Abstract
Initially the Siassi people of Mandok Island, off the Papua New Guinea coast, are not particularly impressed by Pieter ter Keurs’ presence among them. They themselves are of immigrant origin and so are their awe-inspiring spirits that sanction the moral order. In this chapter ter Keurs relates how their leaders consider him too young to carry any political clout. And yet the craftsmen welcome him to their workshops where they permit him to witness the very sacred motifs and ancestral emblems from which women and children must be shielded. He may learn about the powerful spirits that supervise the social life and they let him purchase a mask embodying the most sacred ancestor, so that a remote society may benefit from its auspicious spiritual agency.
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Notes
- 1.
For a description of the acceptance of Catholic missionaries in Mandok in the 1930s, see Ter Keurs (2006, 79–80).
- 2.
Members of each clan ideally have their own ceremonial house as a central place for the clan to convene. Since there is not enough space on the island, all rumai share the pulat as a space where only initiated men of all clans are allowed to enter.
- 3.
Austronesian is the fourth largest language family in the world. Its languages are spoken from Southeast Asia to the western Pacific. They do not include the Papuan languages spoken in Indonesian West Papua and Papua New Guinea.
- 4.
The circumcision ritual might be the cause of serious and potentially lethal infections in the initiands.
- 5.
The bullroarer is a musical instrument of great antiquity, familiar inter alia with the aboriginal cultures of Australia. It consists of a piece of wood attached to a string. When swung around the wood it makes a ‘roaring’ sound.
- 6.
- 7.
In contrast to the ‘big men’ who obtained their wealth and political status following the trade with the outside world, the ‘lord of the land’ of Mandok Island, whose acquaintance I made later during my stay lacked their political clout. He was an old man living in poverty in a simple hut, yet he was highly respected and played an important ritual role whenever mariam emerged from the earth to visit the community.
- 8.
Other clans, such as Pandanpugu of Big Man Baal and woodcarver Ubuk (see below), claimed mariam Giling as their ancestor as well. In fact, some informants argued that all clans acknowledged Giling as the mariam for law and order par excellence.
- 9.
For similar categories of mythical beings in North and Northeast New Guinea, see Ter Keurs (2006).
- 10.
There are also free designs without religious or cosmological significance. These can be used freely without the consent of the Big Men.
- 11.
This is known as ‘Tami style’ after the small Tami Islands south of Siassi whence it originated along with the ancestors of the clan Tabobpugu.
- 12.
Such bowls are carved from wood of the kwila tree (Afzelia biyuga).
- 13.
The price we agreed upon was of 20 Kina, that was about 70 Dutch guilders in 1983.
- 14.
The ceremonial shield is decorated in three colours: black, formerly made from charred wood (Melanesian pidgin: sit bilong pia; Siassi: asesonga), nowadays from the contents of batteries mixed with sea water; white, made from lime mixed with sea water; and red from red ochre also mixed with sea water.
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ter Keurs, P. (2019). Mythical Beings from the Swamp Among the Siassi, Papua New Guinea. In: Platenkamp, J., Schneider, A. (eds) Integrating Strangers in Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16703-5_12
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