OLAC Record
oai:soas.ac.uk:MPI1074281

Metadata
Title:Wapisay and Wantaim
Y16_Canon_0434
Audio-visual documentation of Meakambut ways of speaking
Contributor (researcher):Darja
Contributor (speaker):Kapukam
Ana
Coverage:PNG
Date:2016-01-12
Description:Myth
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.
This is a myth about Wantaim and Wapisay. Wapisay was looking at a tomba tree. Wantaim was pounding sago. Wapisay secretly watched her working and hid behind the pulverised sago. Wantaim saw a hand jutting out and grabbed it. It was Wapisay’s hand. She held him and said he was going to be her man, as she (as other women at the time) married a dog. They went back together and she chopped up her husband, the dog. Another woman asked her why she killed her husband. Wantaim told her that she’s got a man now. W&W ate sago together and went to sleep. The next morning Wapisay built a long men’s house. He told women to leave and the all went pounding sago. When they got back he told them to mumu sago with aibika. Then he told them to line up. Wantaim broke the door and young men started coming out. Some of them married the women. Younger boys were not given the women yet. The women killed all their dogs (former husbands). They only left two to help them hunt, a male and a female.
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.
age estimated; date of birth estimated Ana died in December 2016
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:MPI1074281
IPF0221
Identifier (URI):https://lat1.lis.soas.ac.uk/ds/asv?openpath=MPI1074281%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:MPI1074281
DateStamp:  2017-11-08
GetRecord:  OAI-PMH request for simple DC format

Search Info

Citation: Kapukam (speaker); Ana (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:MPI1074281
Up-to-date as of: Mon Oct 18 17:08:52 EDT 2021