Rabaul’s Mask Festival is extraordinary in 2019

By PETER S. KINJAP | The NATIONAL Newspaper - Weekender Edition. 

The National Mask & Warwagira Festival is an annual event taking place in East New Britain where the local tribes gather to display their traditional attires and dances.

The festival starts at dawn on the beach with the Kinavai ceremony, when the mysterious and feared Dukduk and Tubuan arrive on canoes from their villages accompanied by chanting and beating of drums.

American tourists Brenda and Monty with the Agarere mask dancers from Turaguna, East New Britain. Photo supplied.

  Kinavai ceremony is spiritually important for the local Tolai people, who are reportedly migrated to East New Britain from Namatanai in New Ireland Province.

The ceremony signifies their landing on the shores of East New Britain Province.

Impressively looking men in red laplap, standing out from the crowd, would leisurely walk around the grass-built huts selling refreshments, food, and craft.

These men are from the Tumbuan, a Duk-Duk secret society, which is part of the traditional culture of the Tolai people. For the occasion of the ritual dances, they invoke the male spirit Duk-Duk and female spirit Tumbuan, depending on the masks they wear. Although some dancers act as female spirits, the dances are only performed by men.

The National Mask Festival usually has a programme to follow, from the start to the end.

Crowded with the dancers wearing colourful traditional attire, intricately decorated masks and spectacular headdresses, the show ground is full of fun and relish.

Baining Fire dance at the Natioal Mask Festival

 The dances are accompanied by the beating of kundu, lizard-skin drums commonly used in Papua New Guinea. Each tribe has its own unique dancing style, music, traditional costumes, and bilas, or body decoration in local Tok Pisin language. It seems that the imagination by Papua New Guineans has no limits.

Amongst colourfully dressed dancers, the iconic Tumbuan emerge with their famous conical masks. Both male Duk-Duk and female Tumbuan masks are cone-shaped but Duk-Duk ones are taller. With the round balls of grass leaves under the masks, only legs of the dancers are visible.

The Papua New Guinea National Mask Festival held in July every year, is an extravaganza of cultural dancing, ritual performance, story-telling and exchange - with a variety of arts and crafts on display at the show ground.

In action. The Tubuans ready for the stage

 The National Mask Festival brings together traditional sing-sing groups from around Papua New Guinea, with a variety of cultures and spectacular display of elaborate masks reflecting the diverse cultures and traditions and the 840 plus different languages spoken throughout the country.

The event is quite extraordinary as it is a little different to the other cultural festivals in the country.

It focused on displaying the different traditional masks, their purposes and believes associated. Papua New Guinea is known for its unique cultures and traditions and as such, the masks contributed a lot to this.

The extraordinary Sulka Double Headed Mask. Photo supplied.

 Masks were created in different styles, sizes and shapes, which represented different believes and the areas they represented. Most of these masks are from the coastal region and the lowlands of Papua New Guinea where traditional magic and sorcery were very common. The mask festival represents this with the venue and the traditional groups participating fulfill this.

Katie and Joanne from our Intrepid Travel group with the Agarere mask dancers from Turaguna, East New Britain.

 The mask festival includes groups from the New Guinea Islands, which includes Rabaul, Kavieng, and Buka, and to the North coast, which includes Madang, Wewak and the lowlands of both provinces. As colorful as the other cultural events, the mask festival displays the true tradition of the people of Papua New Guinea.

The look of the masks reflects the power and strength of traditional believes and the masks were greatly honored as they represented the presences of the spirits which gave power and knowledge to perform their traditional rituals, sorcery etc.

You are cordially invited to this unique festival in July 2019. It’s very traditional, very emotional and the performances cannot be seen at other cultural festivals. This is a scarcer and it is displayed only once and is by all means protected by customary laws and can only be displayed in certain locations and it has to be on the coast.

Kinavai - arrival of the tumbuan dukduks

 It is a great pleasure to also invite you to this unique event. Not only you will participate in this festival but also the venue has steaming active volcanoes and is the place where it was a major battlefield over the pacific campaign during the WWII.

The scenery, the people and the natural environment is very welcoming and you feel and experience of the Tolai people and their cultures.

 Come and join us to an experience this special event that you will not witness anywhere else in the world, an event that is very traditional. The below proposed tour packages have been specially designed to coincides with this event and give you the opportunity to witness this event.

Rabaul’s deserved title “The Pearl of the Pacific” has been substituted with “Pompeii of the Pacific” after Mother Nature unleashed its destructive forces via the volcano named Tavurvur in 1994.

Mask dancers getting ready for the show

 Rabaul ("mangrove swamp") was claimed by the German government in 1884 as the administrative-centre-to-be for German New Guinea.

Rabaul town quickly flourished when Kokopo (Herbertshöhe) was no longer considered suitable as an administrative centre.

Under German rule, Rabaul boasted a botanical garden, hotels, casino, extensive wharves, shops, and government buildings. A sizable Chinese community occupied Rabaul, and they contributed greatly to the development of Rabaul in many ways.

Participants of the National Mask Festival

Australian governance then prevailed in Rabaul from 1914- 1942. Rabaul continued to thrive as the capital of Australian mandated New Guinea until 1937 when volcanic forces caused the planned relocation of Australian administration to Lae.

However by 1937, the Japanese government had other ideas for Rabaul, and invaded this town in January 1942. The Australian defence group known as “Lark Force” was routed by the Japanese. Under Japanese occupation Rabaul emerged as Japan’s largest base in the South West Pacific in WW2.

Mask Dancers ready for the show

  Approximately 110,000 Japanese military garrisoned at Rabaul, supported by the Japanese air force and navy.

After WW2, Australia resumed administration of PNG including Rabaul. Despite the destruction of Rabaul by volcanic activity and intensive Allied bombing in WW2, Rabaul was rebuilt quickly as a strong commercial centre and beautiful township.

The eruption in 1994 witnessed the destruction and disintegration of Rabaul’s beauty and status. Despite this loss Rabaul still presents an allure and fascination for those who visit the area.

When you are in Rabaul next, you are not only privileged to see the National Mask Festival but also the Kinavai Festival, Baining Fire Dance, Kokopo market, Japanese Barge Tunnel, Bitapaka War Cemetery, Rabaul Volcano Observatory, Hot Springs (closest spot to the active Mt Tavurvur Volcano) and the Duke of York Island.

National Mask Festival participants sing and dance

 Surely enough your day might start with early bird preparation, getting ready for the dawn opening of the Warwagira & Mask Festival welcoming the Tumbuans paddling on the canoe from their villages to open the Mask Festival, fiery masks worn by elder men and initiated boys towards the Festival area with the beating of the Kundu drums.

In the evening, you would take on the evening's spectacle – the world-renowned Baining Fire Dance.

The Baining Fire Dance is only performed by men from the Bainings clans, where they immerse themselves into the flames of the fire and escape the fire unharmed. 

The Bainings clan is one of few cultures in PNG which do not use the Kundu drum as their rhythmic percussion instruments.

National Mask Festival Rabaul performers in action

 They instead, use bamboo and the sound is just as unique as the fire dance itself. This is an exciting and unique ritual, which is not performed anywhere else in the world!

To find out about the confirmed festival dates and for an arranged exotic tours around Rabaul and Kokopo, email the following: pngattractions@gmail.com 

·         Peter S. Kinjap is a freelance writer and a blogger, email: pekinjap@gmail.com

 

National Mask Festival Rabaul dancers pose for a photo

Mona Festival amongst others remains Buka’s best

By PETER S. KINJAP | THE NATIONAL Newspaper - Weekender Edition.

FESTIVALS are part of the indigenous lifestyle in Papua New Guinea.
Everywhere you go you find celebration of feasts or festivals most of which have now become annual events turning into tourism attractions for the country.

The Mona canoe race in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville is one such event that is hosted annually together with other activities. In 2014, Bougainville for the first time set dates for Bougainville festivals including the Mona that was held throughout the region starting the same year.

Some familiar faces from Kuhilin Cultural Group readying to perform at Mona Festival, Buka ARoB this afternoon 28/08/14

It was first held from Aug 28 to 30, 2014 at the Buka Showground.
Bougainville’s bi-annual Reed Festival is another cultural event for people to show their culture, beauty and diversity over several days through dancing, songs, plays, drama and other traditional and creative arts.

The Reed Festival is staged in Arawa and performers come from all over Bougainville.
The festival provides the opportunity for young Bougainvilleans to learn about and partake in their own culture from the older generation.

One important part of the Reed Festival is the ‘Cool Culture’ component that incorporates cultural activities and displays by the local children.
Its sister event, the Mona Festival is held annually in Buka town to celebrate the seafaring tradition of Bougainvilleans.

Mona Festival, Buka.

It is staged in August every year and attracts cultural performers from all over the region.

The Mona Festival is sometimes referred to as the Canoe Festival.

The name Mona actually refers to a large canoe which was used in the past for the purpose of trade or to conduct lightning raids on other communities and islands in the Solomon Sea.
The Mona is not a ‘dugout’ canoe made out of hollowing out the trunks of large trees.
Instead, the canoe is crafted out of hewn planks (using stone tools) of hard lightwood, expertly held together using special vines.

The Mona was made water tight using the sap from the seeds of a certain tree. The canoes could hold up to 10 rowers and move swiftly over water.
The Buka township is usually given a rare treat with the hosting of the annual Mona Festival.
Festival committee chairman and tour operator Lawrence Belleh anticipates a good number of tourists to visit the region during the festival period each year.

“The popular Kuri Resort is fully booked throughout the festival period,” he said.
“We’ve had calls from as far as the United States of America for accommodation. Other guest house operators are also taking in bookings for that period,” Belleh said.
In 2014 when the festival was first hosted, it attracted 18 groups from South, Central and North Bougainville.

Mona Festival is Alive n well, Buka town. Kuhilin Cultural Group, Hagogohe Constituency getting ready to perform

Belleh explained that the festival aimed to unify all Bougainvilleans as part of the restoration exercise towards peace building and return to normalcy after the civil war on the island.

“It also aims to promote Bougainville as a preferred tourism destination,” he said.
The Mona is a Bougainville traditional canoe which carries the pride of Buka people as it was used by their ancestors as a sea transport means. It comes in three types – for wars, long voyages and fishing.

Belleh acknowledged Lae Biscuit Company for its cash and kind donation to the value of K15,000. Digicel PNG has undertaken to be the major sponsor acquiring naming rights.
The last festival started from Malasang Village with a welcome and tradition rituals performed by the village chiefs.

A voyage was then taken to Ieta Village then to Sohano Island before heading to Buka township.
Together with the festivals, the beauty of black-skinned people from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville is also an attraction itself.

Apart from some African black people and other Solomon Islanders, Bougainville is said to have the blackest people on planet earth.
Black is a unique skin colour and often when photographs are taken the camera lens makes it appear that these people are ‘too black’.

The countdown to the 2014 Bougainville Mona Festival continues, only two more sleeps...We would love you to join us at the main boat stop in Buka on Thursday morning as we welcome Mona paddled through the Buka Passage to open the show! The welcoming of the Mona will be followed by a parade and the festival opening ceremony at Bel Isi Park.

But when you see them face to face and take a look with your natural camera, your eyes, you’ll call them ‘black beauties’. A beauty of nature’s own design.
Bougainvilleans are sometimes nicknamed kawas, so when love songs about Bougainvillean girls are sung by PNG musicians, instead of saying, ‘Bougainville babe girl’ they say, “kawas babe girl”, an expression that is popular throughout the country.

Actually the meaning of the word kawas is not really known in Buka. Some say it means friendly, beautiful, cute and wonderful but Bougainvilleans may have a different definition.
Some say kawas is from the Manus language which may mean a traditional trading partner. We don’t know how it came to be the usual Manus name for Bougainvilleans although many have ended up in Manus since the 1930s.
It’s a term implying close relationships and friendships between peoples of Manus and Bougainville.

Mona Festival, Buka.

Being seen as black is unique and beautiful, just like the white, yellow, brown and light skinned people. If you don’t believe this, don’t hesitate to go to Bougainville and see for yourself how beautiful a kawas is and enjoy the festivals of their culture.

Mona Festival is held in Buka town and there is also the Hantoa Cultural Show, the Tinputz Cocoa Festival, the Siwai Cultural Show and many more.

Joyce Bagi from Central admits that she loves black. “What is your favourite colour? “Black.”
Why? “Because the two most special people in my life are black, my mom and my boyfriend.
“Yeah, no doubt black is beautiful!”

That night was awesome Mona Festival Fundraiser. Tatok bamboo band and all, the mortlock knife dancers and buka hits all night long.

The Buka show ground will be the main host for the festivals.

The Mona Festival is a yearly event therefore the chairman, Lawrence Belleh is appealing to the people to fully support and learn from it.
The festival is promoting culture and with that it can attract a lot of tourists to the province.
This cultural festival will also encourage the people to hold fast to their culture and traditions.

Mona Festival, Buka.

Therefore, cultural activities such as singsing kaur groups, bamboo bands and Solomon dances will be an integral part of the festival every year to attract participation from all around the autonomous region.

ABG’s chief eecutive officer for Commerce, Albert Kinani has yet to confirm the dates for Mona Festival for 2019.

Groups from Halia, Hahalis, Gogohe and from Malasang are regulars at the festivals which are yet to be confirmed for participation at the show.

Mona Festival is on again this year...28th to 30th August on Buka Island. The festival is held annually since 2009. The festival is about recognizing the significance of the canoe (Mona) in the North Bougainville traditional society. The canoe is traditionally built with three unique designs to indicate its purposes of transport (voyage), fishing (food gathering) and fighting (warrior). 

Kinani is appealing to business houses and corporate sponsors for the 2019 festival.

The CEO also announced recently the opening of a new website to promote tourism in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville: www.bougainvilletourism.org.pg

The ABG recognises the largely untapped potential of tourism and is aware Bougainville has the natural attraction to lure adventure and niche’ travellers to its shores. But a lot needs to be done.

Kanage @ Buka(mona festival 2mas!!.)hiiiyeeh!

Success does not come overnight. There are no short cuts and quick fixes for success in anything.

ABG’s financial resources and capacity which have to be shared with other areas and services seeking more urgent attention for tourism development in the region has not been easy.

Clearly, this creates a lot of room for private enterprise driven participation in an industry that can be both profitable and enjoyable with the right advice and approach and sense of ownership.

Bougainville’s natural beauty and attractions, including its vibrant culture, like the rest of the country, can be best showcased with serious and deliberate government involvement.
This is lacking now and can be attributed largely to a lack of resources, capacity and focus and the fact that since it was established the tourism office and responsibility has been moved from pillar to post.

The settling in, focus, funding and seriousness have been amiss.
With so much potential staring at us in Bougainville it is time our political leaders and bureaucrats alike take the attitude that if tourism is to contribute to ABG’s coffers, then it should be well-intended.

A number of private operators that have been self-starters to promote tourism are the ones carrying the baton up front. The amount of promotion they are doing both out of joy in promoting the beauty of the Island and as a business is a good story.

For more information about the festival and the tour packages, contact via email: pngattractions@gmail.com

• Peter S Kinjap is a freelance writer and a blogger. He writes for The National newspaper,weekender edition, email: pekinjap@gmail.com