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Panning for gold

By DAMARIS MINIKULA
AT first it was 'green gold'. Now it's authentic gold dust.
Once dubbed the 'capital town of vanilla', Maprik has now taken a twist for gold.
The days of basking in hefty vanilla prices may be gone but the people are now overturning stones on river beds panning for gold- an alternate resource that is providing an almost equivalent income as vanilla.
Abundantly blessed with natural resources, Maprik is branded as the leading producer of fresh fruits and vegetables in East Sepik, particularly its yams, which can leave a Trobriand Islander gaping in disbelief.
The yams here in this part of the Central Sepik measure between 3-7 metres while the coconuts from this corner of Sepik are gigantic your hands cannot comfortably wrap around the coconut when you're grating it!
The people are hardworking and peace-loving, and traditionally have been people who toil the earth for their survival, earning income from their hard work and sweat.
The hike in vanilla prices in 2000 to 2003 saw many people earn hefty incomes at K700-K900 per/kilo.
After the world market price plummeted and vanilla prices dropped, people looked at other options of earning income and have now taken a turn for gold and other cash crops.
In Maprik, it is a common site to see the whole family spend the day out from morning until sunset at the river banks.
Breakfast and a quick lunch is also spent here as the whole family tirelessly waver the aluminum pan around in their hands, all the while waiting, hopeful that some gold deposits settle at the bottom of the pan.
Markus Daingu pans for gold at the Amaku River, the river that spills out onto the small township, having its source from the cool, mountain village of Nagipaim in the Prince Alexander mountain ranges.
He said his family used to pan for gold way before the vanilla boom but the absence of markets and difficult road conditions conquered their endeavours.
"Some years back, we faced a lot of difficulty in trying to bring our gold and other cash crops to Wewak. Now that we have excellent roads from Maprik's back road to Wewak town, everything is made easier," he said, adding that this has enabled them to even travel to other town centres in search of better prices for their gold and for gold buyers to travel to Maprik to offer them competitive prices.
Panning for gold, involves choosing an ideal spot on the river bed where gold deposits can be uncovered.
"Choosing an ideal spot on the riverbed is very important when we're panning for gold," he explained.
"And the perfect spot is where the sand on the riverbank is rust coloured or black. After we pan the gold we heat the gold over the fire in some water for about a minute until it dries then before we pack them in small containers and sell," he added in Tok Pisin.
Mr Daingu said they pan about 4-5grams on average daily.
"A dredger is better because then it would increase the quantity of gold nuggets from 5 grams to about 50 grams per day," said Mr Daingu.
He explained that the best time to pan is after the river floods (wara tait) and with the aid of louver blades, they can unearth a large quantity of gold.
"We wave the louver blades over the surface to reflect the gold," Mr Dangu said.
Mr Daingu, his wife and five children pan for gold about four times a week.
His children have gotten the hang of the trade and are adept at it.
Like many other people in Maprik, Mr Daingu and his family now depend on gold besides other cash crops to pay for their children's school fees, buy food and to pay for other necessities.