Letters from Bro. Jerry Wintz, O.F.M.Cap.

Letters II - Dec. 28, 1999 to Jan. 21, 2000
Letters I | Letters II | Letters III | Letters IV

from Pangia, Papua New Guinea, Dec. 28, 1999:

Merry Christmas

'Been traveling a bit. Couple of interesting days came up before I took a little trip to see the friars in Kagua PIG KILL! Big deal here in the Pangia area. They have a big pig kill every 5 years or so. It is supposed to be a time of making peace with your enemy as well as showing off wealth. Pigs are very important here and the more you have, the more wealthy you are. One man, from the parish, was killing about 12 pigs. Some had more, some less, but overall, there were about 800 pigs killed in just one village (other villages also had pig kills)!! I walked into the village and saw a lot of pigs. They were tethered on small wood posts hammered into the ground (some not too well as a pig would get loose once in a while). These posts were about 10 feet apart creating a corridor down the center of the village. More pigs were posted outside of this corridor as well. Pigs were everywhere!

Price-wise you can probably average it to about 500 kina per pig -- not very poor at all. After some simple ceremony of some men walking the corridor of pigs and viewing them, the killing began. Most of it was done with a wooden club to the head of the pig which, if you hit the right spot, pretty much killed the pig quickly. Many men did not hit the right spot and then would have to chase the squealing pig around the post. Not a pretty sight or sound.

I found some people I knew from the parish and watched the process. After killing the pig they put it over a fire to burn off the hair and scrape away some of the skin. It is then passed on to another who cuts it open to remove the intestines and such. After this it is passed to another who knows how to quarter the pig so it can be then given away. In the mean time some small pieces are thrown directly into the fire, cooked, and eaten as you work. So, all down this corridor this process is taking place with each family who brought pigs. And yes, I killed two pigs myself -- and it is still being talked about. Tonight we had some of the meat that was given to us -- very good!

It turns out that if I had shown up the next day while they were giving out the pig, we could have gotten more, but it is alright that we did not because the idea behind giving the pig to someone is that he will bekim (give) back a similar amount next time. So, it turns out not to be exactly an experience of generosity. I would have been there for this part of the ceremony but had an opportunity to go to Kagua.

I was originally discouraged from going to Kagua because they were having problems with their generator. They have been without power for about three months. Well, I changed my mind when Cyril mentioned that I could look at the generator (they were having trouble finding someone to help them out). I figured I could rough-it a bit anyway, and maybe I could do something with the generator as well. So, on the 17th I headed out there with the intention of returning to Pangia on the 23rd to celebrate Christmas.

So, I looked at the thing; took some covers off the engine, nothing serious. I tightened a few things and then we ran it on Sat. night for a few hours. This was enough time for the houses to pump water into their high tanks (and we watched a movie as well). We checked the machine the next day (Sun.)to find that diesel was getting into the oil. I did not feel I had the tools available to me to start digging into the innards of the thing, so I suggested taking it to the shop. So we did this on Mon.; a trip to Mt. Hagen.

We dropped off the generator and then spent the night in Hagen because they were working on another generator (which they had for 2 years). They were going to test it and we were hoping to take it with us. Well, the following day we waited around all day and finally left late without the generator. We arrived in Ialibu about 7pm. and slept there.

The next day was another busy one. We returned to Kagua and almost immediately went out to a place called Sumi. There was a peace ceremony that was taking place between two lain (places, villages, families). So, we quickly looked at the work Fr. Joe Tuscan was doing to rebuild the station there, then we went to the ceremony which occurred at a nearby airfield (and field is accurate). It was a matter of the two fighting parties saying some nice words, shaking hands, and the government giving out money. It all happened on the back of our Land Cruiser. After this we went back to Kagua and tried to contact Mendi over the wireless because we heard they had a small generator that would be enough to pump water and charge batteries (for the wireless). Evening came, morning followed, the next day: The plan was to meet at the Wara (water) Bung (where 2 rivers meet and there is no car bridge). We were told 1 to 2 hours were what the trip would take -- it was 3 one way! So, another long drive. And to top it off the guys meeting us there did not get the toksave (notice) that we wanted the generator (and a couple other things). It was not a useless trip as we were dropping off two Sisters of Charity (Mother Teresa's sisters). They were soon on their way to Mendi.

After the long drive, it was nice to take a little break. Some women were selling some of there garden goods so I bought a small cucumber and some sugar cane. Someone else offered us peanuts. It was a sufficient lunch. Then back to the road were some previous tough spots awaited us with some threat because we would be going uphill this time. As a matter of fact we did get stuck once, but got out with a little bit of a push.

Otherwise, just another long drive. The amazing thing about these long trips is that we do not really go very far. For instance, the route from Ialibu to Pangia takes about 2 hours, but it is only about 20 km. (Close to 12 miles). I did not check the mileage on the Wara Bung trip.

Well, we returned to Kagua and made plans to meet someone to pick up the generator in Ialibu. And so it was. By the way this trip to Ialibu occurred on Christmas Eve. I was figuring that I would be going back to Pangia -- yesterday -- but over the wireless I was given the message; Graun i bruk (ground is broken -- there was a landslide) and the road was blocked at about the halfway point between Ialibu and Pangia. So I stayed in Kagua (with the exception of a trip to Ialibu for a generator).

Christmas was nice in Kagua. I wish I had brought my camera, but I was expecting to be in Pangia for Christmas. Anyway, they had a beautiful Jubilee gate; actually they had three because there were three roads that met in front of the church. Some distance away, each road had a gate dedicated one to the Father, one to the Son, and one to the Holy Spirit. The procession started at each gate simultaneously with a different singsing from each direction. There was quite a mixture of sounds when they all met, but this is how a singsing goes I'm told.

There was also plenty traditional bilas (costume) worn for the occasion. (I have some pictures from the pig kill that will show some of this). Then the gate was opened and thousands of people funneled into the church filling it completely. Olgeta em i naispela samting -- overall it was something nice.

It was hard on my backside to sit on a concrete floor for a few hours, but I survived. Actually, it didn't seem that long.

In a nutshell that was Christmas in Kagua. I went back to Pangia the next day.

Peace, Jerry

from Mendi, Papua New Guinea, Dec. 30, 1999:

From the Land of the Unplannable, Merry Christmas,

Turns out I am in Mendi for a bit, thus some email is going out. But, the email should come a little more regular because it is now official that I will be stationed at Kap. I should be arriving there somewhere close to the 18th of Jan. It is easy yet for me to answer "I don't know" yet because the new question is "what will you do there?" husat i save (who knows).

So, I have finished at Pangia (for now) and I am hoping to see some more of the Southern Highlands; Tari, Pureni (where PETE MEIS is at), Kutubu (I here there is a beautiful lake there). Then, off to Kap. I will be stationed with Frs DON DEBES, DUNSTAN [JONES], DOMINIC [McGUINNESS], and BILL TALENTINO as well as the 2 Cap. Corp volunteers Steve and Bob.

I have attached a bit about some recent events that includes a pig kill and Christmas in Kagua (sounds like a song title, ya). [This attachment, however, never arrived.]

Talk at you later. Peace, Jerry

PS--looking forward to seeing your mail when I send this one.

from Mendi, Papua New Guinea, Jan.3, 2000:

Happy new year!!

I have come to Mendi for a couple of weeks to try to see some more of the highlands, esp. Tari, and Kutubu. So far it does not seem that anyone is going to these places.

The new year's celebration here in Mendi was quite impressive. Ringing in the new year was somewhat subdued with the police shooting off about a half dozen flares throughout town, and someone burning down a classroom (a kunai grass hut model, not a permanent building), and some pot banging and whistle blowing. It was the new year's day procession and Mass that impressed me.

The procession started, ultimately, in the upper and lower parts of Mendi. These local areas built into a huge procession. Some of us walked down to where a local town road meets the highway'. I was somewhat shocked when I looked in both directions and saw seas of people filling the road. In one direction at least 2,000 people flooded the roadway; in the other we could not see the end of them as they came around a distant bend, but there must have been about 4 to 5,000 more! It was impressive to see so many Catholics gathering for this new year, this jubilee event. We all processed through Mendi to our gathering point of a soccer field. There was singsing of various sorts within the throng that filled the streets. I heard that one man got excited, and pointing to all the people exclaimed, "Look, they're all Catholics!"

During the liturgy, I sat up on the grandstand with the Bishop, priests and other friars and liturgical ministers. Again, I was impressed to see so many people gathering to express their faith. One moment stands out in particular, and it occurred at the end of the liturgy. I want to note one thing first; all the people were carrying homemade crosses. Some had "Jubilee 2000" painted on them. Others were wreathed with flowers and other plants. They were asked by the Bishop to raise the crosses while he blessed them. Thousands and thousands of crosses went into the air such that there was an ocean of crosses flooding the field. WoW!

I do not know what the non-Catholic onlookers saw in the event, but for me it was, it is a testimony to God's presence in this world and in the Church. I hope that the unity I saw this day spreads through the country and into the world.

I hope that this new year gives you opportunity to draw closer to others and to God.

Peace, Jerry

from Kap, Papua New Guinea, Jan. 11-12, 2000:

I took a little trip through the western part of the Southern Highlands. This is of course one of the less safe areas to travel. One could go to Tari via airplane, but I opted for the PMV (the local bus service of the country). Turns out that one of our newly-professed brothers [ALOIS EKAPE] was going to Tari for his pastoral year. He is a seminary student in Bomana (Port Moresby). After his pastoral year he will go back for a couple more years of school. Anyway, we went together.

Now, to start the picture of where these places are, before I describe them a bit more, I want to note distance: the starting point, Mendi + 20 mi = Nipa + 20 mi = Margarima + 1 hour = Tari + 1 hour = Pureni + 1 hour = Koroba. The trip from Mendi to Margarima took about 5 hours. We went to the PMV stop at Mendi about 9 am and the one we were looking for arrived about 11:30 am. We did not leave Mendi till about 1 pm (therefore arriving in Margarima about 6:30).

We hopped on in the front seat -- lucky, really because there's only two spaces in front -- everyone else rides in back. You see, this particular PMV was not a bus. Rather it was a large, what they call, Dyna (after the toyota model of dynas). It is a diesel truck with a 20 foot pickup bed. The bed has shorter sides (height-wise) than an American truck, and for people's use they have put seats in for the length of the sides (you sit on a board for the duration of the trip, though you can stand up at anytime to stretch out a bit). There are bars that go over the top which hold a plastic tarp that is spread out if/when the rains come. So, basically we ended up in the cab of the truck, with the driver -- and a 25 kg bag of flower, our own luggage, and some luggage of other passengers. We were lucky in another sense because this PMV was hired out to bring back grocery cargo so he did not pick up as many passengers (they'll usually cram 50 + passengers on the back). The driver kept stating that he was overloaded. I think that's why the trip took so long; he was unable to go very quickly up the steep hills that are encountered in the highlands. Our return trip today was about an hour shorter.

Our driver said we would go with God, trusting him to be the supreme protector, mechanic, etc. A positive thought for the start of our trip. I mentioned before that this is not one of the safest roads. To put it simply, a government official who was from Nipa died in an auto accident, but it happened to be in a neighboring area (near Tari). So the fight was begun because it was obviously the fault of the Tari people. So, for some time now (1 year +) Tari has been cut off from Mendi and other places for resources since the Nipas have regular road-blocks set up where they steal whatever they can from whoever passes. Only within the time I have been here has the road been opened again. It was closed while the fighting was going on.

Recently we had a car stolen that was full of supplies. We did eventually get the car back, but none of what was in it. Also, Alois had sent some of his things on to Tari with a friar going that way -- all stolen. I am not aware of anyone being killed or even injured, but plenty are being frightened. This is the road I chose to travel. I just did not bring much "stuff." That's all.

Well, we reached midway to Nipa and the driver mentioned that he had some "gun boys" he would be picking up. This was, of course, so that we would not have any trouble with any raskals along the way. Seemed to me a little different tune than the beginning of the trip: I suppose "God helps those who help themselves" was his thought. In any case, we had no trouble.

So on Tues the 4th of Jan. I reached my first stop at Margarima and it was brief. Ate, prayed talked for a bit with TIMOTHY [KALAWAI] then to bed. The next day I visited with the two Swiss sisters, Valentine [Flury] and Damascene [Schuermann]. About noon Timothy drove Alois and I to Tari. I have to say again; this is a beautiful country. The mountains and open space in the Tari Gap certainly caught my attention. I was expecting a deer or such to come out of the wooded areas, but the biggest animal I have heard of yet is the cassowary (emu). I did not see any of these either.

I arrived in Tari in the early afternoon. Actually, we stopped at an outstation just outside of Tari because we were hearing that they were opening their gate. They had just finished as we arrived. We stopped anyway to look for Fr. SAM [DRISCOLL] whose car was still there. We did not stay for the mumu of pig and such, but went on to Tari. Here I got a tour of the place; the church is H U G E, certainly as compared to others. Even the cathedral does not look as big. St. Francis Church rises 2 stories + but probably not quite 3. It is all wood and all open.

I found it decieving to enter: It has a large front which made me expect a large church, but I expected it to be more square -- NOT! It happened to be over 2 times longer than it is wide, and also seems taller on the inside. Wow! Of course this leads me to think of one of my dissappointments of this trip -- no camera. I did not care to lose it to raskals so I left it in Mendi. So, at this point, I have memories tasol (only).

After seeing the station Sam took me to Tari High school where a Sr. Mel [Hoffman] runs the show. It is a nice campus and is designed as a boarding school. It is also set up to be self-sustaining food-wise, so, there are some cattle and gardens around. Each student works a plot of garden and at the same time learns something about agriculture; sounds practical to me. Some have said it is the best high school in the country. We joined the sisters for tea; they showed us some of their x-mas toys and we dropped off some mail. There happened to be a whole group of sisters there including some from Kagua and Mendi. Did they have trouble on the road? No, because there happens to be an airport in Tari so one does not necessarily have to drive the uncertain roads. I could have taken this flight from Mendi, but it would have cost more than 10 times as much. (The PMV cost K8 one way, the plane, about K120 -- for a 20 minute flight).

On Thurs. I journeyed onward; turns out that Fr. PETER MEIS was coming from Pureni to Tari for some shopping. I decided to hitch a ride with him because I heard that Fr DUNSTAN [JONES] and Steve (one of the Cap. Corp. volunteers) were returning to Tari on Sunday. I was looking forward to visiting with Peter so this all worked out well. I got to ride on the back of the truck because Peter had brought one of the sisters from Pureni with him. I stayed a day in Pureni and it so happens that one of the students from Kap was on home-leave. He showed me around a bit and I was able to see his home and meet his mom. There was a particular hill I was interested in climbing. Francis, the student, said it was dangerous for him to go up there because that lain and his were fighting at the time. I got a nice, inside view of the place.

The Hulis are known for gate building. They make gates for entrances to gardens and homes. At one point, we were taking a shortcut which happened to be through a garden. I bumped my head on the gate and my two guides got a kick out of that. Most of the gates are quite short. This garden is also memorable because the papa bilong graun decided he did not want us cutting through his place. Through translation I learned he thought I was a tourist, and he did not want a tourist cutting through. They tried to explain that I was a [missionary]; but it was too late, the man's mind was made up. So we went another way. I did not bump my head on the way out this time.

I went to Koroba the next day where I had a short stay, but we (Fr. Dunstan and Steve and I) did have time to visit a seminarian from another school at his home in Koroba. We had a nice visit with him and his parents. That evening we had a nice dinner prepared by Sr. Regis who is stationed in Koroba. We left on Sunday after Mass. The Mass was very contemplative. As a matter of fact Peter, in Pureni, happened to mention that the people there were some of the most contemplative he had met.

They would sit silently in Church for hours. Getting back to the mass, they sing everything, and all of it with a similar tune. I did not know the words, but I could hum the tune. Though simpler, there was an aspect of chant to it. I enjoyed it. After the mass, the people sang some songs for Fr. Dunstan and gave him some local gifts; a band to wear around the head made of the fur of a local animal which had feathers on the front -- a fancy headband; a sash that was about 2" wide and made of small beads with some shells hanging off the bottom; and an akis (ax), but not a wood chopping ax. This ax was more of a spear head with a handle -- definitely a weapon. This particular one was lightly crafted, made for hanging on a wall as decor.

Fr. Dunstan happened to know a local policeman and so through this connection we got an escort out of town -- at least beyond the more raskal-filled areas. We brought two cars with us because both needed repairs of one kind or another. We also brought Sr. Regis with us because she was on her way to Mendi for a bit of a break. She ran into some trouble a few weeks ago in Koroba. Then we had a big dinner in Tari with all the friars, a diocesan priest who was on home leave, and the sisters. No particular reason for this dinner, it just happened to be the Sunday that they all get together. The next day Alois took me to Margarima. I arrived early enough to see the place in the daylight this time. I was also able to meet some of the people. I have to admit, I was plenty scared in many of these places until I met some of the people and they met me. They are careful around strangers, but once you are not a stranger anymore you find that they are quite affectionate. I think some of the carefulness ties in with this being a tourist area as well as an area where ex-patriates (outsiders) have discovered and exploited natural resources.

Left Margarima early early!! I was up about 4 am because the PMV would be coming at about 5:30. Had no trouble again and arrived in Mendi before 11am – then I slept! The phones were not working at the time, thus, I waited till I arrived in Kap to send this current story

Peace, Br. Jerry

from Kap, Papua New Guinea, Jan. 18, 2000:

Here I am at Kap, about 30 Km N. of Madang. I feel like I am on vacation. I have not fished yet. I have not gone for a swim yet, but I did play some tennis the other day at a country club in Madang -- right on the shore, with squadrons of flying foxes cruising overhead and hanging in nearby trees.

It turns out that Madang is the flying fox capitol of the world. There are a lot of them, and they are everywhere. They hang out like crows would in the states, but upside down. I have heard that as evening comes on, they cloud the sky with their multitudes (I got a little poetic there).

We do live right on the water. I can see the bay from my window (or the veranda outside my room). It is not 100 yds to the water. There is not a beach, but the shore is beautiful with trees draping into the water. At times already the water has been placid and mirror-like, very serene. I am really liking it here in Kap. It is quite a beautiful setting. We have a good fraternity, it seems, as well: DON [DEBES], DUNSTAN [JONES], DOMINIC [MCGUINNESS], BILL TALENTINO, two Cap. Corp. volunteers, Bob and Steve, and myself. there is also a retired couple giving their time to the school for a year. Ron and Mary fit in comfortably as well.

Peace, Jerry

from Kap, Papua New Guinea, Jan. 21, 2000:

I have arrived at St. Fidelis College, Kap. I have discovered what work I will be doing here. Looks like I will be teaching religion classes: Old Testament, Sacraments, Revelation, and some other bits and pieces.

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