Altai Papua New Guinea

 

Capital of Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay Province, Alotau is steeped in history, rich in culture, and blessed with natural beauty. Alotau is the gateway to some of the most remote island communities in the world today.  It is a place that is enriched with age-old culture and traditions.  The area claims its fame in the history books where the Battle of Milne Bay took place in 1942 and an Australian digger was awarded a Victora Cross for bravery.  Americans and Australians were  honored for helping to stop the invasion  of the Japanese.  

The day started hot and humid and didn't change much throughout the day. Our group of 10 boarded a van and seemed to leave behind  the world as we know it.  The road was gravel and very narrow with huge holes on both sides. The people customarily drive on the left side but due to the road conditions, we drove on whatever side had the least holes.  Words can't describe the feel of the ride. At least we had air conditioning.  People were walking along the road as we slowly proceeded along the way.   Large trucks could be seen carrying people to town. We traveled about 15MPH. After traveling for 30 minutes the driver stopped. We had no idea why.  Then he instructed us to come out of the van. The back tire was shredded and had to be changed. Within 15 minutes we were on the road again. Soon the gravel road ended and a dirt road began. A bridge was wiped out.   We went over a temporary bridge with water running over it.   The ride was quite an experience. 

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It took an hour to reach the Dadue village.  Here a family of thirty people lived.  Their ancestors had lived for more than a hundred years.  We were greeted by children who had been waiting for us.  We walked with them to the hut that was the kitchen. The women and children were preparing their meal which was also a meal for us. They were preparing sweet potatoes, bananas, tapioca, greens, coconut juice and shavings.  All of this would be placed in a pot to cook over the fire.  We brought crayons for the many children.  As we passed out the crayons, they politely said thank you without being reminded.  More children appeared and we gave them crayons.  If they had already received a box, they wouldn't take another.  The kids followed us as we walked in the village. They were quiet and polite and listened to all conversations. 

  

The men meet in a ceremonial circle each morning to plan their day. The head of the family sat on the stones while the others gathered around. If they needed to paint their faces they would put water in the bowls to see their reflections..

The village had a guest house where people could come and stay....no screens, no beds, no running water or electricity, no bathroom, shower or tub. It was amazingly decorated with weaving for walls, private room with a thin mat bed, four star bar, kitchen for villagers to prepare your food. 

We passed by the sacred circle where the cannibalizing ceremony was held .  1986 was the last time that any cannibalizing was performed. We continued around the village stopping to hear stories that were pasted from generation to generation. They also had a burial site for their love ones. Suzie even had a bite of betel nut.  A little boy climbed to the top of the tree to get the nuts. People in the village would bite on the nut along with rock line and mustard. It left them spitting out red stuff and made a permanent bred stain on  their teeth. 

Before we had our meal, two children showed us their ceremonial costumes. Our food was served in palm leaf bowls with a stick to use for eating. Fresh coconut was poured  for our drinks. 

Life was so simple in the village.  The people and children's faces were beautiful.....such bright eyes and big smiles. You could feel their love and devotion to one another. They showed kindness, sincerity and were the happiest people I have ever seen.   This was the only life they knew and they didn't seem to want for anything. It was sad to say good bye.  I only wish those reading this could have experienced this with us.

We returned to the ship but our day wasn't over.  A quick restroom stop and a drink and we were off to learn about the Milne Bay War  where the Japanese landed and had planned to set up and take over the airport so they could invade Australia.  We saw the Japanese landing site 

We visited the Alotau war memorial and craft market. The people of Alotau were so grateful for the Australians and Americans who quickly put an end to the war in Alotau . We saw the old Allied air base and then visited the new Gurney Airport.

Our last stop before returning to the ship was at a look out point above the city. Here we saw the town and we're once again reminded of the beautiful children of this island.  A lasting memory of our village  experience will always be with us.  We may never again see such wonderful people.