Haniak village mourns Sir Michael’s passing

AS I was leaving for work on Friday (Feb 26), my brother called me and said: “big man Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare passed away at 12 midnight”.
I hurried to Boram Airport to see a friend off and to confirm Sir Michael’s passing.
The Air Niugini flight at 10am from Port Moresby came with sad news.
I wept silently, looking at the two runways which will change the face of Boram Airport this month to an international airport to take jet planes such as 737 and 747 from around the world.
This was the dream of Sir Michael.
From 1968, growing up at Wewak Point Gavaman Compound, my late papa Paul Bimpoli Kriosahi worked for the Australian colonial administration as a linesman for the foreign power.
He used to tell us about Sir Michael, the Radio Wewak niusman who was running for the House of Assembly that year.
My father said he would vote for Sir Michael and he was going to win.
In 1947, Sir Michael went to Boram Gavaman School with two men from Haniak village, late John Sataro and late Peter Kambori, who took him as their younger brother or hendi niong (special child).
Sataro and Kambori ensured no one bullied or mistreated Sir Michael in soccer games or in class.
That continued all the way to Finschhafen in Morobe when they parted ways.
Sir Michael completed his certificate in teaching at Sogeri High School.
From our village of Haniak, stories of our two men attending Boram and Finschhafen schools had adopted a young brother (Sir Michael) from Karau village in the Murik Lakes, there was excitement and high expectations to welcome him to the village amongst our tutuls, luluais and kukurais (chief) for the barter system to be enhanced.
Today, our villagers are mourning him as one of their own. They are mourning from dusk to dawn, abandoning their chores such as gardening, hunting, sago scrapping and others.
That will continue until their kukurai is buried.
Chief, they will not forget you.

John Sebastian Kriosaki,
Wewak