Beating Sago

Beating sago the Kurti way.... (Kurti is a language group on the north coast of Manus island, PNG).


The men and boys beat the sago this way and then the women collect the pulp in bags (see two bags already filled) and then wash it using a filtration and decanting process.

The bow (n'drangkei) that Iam holding is made from the root of tree. At the edge of a bow, we attach a piece of bamboo (modou). As we lift the bow and strike the sago, it is the bamboo that scraps the sago off. The finer the sago pulp, the easier to wash by the women thus more sago is produced. A really mature sago tree like this (which is sectioned into three parts) can in total produce between two to four 10kg bags of sago

Lorengau Market

Lorengau market at its best!

I remember the old market where the roof and benches were wooden. But the new market built with money from Australian taxpayers looks good. However, I think the thing Iam most unhappy about is that the sale of store goods at the market. I wish the management would place these sellers somewhere else and let the people who sell garden produce be the majority in the marketplace.

 The market is still the most popular place to hang out. You get to meet relatives and friends here. You get to eat food from the sea such as smoked fish, sea shells and garden food like baked cassava and down it kulai (coconut juice). Life is pretty must simple for most people here in Lorengau.

But being at the market too, one can see that people struggle to sell their items too. For those who come from the outer islands, they have to bunk up with wantoks (relatives) to sell their fish. This is the same for those who travel down from the highway. They either walk down or catch a PMV. Life is not easy for many people too.

The story of a chase

My father tells the story of how he, Ku-u and Paleh chased a cuscus ('kapul' in tokpisin). Cuscus are marsupials, even though they have some appearances, traits and attributes like those of lemurs of Madagascar, which are prosimians. Most Manusians living in Manus have eaten cuscus since childhood. It is quite difficult to locate and catch them as they live high up in the trees. Young men who are really good at catching them can get three or four a day. It is not easy as one has to venture deeper into the forest and spend the whole day walking through the forest to locate one.