sago for making into food. Right: Woman washing the sago from the pulp which is then filtered, made into loafs and cooked.

Left: Nakak village native with a stone axe. Middle: Karen Opitz with a Nakak native where she is buying arrows. The mud on the man indicates he is in mourning. Right: Yambon village hut.

The next morning we visited Yamanumbo village and saw other styles of ornaments. We then proceeded up the April River, a tributary of the Sepik, to visit other villages along the way. In the afternoon we visted the village of Kubkain on the Sepik River. They were holding a boy’s initiation so we got to see some interesting dancing and more magnificent artifacts. By this time our cabin was overflowing with masks and other artifacts we had purchased from the many villages along the way. One such village was Sio. The girl has rhinoceros beetle spikes in her nose from the inside out.

Kubkain village dance. Notice dagger in hand of man in left picture on the right side. Notice men wearing penis shields and nassa covered bark on the foreheads of many men.

Left: Kubkain man wearing a nose piece (now in my collection) and the orange pods are betel nuts. They are chewed by the people with lime and ginger leaf. It is a mild narcotic which produces copious amounts of red saliva which they spit on the ground. Eventually it turns the teeth black and much later can loosen the teeth. Many people from young children to old adults chew betel nut. Right: Charles Opitz purchasing a boar tusk and cowry shell breast-plate. He also purchased the nassa shell covered headband and kina shell. Notice the penis shield.

Sio village girls. Notice rhinoceros beetle spikes in her nose.

We were again back at Ambunti for oil and water as we continued along the Sepik River to Korogo village. While we were there they had a tubain ceremony. Formerly it was held at the conclusion of a successful head-hunting party. We saw an over-modeled human skull which was not for sale. We then continued on the village of Yentchan.

Korego village tubain figures. Notice the mia masks and kina shells. The ceremony was formerly done as the result of a headhunter raid.

Korogo masks for sale in the Korogo ceremonial house. I added many to my collection.

Next we visited the village of Kanganaman where we visited the wonderful Ceremonial House called “Haus Tambaran” or spirit house. We were told that under each house timber was a human sacrifice.

Kanganaman village Haus Tambaran or spirit house.

Inside the Kanganaman village “Haus Tambaran”. Notice the artifacts. Notice the slit gong drum in the right picture.

Karen Opitz with a native carrying items I purchased to our boat.

A ceremonial house along the Sepik River.

We then proceeded on to Chambri Lakes. Their masks were a very distinctive style unlike any others we had seen. We then visited Aibom village where much of the pottery used along the river was produced. Karen was able to purchase several nice pieces to take home.

Karen Opitz purchasing some Aibom village pottery.

The following day we arrived at the month of the river and the small town of Angoram. Here we visited the council house and saw many artifacts which we added to our large collection. We also met the man who would pack and ship our treasures home. Our guide told me in the 20 years he had taken people around Papua New Guinea nobody had ever taken as many artifacts out of the island as I had. He would not believe that I was not a professional art dealer. He did not even know about the large box of artifacts I had purchased from the Angorum Council house three years earlier which was 4 ½ feet by 4 ½ feet by 9 feet and weighed 1,100 pounds. You could say I filled two large rooms with Papua New Guinea artifacts.

Angoram ceremonial house. It was filled with artifacts. Many were added to my collection.

Inside the Angoram ceremonial house.

From Angoram we flew by small plane to Madang where we visited the nearby village of Bilbi to see its distinctive pottery. The next day we flew back to Sydney and home. Many months later my packages of artifacts arrived at my house. We had spent 28 days traveling through many parts of Papua New Guinea at a time in which it was generally safe, but the people had still not gotten the wants which most civilized people crave: cars, cloths, attending college, bank accounts, etc.

SOME OF THE ITEMS I ACQUIRED IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Charles & Karen Opitz

email me at: opitzc@aol.com

web site: www.traditionalmoney.com