BOMAI D WITNE
YALTOM Yal-Wai reflected on his life; especially his difficult childhood. He had never known his mother, Apal-wai. She had died from complications soon after his birth.
The untrained village midwives had been unable to save her.
The story of his mother losing blood, being carried on a bamboo stretcher the nearest health centre and meeting death in a decrepit ambulance on the way to hospital was constantly in his mind.
His father Yalkuna told him the midwives had to choose between him and his mother.
Yalkuna had been confused and found a space in a corner of the building where he uttered a quick silent prayer to God. “If you save my wife and son, I will go to church.”
He made a mental list of the sorcerers in his clan and devised plans of attack if he lost his wife or son. His brothers and clansmen would back him.
The ambulance travelled slowly along the uneven road with Apal-wai losing more blood and groaning in pain in the arms of her daughter, Gi-wai.
Apal-wai called in agony, demanding to have her new born child in her arms. Gi-wai told her mother that the child had been left with the nurses and his father.
Apal-wai’s voice grew weaker and turned into a whisper. She whispered the names of her children, husband and relatives. “Please, tell them to look after my child well,” were her last words.
Gi-wai and her companions wept in the ambulance. The vehicle stopped and the nurse checked and confirmed Apal-wai’s death.
The surrounding trees and shrubs stood still, waiting for the afternoon breeze.
The nurse held Gi-wai and her aunt close to her and said a short prayer as they wept. At Kundiawa hospital a doctor confirmed Apal-wai’s death.
Gi-wai and her aunt cleaned and dressed Apal-wai who was laid in the morgue between two other corpses.
News of Apal-wai’s death reached the village. Yalkuna refused to accept his wife’s death. The village people were divided. Many supported Yaltom’s father and were ready to accuse and torture sorcerers. A few reasoned that Apal-wai died from loss of blood.
Yaltom’s elder uncle was one of the few people who did not believe in sorcery. He talked to Yalkuna and convinced him not to seek revenge.
The people gathered in the community square. They rubbed themselves in mud, cried and waited for arrival of the casket. Friends and relatives brought food, money and firewood to support mourners.
After three days, the casket arrived home. The entire village wept for Apal-wai, some mourners crawled on the ground.
Apal-wai’s was widely acknowledged for her skills in gardening and raising pigs. She had been a good wife and mother, who extended her love and care to people in the village.
She had contributed money, pigs and food towards the bride price for many young men in the village who would name their daughters after Apal-wai.
She had more namesakes in the village than any other woman.
The period of mourning ended with slaughtering pigs and distributing pork and food. Among the guest at mourning feast was baby Yaltom, wrapped nicely and in the hands of a Catholic nun.
“Don’t worry, the child will be fine,” the nun assured Yalkuna.
By his first birthday, Yaltom was light skinned, sharp nosed and healthy. People could foresee he would be a handsome youth. Yalkuna visited the health centre every day to contribute fatherly love.
Sometimes he brought firewood and garden food for the nuns. Other times, he cleaned the health centre and the church. After work, he prayed and returned home.
On the child’s first birthday, the nuns and nurses hosted a small party and invited Yalkuna and some family members.
“Would you now like to give your son a name?” a nun asked Yalkuna. He thought for a while and replied, “I’d like to name him Yal-wai, noble person.”
The nuns and nurses applauded and sang Yal-wai’s first birthday song.
Yal-wai grew up in this small community. He was different from other village children. He had dolls, marbles, bicycle and good clothes. He learnt and spoke English.
He reached school age. The nuns told Yalkuna to work hard to pay the school fees. Yalkuna did.
Yal-wai became a strong connection for Yalkuna and the Catholic Church. He prayed and committed time to church activities. He perceived the nuns as angels, extending God’s hand to help people in need.
Yal-wai did well in school, completed primary and high school. He contemplated studying priesthood at the end of high school studies. This dream did not come through. He got an offer to study motor mechanics at Goroka Technical College.
While studying in Goroka, he added a nickname, Yaltom, to his name.