The Lihir Destiny Cultural Responses to Mining in Melanesia Asia-Pacific Environment Monograph 5 The Lihir Destiny Cultural Responses to Mining in Melanesia Nicholas A. Bainton THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY E P R E S S E P R E S S Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/lihir_destiny_citation.html National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Bainton, Nicholas A. Title: The Lihir destiny [electronic resource] : cultural responses to mining in Melanesia / Nicholas A. Bainton. ISBN: 9781921666841 (pbk.) 9781921666858 (eBook) Series: Asia-pacific environment monographs ; 5. Notes: Includes bibliographical references. Subjects: Lihirians--Social life and customs. Mineral industries--Papua New Guinea--Lihir Island--Social aspects. Lihir Island (Papua New Guinea)--Social life and customs. Dewey Number: 995.805 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU E Press Cover image: Francis Dalawit addressing the crowd during the Roriahat feast in Kunaie village, 2009. Photograph courtesy of David Haigh. Printed by Griffin Press This edition © 2010 ANU E Press Contents Foreword ix Acknowledgements xiii Selected Tok Pisin glossary xvii Selected Lir glossary xix Abbreviations xxiii 1. Introduction: New Lives for Old 1 2. The Presence of the Mine 13 3. Las Kantri: Lihir Before the Mining Era 41 4. Lihir Custom as an Ethnographic Subject 73 5. When Cargo Arrives 109 6. Personal Viability and the Lihir Destiny Plan 141 7. Custom Reconfigured 175 8. Conclusion: Society Reformed 203 References 209 v List of Plates Plate 1-1: Lihirian children on the shores of change. Ladolam, looking north towards the Ailaya in Luise Harbour, circa 1983. 3 Plate 2-1: Putput and Ladolam, circa 1985. 20 Plate 2-2: Newly constructed relocation house in Putput, 1995. 31 Plate 2-3: The Ailaya, circa 1985. 33 Plate 2-4: Drill rig and helicopter on the sacred Ailaya rock in Luise Harbour, circa 1983. 34 Plate 2-5: The Ailaya in the middle of the mining pit, 2008. 36 Plate 3-1: Lihir luluai in front of a tlaliem canoe, circa 1932. 47 Plate 3-2: Former Tuk Kuvul Aisok meeting area in Matakues now used by church groups for prayer meetings. 64 Plate 4-1: Clan leaders at Lambanam hamlet, Lesel village, 2009. Left to right: Benjamin Rukam, Herman Luak and Joseph Kondiak. 87 Plate 4-2: Thomas Kut was widely regarded as one of the last great leaders on Mahur Island. When he passed away in August 2009 he was estimated toet b a least 100 years old. 90 Plate 4-3: Lemdaplo men’s house on Mahur Island, 2004. 92 Plate 4-4: Distributing the feast food in the men’s house, Kunaie village, 2004. 93 Plate 4-5: John Yaspot’s two storey men’s house, Laksunkuen, Malie Island, 2004. 93 Plate 4-6: Shell money belonging to the Ilam sub-clan on display in the men’s house during the final tutunkanut feast, Matakues village, 2008. Decorative adornments (leku) are attached to the strands of shell money. 95 Plate 4-7: Gastropod shells (Patella sp.) used to make shell money. In Lihir these are known as gam le. 96 Plate 4-8: Mathew Bektau of Masahet Island producing shell money, 2007. 97 Plate 4-9: Ambrose Silul and kinsmen performing on the balo, Matakues village, 2008. 105 vi Plate 4-10: Rongan standing on the balo announcing his contribution to the feast, Matakues village, 2008. 106 Plate 4-11: Women from the Dalawit clan from Mahur Island performing at Kunaie village, 2009. 107 Plate 5-1: Putput village and the processing plant, 2008. 115 Plate 5-2: Relocation housing in Putput village, 2009. 118 Plate 5-3: Comparatively luxurious expatriate company housing, 2009. 119 Plate 6-1: Personal Viability graduation, Lihir, 2007. 154 Plate 6-2: Mark Soipang signing the Revised Integrated Benefits Package (the Lihir Sustainable Development Plan), Potzlaka, 2007. 167 Plate 6-3: Signboard outside the Personal Viability Training Centre where Sam Tam resides in Marahun townsite, 2010. 172 Plate 7-1: Peter Toelinkanut and John Zipzip arranging the pigs in front of the men’s house, Kinami village, 2004. 184 Plate 7-2: Customary sham fight to greet guests, Putput village, 2006. 188 Plate 7-3: Paul Awam exchanging shell money, Putput village, 2006. 189 Plate 7-4: Guests blowing the conch shell to signal their arrival with pigs for presentation, Putput village, 2006. Note the dollar sign on the conch shell, another instance of the incorporation of cash in ceremonial life. 190 Plate 7-5: Dance troupe, Putput village, 2006. 191 vii List of Tables Table 5-1: Land-related payments (in PNG kina) by Local Government Ward, 1995–2008. 120 List of Figures Map 2-1: New Ireland Province and Papua New Guinea. 18 Map 2-2: The Lihir group of islands. 19 Figure 5-1: Lihirian Lihir Gold Ltd employees, 1999 and 2007. 123 Figure 6-1: Indigenous model of Lihirian society. 144 viii.