The elders from the village fascinate me and we get on really well. Some people might refer to them as seniors or oldies – I like to think of them as elders – the term elder implies wisdom, love and respect. The almost four years I have lived and worked in Papua New Guinea I have managed to collect quite a number of photos of these precious folks and in this post I would like to share some of these with you.
What is it that fascinates me about these elders?
The answer is simple… many of these old people were born at a time when white man had not yet set foot in the Highlands. In their younger years they were raised and grew up according to tribal custom and lore based on 1000’s years of continued history and clan tradition!
In other words these elders are a living link to the past.
Each time an old person from the village dies – I relive and re-experience the grief and pain I felt when my own Dad died – I cry and wail with the clan – and I know that something very precious dies and goes with them to the grave – never to be recovered.
I dedicate this post to the elders of Kaubasis and other villages whom I have grown to love like my own blood.
An elder from the Wapu-Ku Clan
An elder from Koko Village with his grandkids
Papa Kerema from the Bolku Clan (died two days after Mum visited the village in 2007)
Other photos of village elders including the ones above can be found in the following albums:
Kaubasis Visit 20090120 – Registration
Koko – Visit with Clinton Foundation June 2007
Kaubasis Visit 20080524 – Meeting at Kau School
Kaubasis Visit 20070630 – Richard
Daniel Kemph on "
Wendy on "
Norah on "
Zee on "
Tony Bevington on "
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