THESES SIS/LIBRARY TELEPHONE: +61 2 6125 4631 R.G. MENZIES LIBRARY BUILDING NO:2 FACSIMILE: +61 2 6125 4063 THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY EMAIL: [email protected] CANBERRA ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA USE OF THESES This copy is supplied for purposes of private study and research only. Passages from the thesis may not be copied or closely paraphrased without the written consent of the author. GENDER AND PEACE: BOUGAINIVLLEAN WOMEN, MATRILINY, AND THE PEACE PROCESS Ruth Vatoa Saovana-Spriggs A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) of The Australian National Cniversity May2007 This work is the result of original research carried out by the author except where otherwise cited in the text Ruth Vatoa Saovana-Spriggs Department of Political and Social Change The Australian National University ABSTRACT This thesis is a study of the role Bou gain ville women played in the peace process during and after the period of the civil war in Bougainville. The civil war developed between the Papua New Guinea Security Forces (PNG SF) and its ally, the Bougainville Resistance Force (BRF), against the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) from late 1989 to 1998. The issues which led to the civil war were wide-ranging, including economic and political problems between the people of Bougainville and the Government of Papua New Guinea, most notably involving the Panguna landowners in struggles over copper mining on their land in Central Bougainville. Conflict resolution processes involved peacemakers, negotiators and mediators from within Bougainville and Papua '.\few Guinea, and from the international community including Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Island countries, (Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji), the European Community and the United Nations Peace Observers Mission. Assistance came from government and non-government organizations from all these sources. But what was especially striking was Bougainvillean women's own involvement in the peace process ~at the village community, regional, national and international levels. This thesis explores how and why this happened. First, women initiated peace activities at the village community level during the period of intense fighting between the warring factions in the early 1990s. Then, following the development of the formal peace process, as agreements were signed and implemented by Bougainvillean and Papua New Guinean Government leaders and officials, women gradually made their way into the regional, official level of the peace process. While some men used arguments about "culture" and "tradition" to attempt to marginalize women's participation in the peace process, women, on the other hand, used it to promote their peace efforts. Rejecting the argument that tradition relegated women to domesticity, as wives and mothers, women celebrated their powerful roles as "mothers of the land" and in particular their status in matrilineal traditions. In such traditions, some women (like men) had chiefly status and women in general were seen as mothers of the matrilineage, its land, valuables, ceremonies, knowledge and history. Land is intimately linked to women and their capacity to regenerate people. Men are identified as fathers of such cultural wealth and can publicly represent their matrilineage but their roles depend on women's agreement and prior authority. Women saw their role in peacemaking as one of both reviving their matrilineal status and making matriliny newly relevant in the modern context ofBougainville society. The connection and interaction between their matrilineal and modern roles, within Christianity, education and the professions were consciously and consummately blended together, so that women became powerful agents for making peace in Bougainville. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I sincerely thank Professor Ben Kerkvliet for his kindness in having me in the Department of Political and Social Change, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University (RSPAS, ANU) and for the provision of office space and resources. I also want to thank Anne Looker, for her editorial work and Lyn Ning, the department's administrator for her continuing assistance. Anthony Bright, from the Cartography Unit, RSPAS, ANU, kindly assisted with the maps. Thank you. Fieldwork on which this thesis is based was made possible through various means: through my official involvement in the peace process in Bougainville from 1998 to 2001, as a research member of the joint language research project between the Linguistics Department, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University and the Department of Linguistics at Kiel University in Germany from 2001 to 2005, and through a grant from the Department of the Political and Social Change, from October to November 2005. I sincerely thank everyone, who helped me during the period of my fieldwork, including those who worked with me in the Teop language documentation project, talking about their involvement in the peace process. The late Paramount Chief Mark Mahaka, who passed away a couple of days before the inauguration ceremony of the Autonomous Government of Bougainville on 15 June 2005, and others who have since passed away in the mid-1990s and in the mid-2000s, these include: Reverend Misark Suekaku and his wife, Gema, Silas Kaetavara, Isaac Kovoho, Marlon Buasiana and Joanna Vosunana­ Kaetamana. I will always be indebted to you all. Those who are still alive include Ruth Sima-Rigamu, Ruth larabe-Kaevoroho, United Church Pastor Jeremiah Vaabero-Toavi and Arina Sapia. Many, many thanks. I am also grateful to those who permitted me to record their interviews in 2005, despite the post-war trauma and the fear of repercussion they were experiencing. They included the late Paramount Chief Solomon Ravekiori, Sr Gloria Suekaku-Gina, Joan Jerome, Bes Intinge-Rerevate and Jacob Rerevate, Josephine Sirivi-Kaouna, Helen Hakena and Agnes Titus. To those, who did not wish their interviews recorded, a big thank you to them, too. iv My thanks to all the women in Bougainville and particularly those in the Bougainville Inter-Church Women's Forum (BIC\VF), the Bougainville Women for Peace and Freedom (B\VPF), Bougainville Community-Based Integrated Humanitarian Program (BOCBIHP), and the Catholic and Protestant church-based Women's Organizations. I also thank numerous friends and relatives in Bougainville, who also contributed to this study in their ow11 ways. Thank you. Sr Lorraine Garasu, Sr Ruby Miringka, Josephine Sirivi-Kaouna, Marilyn Taleo-Havini and al! their executive members, readily provided valuable material and information to me. Tam para masika! My sincere gratitude to Brother Patrick Howley, who kindly gave me the interviews he recorded of women talking about their role in the peace process in 2()() I. Father Kevin Kerley graciously offered his Bougainville material to me, and I thank him and the Marist Brothers Mission in Sydney for providing accommodation and meals at the time when I was examining his data in June, 2005. Mrs Regina McKenzie provided valuable insight to the Haku matrilineal system. Tenkiu tumas. I thank my PhD panel. I sincerely thank my supervisor, Dr Ron May for the assistance and guidance he gave me during the course of writing. Emeritus Professor Maev O'Collins asked if I needed any help and if so, to give her a telephone call. She was in for a surprise. I am indebted to her and I am most grateful for her unreserved assistance, kindness and robust enthusiasm to get the thesis done. Anthony Regan provided me with valuable information on Bougainville. Thank you. My heartfelt gratitude is to Professor Margaret Jolly who provided personal encouragement and much appreciated help in the final stages of the thesis. To my husband, Professor Matthew Spriggs, thank you for your company and for the fact that you wisely kept away from my thesis work. l also sincerely thank my colleagues who were ever encouraging and kind to me, Francisca Handoko and Carol Priestly, both PhD scholars in the Linguistics Department, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. God bless you! To all my family members in Bougainville, including the little ones who didn't believe that their aunt was back in school. Thank you for your love and prayers. Tenkiu tru long yupela olgeta! Antap long em, mi tok tenkiu long Papa God! God bless you all! v DEDICATION I dedicate the thesis to all the cl1ildren of Bougainville. May they learn the past to understand the present in order to be well prepared for the future. I will not forget my most kind-hearted and loving brothers and sisters (David Siarev, Nathan Kerao, Dickyn Kerevaan, Benjamin Boras (died 15 Decemebr 2004), Steven Kaobaen, Joycelyn Aruas-Davika, Irish Taagii-Havisin, (nee Ateva) Sarah-Juniath)- the Lydia Arna Matiur and Isaac Kovoho's children and their spouses, and to their/our children, and children's children and to the future generations. With love and great hope for your future, I dedicate the thesis to you all. In memory of all Bougainvilleans who Jost their lives in a war that was not of their making, including my kind and most thoughtful brother in law Epeli Davika, my beautiful brother Benjamin Boras, who had unselfish love for anyone and everyone, someone I so much miss, but will always love. For them, I dedic.ate the thesis and for their children and those thereafter. To mum and dad, though both deceased, I remembered you in the process of writing. The thesis cannot fully express what your hearts' desire was for me, but thank you for shaping my foture. I know you are blessed and folly rested in heaven. I will always love you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .. u n•••n• iii Acknowledgements.. ................ Dedication .. .. vi Table q{Contents .. .. vii List ofAcronyms }Japs .... Map 1 Papua Neur Guinea .. ''"''xi A.fap 2 Bougainville J{atrilinea/ and Patrilineal Systems·'" ...... xii Map 3 Papua New Guinea Security Forces Checkpoints (1990-97) ....... xiii I.