A man’s quest for a better Yandera

By VINCENT KUMURA
TUCKED away neatly in the pocket of the rugged South-eastern ranges of Mt. Wilhelm is a village known as “bucket” to the locals. Yandera, a thriving village in Bundi, in Madang Province, has recently been the focus of the people of Bundi and the mining world.
In 2005, Australian-based Marengo Mining Exploration Company landed at Yandera and in 2006, exploration begun for copper and molybdenum. In 2008, the company landed the first two United Pacific drills there and local job opportunities, mostly casual, boomed.
Exploration heightened that year and the local population of 600 swelled to over 2000. Multitudes of unskilled locals from Yandera and from the nearby project impact villages returned from settlements in towns and other areas with the hope of working in the exploration phase. While some succeeded, many aren’t, but the illicit settlement culture started to take its grip, and gradually, chipped away the beauties of once an orderly and peaceful community. This shift from a normal local culture to a mining-culture continues today even after the Canadian-based Era Resources Inc. took over from Marengo in mid 2014.
Drugs, home brewed alcohol known locally as “paia wara”, violence and frequent community disturbances and nuisance painted the youth culture of Yandera. On multiple occasions, fights erupted affecting the well-being of the community and of the Yandera Primary School, sometimes bringing the school to an extended moratorium.
Although, only at the beginning of the long mining journey, Yandera is already experiencing the same effects of progress and landowner issues that many other mining villagers and towns around the country experience. Law and order, health and other socio-economic issues such as compensation claims are escalating while respect for community leaders and elders have plunged sharply.
On several occasions, many good people including outspoken community and church leaders, who deplore such superficial lifestyle, have called for the restoration of respect and normalcy in the community. One youth leader’s quest to save Yandera stood out the most last Christmas.
Fourty year old Butai Erman from the Bamdi clan of Yandera has only sixth grade education, but has a bigger heart and plan for his community. For four days (Dec 24-27), he organised a huge and historical “peace making ceremony” for his clan at Yandera. Twenty two pigs were killed, traditional singsing groups performed and the whole clan gathered together to make amends with each other, unite, and charter a better path forward.
The ceremony included cleaning the cemeteries of their “tumbunas” (forefathers) and deceased children of overgrown bush and replacing it with fresh flowers. The real highlight of the event though, was honouring the widowed elderly mothers of the clan. Their ages ranged from 65-85, most of whom were sick and bed-ridden. Dressed in new clothes bought from Kundiawa by Butai’s wife Daga Butai, the widows took centre stage, on nicely decorated chairs, and were presented with freshly made bouquets while the whole community and clan cheered them on. Each of the widows had a basket in which cash donations were placed as a way of thanking them for their important contributions to the community. They were then served with a delicious pork stew followed by warm coffee. Butai, a chef at Marengo, took the best cut of pork meat from the slaughtered pigs to prepare the pork stew, and ate with the main guests.
He later commented that “I truly cherish the moment eating with these elderly women. For many of them, I am sure this will never happen again.”
When asked what inspired him to come up with such new and historical event at Yandera, he said, “the six other clans of Yandera don’t often think well of our Bamdi clan, but I have always been the voice of neutrality, peace and unity within my clan, other clans and among the youths of Yandera. So whatever the cause (of conflict), we want to change that and move forward now as a model clan. ”
Indeed honouring of elderly widowed mothers in a remote village is quite a milestone achievement.
“These mothers are the main trunks of the trees and we children are merely the fruits. We wouldn’t be where we are now without them. Their husbands have died and are long gone, and they too will soon, but while they are still alive, they are very important to us. Therefore, we have chosen Dec 25, Christmas Day, as a special day to honour them. Also, since the arrival of mining, many have disrespected our elderly ones in the Yandera community including our community leaders, so I hope this event will help us to start respecting one another, especially our elders.”
The biggest satisfaction for Butai was hearing 85 year old Rehova Muru (the oldest widow) saying with tears of joy, “Pikinini blong mi o! Long laip taim blong mi, mi stap kam inap nau mi lapun, mi ino save kisim dispela kain luksave na nogat kain samting olsem save kamap long mi. Mi hamamas tru long yu. Tenk yu tumas”. (“Oh my son! In my entire lifetime, I have never received such an honour and have never experienced such a special treat. I am very happy for you. Thank you very much.”)
“Old Rehova was ill and bed-ridden. We carried her to the event, but after being honoured, she was so overwhelmed with joy that she literally jumped off from her chair and walked back to her house. Up till then couldn’t walk and people thought she was long gone, but she did walk again and that’s the magical thing that really touches me,” added Butai.
Many people from far and near who also participated were very impressed with the overall organization and outcome of the gathering. It took Butai and wife Daga about six years to plan the event. While only K1,500 was spent, the peace ceremony was a great success.
All the seven clans of Yandera village had a share of the 22 pigs that were slaughtered for the peace ceremony including select individuals from the neighbouring tribes of Gegru, Karizogo and Emigari. Traditional singsing groups were also rewarded with cash and portions of pig meat.
Bundi’s local Parish Priest Fr. Anton Gambu, a Yandera native, visited the Bamdi clan a couple of days after the ceremony and praised the organisers for their efforts to restore peace and order. Butai said all this came about through the support of his wife, family members and clan support.
Locals, Tongorok Degemba, Tony Doa and Peter Kiwi donated cash and Era Resources Inc. of Yandera donated food rations. Kumura Foundation Inc. trained local women on flower arrangement skills. Asked about his future plans for the community, Butai said he will continue to be a peace and good change ambassador in Yandera. Butai and his wife Daga are among many advocates of change in Bundi who strongly believe in building a better, progressive and violence-free Bundi.

• Vincent Kumura is the Founder & Director of Kumura Foundation Inc. He is also the 2016 Digicel PNG Foundation Men of Honour Community Ingenuity Awardee. He currently lives at Snow Pass, Bundi.