John Tyman's Cultures in Context Series Torembi and the Sepik A Study of Village Life in New Guinea |
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Topic No. 19: Transport and Communications ~ Photos 363 - 385 |
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John Tyman's Cultures in Context Series Torembi and the Sepik A Study of Village Life in New Guinea |
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Topic No. 19: Transport and Communications ~ Photos 363 - 385 |
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| 363. In recent years the greatest changes in Torembi have been caused not by the Church but by improvements in transport and communications. With better transport facilities, manufactured items are now available in the village. Still more striking has been the spread of new ideas and changing values, resulting from a revolution in communication. (Store at Service Camp north of Torembi.) |
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| 364. In the old days they sent their messages by means of drums. They were relayed from one village to the next. Now their words travel by air mail, for there’s a post office at the mission. Many people in the village correspond regularly with family members in other parts of New Guinea, and a few with people overseas … receiving parcels of food and clothing in return. |
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| 365. There were no telephones when I was there last in 1994, but the mission did have a two-way radio, and this was used each morning to send messages to friends in other villages, as well as in Wewak. In addition, of course, many people now have ordinary radios and are exposed to a never-ending stream of influences from outside. This has affected not only their music but also forms of speech and ways of thinking. |
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| 366. When travelling they traditionally used canoes on lakes and rivers; also for hunting in parts of the swamp. These were dug-outs, produced by hollowing out a tree trunk with an adze – like that used in making a garamut. |
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| 367. They were paddled, by men and women, sometimes seated, sometimes standing – depending on the length of the paddle and on their sex. (Once only men stood up in canoes.) Many people still travel in this way: but those who can afford outboard motors travel more easily, and can carry heavier loads. |
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| 368. The Sepik is the main highway of the region, allowing goods to be moved into the area cheaply by water on barges, for transfer later to smaller canoes like these, which are paddled upstream to villages like Torembi. |
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| 369. On land the safest way to get around is on your own two feet. The nearest government motor road, the one to Wewak, is still a long way away … six hours walk to the north. |
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| 370. In travelling between villages, people use forest paths most of the time. These are pleasant enough on a dry day, but after heavy rain are difficult to negotiate. |
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| 371. This probably explains why most people go barefoot. Among young men the possession of a pair of boots is now a status symbol, but they are scarcely practical. And with bare feet, you can also get a better grip on the logs used on routes through swamps. |
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| 372. There’s a road of sorts which links the church at Torembi to the original mission on the highway further north. It is used by 4 –wheel drive vehicles during the drier part of the year, but is frequently impassable when it rains. |
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| 373. North of the mission, bridges have been built over the creeks, but they are frequently damaged by flooding. |
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| 374. Even between bridges progress can be slow, and it’s easy to understand why the priest uses a tractor on this route, instead of a car! |
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| 375. There is no way, though, anyone can drive further south than Torembi 3, since they cannot cross the river. Bridges here consist of a single log, floating on the water, its ends bound with strips of cane anchored to trees on the river bank. |
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| 376. Other logs are placed against the banks at either end – to allow for the changes in water level. In this way, whether the river is high or low, people can easily climb down to the bridge. |
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| 377. They can then walk across it easily, and climb up the bank on the other side. And since the bridge if floating, there’s no limit to the number of people it can support. (Also see video extracts 23 & 24) |
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| 378. After heavy rain, though, even these bridges seem frightening. Driftwood carried along by the current gets jammed beneath them. Pressure builds up, and the log can be swept away. |
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| 379. Flying is expensive but if you’re short of time it’s the only way to go. The planes are owned either by the Catholic Church or the Missionary Aviation Fellowship and most of the pilots are missionaries. The planes are only small, but they manage to cram in half a dozen passengers and a load of freight. (Also see video extract number 30) |
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| 380. The absence of any form of cheap, reliable transport is, of course, a major obstacle in the way of commercial farming. The largest coffee grower in Torembi had a brother who was a schoolteacher, and between them they were able to save up enough to get a second-hand truck. They bought it to move coffee to market, but sometimes it also served as a bus … for those who could not afford the plane. |
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| 381. Their baggage was piled high in the back first: then they climbed in too, and were squeezed together every bit as tightly as their baggage. It was a slow journey, because they had to get out many times … to push their ‘bus’ through the mud. |
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| 382. On the return trip it carried supplies for the village stores. These were unloaded in Torembi 3 and carted across the bridge…cans of kerosene for oil lamps, and beer for a party! |
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| 383. The following year the truck’s driver, in addition to carrying coffee, passengers and store goods, planned to sell sago in Wewak. He was sure it would fetch ten times the price paid in fish by Sepik River people. On my return in 1994, though, I could see that the vehicle had been written off and was now junk. |
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| 384. The rate at which change is undermining traditional practices is increasing, and not only in the attempted commercialisation of food production. The beer delivered by that truck ended up in the Spirit House. |
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| 385. There is a pub on the Sepik River to the south: and if the government ever does put a road through to Torembi, there may well be an alcohol problem here too. The road will obviously bring with it much that is good -- including access to a decent hospital -- but it is also likely to have a profound impact on the life style of the people. (Pub at Pagwi.) |
Text, photos and recordings
by John Tyman
Intended for Educational Use
Only.
Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum,
Oxford University, 2010.
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John Tyman for more information regarding licensing.
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