Sir Rabbie says goodbye

By HELEN TARAWA
SIR Rabbie Namaliu bade his friend Sir Mekere Morauta “Goodbye Talaigu. Goodbye my brother. You will be missed terribly.”
The two had been school mates, work mates and treasured a close bond as friends and “brothers” which extended to their families.
At Sir Mekere’s state funeral service on Friday, Sir Rabbie spoke highly of him for supporting his family when he lost his late wife Margaret.
“He and Lady Roslyn wonderfully supported my late wife Margaret through her tragic illness and passing,” he said.
“The support he and Lady Roslyn gave me and our children Joy, Isaac and Rabbie Junior is something that I’m forever grateful for.
“I’m especially grateful for having taken Joy under their wings as their adopted daughter they never had and mentored her to the fine woman she is today.”
Sir Rabbie said the nation had lost a great leader who served the country to the best of his ability and integrity in every high office he held.
“He was one of our most respected and distinguished leaders, certainly one of Papua New Guinean’s finest prime ministers,” he said.
“Sir Mekere was a close friend and my talaigu (meaning friend in Kuanua) and a colleague in the public service for 54 years.
“We were in the same class in a number of subjects including Economics which he excelled in far better than me.
He was an outstanding student and I could see then he would be an influential leader of PNG during the critical period leading up to independence in 1975 and thereafter.
“In the 45 years since Independence, he became the most outstanding public servant culminating in his election as prime minister.
“In 1974, he was appointed first Papua New Guinean to become Finance secretary.”

Ritual outside church during funeral part of Gulf tradition

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
A RITUAL performed as Sir Mekere Morauta’s casket was taken into the Sione Kami Memorial Church last Friday for the funeral service was part of tradition.
Sir Mekere’s first cousin Hicks Mereke stood before the casket and performed a ritual to farewell Sir Mekere into the land of the spirits.
Mereke told The National after the funeral service that the ceremony signified the intention of Sir Mekere’s mother’s clan to let her son go into the spiritual world to meet all their ancestors.
In his hand, Mereke held two branches of cedar trees that grow on the banks of the Muritai River.
“The branches of the cedar trees is what we use to build houses, canoes and shelters and is the clan’s identity,” Mereke said.
“I brought the branches from the village for this occasion.
“As is the custom, we stand before the dead and wish them safe travel to the other world.
“We wish that their canoe reached the other side and we wish for peace.
“As he was coming to us in the casket I told him: This is your canoe you will travel in. This is your shelter and you can now travel into the spiritual world.”
“While we did not build his casket from the cedar trees that line the banks of the rivers in our village, I held those branches to signify that the canoe is from his mother’s tree.”
“I wished him safe travel. I told him: The boat is yours.
“The casket becomes his boat to grant him safe passage as he begins his journey.”

Aunts’ lament loss of nephew

By GYNNIE KERO
THE wailing of two elderly women sitting in wheelchairs inside the church brought tears to many in the congregation inside the Sione Kami Memorial Church on Friday.
Their moment – the traditional lament – was scheduled right towards the end of the funeral service programme for the late Sir Mekere Morauta.
In their native Toaripi language, they chanted in sorrow.
Sisters Moreare Hasu and Kouoti Hasu were also at Independence Hill watching as his casket was lowered into the tomb.
They were Sir Mekere’s surviving paternal aunts.
People not from Gulf did not understand what they were wailing about but their lamenting the loss of their nephew who had always supported them could not be mistaken.
They wailed and waved their hands as if to say goodbye: Ara a’ita soafarakeka fauki roi (I will go down with you).
Arave makuri leafeare leiti roi? (How will my life be?)
Araro leisa kiva leiti roi? (Who will look after me?)
Araro mipori auke, a oa lou ve oroti foreai (You should bury me instead you decided to board your late parent’s canoe.)
“Mekere o iaka leafeare leitiroi o. (Mekere, what’s going to happen to us?)”
“Mekere o arave susu leisa itaealeiti roi?” (Who will buy my coffin?)
“Tesde ovai e, ara muri ovi raro?” (Is it Thursday? I’ll get my allowance today).
It is understood that Sir Mekere always sends his aunts allowances every Thursday.
The whole church was quiet, broken only by the sobbing as people grieved with the two old ladies over the loss of their blood relative.
It seemed to be the most poignant moment during the service.

Ritual at burial site to confirm ownership of land to Sauripi tribe

THE plot of land on which the late Sir Mekere Morauta was laid to rest at Independence Hill in Port Moresby now belongs to the Sauripi people of Kukipi, Gulf.
In a traditional ceremony, Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta declared the final resting place of Sir Mekere as Sauripi land.
“It is customary that in our society which stretches from the eastern banks of Purari to the borders of Central on the coast that when a person dies, his bones and skull belongs to his clan,” he said.
“However, since Sir Mekere was laid to rest at Independence Hill, a traditional ceremony was held.
“In keeping with tradition, this piece of land on which we lay to rest Sir Mekere in a customary way must be turned and declared as part of Kukipi and released from our trading partners the Motu-Koitabuans.”
Haiveta explained that the Motu-Koitabuans traded with them in Hiri trade years ago and handed the land to the Independent State of PNG.
“In Koitabu, it’s called the Davahu. So I as the paramount chief of the Moripi tribe and representing the chieftainship declare that this final resting place of the statesman is now Sauripi land,” Haiveta said.
Chief Wesley Siare Popoe spoke in Toaripi language on behalf of the family before Sir Mekere’s casket was lowered into the tomb.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister James Marape said dedication to public service is something the late Sir Mekere Morauta will be remembered by.
“PNG will forever be grateful to this towering icon of good leadership and we say thank you to his family and tribes for lending him to us,” Marape said.