The colour of Kutubu

By PERO SIMINJI
MAINTAINING cultures and traditions in Papua New Guinea has become one of the utmost concerns in the tourism industry because with western influence well and truly creeping in, it is slowly dying out.
People are increasingly adopting western cultures and forget the traditions from whence they came from.
The people of Kutubu, however, are bent on not losing the very important thing that marks their identity. Reviving and maintaining their heir culture means a lot to them and has been celebrated every year at the Kutubu Kundu and Digaso Festival.
Here is the story taken form festival steering committee member Saina Jeffery who explains to The National why it is important for the younger generation to learn and maintain their identity through knowing and experiencing the unique culture of the Kutubu people.
“Kutubu Kundu and Digaso Festival is a cultural fiesta held annually deep in the jungles of Southern Highlands by the majestic Lake Kutubu,” said Jeffery.
“Lake Kutubu lies in the heart of the Kikori Basin, a vast area of wetlands, grasslands, and rainforest. Its water is clear, still, and about 230 feet (70 metres) deep.
“The Kutubu Region within the Kikori River basin is one of the world’s last great wilderness areas and includes fascinating landscapes like Lake Kutubu, Mount Bosavi and the Hegigo River Gorge.
“Wildlife in the basin ranks as among the most spectacular and includes the world’s longest lizard, largest pigeon, moth and orchid and the world’s second largest butterfly, as well as a rich assembly of birds-of-paradise, orchids and other birds.
“Lake Kutubu itself contains 12 different species of fish found nowhere else and is the highest fresh water lake on the island of New Guinea.
“Apart from its known oil and gas deposits and outstanding biodiversity, little is known of the rich cultural heritage of the region.”
She said it was highly valued that featuring fine body art, chants and kundu drum beats that have been enjoyed by the people of Kutubu for generations.
“Like many tribal groups within the country, the people of Kutubu rely heavily on their forest and environment for survival.
“It also plays a vital role in safeguarding traditional practices and the diverse biodiversity of the Lake Kutubu region.
“The festival provides a forum to highlight the sharing and exchanges of cultures for our wellbeing, culture and environment.”
She explained that social changes have accelerated with the discovery of oil, first in the Faso region in 1989 and later in the Moran Huli area in 1996 with these changes having an impact on local culture and ways of life. This kick-started the idea of a festival that would help keep the Kutubu culture alive into the future, despite the many developmental influences.
The 7th cultural festival will start on September 22 at Kutubu station and run for three days. The theme this year is, My Song, My Dance, My Story, saving my home for tomorrow.’ It calls on all communities in Kutubu to embrace the close links between their culture and the natural environment in which they live. Jeffery said the cultural fiesta is intended to be an avenue for raising awareness about the significance of Kutubu’s biodiversity, preserving and maintaining cultural heritage, protecting forests and promoting partnerships in sustainable development.
The festival will be held at Daga Village near Pimaga Station. It is, in reality, a combination of two neighbouring villages – Damayu and Fiwaga. The word daga comes from joining the first two letters of Damayu and the last two of Fiwaga in the Kutubu area.
Daga village was the host over the past six years and is about four hours’ drive south from Mendi, the provincial capital of Southern Highlands. It is about an hour’s drive from Moro.
It is also where the Kutubu Foe Cultural Centre is located . It holds two of the last remaining longhouses in Kutubu. For visitors wanting to make a trip there, the locals have erected a fresh water supply system that is piped from a dam constructed by the villagers themselves with funding assistance of the European Union.
Also to be showcased is a broad range of traditional and contemporary artistic and cultural expressions including dance, music, weaving and net making, photography, storytelling, language, film, theatre, ceramics and traditional painting, carving, songs, bush tucker and bush medicine, traditional games, fishing and hunting, wood carving, canoe making, feather craft plus many other.”
The highlights will include the Digaso oil extraction demonstration, wildlife displays, local arts and crafts and displays of women’s houses and long houses. Already, 40 community groups are waiting to participate, spreading from Kutubu and the Bosavi regions.
Groups from Kikori in Gulf, Hela and Enga have always been a mainstay of the show over the past seven years.
“And we have the Sembiriki women’s groups from Erave who were involved as well and the Nipas that come,” said Jeffery.
“Actually the singsing groups are not picked from anywhere else or any other provincial or local cultural shows, it is one of the unique event that marks the traditional trading route of the Kutubu Digaso Oil, so they tried to identify where that oil was traded and with whom.
“The significance and uniqueness of this particular festival was that the Digaso oil (traditional oil) was Kutubu’s traditional oil and traded for cowries- kina shells and spear with people from Bosavi, pigs with Nipa people, stone axe with Helas, and traditional salt with Engans.
“Where this oil was you will see the singsing group are pulled out from those areas and what happens during the show is they demonstrate how the oil was traded.
“Nipa people trade live pigs during the show and Engans came with the traditional salt (the real native salt) and they traded during the show which was more important and significant to the event by keeping alive the traditional ties between three or four different province through their traditional trading system.”
The Kutubu Kundu and Digaso Festival will begin in September with a canoe race with this being the first time for the event to be included.
“The event will be held at Kutubu station where there are two main villages where there is significant feature of this festival avenue,” said Jeffery.