Piggy Predicament

      Well as most of you know we have a pig here and we were going to eat it when we got back. Miani and Judy are our closest friends here and they have been looking after the pig. Just after we returned Judy’s mother died. Just like everywhere else deaths are a big thing in PNG. Not like everywhere else, they require several feasts to mark different events during the mourning period. The first is during the burial time. The family actually makes several big meals during this time to feed the gathering family and the mourners. The family and friends are responsible for providing this food. The closer you are to the immediate family the greater the burden to provide food. There is also a greater sense of responsibility for people who have jobs or access to money.

     We have basically been adopted as brother and sister to Miani and Judy. Judy’s dad is also a language teacher at POC. I (matt) was a facilitator for his group during one of the courses and we developed a friendship then too. During this burial time we gave a 10kg (a little over 20 pounds) bag of rice to help with the food preparations.

     During this first phase the immediate family builds a temporary shelter where they gather and receive friends, called a Haus Krai. The family continues to receive visitors in the structure for several weeks after the burial. Then the family decides on a day that they will take down the structure. The removal of this structure marks the end of the morning period. On that day a very large meal is prepared for everyone who has been involved in the Huas Krai. It is customary for a pig to be killed for the closing feast. This is where our pig comes into play. Miani’s adopted father Papa Ganig wanted all of us to give the pig to Judy’s family. So he bought a new baby pig to replace ours.

     So, Friday Miani and I will get the pig and some garden vegetables ready. Judy’s brothers will come down and we will present the pig and the vegetables to them. This gift will reinforce and strengthen the bond between the families.This is also a prime example of how things that we as westerners think of as individually owned are actually communal property in PNG.