Title: Gadanze ( aka Afimri )
          A Reluctant War Bride?

When the Lutheran missionaries first arrived in Lae in the late 1800s, I was small girl. I lived with with brother and mother near the Lutheran Mission station for our safety, fearing being attacked by an inland cannibalistic tribe called Leiwompa.

One morning, with our food supplies running low, my mother Wadis decided that we go back to our old home and garden to harvest taro.  Together with my older brother escorting us, we tracked across Bumbu river to our deserted home and garden at Asiawe.

Whilst we were busy pulling out taro,  suddenly, we were quickly surrounded by the dreaded inland enemy tribesmen. A warrior who was dressed as a Chief signalled us with his lips not to make any noise, and to follow another warrior who led us into the jungle.

We walked throughout the day through the hills behind Lae and followed a creek that I know flowed back to Bumbu river.
We climbed over another ridge and I saw Markham valley for the first time. We walked down the ridge to another creek, which was smaller than Bumbu. Next to the creek was a settlement. Women from the settlement, knowing beforehand of our arrival had prepared a welcoming singsing for the Chief. I noticed three older women who performed their dance to  the beat of the kundu drums, but the funny thing was, they were lifting the front of their grass skirts and exposing their genitals to the Chief. I was later to learn that, that was how Leiwompa women welcome their husbands back from tribal wars.

The Chief's wives served us food, and we rested for the night. I was later to learn that the Chief's name was Nowang Gamun.

Early the next day at dawn, the Chief motioned to us in broken Ariwstsa language that we follow the warrior who had led us from Lae, to go with him to his village, which was further inland. The warrior was called Oso, and his village was called Gabsongkeg.

Oso was never married, and he was told by the Chief to take my mother Wadis as his wife, and two raise my brother and I in Gabsongkeg.

A few years later, when I grew up into a young woman, Chief Nowang Gamun came to Gabsongkeg and took me back to his village at Munum. I became his fourth wife.

I had my first child with Chief Nowang Gamun, and he named him Lisaia after one of his key warrior from Gabensis village.

My husband and his tribesmen had attacked a government patrol coming up Markham River, who were accompanied by Labu warriors in canoes.

However, we heard that the missionary team had left presents from a dry tree stump with dry branches.

One morning, we had reports of an approaching party which included a missionary in his white robe, and another white man with a funny hat. I was later to learn that the missionary was Ortel, and his friend was Professor Neuhaus. They were were accompanied by my half brother Wagang and black missionary brothers from the Bukaua congregation.

The missionary team spoke with Chief Nowang Gamun about peace and miti. Miti was my Ariwstsa language for Good News. With peace brokered, missionary work entered Markham valley. Unfortunately, the chief had to divorce me to get baptized in 1915. I lived in Zansam until the other wives of Chief Nowang Gamun passed away. By the time Lisaia and I rejoined him, he became very ill and we took him to the Lutheran Mission hospital in Salamaua in 1924. He died and was buried at the missionary cemetery. Lisaia and I returned to Munum village.

Upon returning to Munum, she was happy to know that Lilits, her adopted daughter  had married Naog, Nowang Gamun's right hand man.

Lisaia grew into a handsome young man and married Bathsheba. In 1930, Lilits gave birth to Babul, and Bathsheba gave birth to Jonathan. We were living at Aomampo, next to a Works camp at Munum. I was busy and happy minding my grandchildren.

In 1932, tragedy strucked the family, Naog passed away. He was older than Lilits, and was suffering from shortage of breath. Lilits was then heavily pregnant with her second child.

In 1932, Lilits passed away whilst delivering her second child. She died from birth complications, but perhaps, also from a broken heart.

We managed to save Lilits' child, a son, and we called him, Yangkig,  after one of Chief Nowang Gamun's warrior friend from Gabsongkeg village. Luckily, Bathsheba had also given birth to Nowang, we named him after his grandfather, Chief Nowang. Bathsheba nursed and raised both Yangkig and Nowang as her twin sons. Yangkig's other name was Saul, and Nowang's other name was Gabmana.

And that's my story, as to how I came to be living in Munum village.

**Gadanze lived and died in Munum** village.

*** The story is written in first person style  by Neko Babul, as Gadanze ***