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By FRANCIS GABRIEL
THE “first shall be the last and last shall be the first”
doctrine is an eternal rewards concept for believers based
on the relative eternal value of serving oneself in this
temporal life versus serving God.
Such commitment can be said of late Kavuso Kasova (or better
known by his children as Papa Kavuso), who placed himself
last to serve his people first during his humble beginnings,
which later earned him chieftaincy in his village - a show
of trust and honour by the people he had served.
And not only that, Kavuso was the first person to be
appointed as a luluai in his Yumi village in Lufa district
and was the last serving luluai in that part of PNG until
his death on January 10 this year.
From humble beginnings back in his Yumi village in Lufa
district in Eastern Highlands Papa Kavuso, worked his way up
to serve not only his district and province but extended his
services as far as Western province.
It was through his undivided commitment that he was made
chief of Yumi village when he left the reigns of a luluai
when PNG acquired self government.
According to his son Dickson, Papa Kavuso, who was more than
a 100 years old when he passed away, is one of the very few
in the early days who helped bring development and
realization of the outside world to some of the remote parts
of the Eastern Highlands province.
Papa Kavuso, his son recalled, proved his potential and
qualities of being a leader when he first joined a band of
cargo boys to assist soldiers during the Second World War.
The cargo boys were responsible for carrying the soldiers’
bags, patrol boxes, assist in navigation and carry wounded
and sick soldiers.
His journey, which also took him to the coast in Western
province, started at Lufa district, where he patrolled
through Gouno, Yamutare, Koru, Hegaturu, Megino, Maiva,
Mane, through to Okapa, Kimi, Zumi, Beha, Aivesu, Tunokau
and Fusaru, among other places.
It was through his outstanding leadership qualities that
Papa Kavuso was first appointed as a luluai when colonial
government was first introduced.
His show of loyalty and determination to lead pleased the
kiaps which earned him the position and respect that would
someday place him in the highest standing in his community.
During his time as a luluai, he liaised and facilitated
dealings between the administrations, through kiaps and
patrol officers, and the local people.
He was also responsible for promoting peace, reporting
lawlessness and assisting patrol officers with census,
health and magisterial matters.
In general, Papa Kavuso’s role was to see that government
directives concerning village improvements were carried out.
As a leader in his society, Papa Kavuso reportedly also
settled tribal fights between individuals, clans and
villages.
He is still remembered for successfully mediating peace
between the Yumi and Saiva villages, which would have turned
out to be a fatal tribal warfare that would have caused the
two villages to be lifelong tribal enemies.
Being involved in the campaign to bring formal education and
religion into remote areas of the province, Papa Kavuso
travelled extensively with kiaps like Matta Maita to areas
like Unnavi, Laboga and Karamui.
He later travelled to Kimi in Okapa district, where he
worked as an interpreter for the kiaps in creating awareness
of the outside world, enforcing administrative rule and
appointing luluais and tultuls.
Some of the things he learnt during his traveling days were
the type of houses built in Western province, the low-land
people’s way of life, their trading system, system of
marriages and their general way of life.
After travelling here and there, Papa Kasova, still a luluai,
returned to his Yumi home, where he was assigned by the then
administration to distribute cash crop seedlings like coffee
and other food seedlings like potato, tomato, corn, carrot,
cabbage, etc, to those in and around his Yumi community to
plant for consumption and to sell to earn an income.
He played a big role in helping missionaries bring the
gospel of God into the province and was instrumental in the
establishment of the Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist, New
Tribe and Baptist churches in the Lufa district.
Papa Kavuso, who is married with 10 children lived to see
his fourth generation, was made village chief of Yumi when
PNG gained independence in 1975, where he lived as a humble
leader until his passing.
Though he was not given a ceremonial funeral to honour his
services and contributions to Eastern Highlands, his legacy
will always live on.
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