| Subject: Re: Sings of a Dying Rich Engan Culture |
Author:
AM Potane
| [ Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: Sun, May 27 2007, 03:20:18am
In reply to:
nnnnnnnnn
's message, "Re: Sings of a Dying Rich Engan Culture" on Fri, May 25 2007, 04:32:02pm
Yeah, that's Polly Wiessner from Salt Lake City Utah. She and Akii Tumu have written Historical Vines a book that pretty documents the whole history of Enga. I tried reading the book but it was like a history textbook so I only picked out the stuff that interested me. They also wrote other smaller books that I've read and find interesting and highly informative. Anyway, back to Historical Vines, she said they needed to make it like a textbook so that it would not be misrepresented but still around for the future genereations. I did not realize that they had been doing research and interviewing older people since 1986 (before I was even born) but she has these cassettes of older men, most dead now, who told of the sangai, trade, tribal origns etc,etc of every tribe in Enga and I am helping her catalogue them so Aki can sort them out. We then plan to digitalize the ones that he thinks are invaluable and weed out the unnecessary stuff and have them in the Center for others to listen to. I am amazed that the recordings from the 1980's are still in good shape and was walking on air yesterday when we found that all the tapes were in the box and in good shape.
Polly worked with mom and them so she invited me over to spend summer here in beautiful Salt lake City Utah, but she is amazing. She keeps on pushing for the Cultural Center and stuff to be built because she realizes that if Aki dies and she's not about then then so will some of Enga's histroy. All the years of collecting data and material will be wasted. It is in the book but she wants to make it funner and more accessible to us.
To those of you interested, read Historical Vines it has pretty much everything. I am loving hearing the orign tales of different tribes, Great Wars, Tee routes, there are some gory things like human sacrifice in parts of Enga but well that just makes it all the more colorful. I am getting my lesson on Enga history from recorded voices. It's in Engan but then again I am fluent in it so it doesn't matter, just because some of us are not in Enga doesn't mean we're totally out of touch. So serisoulsy check out the book. I am grateful we had people like Polly and Aki dedicate their lives to put in years of work and document it for people like me. I mean it's one thing to talk to your own tribesmen, but to get something for the whole of Enga takes years of research and patience.
Of course when the west and our tribal society collides there is bound to be change. But if we have the books and Cultural Center to give us a sense of our roots, then we will not be totally lost. Hope the adminisration does release the funds it promised soon so building will commence.
Cheers,
AM Potane.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
] |
|
Feedback: 