Hiri trade cycle
Encyclopedia
Hiri is the name for the traditional trade
voyages that formed an important part of the culture of the Motu
people of Papua New Guinea
.
– the dry season
is unusually harsh, and there are not enough suitable areas for the growing of sago
(rabia). On the other hand the Motu, unlike most people of Papua New Guinea, were skilled in the art of making clay
cooking pots (uro).
The traditional Hiri voyages carried the much-prized Motu cooking pots to the people of the Gulf of Papua
, and brought back plentiful supplies of sago for the Motu.
), to fill it with cooking pots, and to sail westward, following the south-east trade wind
called the lahara in the Motu language. Obeying the spirit, he built the first hiri lagatoi, named it Bogebada (which means sea-eagle), and had it loaded with pots made by his wife. He and his friends then sailed up the coast into the waters of the Gulf of Papua.
For months, the Bogebada and its crew were away. The villagers were all convinced the crew had perished. They mocked Edai’s wife, and tried to force her to remarry. Before Edai left, he had instructed her to stay within a corner of her house, not to bathe in the sea, to keep a tally of the days the Bogebada had been gone, to keep her fire burning, and to have her skin tattooed by an old woman. Failing to stick to this routine would endanger the expedition and the lives of Edai and his men.
One day, a lagatoi appeared on the horizon and slowly approached the village. It was Bogebada. Edai was arriving back home, a hero. His wife jumped into the sea and washed away her accumulated dirt, put on her finest costume, walked out onto the verandah of the house, hit it with a stick, shouted, ‘Hedihoroha Bogebada!’ and began dancing in joy.
The outward voyage was usually comparatively short and uneventful, typically only a week or so. The destination was almost always a village in the Gulf where the crew of the lagatoi were known from previous voyages, and the trade itself was quickly made. A simplified form of the Motu language (nowadays called Hiri Motu) was used for communication between the traders. The voyagers could not return immediately, however. For a start they had to wait for the change of the season, and the onset of the laurabada, the monsoon
wind from the north-west that would carry them home. Secondly, their canoes had to be enlarged and re-built to carry the much more bulky cargo of sago.
After two or three months, the homeward voyage began. This was far more dangerous than the outgoing voyage, as the laurabada season produces heavy seas and the risk of severe storms. The lagatoi themselves were burdened by a far heavier cargo, not to mention extra hulls, that enabled more sago to be carried, but did little for the seaworthiness or handiness of the canoes. It was an anxious time for the wives of the lagatoi crews as they faithfully followed the ritual started by Edai’s wife to ensure a safe return.
When the lagatoi canoes did return safely, it was a time for great rejoicing (moale).
With independence, and the need of Papua New Guineans to preserve and celebrate their culture, the Hiri Moale Festival was started. The festival coincides with the national independence day celebrations, and features traditional dances, the Hiri Queen contest (a beauty pageant), the arrival of the lagatoi, canoe racing, musical presentations, and an arts and crafts exhibition.
In recent years, there has been some controversy about Hiri Moale being held in Port Moresby, rather than at nearby Boera, traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Edai Siabo.
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
voyages that formed an important part of the culture of the Motu
Motuan
The Motuans are native inhabitants of Papua New Guinea, living along the southern coastal area of the country. Their indigenous language is known as Motu, and they are believed to be the descendants of Polynesian immigrants who intermarried with the native Melanesians of the area...
people of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
.
Origins
The Motu live in a comparative rain shadowRain shadow
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...
– the dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
is unusually harsh, and there are not enough suitable areas for the growing of sago
Sago
Sago is a starch extracted in the spongy center or pith, of various tropical palm stems, Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak and sagu. A type of flour, called sago flour, is made from sago. The largest supply...
(rabia). On the other hand the Motu, unlike most people of Papua New Guinea, were skilled in the art of making clay
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
cooking pots (uro).
The traditional Hiri voyages carried the much-prized Motu cooking pots to the people of the Gulf of Papua
Gulf of Papua
The Gulf of Papua is a 400 kilometer wide region on the south shore of New Guinea. Some of New Guinea's largest rivers, such as the Fly River, Turama River, Kikori River and Purari River, flow into the gulf, making it a large delta. While the western coast is characterized by swampy tidal...
, and brought back plentiful supplies of sago for the Motu.
Legend
Edai Siabo, from the village of Boera, was returning from a fishing trip when a great eel appeared and dragged him under the water. The eel was really the spirit of the sea. He returned Edai to the surface of the sea, after instructing him to build a great lagatoi (sailing canoeCanoe sailing
Canoe sailing refers to the practice of fitting a Polynesian outrigger or Western canoe with sails.See also log canoe, a type of sailboat used in the Chesapeake Bay region.-Polynesian sailing canoes:...
), to fill it with cooking pots, and to sail westward, following the south-east trade wind
Trade wind
The trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's equator...
called the lahara in the Motu language. Obeying the spirit, he built the first hiri lagatoi, named it Bogebada (which means sea-eagle), and had it loaded with pots made by his wife. He and his friends then sailed up the coast into the waters of the Gulf of Papua.
For months, the Bogebada and its crew were away. The villagers were all convinced the crew had perished. They mocked Edai’s wife, and tried to force her to remarry. Before Edai left, he had instructed her to stay within a corner of her house, not to bathe in the sea, to keep a tally of the days the Bogebada had been gone, to keep her fire burning, and to have her skin tattooed by an old woman. Failing to stick to this routine would endanger the expedition and the lives of Edai and his men.
One day, a lagatoi appeared on the horizon and slowly approached the village. It was Bogebada. Edai was arriving back home, a hero. His wife jumped into the sea and washed away her accumulated dirt, put on her finest costume, walked out onto the verandah of the house, hit it with a stick, shouted, ‘Hedihoroha Bogebada!’ and began dancing in joy.
The Hiri voyages
Every year Motu men prepared lagatois (large, multi-hulled sailing canoes) for the hiri, while the women shaped and fired the uro (pots). When the lahara (south-east trade winds) started to blow, the canoes set off to the west.The outward voyage was usually comparatively short and uneventful, typically only a week or so. The destination was almost always a village in the Gulf where the crew of the lagatoi were known from previous voyages, and the trade itself was quickly made. A simplified form of the Motu language (nowadays called Hiri Motu) was used for communication between the traders. The voyagers could not return immediately, however. For a start they had to wait for the change of the season, and the onset of the laurabada, the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
wind from the north-west that would carry them home. Secondly, their canoes had to be enlarged and re-built to carry the much more bulky cargo of sago.
After two or three months, the homeward voyage began. This was far more dangerous than the outgoing voyage, as the laurabada season produces heavy seas and the risk of severe storms. The lagatoi themselves were burdened by a far heavier cargo, not to mention extra hulls, that enabled more sago to be carried, but did little for the seaworthiness or handiness of the canoes. It was an anxious time for the wives of the lagatoi crews as they faithfully followed the ritual started by Edai’s wife to ensure a safe return.
When the lagatoi canoes did return safely, it was a time for great rejoicing (moale).
Twentieth century and later
The Hiri voyages continued, interrupted only by the Second World War, until the late fifties, when a heavily laden and storm-damaged lagatoi foundered off Boera village on its return voyage with heavy loss of life. Further voyages were forbidden by the colonial authorities.With independence, and the need of Papua New Guineans to preserve and celebrate their culture, the Hiri Moale Festival was started. The festival coincides with the national independence day celebrations, and features traditional dances, the Hiri Queen contest (a beauty pageant), the arrival of the lagatoi, canoe racing, musical presentations, and an arts and crafts exhibition.
In recent years, there has been some controversy about Hiri Moale being held in Port Moresby, rather than at nearby Boera, traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Edai Siabo.
External links
- Background on the website of Port MoresbyPort MoresbyPort Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
- Information on festival