Island girl 10 shy of a century

AMBE tago mteo be mate?
So, I won’t see you again and I’ll die?
This is what my grandmother tells me every time we have a phone conversation and my answer to her is always “I am already tired of waiting for you to die!” Then we both laugh and after asking about my children she ends the call.
Grandma, Theresia Dalikiri Manua Konaka Basse was born to Mapong and Gilu on Aug 6, 1932. She was the seventh born among a family of three girls and fiveboys and is from the Boki tribe of Yassa village on Manam Island, Madang.
She was then adopted by her dad’s younger brother, Konaka who was married to Samena of Boda village on Manam island. She had a brother from her adoptive family but was then returned to her biological parents after her adopted parents separated. Konaka then got married to Moinzo and bore Sinama, Agirori and Mumua.
Grandma was only eight when her biological father passed away and was 10 when the Second World War broke out.
Her education went as far as Basic Religious Instruction which resulted in her getting her first Holy Communion at the age of 12 with other 19 children from the same village and almost 300 others on the island at Bieng Catholic Mission.
Then the year 1950 found grandma working as a flower girl in the house of worship for the Yali Movement on Manam Island – a cargo cult started by Yali Singina of Sor Village in the Rai Coast area of Madang.
It was there that she met my grandfather, Yassa’s kukurai (village chief) and pioneer cult leader Aloisyus Basse and they got married. She became his second wife and at the prime age of 18 had her first daughter, Christine Zamalewa. After that she had Charles Ngasingasi (my dad), Lawrence Boaragam, Edwina Akena, Maryanne Moaede and Hedwig Sulum.
His first wife, a kukurai meri from Zogari village had seven children.
Grandma’s story has spanned five generations and I would need a whole book to write it. I might as well pause here to celebrate her birthday before continuing some other time. She turned 90 on Aug 6 and is still looking fit as ever.
She has six children, 33 grandchildren, 64 great grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.
Happy 90th birthday grandma. Wishing you many happy years to come!