Mission & Justice

Lindsay Murdoch; 3/10/08

An Arnhem Land community has posted a film on the internet showing ancient ceremonial dancing rarely seen by outsiders. Painted dancers from the Milingimbi community are in the film called Riyawarray, meaning “common ground”, performing ancient customary law rituals for a traditional gathering that is the Yolngu clans’ equivalent of the House of Representatives. Elders of the community on an island 500 kilometres east of Darwin said they decided to show their previously secret ceremony to protest against the federal indigenous intervention, the former Howard government’s response to child sexual abuse allegations revealed in last year’s Little Children Are Sacred report.

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11/9/08

Two young girls abducted and raped in a school in Western Highlands are recovering in their home province while their relatives are claiming K100,000 and 20 pigs from the accused. The girls, whose names have been withheld, were attending a secondary school when they were abducted and raped by more than 10 men last month. The girls, originally from Kainantu, were living with relatives in the Western Highlands and were attending school in that province. The crime has angered relatives and community leaders in Kainantu who called for peace and put the compensation demand to the Western Highlands Provincial Government yesterday.

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Editorial; 22/7/08

We may now be seeing a more realistic approach by the courts to sorcery and its place in contemporary PNG. The murder of a suspected sorcerer in Lae has led to a handing down of a more than 23 year sentence by Judge George Manuhu, and apart from the severity of the sentence, it is refreshing to see the courts taking the lead in this issue. The Judge added that “many people accused of murder, used sorcery as an excuse for their crimes”. The link between hatred, murder and traditional beliefs is strong and we believe that many so-called sorcery murders are plain killings of others, with no traditional links whatever.Perhaps it is now time to go one step further.

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Gina Maka’a, 23/6/08

Some say it’s not right, others say get used to it. What’s all the commotion about? A handful of ladies, nuns to be exact, playing the panpipe. Playing the Panpipes in most parts of the Solomon Islands was often reserved to men as it was believed that the spirits guarding the pan-pipers would not protect women. This however is not the case for the Sisters of the Church of Melanesia who on Saturday surprised a lot of people by playing the pan-pipes. “Its good to see them play the pan-pipe…quite different to what I am used to, but I guess things are changing,” said one onlooker. “They are protected by God, that’s why they are confident to play,” said another. Others were less enthusiastic, “we should not let this happen…it is just that it will bring them bad luck.”

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