WIAD CONSERVATION A Handbook of Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity WIAD CONSERVATION A Handbook of Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity Table of Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... 2 Ohu Map ...................................................................................................................................... 3 History of WIAD Conservation ...................................................................................................... 4 WIAD Legends .............................................................................................................................. 7 The Story of Julug and Tabalib ............................................................................................................... 7 Mou the Snake of A’at ........................................................................................................................... 8 The Place of Thunder ........................................................................................................................... 10 The Stone Mirror ................................................................................................................................. 11 The Weather Bird ................................................................................................................................ 12 The Story of Jelamanu Waterfall .......................................................................................................... 13 The Calendar Tree ................................................................................................................................ 14 The Man Who Married a Pig ................................................................................................................ 15 How Customs Were Practiced .............................................................................................................. 16 The Ear of the Tree Kangaroo ............................................................................................................... 17 Why Boys Don't Eat Bandicoots ........................................................................................................... 18 Assorted Animals and Their Signs ........................................................................................................ 18 Insect Names .............................................................................................................................. 20 Animal Names ............................................................................................................................ 22 Points of Interest ........................................................................................................................ 23 WIAD Conservation Map ............................................................................................................ 26 Traditional Plant Uses ................................................................................................................ 27 Plant Dictionary .......................................................................................................................... 40 Amele Name = Scientific Name ............................................................................................................ 40 Scientific Name = Amele Name ............................................................................................................ 44 Bird Checklist ............................................................................................................................. 48 1 Acknowledgements This guide to traditional knowledge and biodiversity of WIAD Conservation was edited by George D. Weiblen and Annika Moe. We are especially grateful to the Christensen Fund for supporting the Tumbuna Save Project to produce this handbook. The cooperation of the Christensen Fund, Ohu Conservation Board, Ohu Bush Lab Services, New Guinea Binatang Research Center, and the University of Minnesota made this work possible. We would like to thank members of the Ohu Community including Ohu Primary School and the Ohu staff of New Guinea Binatang past and present for supporting WIAD Conservation and scientific research projects dating back to 1995. None of this would have been possible without the cooperation of Enaljogohu, Dolman, Utubal, Nagalgu and Mugahev clans. Meli Brus and Dalcy Sau interviewed members of the Ohu Community who shared their knowledge, stories and local history. Many individuals contributed including Gibson Ab, Mainsen Baisein, Robert Lepi, Ruben Fafen, Ubal Balmoi, Stafford Hais, Hais Wasel, Sogam Kason, Jerry Sau, Mental Sisol, and Brus Isua. Annika Moe prepared the maps of Ohu and WIAD Conservation. Artists including Vicki Watup, Ismail Isua, Tomas Pius, Jacob Jackson, and Mentap Sisol provided illustrations. Wilson Isua prepared the cover art and Bruce Wilson illustrated plants. Stafford Hais, Taio Brus, Mentap Sisol, Bonny Koinea, Eben Goodale and Katerina Tvardikova developed the bird checklist. Phil Butterill provided information on the insects of Ohu. Thanks to the efforts of Vojtech Novotny and others, countless students and international visitors have contributed to our scientific knowledge of Ohu. The handbook was printed by University of Minnesota Printing Services, Minneapolis, Minnesota in September 2016. 2 Ohu Map WIAD Conservation is located between the Gum River and the Ohu Butterfly Garden. Turn right past Four Mile Market onto Mawan Road, follow it to the junction with Ohu Maus Road and turn right. The welcome sign is approXimately 2 km past the Ohu Primary School. ! Points of Interest G u m R i v e r Tumbuna Save Track Streams ! ! Rivers ! ! ! Public Road WIAD conservation Welcome Sign ! ! ! ! ! ! Butterfly Garden ! Bush Lab ! Welcome Sign ! ! Guest House Jealmanu Waterfall ! Ohu Primary School ! Kilometers 3 0 0.325 0.65 1.3 1.95 2.6 ! Mawan Road Junction ± History of WIAD Conservation WIAD stands for Watup, Inamus, Asial, and Dougu, the four customary lands that clan leaders are conserving for future generations. WIAD is a special rainforest that was handed down to us by our ancestors. Today, it supports more than 200 kinds of trees, 100 different birds, and more than 300 butterflies and moths. Not many communities around the world can claim to have so much biodiversity right at home. King Bird of Paradise, Lesser Bird of Paradise, and rare birdwing butterflies are among the many special creatures inhabiting WIAD. Scientists have discovered new species at WIAD and named them after the place and the people. For example, Kradibia ohuensis, a tiny wasp that pollinates the wat tree, a sandpaper fig, was named after Ohu Village. A parasite that attacks the pollinator, Ficobracon brusi, was named after Brus Isua, who was the first person to find it. This illustration depicts cooperation among the Enaljogohu and Dolman clans to establish WIAD Conservation. The galip tree at center left represents Enaljogohu and the supporting stone at center right represents Dolman. 4 In the 1950's, our forefathers began to purposefully protect the forest to maintain a source of bird of paradise feathers for traditional dress, festive dances, and customary gift exchanges with neighboring villages like Mirkuk (Milgug), Brahim and Suah. Our ancestors were great dancers and the taught the young boys and girls to know the dance steps, patterns, and songs. The feathers required for these dances are how the idea of creating WIAD Conservation was born as our forefathers excluded a portion of their customary lands from agriculture, mining and logging. There were laws in those days governing how we hunted for the birds of paradise to obtain the feathers used in headdresses. Shouting, singing and making noise were prohibited to avoid disturbing the birds. Trespassing and stealing birds was also prohibited. Clans including Enaljogohu (led by Abb Kobuk), Dolman (led by Mulan Sau), Nagalgu (led by Han Kukun) and Mugahive (led by Kui Eh) formed a committee prior to national independence (1975) to oversee hunting in the area was known as Gum Forest. The committee served to approve the hunting and prosecute offenders. After independence, Wasel Sau was elected as the first member to represent the Ambenob Local Level Government (Ward 19). This local government recognized Gum Forest as a wildlife area. In the 1980's, Japan and New Guinea Timbers (JANT) was logging the nearby trans- Gogol forest and members of the community became concerned about deforestation. In 1992, Hais Wasel left school and joined an environmental campaign based at the Wau Ecology Institute in Morobe Province. He returned from Wau and established a butterfly farming project in Ohu Village. Hais invited Dr. Henry Sakulas, the first scientist to visit Ohu. The second to visit was Dr. Matthew Jeb, then Director of the Christensen Research Institute in Madang. Dr. Jeb discovered that a rare form of the paradise birdwing butterfly and its host plant, Aristolochia momudul, inhabit the forest around Ohu. When World Wildlife Fund PNG mapped the area, Hais introduced the name Ohu Butterfly Conservation for what is known today as WIAD Conservation. Larry Orsak of the Christensen Research Institute brought entomologist Yves Basset to Ohu in 1994 and the following year WIAD was opened scientists studying rainforest biology. Hundreds of national and international visitors including many tourists