2016 newsletter # 3 grand final sep 17 compressed

Issue No. 3 | 1st August 2016 DALLMAN DIVER READY FOR DELIVERY The Dallman Diver, a professional dive boat that has undergone a complete refit and livery change is now ready to join Niugini Dive Adventure fleet. The vessel is fully equipped to undertake diving in the beautiful Madang Harbour as well as the offshore island of Boisa, Kar Kar and Bagabag.

Although it is capable of the seacrossing under its own power, the departure will be delayed until October when it can be escorted by the Kalibobo Spirit after its annual survey in Cairns.

3 DAY HOLIDAY PACKAGES TO MADANG (above)

CATCH OF THE DAY FROM A ROOM!

MTS and Air Niugini have launched low cost holiday packages from Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney which include 3 nights accommodation in twin room, transfers, buffet breakfasts, a sightseeing tour and harbour cruise of Madang. Flyers are available from Air Niugini offices in Australia and can be

It was not a surprise for Michael Milewski, to catch this respectable Black Bass from the balcony of thier Waterfront balcony at the Madang Resort. It was grilled that evening for his Father, Amb. Pawel Milewski the Polish Ambassador to PNG who was visiting Madang on an official visit.

POLICE MEET IN MADANG The PNG Police have just completed a week’s workshop on gender violence at the Sana Room at the Madang Resort.

Picture shows Police delegates at the front steps of the main foyer of the Madang Resort.

VENETIAN FOUNTAIN IN MADANG A gift from Professor, Fr Jan Czuba has been installed in the roundabout and entrance of the Madang Resort providing the locals a look at European Culture amongst the local Sepik & Rai Coast totem poles at the entrance of Madang Resort.

IMR FUND RAISING The Institute of Medical Research held a fund raising night at the Madang Resort and raised more than K60,000 towards a Malaria Colloquium that will be held in the Sana Room of the Madang Resort in August 2016.

GARDEN WING NEARS COMPLETION 3 months overdue, but worth the wait. Twenty new de-luxe suites are expected to be opened in early August. The rooms will be amongst the most luxurious in PNG with split Kind Size beds, balcony, large bathrooms all with a hideaway kitchenette available for longer term guests.

Pic: Prof Lahi Matainaho, Sir Peter Barter, Hon Malakai Tabar, Prof. Maretta KulaSemos, Prof Peter Siba at the IMR Fund Raising night in Sana Room.

BILUM FESTIVAL A GREAT SUCCESS The Bilum Festival held on Kar Kar Island was a great success.

STOP PRESS Australian tourists can now receive visas on arrival in Port Moresby.

MTS welcome this decision by the PNG Government!

where the pottery was made in the past, and from where the obsidian stone tools were imported. It is expected that his research will be completed in mid-2016.

The Archaeology of Madang

By Dylan Gaffney and Professor Glenn Summerhayes OL. Otago University., New Zealand.

Coastal Madang Archaeology

Pottery Making at Bilbil Village & Yabob

In June 2014 an international team of archaeologists completed investigations around Madang district. The investigations aimed to find signs of human activity from before the time of Europeans, and then to describe how far back in time these activities stretched, and how culture has changed since then. The team was led

by Professor Glenn Summerhayes and consisted of Dylan Gaffney (University of Otago, New Zealand), Mary Mennis (Brisbane historian, Australia), the late Herman Mandui (Deputy Director, National Museum and Art Gallery PNG), Teppsy Beni (student at the University of PNG), Affrica Cook (student from Oxford University, England), and Dr The research team (left to right): Mary Mennis, Glenn Judith Field (University of New Summerhayes, Dylan Gaffney, Herman Mandui, Teppsy Beni, Affrica Cook (absent Judith Field).

South Wales, Australia).

During our fieldwork, we visited several archaeological sites around the Madang Lagoon and off the coast, which are currently settled by the Bel people. This included Siar Island, Kranket Island, Yabob Island, Bilbil Island, Bilbil Village, Yabob-Up-Top, Yabob-Down-Below, and Malmal Village. All of these places contained traces of past human activities- particularly, broken clay pots for cooking and trading, obsidian stone tools for scarification and cutting, stone axe fragments for making canoes, shell ornaments for the singsing, and so on.

We undertook two archaeological excavations around Madang where we scientifically recorded the artefacts,

Dylan Gaffney also observed the pottery making industries at Bilbil Archeological pottery sherds from around and Yabob in June 2014 and July Madang. All are covered with bright res slip 2015. The Yabob no longer prowhich distinguishes them from other pottery duce pottery for trade, but the Bilbil potters still make pottery and sell it to tourists and to people around Madang. At Yabob, Yeyeg who has sadly now passed away, demonstrated the pottery making technique. First, the potters collect black beach sand and dig up potting clay from under the gardens.

The clay is prepared and stored before use. When producing a pot, the potter takes the clay and mixes it with the sand. Then, the potter forms the rim opening very roughly. Next, the potter adds clay to the rim and starts to form the body. A wooden Dorcas Kana describing the Bilbil yellow ciay paddle is used to beat the outside of the pot into shape while a spherical source to Dylan Gaffney stone anvil is used on the inside to smooth it. The pots are decorated with small wooden tools and covered with brilliant red slip before being fired. The pottery firing is completed in the open and uses bush material for fuel. The pots are stacked up in a small fire at first but later they are transferred to a larger fire to make them stronger.

The Bel produce four main types of pot: the bodi and magob for cooking, the tengeng for cooking at feasts, and the you-bodi for storing water. When the famous Russian scientist Nikolai Miklouho-Macklay visited Bilbil in the 1870s, the Bilbil and Yabob were the dominant pottery makers and traders along the coast and could exchange their pots for other valuable items such as pigs, dogteeth necklaces, food, and wooden bowls.

The Future

Excavation at Tilu, Malmal

Dr Judith Field and Professor Glenn Summerhayes with Dr Ben Shaw have another project located in the Simbai and Kaironk valleys in the interior of Madang Province.

Here they are looking at much earlier occupation dating to the late Pleistocene. They will be undertaking archaeological excavations during July to October, and their findings will be published in a forthcoming paper and we hope to publich in a later edition of the Melanesian Newsletter.

Prof. Glenn Summerhayes discussing

their depth and quantity, and the associated soil and strata. One excavation was at Tilu clan area in Malmal Village and another at Nunguri clan area on Bilbil Island. Both sites were large mounds which had built up from hundred of years of people living on them. Here we found thousands of broken pottery sherds, several hundred obsidian stone tools, hundreds of kilograms of old shellfish and bone food scraps, and rare shell tools, armbands, and necklaces. The pottery is mostly ancestral to the modern Madang pottery, which is bright red, tempered with local beach sand, and decorated around the pot’s shoulder and neck.

The radiocarbon dating of small charcoal samples from the excavations tells us that both of the sites were occupied by Bel groups prior to the taimtudak (Time of Darkness), which Sir Peter Barter has written about in the previExcavation at Nunguri, Bilbil Island ous issue of Melanesian News. This supports oral histories that suggest that the Bel groups came to Madang from an island in the Bismarck Sea several generations before the “taimtudak”. Archaeological pottery sherds from around Madang are covered with bright red slip which distinguishes them from other pottery types. Laboratory analysis of the archaeological find is currently being completed at the University of Otago by Dylan Gaffney for his Master of Arts study. Dylan is using state-of-the-art technology such as scanning electron microscopes and xray fluorescence to determine the dates.

Access Yabob, Bibil, Malmal Villages are all accessible by road from Madang. Simbai can only be accessed by small aircraft from Madang or Mt Hagen with MAF. The Kalam Festival will be held on 22-22 September 2016 Bookings can be made through MTS in Madang (email info@mtspng.com) The late Yeyeg of Yabob-up-top. A master potter demonstrating Yabob pot

Editor: We are grateful for Prof. Glenn Summerhayes and his team of Archaeologists for undertaking this research. We also thank Mary Mennis for her publication “A Potted History of of PNG” and other books on PNG, Prof Summerhayes & Dylan Gaffney for their latest publication “An Archaeology of Madang” presented to MTS on 16th July, 2016.

MTS stands by to continue supporting such important research in Madang.

NICHOLAY MIKLOUCHO-MACLAY REMEMBERED On Sep 20, 1871 the famous naturalist, anthropologist and artist Nicholay Mikloucho-Maclay came ashore at Garagassi Point in Astrolabe Bay, Rai Coast Nicholay Mikloucho- from the Russian Navy ship the Vityaz I. Maclay—1871 On the 29th October, 1969 a Russian marine research vessel, the Vityaz II dropped anchor in Port Constantine in Astrolabe Bay (known as Garagassi). The Russians erected a modest monument which recorded the arrival of a sojourn there of a fellow-countryman of theirs, the young scientist Nikolay MiklouchoMaclay.

On Sep 20, 2014 precisely 143 years since Maclay stepped ashore at Gorendu the Melanesian Foundation led by Sir Peter Barter aboard the Kalibobo Spirit with invited guests including Valeri Sourin his wife Irma Bruni together with a delegation of 40 arrived at Garagassi and Gorendu Village to unveil a new memorial Vitiaz anchored off Gragazzi and a seawall constructed by the Madang Point. Kalibobo Spirit anchored Resort to preverve the original site. off Gorendu Village, Rai Coast.

For Maclay this presented an opportunity to study fascinating scientific and philosophic problem-the nature and social organization of primitive man. In his devotion to science, he was prepared to endure any hardship and risk death from violence or disease in order to investigate this intriguing question.

During the total period of about 3 years that he spent on the (Rai) coast he kept diaries, which together with his scientific work he intended to publish. Owing to his premature death at the age of 42 the material lay forgotten in the archives of Czarist Russia. It was only after the revolution in 1917 that the memory of this remarkable man was revived and the material in the archives was investigated and articles and books and films began to be written about him in Russia.

His work was well documented along with supporting etchings he did with the help of Tui a loyal friend that Maclay with his Samoan Servant at assisted Maclay learning the language Goirendu Village, Rai Coast 1871 and culture. He is also accredited to have introduced many types of vegetables including varieties of kau kau, papaya, pumpkin and various beans which have become sources of food throughout PNG. Maclay fought hard to prevent colonization of New Guinea and on visits to Australia he met with Rev Chalmers at Cooktown who together pleaded with the Germans, Dutch and English not colonise New Guinea.

When Germany finally colonized New Guinea it was largely done through the reputation Maclay had gained and the people at the time had difficulty in recognising the many countries in Europe. It was also recorded that a Hungarian, Herr Kubary a Polish national of Hungary origin holding a British Site of Maclay’s Residence with the passport with immense experi- new seawall and monument erected in ence in Micronesia and the Pacific 2014 built by Melanesian Foundation. ‘negotiated’ the purchase of the township of Madang on behalf of the Neu Guinea Kompanie with trinkets, axes and salt.

Maclay on a visit to Sydney, he met and later married Margaret Robinson, the daughter of the then three time Premier (Prime Minister) of New South Wales (against the Premier’s wishes). They had two children, the eldest was William (Bill) after Maclay’s death aged 42 when Margaret returned to Sydney with the children. Maclay was buried at St Petersburg in Russia. Willam (Bill) Maclay, the eldest Son became the main newsreader on National ABC Radio throughout Australia prior to the introduction of television, his voice became synonymous voice of the ABC. A good number of his diaries and work were destroyed by fire during fits of depression, others were burnt by

Relatives of Kui, the new and old monument, Sir Peter & Valeri Sourin during the official opening of the Maclay Memorial Reserve at Gorendu Village. his wife in frustration nevertheless Kristen Pres Inc at Nagada Plantation in Madang published his diaries, translated by C.S. Sentinella.

The delegation were welcomed by Asel Tui, Kasek Asel and Gasom Tui who invited Valeri Sourin to cut the ribbon leading onto the site where Maclay haus once stood. He thanks Valeri Soutin and Sir Peter Barter representing the Melanesian Foundation for their assistance in funding the construction of a sea wall and erecting the memorial.

During the unveiling ceremony that took place, the delegation was greeted with a traditional hamamas ‘sing sing’ by the Bongu Community, the gate and unveiling of the plaque was performed by Valerie Sourin, blessed by Fr Joe Maciolek (A polish Priest) who explained that Maclay’s Mother was actually Polish.

Sir Peter told the people this was the end of Chapter 1, the next chapters Picture of Bongo carving in 1871 beside should include the construction of a a recreation of Rai coast Carving in guest house built in the style used by gardens at the Madang Resort Maclay and more houses built in the Bongu style with carvings and totem poles to re-create traditional values for future generations and attract tourism to provide economic activities He said this would be dependent on the commitment made by the people of Gorendu – this in turn may encourage assistance from the Government of Russia.

Pre colonial Balangat Trading Canoe with a new Balangat built in 2014 Sir Peter presented a solar power lighting system and 20 chairs to the community and had largely funded the project todate with both funds and labour as well as transport both sea and road.

A number of books, films and etchings have been presented to Sir Peter about Maclay’s life in PNG. Sir Peter said that the books and films have since been given to the Noser Library.

Maclay name will live on in PNG the Rai Coast of Madang was named after him, Alexishafen the large Catholic Mission was named after the Alexis one of the Russian Navy Ships and the Vitiaz Straits was named after the Navy ship that first bought Maclay to Garagassi on 20th September 1871, precisely 146 years ago!

Maclay summarized his feelings towards the ‘Rai’ Coast that now bears his name, wrote “... in no other corner of the globe where I have had to live during my wanderings, have I ever felt such an affection to this coast of New Guinea.

ACCESS Gorendu Village can be accessed by road in the dry season. In the wet season it is a 2 hour trip across Astrolabe Kalibobo Spirit. Or by Banana Boat in less time but significantly more risky!.

Editorial TOURISM IN PNG IN RECOVERY

NEW UNIVERSITY FOR PNG

Whilst much hullabaloo is spoken about tourism in PNG the facts remain that tourist numbers are down significantly due to a number of factors.

The Western Pacific University will be built at Ialibu in the Southern Highlands of PNG in 2017 and the first intake of students are expected in 2018.

Just as I was writing this editorial, I received advise that the current restriction on Australians requiring visas prior to arrival has at last been lifted.

Former President of the Madang Based Divine Word University, Prof, Fr. Jan Czuba has been appointed the President of WPU and the Chairman is Sir Peter Barter.

Air Niugini and TPA are both state owned organisations, they both work together but in the past few years have tendered to work in isolation from the tourist industry in PNG who in turn is sadly fragmented in PNG the end result is the low tourist arrivals with the exception of Cruise Ships who primarily visit Alotau and East New Britain, the two delegated “tourist hubs” in PNG. We in MTS dispute the decision to create tourist hubs in PNG and support the new Minister of Tourism Tobias Kulung in developing regional hubs which include Madang & Mt Hagen.

Sir Peter said that in accepting the position as Chairman of WPU was relucntly accepted on provision that once the University began its academic period he would step aside and allow younger academics to take over the role of Chair.

The WPU is a State owned University that is expected to have up to 6000 students and the main purpose would concentrate on faculties to help cope with technical and resource development in PNG.

Tourism Data is collected from arrival cards, whilst cruise ship passengers are collected from electronic passenger manifests. Here lies another problem that has given rise to a belief that arrivals have increased and whilst this is true, the data collected does not distinguish between tourists arriving on a cruise ship or those arriving by air and the end result is data that producers misleading figures.

2013/2014 figures show an overall 11.7% increase of “Holiday Makers”. If you remove the cruise ships passengers arrivals along with other abuses of tourist visa system the actual arrivals at airports rare reduced substantially.

2014/2015 data is even more confusing as it is not clear if Cruise Ship passengers are included in the “Holiday” category. Figures released from TPA and TCSP indicate there could have been a 26% decrease in “Holiday” arrivals. The overall arrival figures in 2015 indicate a drop of 1% of ALL arrivals in PNG. The solution is quite simple, TPA need to clearly separate cruise ship passengers from tourists arriving by air. Without accurate arrival figures it makes it difficult to plan and serves to deter investor confidence.

Space does not permit me to go into more detail, but it is obvious more consultation should be taking place with the industry, specifically outside Port Moresby which is the major attraction for people wanting to visit PNG. We also need to define the difference between Eco-Tourism and Ego Tourism which regretfully relates to talking opposed to planned develop of the tourism industry to maximise the obvious tourist potential PNG has and yet ignored in preference to the non-renewable resources that cannot sustain the economy into the future.

Sir Peter Barter, GCL, OBE, Kt | Managing Director, MTS

MELANESIAN TOURIST SERVICES LIMITED P.O. Box 707, Madang, Papua New Guinea T: +675 4241300 F: +675 4222543 E: info@mtspng.com