JOE KUMAN
IT is a normal rite of Yuri culture that, before warfare begins, the community forces someone to declare ownership of the fight or to become the cause of the fight, otherwise it is believed that all those involved will be killed by the enemy tribe.
Hence, on this Monday afternoon in mid-1993, when the Kepagale sub-tribe returned from Iri, they asked who was to be the root cause of the war that was to begin the next day.
Kaupa Dama and his immediate family members, already feeling the pressure, looked helplessly at the Kepagale people and appointed Kaupa Dama to be the cause.
Initially, there were mixed feelings about this because the confrontation was caused by the provincial government election and Provincial Assembly member Peter Mek was supposed to bear the burden as leader.
Others thought it should be Drua Dama, the election loser who was the son of Kaupa Dama’s uncle.
However, it was the strong opinion of individuals in the Minigauma clan and members of the Kumaikane sub-clans to pass the blame to Kaupa Dama. Even Peter Mek, who had won the election, passed the bulk of responsibility to the Dama family.
So the Kepagale sub-tribe unanimously forced the Dama family to accept the blame so the fight could begin the next day.
Looking around, there was no one to accept the order but Kaupa Dama Michael and his first son, at the time a seminarian at Good Shepherd Minor Seminary in Madang. For various reasons – because they were too youthful or had moved elsewhere – other family members were not eligible.
So Kaupa Dama was in the critical and daunting situation to make the decision to become the cause of the war. He felt he could not ask Peter Mek and his Berigale clan because their political power gave them dominance and intimidation. The Minigauma clan was but a minority and so was subject to oppression and dominance.
Kaupa Dama, known as Kaupa Kansol (Councillor), plucked up his courage and told the desperate crowds of Kepagale:
“Yalkane, Na kal I kepilki pango ple Kura i manah dikra bah, en nanah alan tah kope ira el molmol, kura ra i wah nah tenga pamiya, na ipalan wu sintai ongura wah kere para wah, Na Kura main molka mere elmiyoo. El siral ah Kura bolapinoh.”
“Gentlemen, I made it clear that I did not want you to fight for this minor cause. However, you my own brothers have tried your very best to bring about this war and make me the root cause. It is OK because I have no people at my back to defend me so I accept the order as you wish and I now declare to be the cause of this warfare.”
And so he declared that he would bear the responsibility of the fight as they expected and he further assured them he would accept the consequences. That was what the people of Kepagale, especially his own clansmen of Sinegrai, Balkopi, Korikepa, Berigale and Ahgale clans, and even other members of Minigauma, wanted to hear so it went well in their ears.
The next day, the allies called upon Kaupa Dama to go to the frontier and perform the rite of shedding animal blood before others crossed on to the battlefield.
Unfortunately, on the day war began, some people were wounded and the following day a young village court magistrate was shot dead.
I witnessed family members and relatives of the deceased attacking Kaupa Dama with sticks, gun butts, bows, spears and knives; stabbing his body and chasing other Minigauma clan members.
Women and children fled into the mountains and bushes for safety but Kaupa remained and bore the pain and agony. In the three weeks of warfare, many people from both sides died.
At the funeral services, the family of the deceased performed a rite called dameh arin kaul (leaf dance) to claim compensation for the death and destruction caused by the war.
In this ritual the relatives of the dead killed pigs and gave the heads to Kaupa Dama and his family signifying that compensation would need to be paid in return. Kaupa Dama and his family accepted all the claims and assured them of payment in the near future.
The war settled and people achieved what they wanted in seeing Kaupa Dama being the cause of the fight while others lost beloved brothers, sons and fathers. Many others lived in anguish with their war wounds.
Kaupa Dama had no way of raising the compensation money from his rugged mountain village. He knew he had to reach out to his brothers in the diaspora. His first thought was to fly to Port Moresby to see one of his brothers, Dama Bah, who worked as a loader driver.
During the 1990s, everybody thought Port Moresby was the only place to make money and find opportunities. Dama Bah, upon hearing of the situation at home, paid for Kaupa Dama’s ticket to the big city.
Before Kaupa Dama left, he asked his faithful wife, Giu Antonia Kamgure Kaupa, if she could breed some pigs within the six months period. He also appealed to his Minigauma clan members to get prepared so that, upon his return, all compensation claims of the 1993 warfare could be settled.
Kaupa Dama flew to Port Moresby through Kundiawa and lived with Dama Bah for six or seven months at 9 Mile settlement. At times he would be invited by the late Chief Inspector Leo Aluaro of Bomana Correctional Institute to spend a night or two with him.
At the end of 1993, Kaupa returned to Simbu and went straight to Oldale village with contributions from Dama Bah and Leo Alauro and other clansmen living in Port Moresby.
The Minigauma people, especially his wife and children, were delighted as they had missed him for six months. Everyone was mobilising for the compensation ceremony. However, Kaupa Dama also had to cater for his first born son who needed school fees, so he also had a big task ahead between the education of his son and the village activity.
Whatever the situation was, though, Kaupa Dama never retreated but mobilised his Minigauma people and settled the compensation claims. Some accepted and others grumbled but he told them he could not do anything better as he was disadvantaged by the rugged geography and income generating opportunities.
And so he and his people settled with the families of the dead and with those who had supported him in the fight through weapons, shelter, pigs and money.
Years have passed and people are moving on but the neighbouring brother clans especially Sinegrai, Balkopi, Korikepa, Berigale and Ahgale always labelled Kaupa’s Minigauma clan as “talame ba ipal” (culprits of wrongs and wars).
The insults soured the mood of the clan but Kaupa accepted the label and continues to dwell in the land of Oldale, Silmain, Biomin-Konbah, a place designed for the Minigauma clan of Yuri.