Telefol people
Encyclopedia
History
Telefol history starts with the "Old Woman" (AfekAfek (mythology)
Afek is a mythic heroine in the religion of the Min peoples living in the Sandaun Province of Papua New Guinea.Humans were believed created in a multiple birth of the cultural heroine Afek, emerging immediately after the first dog...
) traveling through the land that is now the Eliptaman valley. She, as told through their creation stories, founded the Telefolip, the most sacred of Yolam Houses or Haus Tambaran
Haus Tambaran
Haus Tambaran is a Tok Pisin phrase which describes a type of traditional ancestral worship house in the East Sepik region of Papua New Guinea...
in the Star Mountains
Star Mountains
The Star Mountains are a mountain range in western Papua New Guinea, stretching from the border with Indonesia, at about to the Hindenburg Range...
Region about 300 years ago. Myth has it that there is an underground tunnel system between Mount Fubilan
Mount Fubilan
Mount Fubilan was a mountain in Papua New Guinea. It is the site of the Ok Tedi Mine which has reduced the mountain to a pit in the ground.The copper mining potential of Mount Fubilan was discovered by Kennecott Copper Corporation in 1968...
, the Yolam House at Bultem and the Telefolip exists, and that is how shell money and other valuable items came to the Telefol.
The Telefol defeated the Telefol
Telefol language
Telefol is a language spoken by the Telefol people in Papua New Guinea, notable for possessing a base-27 numeral system.-History:The Iligimin people also spoke Telefol, but they were defeated by the Telefol proper.-Orthography:...
-speaking Iligimin people after the Iligimin people razed the Telefolip in the 19th century. The Telefol then proceeded to settle their lands.
They then went on to defeat the Untou people, ritualistically cannibalizing the adults and absorbing the children into their group.
Once the Untoumin were annihilated, the Telefolmin and Miyanmin would sometimes raid each other until the later 1950s, when pacification occurred.
Culture
The Telefol were part of a ritual system encompassing all of the Min peoples. They were acknowledged by the Min as being at the highest level of sacred knowledge, and groups such as the Baktaman were at the lowest level. The Telefolmins' level may have been matched by the UrapminUrapmin people
- Beliefs and religion :The Urapmin see themselves as players in a ritual system encompassing all of the Min peoples. The Telefol were acknowledged by the Min as being at the highest level of sacred knowledge, and groups such as the Baktaman were at the lowest level. In this ranking the Urapmin...
.
The Telefol possess a ubiquitous accessory called the bilum
Bilum
A bilum is a string bag made by hand in Papua New Guinea. The bag can be made by a process known as string looping or by crocheting. Traditionally, the string used was hand-made, normally from plant materials...
. Young children are introduced to the skills of bilum-making.
Magalim, a masalai
Masalai
Masalai are a type of spirit in Papua New Guinea. Margaret Mead defined them as: "supernatural beings that inhabitspecific places, usually distinguished by some special natural feature , and that exercise limited jurisdiction over their own area; they may manifest themselves as snakes,...
or bush spirit of great significance to the Telefol is active at the fringes of Telefol consciousness. He is known by various names such as Aanang Kayaak, Tenum Misim, Bagan Kayaak. He is a "boss" of all things wild and of the forests. Magalim takes many forms: a snake, a dog, an overly generous European, a headless European, and a four glowing-eyed Ok Tedi
Ok Tedi Mine
The Ok Tedi Mine is an open-pit copper and gold mine located near the headwaters of the Ok Tedi River, in the Star Mountains Rural LLG of the North Fly District of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea...
worker who ran speedily over the landscape
Counting system
The Telefol languageTelefol language
Telefol is a language spoken by the Telefol people in Papua New Guinea, notable for possessing a base-27 numeral system.-History:The Iligimin people also spoke Telefol, but they were defeated by the Telefol proper.-Orthography:...
's base-27 counting system is mapped onto the body by counting each of the following: the left pinky to the left thumb (1-5); the wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, and shoulder (6-10); the side of the neck, ear, and left eye (11-13); the nose (14); and the right eye to the right pinky (15-27; as for 1-14 but mirrored and in reverse order).