Wopkaimin
Encyclopedia
The Wopkaimin are a small aboriginal tribe that lives in the remote Star Mountains
in western Papua New Guinea
in what is known as the Fly River socio-ecological region
. The Ok Tedi Mine
, the third largest open pit copper
and gold
mine
in the world is located in their traditional territory. Before the coming of the mine with construction starting in 1981 the Wopkaimin lived in a subsistence economy
. The mine severely impacted the tribe, totally disrupting their traditional patterns of life http://216.239.35.100/search?q=cache:LvZSpgpRjKEC:rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/Wpapers/rmap_wp11.rtf++%22Wopkaimin%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8. For one thing, Tabubil a town of 12,500 to house mine workers was built in the midst of their territory. Work for wages was available to tribal members, but only at the unskilled level and not on a regular basis. The Wopkaimin along with many other ethnic groups living in the area now live on a rotating basis between the town of Tabubil, roadside villages along the Kiunga-Tabubil Highway
, and in villages away from the mine as jobs are lost or become available.
In 1992 a species of bat
, Bulmer's fruit bat
(Aproteles bulmerae) previously thought extinct was discovered to still live in Luplupwintem Cave, an enormous cave
above the Hindenburg Wall in their territory. This bat was first discovered in the 1970s by David Hyndman, who studied the Wopkaimin. However the contemporaneous introduction of the shotgun
was thought to have resulted in the extinction
of the species.
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...
in western 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...
in what is known as the Fly River socio-ecological region
Fly River
The Fly at , is the second longest river, after the Sepik, in Papua New Guinea. The Fly is the largest river in Oceania, the largest in the world without a single dam in its catchment, and overall ranks as the twenty-fifth largest river in the world by volume of discharge...
. The Ok Tedi Mine
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...
, the third largest open pit copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the world is located in their traditional territory. Before the coming of the mine with construction starting in 1981 the Wopkaimin lived in a subsistence economy
Subsistence economy
A subsistence economy is an economy which refers simply to the gathering or amassment of objects of value; the increase in wealth; or the creation of wealth. Capital can be generally defined as assets invested with the expectation that their value will increase, usually because there is the...
. The mine severely impacted the tribe, totally disrupting their traditional patterns of life http://216.239.35.100/search?q=cache:LvZSpgpRjKEC:rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/Wpapers/rmap_wp11.rtf++%22Wopkaimin%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8. For one thing, Tabubil a town of 12,500 to house mine workers was built in the midst of their territory. Work for wages was available to tribal members, but only at the unskilled level and not on a regular basis. The Wopkaimin along with many other ethnic groups living in the area now live on a rotating basis between the town of Tabubil, roadside villages along the Kiunga-Tabubil Highway
Kiunga-Tabubil Highway
The Kiunga-Tabubil Highway is an all weather gravel road that runs from the river port town of Kiunga through Ningerum and Tabubil to the Ok Tedi Mine site, in the remote North Fly District of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. The road is around long, but this changes as sections are...
, and in villages away from the mine as jobs are lost or become available.
In 1992 a species of bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
, Bulmer's fruit bat
Bulmer's fruit bat
Bulmer's fruit bat is an megabat endemic to New Guinea. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and hunting. It is the only member of the genus Aproteles.-Profile:...
(Aproteles bulmerae) previously thought extinct was discovered to still live in Luplupwintem Cave, an enormous cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
above the Hindenburg Wall in their territory. This bat was first discovered in the 1970s by David Hyndman, who studied the Wopkaimin. However the contemporaneous introduction of the shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
was thought to have resulted in the extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
of the species.