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Of the LAND … As MOTHERS

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Of the LAND … As MOTHERS … as MOTHERS of the LAND The birth of the Bougainville Women for Peace and Freedom Editors Josephine Tankunani Sirivi and Marilyn Taleo Havini Pandanus Online Publications, found at the Pandanus Books web site, presents additional material relating to this book. www.pandanusbooks.com.au … as MOTHERS of the LAND … as MOTHERS of the LAND The birth of the Bougainville Women for Peace and Freedom EDITORS Josephine Tankunani Sirivi and Marilyn Taleo Havini PANDANUS BOOKS Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Cover: Nursing Mother by master carver Joseph Dutaona, Osi Kiang, Central Bougainville. Photos: From the historical collection of Moses and Marilyn Havini, Josephine and Samuel Sirivi and Scholastica Raren Miriori. © Josephine Tankunani Sirivi and Marilyn Taleo Havini 2004 www.pandanusbooks.com.au This book is copyright in all countries subscribing to the Berne convention. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be addressed to the publishers or to The Editors, c/- Overseas Coordinator BWPF, Marilyn Taleo Havini, 34 Darvall Road Eastwood NSW 2122 Australia E-mail: [email protected] Typeset in Goudy 11pt on 13.5pt and printed by Pirion, Canberra National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry As mothers of the land. ISBN 1 74076 043 3 1. Women and peace — Papua New Guinea — Bougainville Island. 2. Bougainville Island (Papua New Guinea) — Politics and government. I. Havini, Marilyn Taleo, 1948–. II Sirivi, Josephine. 327.172099592 Editorial inquiries please contact Pandanus Books on 02 6125 3269 Published by Pandanus Books, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200 Australia Pandanus Books are distributed by UNIREPS, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052 Telephone 02 9664 0999 Fax 02 9664 5420 Editor: Jan Borrie Production: Ian Templeman, Duncan Beard, Emily Brissenden To the children of Bougainville for whom, as mothers, we overcame all adversity. We dedicate this book with the song of traditional storytelling that gave birt to it. Our desire is for future generations to know how and why we have fought for peace and freedom. A SONG FOR THE PEOPLE Josephine Tankunani Sirivi BOOM! BOOM! Goes the mortar bomb echoing in the still air, trembling through the flesh of our land. The house I am sleeping in seems so small. I feel like moving into the bush and sleeping underneath trees. What a night to remember. I leave my own village in fear of the Defence Force of Papua New Guinea. Daughter Melanie is six months old. We have spent the past six months in the jungle. I have become a mother ‘on the run’ after giving birth in the bush, underneath big trees. I suffer postnatal complications, but thanks to mother … I survive to nurse my beautiful baby. Never have I experienced a time of peace to bring up my child. Only one week old when we started the journey of ten years of war, she does not experience a normal way of life in the village. No one for company, we are alone in our camp most of the time. That is why we have come to my cousin’s village, to have a rest from roaming the damned wet jungle. This night feels so warm and friendly among relatives. So much going on within me. After my usual evening prayer … I draw close to my fragile baby, my hope for my future. As I lie down to sleep, there comes a BOOM echoing … through the dark, still night. Cutting the thin air of our island. Gets into my nerves. I sit up with fright, I remember, once again, I’m still in a war, still a ‘most wanted’ person. In the dark of the night, I hear my daughter’s heartbeat. I hold her; cuddle her in my arms, to feel her warmth and remember my responsibility, to protect her right to live. We need each other’s strength. She is my strength, my hope. I pray with tears to our Heavenly Father for protection. I gaze into the darkness … and see nothing. Total darkness that echoes a bleak future. Boom! Boom! Tong! Tong! Two different sounds, high-powered weapons from the PNG troops. All are now awakened by the noise. A big fight is on … with our BRA, my husband in the lead. I shake off sleep, I pray to God for protection. Baby soundly asleep, I’m worried, frightened … of what this crazy night might bring. Boom! Boom! Tong! Tong! Again ring into the night. Prayers interrupted … don’t know what to do … cannot take baby now … tonight, to move to a new location … With husband not here to move us to a new hiding place, my heart is heavy, like a log that I cannot carry. I ask, who brought me into this mess? This is not my plan. I’d hoped for an enjoyable future for family. Was it my choice … to be ‘a most wanted person’? So many questions running in my head … ‘Yes,’ I say ‘This is my birthright. Born with it … no choice but to suffer, as Christ suffered. I must be here, with my own people.’ Again, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! I grab my daughter on my lap, I cry and cry. Tears flow … Feelings pour out of me, no one knows the depth of my suffering. No one to share with, I must be brave, to release my husband: Lead our army! Defend our lives, and the future of our children! My whole being confused, I feel lost, no future, my heart is torn to pieces. Who will listen to me? Far away in the wilderness … My voice, gets weaker … I hear BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! I’m lost and hungry. Boom! Boom! Boom! Sound from enemy fire rings in my head. Memories will remain of that BOOM! BOOM! A foreign song composed in PNG. A fearful ‘tune’ so terrifying … from a strange land. Let the future be without the BOOM! BOOM song. It is evil … has taken many lives of our people. LET IT BE HEARD NO MORE ON OUR LAND … the land of beautiful music … filtering through the hills, valleys and mountains where children love to play in the moonlit night IN A FREE AND HAPPY LAND. FOREWORD Rt Hon Don McKinnon, Commonwealth Secretary-General HISTORY BOOKS GENERALLY TELL the story of how leaders, politicians and generals contributed to shape their country’s destiny. They recount conflicts by focusing on troop movements, battles and tactical decisions. It is not often that we hear about the experiences of ordinary people, who work behind the scenes and, in many cases, make a significant contribution to the pursuit of peace and the development of their communities. As Mothers of the Land is unique in this respect. It tells the story of one of the deadliest crises of the last decades — the Bougainville conflict — and the peace process that followed, not through the eyes of politicians or military leaders, but through the personal accounts of Bougainville aboriginal women whose commitment and determi- nation played a crucial part in the resolution of the conflict. I met many of these women when I was involved in the peace process. Indeed, some of them, like Josephine Tankunani (Kaouna) Sirivi — who is also the godmother of my son James, born in 1998 — became close friends of mine. I have witnessed first hand how their resourcefulness, their sense of hope and their sheer resilience contributed to turn the tide of violence in Bougainville. This book tells the stories of women who had to flee their homes and take to the jungle to escape violence. It tells the stories of women who lived on the run, giving birth in leaf shelters and caring for the frail and the elderly. It tells the stories of women who used traditional knowledge and self-reliance to rebuild community structures in the heart of the jungle. As Mothers of the Land is about women from all sides of the conflict who rose up against division and hatred and stood united in their determination to build a lasting peace. These personal accounts bring invaluable insights into the Bougainville conflict and peace process. They shed light on Bougainville women’s unique contribution to the search for peace. I have no doubt you will find their message of hope as moving and inspiring as I did. CONTENTS Preface xi Introduction xv PART 1 BOUGAINVILLE WOMEN IN WAR Prologue Women cope with armed conflict. Marilyn Taleo Havini 3 Chapter 1 LIFE ON THE RUN Where is Kaea? Marcelline Kokiai Tunim 7 Life on the Run. Josephine Tankunani Sirivi 13 Journey into Exile. Marilyn Taleo Havini 17 Mmarura Incursion and Lois Mmarii’s Escape. Josephine Tankunani Sirivi 27 Chapter 2 BLOCKADE Life in the Jungle During the Blockade. Josephine Tankunani Sirivi 35 The Blockade and Fleeing to the Jungle. Marcelline Kokiai Tunim 45 Human Rights Abuses and Survival Behind the Blockade. Daphne Zale 47 Running the Blockade. Josephine Tankunani Sirivi 51 Escaping Assassination and Refugee Flight Overseas. Scholastica Raren Miriori 55 A Tribute. Marilyn Taleo Havini 59 Chapter 3 OCCUPATION Rape, a Weapon of War. Scholastica Raren Miriori 63 PART 2 BOUGAINVILLE WOMEN IN COMMUNITY Prologue Women in Community During the Blockade. Marilyn Taleo Havini 69 Chapter 1 OVERCOMING THE BLOCKADE Building a Jungle Society. Josephine Tankunani Sirivi 73 Child Soldiers. Lucy Madoi 77 Humanitarian Aid for Bougainville. Scholastica Raren Miriori 81 Bougainville Freedom Movement. Vikki John 85 Chapter 2 WOMEN MOBILISE The Search for Peace and Justice.
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