This is an image of Mase Iva of Kwaradubuna, published in The Papuan Villager around 1930

For a long time, I don’t think I fully appreciated just how sophisticated our forefathers were - not in the modern sense of the word, but in their discipline, organisation, and mastery of purpose. It wasn’t until I began looking more closely at our ceremonies and feasts that this became clear to me. Nothing was random. Everything had meaning.

These skills did not appear in everyday life. They surfaced only on special occasions, when the village gathered for rituals, ceremonies, and feasts that were not only elaborate, but deeply intricate. This image captures one such moment.

This photograph depicts an initiation ceremony known as Sihi Abi. According to records, each ornament worn during the ceremony had its own name, its own place, and its own significance. Mase’s ornaments were given to him by his uncle, Sinaka Podi, and I have come to believe that Sinaka Podi was a man of considerable status and knowledge within the traditional village structure. You don’t gift such items casually, you pass them on with responsibility, meaning, and authority. Mind you, the face of Mase reminds me of another Sinaka!

What intrigues me most about this initiation is what it represents. It is likely that Mase was transitioning into adulthood. For six months, he lived in seclusion, away from everyday village life, until the day of the Sihi Abi ceremony. That period of isolation was not punishment but preparation.

The word “sihi” has stayed with me over the years. It refers to a traditional cloth worn by men, and it is a word my father used often. At the time, I didn’t know much about it and assumed it was simply what we now call a laplap. Only later did I realise how much meaning was carried in that single word.

If you look closely at the image, you’ll notice how tight Mase’s waist is. This was no accident. During his period of preparation, he ate very little and only specific foods. Today we speak about “fasting” as a personal discipline. In our traditional world, it was simply a way of life. And what a commitment. I can’t even manage six hours.

I have attempted to name each ornament as accurately as I can and, as always, I stand to be corrected. 

As a side note, I’ve noticed that while some clans transitioned quite readily into the “new” way of life, others — like Kwaradubuna — held firmly to their traditional ways. When the government established its base at Konedobu, certain clans moved into wage employment and administrative roles. Kwaradubuna, however, continued to centre their lives around subsistence gardening and customary practices.

It wasn’t resistance to change but a conscious choice to preserve a way of life that had sustained them for generations. 

My decades of writing and personal reflections on Motuan culture are currently being prepared for publication on a website and will be freely available to all. I’ll share more once it’s finalised.