Gulf Provincial Government keen to ascertain its tourism potential

Gulf Province has unique tousim products that is suitable to all tourism segments and available throughout all seasons. All we need is to make the tourism products market ready. James Hasu, Deputy PA - Gulf Provincial Administration 

Gulf province’s Kerema town is one of the least developed provincial townships in PNG with all basic infrastructures that been developed during the colonial era with historical evidences of early missionaries landed at Moru Bay 109 years ago. 

Despite the LNG investment and exploration activities are ongoing in the province; the local villagers’ lifestyles have never changed.  The usual trade of buai (betel nut) with the people from Port Moresby who commutes to Kerema for buai trade brings money for local people’s basic needs of the day and life is usual for the Gulf of Papua dwellers.

Gulf still has an endless prospective to venture into tourism and agriculture while its shores are used as exit points for the lucrative oil and gas fields of the Southern Highlands. 

The location of Gulf Province is logistically ideal for trade and business with accessibly via road; sea and air are practically convenient. Despite the strategic location and ease of accessibility, there are not major economical activities in the province apart from the ongoing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exploration and investments in the area which is connected to the upper level beneficiaries. The livelihoods for the Kerema people revolve around usual activities like fishing, hunting and gardening. Although the Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) project is happening at the doorstep; the Gulf people continue to remain passive spectators and with the tourism being introduced to the province, it will set some light into sustainable tourism investments for Gulf people. Hence, the Gulf Provincial Tourism Workshop hosted in Kerema town on November 04^th was intended to set the light for Gulf business owners, community leaders and resource owners to shift their focus into tourism and was overwhelmingly supported by the participants.

The province being located on the southern coast of Papua New Guinea is dominated by highland mountains and terrains with lowland river deltas and wide expanses of seasonally flooded grass plains. The Turama, the Kikori, the Purari and the Vailala are just some of the great rivers that flow into the swampy, delta-land of the Papuan Gulf from the mountains as far as the highlands of PNG.

Generally Kerema has the complex environmental landscape that accounts for unique flora and fauna species and marine biodiversity. The vegetation within the gulf differs and not vastly covered by one particular vegetation. The complex vegetation consists of savannah to swamp that connects with lowland rainforests to the high mountain rainforests that connects with nearby Highlands and Momase Provinces.  The vastness of the complex vegetation and landscape for Gulf of Papua is home to the world’s biggest Black Bass and Catfish as well as Barramundi. This has been confirmed by Gulf Provincial Tourism Office from the statistics gathered with National Game Fishing Association. The Game Fishing is currently, the only tourism activity in the Gulf Province and benefits at the community level are said to be tangible.

The Gulf Provincial Government though its Commerce and Tourism Division having greater interest to tap into the tourism potential after not seeing any benefits towards the communities out of the LNG projects and investments in the province. Hence, the first Gulf Provincial Tourism Workshop at Hotel Kerema was the opportunity for the Gulf Provincial Government, stakeholders and resources owners to discuss the way forward to make the tourism potentials of Gulf a reality. The PNGTPA official have been invited to the workshop which has more than thirty (30) participants; especially the community leaders, councillors, resource owners, tourism business operators and general business operators in the province.

The acting District Administrator, Mr. James Hasu officially opened the Gulf Provincial Tourism Conference with the emphasis on tourism being one of the sleeping giant for Gulf Province which have been hidden by the perception that LNG investment and developments will generate more spin-off and improve livelihood of the people but it never eventuates as such economy operates on the upper level economy and never scales down to the individuals at the village level like tourism investment can deliver.

Being the TPA officer on the ground, I visited the selected tourism product sites that were presented at the Gulf Provincial Tourism Workshop by the Gulf Tourism Officer (Mr. Vincent Ehari) and without doubt I admitted that Gulf of Kerema has the tourism products that can be offered to tourists all year round from and water sports to trekking and relaxation on the nice and peaceful beaches like Pariva and Iokea which have vast stretch of beach that breaks the waves which sweeps the beach clear. The beaches in Kerema area ideal for board and kite surfing or camping and lazing by the beach while quenching the thirst with a young coconut juice (kulau) and wait for the sun to wade off over the breaking waves to get a glimpse of the striking sunset off the horizon sending out the rays to the sky, the sea below that reflects the rays on the surface naturally colouring the sky, sea and the beach.

The Gulf Province has already triggered the tourism interest domestically and to some extend internationally by Iokea villager and self-talented singer/song writer Robert Oeka with his 90s hit song ‘Kerema Yu No Save.’ The video clip, lyrics and musical composition have created interests for many people in PNG and overseas enticing them to visit Kerema by themselves.  The song literally mean to listeners to go and explore Kerema, a place you have not known yet, now it is time to explore Kerema and tourism will pave the way.

Thanks to Gulf Provincial Administration for inviting me to visit Kerema, now it makes me realize that the province truly has its unique allure. Kerema is a place someone has to visit to know better than the curiosity out of the song from Robert Oeka’s ‘Kerema yu no save’ and it’s truly a gulf with vastness of beauty and attraction. It is certain the name ‘Gulf of Papua’ derived as the provincial name and gulf has what it envisages of Kerema.

Pariva Conference Room - Hotel Kerema

  

Sunset at Pariva Beach - Kerema 

Canoeing at Lake Kamu Basin

Words and pictures by;Nathan LATI- Product Development Officer (PNGTPA)

Tourism and tradition – can they co-exist in a modern PNG?

THE Engan dance, the Mali, is one of the traditional rituals that is gradually dying away due to non-recognition of its significance in the modern and traditional contexts.  

Previously, the Mali was hosted for reasons that cannot match today’s purposes. Furthermore, the importance of the Mali from both modern and traditional perspective is not understood by majority of the Engans due to the current trend towards modernity and the weakening of culture, tradition and custom.

Currently, the Mali is one of the major tourist attractions in Enga and has gained popularity at the annual Enga Cultural Show with its Sili Muli, an all women Mali dance group.

However, there are shifting cultural factors that have influenced Engans to overlook the significance of the Mali and interest and eagerness to participate and learn has been minimal among youth with the Mali losing its purpose and authenticity.

As a unique tradition, the Mali needs to be maintained and preserved through promotion and creating awareness and interest to rejuvenate and protect it from losing its values.

Enga Province has minimal economic activity and the support of the provincial government is required in funding awareness, cultural promotion and preservation through tourism activities.

There are possibilities to encourage the younger generation to learn how to preserve and sustain the Mali and to understand and value the cultural and traditional aspects of Engan life. Thus we may help maintain and sustain the Mali from dying away silently as a result of modern influences.

It is interesting to see, through the influence of the one language spoken throughout the province, that the customs practiced in traditional societies are same throughout Enga. However, religion, education, employment and rural to urban migration have much influenced the Mali.

Although there are some Mali dance performances with contemporary costumes, the authenticity of and pride in the Mali dance seems to have lost its value. The same detrimental factors can be seen in the other cultures and traditions of PNG amid the 800 plus language groups - they are dying away in a similar manner.

Akii Tumu’s book, ‘View of The Enga Culture’, states that, in the past, most Malisingsings took place to gather people to discuss upcoming feasts or exchanges, but today they are held primarily to raise money for public facilities, to celebrate holidays or other important events. This commercialisation with contemporary costumes imitates the authentic Mali dance but is of no substance in terms of its cultural values.

Today, most PNG societies seem to have an oral tradition as an historical source but the reality of traditional ways of life are dying away as we shift our focus to modernity and development.  The concept of imparting skills and knowledge, learning and imitating traditions  and customs  from great tribal or clan ancestors seems not to exist these days.

The children live far away from their villages, parents and families and are unable to participate in village cultural activities – they do not learn and understand them. The loss of the vernacular language is also an important barrier as most people now communicate in English, Pidgin and Motu.

The opportunities to teach traditional customs to the younger generation are narrow, leaving a gap which needs to be helped if it is to be revived and sustained.

In Enga, the way of doing things which were passed down the generations are at risk in these days when everyone’s focus is on modernity. Thus the Enga traditional dance, which followed the same pattern of sharing, teaching and imparting knowledge to preserve the values, genealogies and narratives which were the basis of its existence, is losing its influence and, without great care, may be lost forever.

The Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (PNGTPA) identifies cultural tourism as a significant source for national tourism growth due to the authentic cultural experiences that are PNG’s biggest selling tourism product.

The UN World Tourism Organisation has stated that cultural tourism accounts for 37% of global tourism and forecasts a growth rate of 15% per year. This is particularly true for PNG where travel statistics show increased arrivals in the months of July to September as a result of cultural festivals staged in various parts of the country, especially the Mask Festival, the Mt Hagen Show, the Hiri Moale and the Goroka Show.

Cultural festivals, village tours and stays that are worked into travel itineraries always prove attractive for tourists and are a common feature in many successful tour operators’ packages.

PNGTPA’s major challenge in cultural tourism has been in aligning the modern or Western concept of tourism as a business with the Melanesian cultural practices of shared resources and land ownership.

Hence, PNGTPA works closely with tour operators and tourism associations to help reinforce, support and preserve the local communities and their culture. Partnerships in tourism are vital for PNG especially in the preservation of culture and natural resources.

PNGTPA’s most successful partnership projects have been the Surf Management Plan headed by the Surfers Association of PNG. This project aims to ensure that the village communities where surfing tourism takes place receive shared benefits through fees and that rules are implemented to limit the number of surfers so protecti.ng the environment.

As a passionate observer of cultures and traditions of our country, I am always interested to learn and discover more about the various cultures and traditions of PNG. I am eager to learn in detail about our cultures in their full contexts and whether they are still practised.  Sadly, the traditions have changed and contemporary culture has dominated what used to be our authentic way of life.

I have come to known that many young people cannot speak any native languages from either of their parents’ tribes and clans. Language is part of culture and tradition and to lose language is to lose culture and tradition.

This is the source link:  Tourism and Tradition - Can they co-exist in modern PNG ?

Successful Inland Super Tilapia Fingerlings and Fresh Water Prawns Farmer and Distributor at Sirinumu Dam

Jonah Bobogi is a self taught aquaculture expert who started the inland Super Tilapia Farming at Sirinumu Dam and now distributing fingerlings throughout PNG. His hard work and sheer determination have paid him off and now a proud owner of a semi-modern and improvised nursery and hatchery for Super Tilapia and Fresh Water Prawns on his Bausaka Island.

‘Our livelihood of the past in the valley have been tormented and we moving on after the water has taken over our dwelling places’; Jonah.

Jonah Bobogi is currently into a village based fisheries business from Bausaka Island located on the southern edge of the Sirinumu Dam. He comes from Berebai village and moved on to the island to try out his local expertise in inland Super Tilapia fish farming. According to encyclopedia, the Super Tilapia are mainly freshwater fish inhabits the shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes and less commonly found living in brackish water.

With little knowledge about the breeding procedures of Super Tilapia from his training stints with National Fisheries Authority (NFA). The local Koari villager has overcome the obstacles in illiteracy and remoteness of his location with a determined heart to achieve what he has dreamt of in his life.

Apart from rest of the Sirinumu Catchment area hamlets and villages which are connected with electricity, his island is far from the main PNG Power grid line that connects the surrounding villages. Jonah on his small and remote island uses solar panels that he ordered from China though some friends and he uses them to pump water into the breeding ponds and light up his area. From the dugout ground ponds for breeding to now he has two NFA donated 4x4 platoons with 12 cages having five thousand Super Tilapia in each cage. Apart from Super Tilapia he also breeds Freshwater Prawns that are really doing well with the help of University of PNG Marine and Biology Department serving with hatchery toil and providing incubation support. The breeding of Golden Curb species has also been a successful story in the trial phase and his clients from all over PNG have started ordering from him.

Apart from the successful journey that he is heading with skills in aquaculture, farming and carpentry, there were setbacks that affects his farming yet he is determined and a never give-up Koari bloke with 2 daughters, 3 sons and a grandson. Sadly his second son passed away for unknown reasons but he said; ‘I accepted the fact that the Man above is the provider of everything and that was His plan for my son,’ Jonah sobs off softly.

Few times his Super Tilapia nets have been broken into by crocodiles and freed the bulk of the fish in the cages but that was not the end of his fish farming project. His never give up stamina has given him the courage to get the remaining ones into the cage and continued with the breeding of the fingerlings and now he is more watchful of crocodiles to never intrude again.

He is a charismatic man of virtue and he talks from the start of the conversation to the ending to make people understand in detail, whilst into the depth of the conversation with anyone, he can stand, sit or walk or include jokes to make you understand the full message. You can start a conversation and he has the words to complete for you and makes it interesting with his soft gestures and never fading smiles. He is devoted and a serious talker and means what he says but others feel it’s too much for them to absorb. I had a chance chatting with him during my feasibility study tour of his island facilities and had a conversation for nearly three hours and should have continued but my research team with dinghy arrived to pick me up so I have to bid him farewell in the middle of the conversation and departed in the afternoon for the campsite.

While walking with him to the jetty he stopped me and said, ‘Son look out to the lake from here and what is the view like’; I replied, ‘it’s amazing and perfect million dollar view,’ and he smiled away when I spoke out the words that he has been looking to describe the view every time he sits under his Kunai Hauswin and takes a glimpse on the sun setting when sipping a warm cup of tea to ease off the tensions from working on his three trades each day.

During the tour of his facilities around the island with him, I found him to be one hardworking Koiari man with skills in agriculture, carpentry and aquaculture which does not require him to look for any expertise help, hence his survival is alone on his own island world that has potential to attract Super Tilapia lovers as well as tourists for site seeing, camping and picnic.  He told me, ‘he was alone developing the island and its facilities including the barbecue area, guesthouse and Super Tilapia breeding ponds since 2006 and now he expects visitors to come visit his Bausaka Island to buy fish or for leisure and use the available facilities. 

Even Jonah is isolated from the Sirinumu Catchment communities, he always had the heart for his people and through his own initiative he has trained some locals with inland Super Tilapia breeding skills and given off fingerlings to the local community for start up. His enthusiasm to teach and share knowledge with the Sirinumu catchment community was recognized by NFA and selected the locals under his project support training to go for further training under NFA viability training on inland fish farming.

Although the project seems so little on the remote island, he has a vision and dream that he is into a massive project that will link up with Sirinumu Cooperative’s Ecotourism Development which is progressing with feasibility studies by a combined technical team from Kokoda Track Authority, Central Provincial Tourism, NCDC Tourism Bureau and PNG Tourism Promotion Authority. Jonah has a keen interest to link his products into tourism and he has already existing facilities for tourist to go camping or for a weekend picnic and return. His facilities include a four room guest house, a big kitchen area, barbecue facilities, toilet and a shelter (Hauswin) to get a good view of the dam from the island.

Jonah is continuing to build a hatchery and nursery which he said to utilize his local expertise in water reticulation system to improvise what is on the island to ensure it delivers the expected result. He said he got the training from Thailand under NFA funding and he was the one who was more competent and he can actually put up the skills he learnt into use by constructing for himself a hatchery and nursery for his fish farming project.  In between the breeding pond and the nursery or hatchery he has proposed to build an office and a resource centre that will be opened to visitors to the island. He can do more by putting into use what he learns from NFA trainings but he needs funding support and technical advice; however he has progressed well on his own way up with little assistance from NFA.

In fact, Jonah has an impact project to the Sirinumu Catchment community since 1963 when all the good places for gardening, waterways and livelihoods went underwater when the Sirinumu Dam was constructed and water took over the place. From then on, everyone has adapted a new lifestyle by commuting on boats and dugout canoes to go to gardens on the hillside or to have access to the main road and schools which are closer through the water.  Jonah is one example of how he had chosen to live his life after the Sirinumu Dam and now has the opportunity to tap into tourism and fisheries project whilst other areas of game fishing, kayaking, trekking, camping and lodging remains potential for Sirinumu Catchment area which he has the existing products to sell.

 Photo 1: Jonah with is platoon at the background

Photo 2: Dr. Betty Laufa of NCDC Tourism with Jonah and a local at the platoon checking fish 

Photo 3: Jonah's breed of Golden Curb at Bausaka Island 

The 2016 Inaugural Karkar Island Bilum Festival

For the details of the event, please click the link below  for access
2016 Inaugural Karkar Island Bilum Festival a Success

naithnlati_pix

P&O’s Cruise Ship MV. Pacific Aria finally sails into Wewak with more than 2000 tourists

At the end of the deck edge were written the following words when it sailed into the ruffled seas of Wewak, ‘Like No Place On Earth’. So be it Wewak! I yelled out when I saw her anchored off Wewak hill towards the new National Fisheries Authority Jetty.

Wewak, unlike any other coastal townships in Papua New Guinea has a natural attraction of its own. The famous Wewak Hill or Point is the home to most of Japanese War Relics and now the home to most of the hotels and residence area for prominent Sepik People and public servants. Maintaining the Japanese memories and history is the New Wewak Hotel owned by Japanese man who was married to a local Sepik woman. The hotel is situation on the Wewak Hill lookout providing ideal place to dine on their Japanese restaurant or having few beers from their open air bar on the edge of the premises overlooking the open Bismarck Sea.

The picturesque hill overlooks the township towards the west and the Bismarck Sea over the east and was a strategic military based for Japanese during WWII.

At the foot of the hill is the National Fisheries Jetty just opposite the town is the one way street with shops on either side and market on the other end towards the bay. The Wewak beach extends from National Fisheries Jetty to Windjammer Hotel. A visitor could not gauge much of the beauty that Wewak has after just having to sit by the town beach front for cool breeze or snorkeling near the shoreline.

It might take years to build interest or to spend more time studying the beauty and history of Wewak with countless sites to visit with the highlighted sites like Wom village which has a unique and fine sandy beach with a access road that runs through the mangrove jungles passing through Wom Memorial Park funded by Japanese Government. The Mission hill has got its own history and Catholic Church had never vacated the area since WWII and the area holds a countless number of WWII stories.

Driving towards the South-East off Wewak township is very scenic and history will easily be recalled when passing through one of the oldest schools in the country ‘ Barandi High School’ now a secondary school which has produced some of the most prominent people in PNG including the founding Prime Minister Grand Chief, Sir. Michael Thomas Somare who has been a former student there. Not further from the school is the Maur village which played host to the MV. Pacific Aria passengers by hosting more than 300 tourists on the back to back half-day tour.

PNG Tourism Promotion under its 5year Cruise Tourism Development Plan, Wewak was identified as one of the cruise tourism spots and made negations with P&O (Carnival Corporation) to bring one of their cruise ships to Wewak and finally PNGTPA got a positive response from Carnival Corporation to have MV.Pacific Dawn on its maiden voyage to Wewak and scheduled for November 20th, 2015. PNGTPA officers worked tirelessly with the support of the Wewak government officers and stakeholders on the ground to prepare all the ground work to make the maiden into Wewak by P&O’s MV.Pacific Dawn a more successful and remarkable event. The cruise tourism awareness by PNGTPA and stakeholders on the ground served its purpose well and people from as far as Murik Lakes, Aitape, Lumi and Sepik Rivers all flocked to the Wewak Township with their arts and hand crafts to wait for MV.Pacific Dawn with estimated passenger and crew capacity of 2500 onboard to come ashore.

Unfortunately and due to unforeseen circumstances that were beyond control, the passengers did not disembark owing to the swells near the National Fisheries Jetty which could not allow the tenders from MV. Pacific Dawn with passengers to berth calmly. Fearing the safety of the elderly people onboard, MV. Pacific Dawn anchored off the seas near Wewak hill and waited for another 30 minutes for the sea to calm down but it did not eventuated. Regretfully, the ship made a decision to sail off to the next destination on the schedule leaving PNGTPA, the stakeholders and Wewak people in anguish. The excitement, anticipation and expectations were all changed into anger and confusion was all over Wewak town and it was the saddest day for everyone whom they left for their homes unsatisfied with their repacked carvings and handicrafts. The uncertain event coincided with the circumstances beyond the control of MV. Pacific Dawn, the ground handlers in Wewak, PNGTPA and the stakeholders. The regrettable event left the Sepik people of Wewak shattered and expectations shrink too low but PNGTPA and stakeholders assured to negotiate again and bring another ship into Wewak sooner.

It was not too long and through the persistent requests and negotiations between P&O (Carnival Corporations) and the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, the P&O decided to send another sister cruise ship of MV.Pacific Dawn and this time was MV. Pacific Aria scheduled to sail into Wewak waters on Monday 22nd of February, 2015.

The stakeholders and tour operators in Wewak still with uncertainty and unsatisfied feeling from the last incident with MV. Pacific Dawn did prepared for MV.Pacific Area with less interest but in a more organised way and the Sepik Adventure tours under the guidance of Alois Mateos arranged and provided tours under three category; The Wewak Highlight Tour, Maur Cultural Village Experience and Wom Historical Tour. The tours ran back to back for half-day tours but most of the tourist who went to Maur village fallen in love with the village and did not wanted to return back until the second and last tour departs from the village.

Despite the first time to host such a big number of tourists in the village on tour, the villagers prepared well and organised for the tourists to have a good experiences and leave with fond memories. The cultural group leader of Maur village and tourism advocate Valentine Andisagu was overwhelmed with the feedback he received from the tourists with happily repeated words of satisfaction on the tour by tourist who could expressed themselves with words like ‘fantastic, excellent, perfect, awesome, tremendous, amazing, superb, lovely and all those words that have countless descriptions to describe a place that has got more than what the tourists have expected.

The villagers went on to showcased their tradition houses with artifacts and gift for sale, the traditional all girl dances were separated from the mixed men and female dance group. Kids ranging from young girls to young boys were all decorated in traditional attired to draw the attention of curious tourists who did not walk away without a photograph. The village was well prepared with many interesting products to showcase on their first time to host tourists and there were well constructed short tracks leading to the village gardens, sago making arena and to the nearby Barandi River bank where the tourists were served with ripe banana and coconut juice. The villages were so happy to be the hosts for the tourists and offered complimentary fruits and coconut juice to show appreciation towards the tourists for visiting their village. The tour to Maur village ended on a positive allure and the ratings onboard the ship must have been overwhelming if the tourists were given some review questionnaires or score cards to fill for Maur village after the tour.

There were so much potential tourist attractions in Maur village and also other sites in Wewak but PNGTPA officers on the ground have advised the resource owners to market and sell what is available and accessible to tourists while keeping the others as substitutes or keeping on standby for other market segments.

From the frequent expeditionary cruises from few of the Australian cruise operators to Wewak and Sepik River, the recent visit of the purposely built cruise lines like MV. Aria operating under well renowned cruise operators like P&O have set a milestone and paved a way forward for Wewak’s cruise tourism investment. PNG Tourism Promotion Authority is happy with the overall operation and the achievements in Wewak and looking forward to negotiate for more cruise ships to visit Wewak in the near future.


Words and Pictures by; Nathan LATI, PNGTPA – Tourism Product Development Officer

Picture 1: Welcome signage for MV. Pacific Aria passengers at Maur Village

Picture 2: MV. Pacific Aria anchoring off Wewak Hill

The Untold Sirinumu Story

Sirinumu Dam took over the entire livelihood we had when we were 16years old Tells Mabu Maruka and Orogo Oroni both 69 years old now

Maruka has been working as the administration driver for Honibrooks construction company whilst Oroni was working as a timber mill operator with an expatriate who owned sawmill and cattle ranch near the Sirinumu area.

 They both admitted that, at first they have no idea of what the meaning of Dam was about. They both saw the Australian Kiap (Government Officer) led by one expat named Mr.Marsh who was desperately carrying out intensive lands survey within the now Sirinnumu Dam area but they have no idea of what Mr. Marsh and his team were trying to do with their land.

 At first there was a mini hydro developed by Australian Government during the colonial days and was operating at the foot of the current Sirinumu Bridge supplying electricity to Port Moresby but after seeing the demand for electricity in the city and potential at Sirinumu area, the plan to acquire the current dam area have never been explained to the land owners properly.

 The duo further mentioned that our fathers were councilors and policeman during that time but they have no idea of what Mr. Marsh and his team were planning to do. Our fathers only following orders from the Kiap and did what they were told to do with the community. There was no objection and no questions asked about what was going on with the surveys and construction machinery arriving into the site and started working on the bridge and its structures for the dam.

 With the shattered mind and confusion running all over the minds of local Koiari people in Sirinumu area, they dwelled on with their usual daily life of hunting and gardening. It was through a local Koiari interpreter Kunia Warina who explained the meaning of dam and what was going on with the surveys and the plan of the dam and Sirinumu. The interpretation of the dam created sparks and hatred tensions developed between the local Koiari people of Sirinumu and the Australian government officials but it was cooled off when livelihood benefits and cash payments were promised to them during relocation.

 There was mixture of feelings conceived by the Koiari people after hearing the breaking news about the dam. Some were happy with the relocation and benefits whilst others where sad and did not know what to do and say because they feared going to jail if they objected and protest against the dam development. Among them was my mum who broke into tears and was insisting on any developments on Sirinumu Dam.

She continued to protest in every meeting but finally gave up because majorities were convinced by the promised benefits with relocation, Maruka said. He remembered watching her mum protesting in front of Australian Kiaps and officials but she was finally ruled out by majority of the landowners who were in favor of the Sirinumu Dam. The influence to convince the landowners (Koiari) came strongly from the colonial leaders who were following the orders from the Australian Kiaps and officials to develop the dam. There was no proper consultation done to account for the plants and animals that were affected by the water when the Sirinumu River was blocked off for the river to cover the land. The food crops were charged at one pound each which is now valued at K2.00 and other plants were charged at one ceiling or now K1.00 and paid to the local. There were a lot of confusions when most Koiari people have high expectations over relocation benefits promised whilst few like my mother was reluctant to give away her home and gardens to the water to takeover; Mr.Maruka added.

The people of Sirinumu knew that a treasure box (cash box) has been brought to the Sirinumu site for landownership payment but was taken back by the Australian Kiap and officials when they realized that the Koiari landowners could not demand for more because their highest expectations were on the relocation benefits. Coincidently, many landowners were not paid cash on their accounted food crops and land given off to the dam. They expected the relocation benefits to be sufficient and waited patiently under their bush material makeshifts and then lived on with few having only electricity access to their homes now.

 Mr. Marsh was so desperate to block the river and fill up the area with water to have the dam in operational as soon as possible and those landowners who opposed were interrogated and threatened to be jailed. The government officials burnt down the SDA and Jehovah Witness Churches that were within the area which the Koiari landowners were reluctant to remove them in respect of the Christianity and fearing of the Creator above.

Complains of compensation on plants, houses, village cemeteries and gardens were ignored and none of the Koiari people complain persistently because most of the people fear being jailed if they continue to protests against the Australian Kiaps and officials.

 I still remember this day very well; Said Mr. Maruka and gave the following accounts; it was in 1963 and beginning of the year, we (all the Koiari settlers) of the Sirinumu Plateau were asked to vacate the area and asked us to go build our makeshift shelters from bush materials and live near the hillside and mountains which were marked safe for us to settled knowing water level will not reach us.

One early morning at 10am, the manager of the dam (Mr.King) called everyone to witness lodging of the blockade into the river vent that was meant to fill up the land they vacated for the water. Most of us were told to go to Nainumu village which was safe to stay there and see the water filling up the land they been dwelling for lifetime. Most weep in their tears and could not take a rest to let the water fill up the land, instead they kept standing and watching day and night to see the water taking over their places.

We saw wild animals got stranded and cried out for help in the middle of the water, some of them we could help them sail off to nearby higher places in makeshift rafts made of bamboos whilst others could make their own way to safety or died in the water. The only animals we feared recuing and left out were snakes; otherwise we tried all our best to help the stranded wild animals on to higher grounds and nearby bushes. It was really a saddest day for me in my life and I remembered everything that unfolded that very day, you could hear those animals could really cry. We are mountain people and we have no skills to swim such a huge up surging water but young man of my age managed to do what we could to save our wild and domestic animals from drowning. We were let to a totally different world when the water took over our place, no skills to build canoes or have the courage and skills to swim. Villages were isolated by the water and we all were living further apart. Our tracks and roads to villages no longer exist since we moved to hillsides that have no roads or tracks. Fortunately we managed to curve out canoes after some help and connections from Tubuseria village along aroma coast and build new tracks from villages to villages and started to live a completely new life till today.

 We were promised good housing, hospitals, schools and better roads but there is nothing significant of those promised infrastructures actually happened in our lifetime. We all struggled to have access to the services in Sogeri station or Port Moresby city after bumpy and muddy ride on the 15 kilometer and unsealed road between Sirinumu and Sogeri daily. We have had many bad experiences from the dam and most of those experiences we keep within ourselves even we know that we are the landowners to a major impact project for the Government of PNG that serves one of the basic needs of people in Port Moresby.

 Our life without the dam was so nice and easy with many food crops and abundance of wildlife. Now they are all gone and our children now think that our life was like this before. Our children are happy of the new developments that are happening now but we older people still recalled our good old days life without the dam. Our memories of the past and what happened is somewhat traumatic but we have lived this far without any issues and adapted to this life, concluded Mr.Maruka. When asked about the recent ecotourism projects proposed within the Sirinumu Catchment area by PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, Kokoda Track Authority, NCDC Tourism, Central Provincial Government; he express the following remarks; our children’s future now is reliant on the life of the dam and ours was before the dam.

The current ecotourism development project proposed by the joint partners of Sirinumu Ecotourism Cooperative, Kokoda Track Authority, PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, NCDC Tourism and Central Provincial Government will have much impact on the lives of the Koiari people. I think we got the potential in tourism development and we are not too late to develop it now. I was in support of the feasibility study by clearing the tracks and prepared the ground work to have it done successfully and we are anticipating and supporting for the ecotourism developments.

Closer to the city of Port Moresby yet appears to be isolated society with villages scattered within the Sirinumu Catchment area are the villages belongs to the Koiari people. The place is beautiful with its natural landscape connected from the astrolabe ranges with tropical rainforests joined by savannah grasslands that leads to the dam with abundance of wildlife, flora and fauna. The area has potential for game fishing, kayaking, trekking, caving, camping, bird watching and many more still undiscovered. It’s a changing trend in life for the Koiari people of Siriumu when the tourism business activity starts. 

Things are gradually changing and the Sirinumu Market near the dam bridge has been opened to public and it is in operations for Saturdays and Sunday in which the local Koiari people sells the fresh garden produces with the signature fruit crop ‘Koiari Pineapple.’