Return to the Mission Field

By TONY SCHLENCKER
Saturday, November 19, 2016
IN my last article I wrote of our travel to Boku, Rigo Inland.
My brother Rod and I had travelled to Port Moresby the day before –Friday 18 November- to conduct a reconnaissance visit to prepare for the opening of a new church which is being built at GOKATA, Boku circuit.
We had been invited to attend the church opening next year to represent Rev Henry Percy Schlencker our Grandfather, who had founded the first church in Boku.
After a traditional warrior welcome we were treated to a drama of the arrival of Percy at Boku. What follows summarizes the drama and is an account of what actually happened.
In 1901 when Percy travelled inland he was first sighted by a warrior scout in a tree top about 5 miles from Boku. This warrior scout through hand signals signaled to two other warrior parties to ready the soon to ensue ambush.
However God was with Percy that day and two of Percy’s carriers who walked about 50 meters ahead sighted the scout and dropped their cargo and ran back to warn their master.
Percy ordered the carriers to get behind him and advanced with his shot gun. Taking careful aim he shot the tree branch quite close to the seated warrior and so startled was this warrior that he fell from his safe perch and played dead frozen by terror.
Never had a shot gun blast or its effects been seen before. The two concealed warrior parties got up from their concealed positions and ran for their lives. Percy and his party walked carefully past the terror stricken warrior scout who later arrived back home unharmed from the fall.
The message was chanted and relayed from the hills to warn nearby Boku Komana that there advanced a pale deathly white man with googly eyes (glasses) and webbed feet (boots). This stranger led a warrior party and carried a magical bamboo stick (Shot gun) and had commanded fire and smoke from its tip to make fall a tree scout.
Iake Orona the elder of three brothers at Boku told his men that nobody had defeated the Tanini Vaga (The Crushers) yet as they called themselves. The second brother Gumuna Orona was dispatched to secure the village and hide the women and children. Concealing himself carefully, Iake (pronounced Ya-ke) advanced downhill to ambush Silinka’s party with his youngest brother Venigo Orona following.
Midway down the hill Percy advanced to within spearing range. Iake announced that he was going to spear this white intruder now, but was repeatedly restrained by his younger brother Venigo who noticed that neither Percy nor his carriers wore war paint or warrior decoration.
Let us hear him first brother, Venigo kept whispering to Iake who grew increasingly agitated. The argument continued and Percy’s party passed by without seeing the two brothers.
Venigo quickly rounded the hill and ran up on the other side to restrain his other elder brother Gumuna who was waiting in ambush in Boku Village. Percy arrived in Boku and an interpreter from Saroa explained that they came in peace to bring “light” material gifts and explain Gods way of living from a book.
In the back ground Iake kept screaming: How can this book speak? I tell you they come to trick us and kill us!
The village was divided in opinion.
Some were undecided.
Percy using matches lit a fire to the amazement of the villages, cooked rice, salted it and gave it to the villagers.
He showed them a mirror which puzzled and scared them.
Using his shot gun Percy demonstrated the effectiveness of his weapon by shooting a bird in a tree.
He quickly re-loaded in case it was needed. The ejected spent shell hit a villager who fainted in fright. The village women cried out: we told you not to trust them and now he’s killed him! This almost cost Percy his life,as the warriors almost attacked at the sound of the shot gun blast, seeing that their tribesman fell shortly after.
The interpreter from Saroa and Venigo did much to restrain and calm the agitated warriors. Venigo himself, placing himself between the warriors and Percy’s, shaking and telling the fainted elder: You can’t possibly be dead, you are still talking!
Fearing for Percy’s life, young Venigo took them into his home that night and slept (or tried to sleep) across the doorway. He was repeatedly visited by Iake that night and threatened that if he did not get out of the way, Iake would be forced to kill him as well this white man.
The next morning a tin box was opened and a machete, axe and hoe were demonstrated.
These superior tools and weapons were given as gifts to the Boku villagers.
There is another part of the story that wasn’t included in the drama:
For two days and one night Venigo had not gone to the toilet or had any sleep. Venigo clearly realized that he could not do this forever.
And so in the late afternoon of the second day he called to his sister Gemona who was married to a peaceful non-violent man (Keke Kulo) from nearby Karai Komana village. They came and took in Percy and looked after him for close to two weeks.
This talk by Percy that the word of God is now amongst you kept haunting the thoughts of Keke Kulo (KK).
During his short time at Karai Komana, KK went with his wife to gather food from his food garden for Silinka. KK was most distressed that a bush wallaby evidenced by its tracks had eaten most of his sweet potato leaves. He told his wife: let us try to pray to this God whom Silinka talks of. His wife remarked: Do you too believe this crazy talk by this white fool!
KK waited until his wife was at the other end of the garden and then prayed his first prayer: Oh God, Silinka (Schlencker)tells us that you are real and true and that you yourself send him, and it is for this reason that I have believed, and behold I look after your servant. Please have pity on me for a wallaby torments my garden and makes it difficult for me, to feed this extra burden which you have placed upon me. If you are real, slay this pest which torments me, and may I find it here where I now sit by tomorrow morning!
It was an audacious prayer uttered in faith to God Almighty!
God answered KK’s prayer and he brought the wallaby home the next day to make a fine meal for himself and his guests.
K.K retold his testimony, and the entire Karaikomana Village accepted Silinka and became his first converts. K.K became Silinka’s first deacon and other Karakomana villagers formed the bulk of the first church.
As a result of this widely accepted testimony, Boku villagers also accepted him, and he settled temporarily at the present site of the Boku Community School and later Gumuna Orona allowed him to set up the mission station at present day Boku Circuit station.
This site was renamed by the villagers, Mama Komana (The hill where light lives).
Gumuna had another sister Bubuga married into Taito Komana village, also a peaceful people. Bubuga’s family also joined the early church and shared their rivers with Percy.
So the church was formed by Karai Komana and Gobu Komana (Boku) with the addition of Taito Komana in later years. The London Missionary Society (LMS) called the first church Karai Komana Church at Boku (Incorrectly referring to the whole region as Boku). Boku Circuit was first formed by the LMS which was later succeeded by the United Church.
During my recent visit I related to Kurona that my father Lawrence Schlencker had told me that when Grandpa entered an inland village he was met by a leader who had never seen a white man before. The man told Grandpa he had “had a dream that a strange man was coming to see him with an important message.
This person was recorded as Venigo Orona. In the dream he was asked to welcome a stranger.
At that time Venigo did not know that it was God speaking. In his dream he heard only a voice:
There will come a strange man who bears no resemblance to you or your people. He will bring an important message that will bring Light. You are to welcome this stranger into your home.
Venigo was greatly troubled by this dream and discussed it with his wife for about two days.
When Percy approached, it all made perfect sense when the message was chanted to warn nearby Boku that there advanced a pale deathly white man with googly eyes and webbed feet.
After the drama we were greeted by many in the crowd with plenty of handshakes and hugs all around.

• Next Friday: Visiting the church fellowship groups of Taito Komana and Kokebagu.