Dei tribe pays record bride price to fulfil vow

 THE Walkpa tribe of Dei district in Western Highlands paid more than K70,000, 100 pigs, a cow, three cassowaries and garden food crops worth thousands of kina as bride price to the Moge Nambuka clan.

The Walkpa tribe of Penda paid the record price for the area for Naomi Philip Pini from the Moge Nambuka clan to fulfil a marriage custom. 

It was first time for people of Dei to witness such an amount as bride price.

Semi Reng, a public servant from Dei district, said such amounts were normally paid to compensate for deaths.

Naomi’s husband James Pini said the contribution came from throughout the district and from other three districts in the province.

Pini said the total amounted to more than K300,000 because the pigs were bought at a cost of K5,000 and K7,000 worth of food crops.

Pini, an educationist, said the money and pigs could have been more but he decided not accept them.

“This is because people have trust in me.

“I did not waste my own resources which I have planned to pay for the bride price,” Pini said.

He said he had been supporting many people when they were in need.

“I believe in sow and reap,” Pini said.