Sepik carver woos at Goroka Show

Story and picture by ISAAC LIRI
THE traditional knowledge of carving was passed down from generation to generation by his forefathers.
Those skills and knowledge today are preserved with John Wapi of Tambunum in the Angoram District of East Sepik.
Wapi has been carving for decades since he was a boy growing up in the Sepik and today he makes a living with it.
During the Goroka Show this month, the 50-year-old was seen displaying his crafts to tourists from abroad who were stunned by his art work.
Displaying his work to tourists is not something new to him, h has been travelling around to various shows in the country for years.
“I have been showcasing my carvings at shows in Goroka, Mt Hagen, Lae and Port Moresby for around 17 years now so its’ not a new thing to me,” Wapi said.
“Every time I see tourists interested in the carvings I feel satisfied about it. A lot of tourists from other countries buy them and sometimes locals also buy them too.
“I make good money from selling carvings and I use the money to support my family with school fees, bus fare and food.”
This year the Lae-based carver travelled to Mt Hagen and Goroka, and his next stop before the year 2018 ends is the Morobe Show next month.
“Living in Lae, I travel up to Goroka, Mt Hagen and Madang just because I want to sell my carvings. I used to go to Port Moresby too, the last time I went there to sell my carvings at the Boroko craft market was in 2015.
“Making and selling carvings is my life work. I learnt how to make crafts in 1975 as a seven-year-old boy so it’s been 43 years that I have been walking around with the knowledge of making these crafts.
For the love of carving, Wapi at times is asked by tertiary institutions like the Forestry Collage in Lae and the University of Goroka where he invests time to teach students the art of carving, not only students of East Sepik origin but those from other parts of Papua New Guinea too.
“So there are projects which I engage with, especially with schools that deal with timber like Forestry students in Lae, so when they have left over timber we get them and use them for carving,” he added
Apart from making a living, he understands that carving is his individual contribution to the preservation of Papua New Guinea’s traditions in this modern era.
“It’s our culture and I am proud of it. In the future I want to see many young men take up this art because it identifies who we are and where we come from.
“I can truly say that out of all the Sepiks the people of Tambunum are well known for making carvings.
“In this modern day it benefits us big time. That’s why our people always make sure that when a father dies, his son must learn and practice the art of carving.”