OLAC Record
oai:soas.ac.uk:MPI1074275

Metadata
Title:Oral history 01
Y16_Canon_0438
Audio-visual documentation of Meakambut ways of speaking
Contributor (researcher):Darja
Contributor (speaker):Kapukam
Coverage:PNG
Date:2016-01-12
Description:Killing Kawaki, pacification, cannibal practices of the Wamia people
The Meakambut are semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, numbering about 60, moving between camps and rock shelters in their mountainous territory in East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea. As one of very few semi-nomadic groups in Melanesia, they are key for understanding the (socio)linguistic situation which would have prevailed before agriculture. Apart from basic word-lists there has been no prior research on the language. Using observational filming to supplement basic linguistic and ethnographic documentation, this project provides audio-visual documentation and analysis of a variety of Meakambut speech practices, embedded in rich ethnographic data.
Kapukam is telling a story about killing Kawaki from Namata and going to jail (linked with patrol reports). He was in jail in Wewak for a year. At this time the patrol officers stopped warfare between Meakambut and Namata. The Imboin got a councillor, Kapukam became a luluai. Many young Meakambut men died (sanguma, sickness…). They wanted to go to school to Amboin, but the councillor threw their names out. ANOTHER STORY: Cutting the trees, clearing the space for Tombakopa. Imboin and Kanjimei had a fight. A man called Yangus killed, mumued and ate children, young men, grown up men. He was from Andambit, Yalakeña /Kupin. We used to fight. We didn’t fight with Kupin, only andambit and Namata. When I killed Kawaki, and went to jail, they asked, do you stay in caves and fight with others? Sometimes we stay in houses and fight, sometimes we stay in the caves and fight, sometimes in camps and fight. Wamia is a big place behind Kopao. It has a bad reputation. If they catch you, they will mumu you end eat you. They boiled heads in clay pots … description of cannibal practices and defecation taboos. Women ate men’s testicles, Yangus ate women’s genitals. hands tasted like young cassowary meat. People who stayed at Nomakanja were cannibals. And those who stayed at the head of Yamam (Awiakay). They all fought with the Meakambut.
age estimated At the time of research Kapukam was the oldest man in the group. He can understand and speak a little bit of Anday and Enga, but is not fluent in either. His Tok Pisin is basic, but can communicate in it. He also knows a bit of Awiakay.
Darja's mother tongue is Slovene, her working languages are Tok Pisin and English. She is fluent in Tok Pisin and Awiakay, but has only basic knowledge of Meakambut. She's the researcher and filmmaker.
Format:video/mp4
text/plain
Identifier:oai:soas.ac.uk:MPI1074275
IPF0221
Identifier (URI):https://lat1.lis.soas.ac.uk/ds/asv?openpath=MPI1074275%23
Publisher:Darja Hoenigman
The Australian National University
Subject:Narrative
Meakambut
Tok Pisin language
Subject (ISO639):tpi
Type:Video

OLAC Info

Archive:  Endangered Languages Archive
Description:  http://www.language-archives.org/archive/soas.ac.uk
GetRecord:  OAI-PMH request for OLAC format
GetRecord:  Pre-generated XML file

OAI Info

OaiIdentifier:  oai:soas.ac.uk:MPI1074275
DateStamp:  2017-11-08
GetRecord:  OAI-PMH request for simple DC format

Search Info

Citation: Kapukam (speaker); Darja (researcher). 2016-01-12. Darja Hoenigman.
Terms: area_Pacific country_PG iso639_tpi

Inferred Metadata

Country: Papua New Guinea
Area: Pacific


http://www.language-archives.org/item.php/oai:soas.ac.uk:MPI1074275
Up-to-date as of: Mon Oct 18 17:13:12 EDT 2021