New Actors, Historic Landscapes

253 Pages·2017·14.35 MB·English

by  Tuomas Tammisto

New Actors, Historic Landscapes
The Making of a Frontier Place in
Papua New Guinea
Tuomas Tammisto
Research Series in Anthropology
University of Helsinki
Academic Dissertation
Research Series in Anthropology
University of Helsinki, Finland
Distributed by
Unigrafia
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ISSN 1458-3186
ISBN 978-951-51-4026-5 (paperback)
ISBN 978-951-51-4027-2 (PDF)
Unigrafia
2018
Dedicated to the memory of Koska Lamail, Peter Vomne and Martina Gomeyan.
Contents
List of figures, maps and tables vii
Acknowledgements viii
1. Introduction 1
1.1 Wide Bay as a frontier and a lived environment 3
1.2 Making people, places and environments:
research questions and theoretical framework 11
1.3 Doing fieldwork in Wide Bay 28
Part I: Land and Locality 35
2. Gardens, plants and land:
socially productive work and the media of relatedness 37
2.1 Main food crops: care, continuity and history 40
2.2 Clearing and dividing a garden 44
2.3 Gardens and land-use 48
2.4 Conclusions 54
3. Making temporal environments:
work, places and history in the Mengen landscape 56
3.1 The Mengen tree calendar 58
3.2 Gardening & place making 61
3.3 Placed histories & relating to the land 66
3.4 Conclusions 70
Part II: Logging and Landowner Companies 77
4. Logging in Wide Bay 79
4.1 Historical and institutional background 81
4.2 Cape Orford Timber Rights Purchase 85
4.3 Proliferation of landowner companies in Wide Bay 90
4.4 Conclusions 95
5. “The company is just a name!”:
constructing corporate entities in logging 98
5.1 The landowner company 102
5.2 Disputing clans 106
5.3 “The company is nothing but a name” 111
5.4 Conclusions 114
Part III: Oil-palm and Wage Labor 121
6. Enacting the absent state:
state formation on the oil palm frontier 123
6.1 Plantations and state effects 124
6.2 History of plantations and wage labor 128
6.3 Self-made order 132
6.4 Conclusions 137
7. “Life in the village is free.”:
labor and the poetics of place 140
7.1 Life on the plantation 141
7.2 Wok mani—wage labor 148
7.3 Converting labor into work 151
7.4 Conclusions 155
Part IV: Community Conservation 163
8. Conserving the forest, organizing people:
conservationists as organic intellectuals 165
8.1 Community conservation in Wide Bay 167
8.2 Conservationists as organic intellectuals 170
8.3 “What is awareness?”: challenging the extractivist hegemony 175
8.4 Conclusions 179
9. “We sacrifice the forest to get development.”:
conservation and commodification 183
9.1 Conservation, enclosure and territorialization 185
9.2 Commodifying conservation 187
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9.3 Sharing the land or exchanging benefits?
The politics of commodification 191
9.4 Conclusions 197
10. Conclusions 203
10.1 The making of people, places and social relations 204
10.2 The political ecology of value 209
10.3 Epilogue 213
11. Appendix 216
11.1 Garden succession, diversity & plots 216
11.2 Fractal imagery in Mengen ceremonial food distributions 220
11.3 Garden land survey 222
11.4 A clan history 226
Bibliography 229
List of figures
1 Mengen garden divisions and parts 45
2 Division of a garden 50
3 Transfer of gardening rights and distribution of plots 51
4 The index tree phases 58
5 Schematic representation of Mengen forest terminology 63
6 Balokoma and its subsidiaries 92
7 Wide Bay Mengen LOCs and villages 93
8 Nato Ltd. composition and dispute 102
9 Division of garden plots 216
10 Layout of garden with Plot 1. highlighted 218
11 Fractal imagery in Mengen food distributions 220
List of maps
1 Papua New Guinea and East New Britain Province 5
2 Wide Bay 8
3 Logging roads in Cape Orford in 2010s 88
4 Villages around the Cape Orford Timber Rights Purchase area 91
5 Gardens of the survey overlaid on an aerial photograph 225
6 Gardens of the survey around Toimtop village 225
List of tables
1 Timber Rights Purchases issued in ENBP (based on figures given in
PNGFA 1998, 22) 82
2 Number of species and plants in the garden according to plot 217
3 Garden survey 224
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Acknowledgements
Rather than looking only at the product itself, political economists examine the social
relations that were necessary to make that product. Similarly, people in Melanesia tend
to emphasize and be sensitive to the social relations that are behind social products, be
they people or things. This thesis would not have been possible without the help of a
great number of people and the social relations that enabled me to work on it.
I want to start by thanking the staff of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the
University of Helsinki, where I began my studies as an undergraduate student and
where I felt so at home that I decided to pursue graduate studies. During the courses
of professor Jukka Siikala I became interested in the Pacific, the late professor Karen
Armstong inspired me to look closely at politics in its various forms and the door of
professor Sarah Green was always open for helpful discussions. Toomas Gross, Timo
Kallinen and Katja Uusihakala taught me either as an undergraduate or in seminars.
Arto Sarla’s help—starting from year one—in all administrative matters has been
incredibly valuable—especially after consecutive reforms and cuts to education made
everyone’s life at the university harder. A big thank you to Marie-Louise Karttunen,
who proofread the manuscript. I thank the University of Helsinki for the SYLFF grant,
which enabled me to conduct fieldwork as well as for the finishing grant that helped me
to complete my thesis.
In the course of the writing process, I have received help, comments and advice
from Barbara Andersen, Steffen Dalsgaard, Matti Eräsaari, Colin Filer, Robin Hide,
Dan Jorgensen, Marianna Keisalo, Andrew Lattas and Ryan Schramm, who also helped
me with practical matters before I set out to do fieldwork in PNG. This thesis would
not have been possible without the steadfast support of my supervisors Anu Lounela
and professor Timo Kaartinen. A specialist in political ecology, Anu has helped me
since I first started to think about my PhD project until the very end. Besides being
an inspiring teacher, Timo employed me in his project ”Human ecology, land conversion
and the global resource economy” funded by the Academy of Finland (grant 253680),
which allowed me to focus on my research full time for three years. Always helpful,
ready to comment and never imposing, he encouraged me to pursue my own interests.
It is difficult to express my gratitude to them. Likewise, my MA supervisor Thomas
Strong went over his head to help me conduct initial research in PNG and write my
MA. My pre-examiners Keir Martin and Rupert Stasch critically examined my thesis
and gave me valuable and insightful comments. A special thanks for them for their
thorough work.
I have been incredibly lucky to have started graduate studies with kind and brilliant
peers, such as Tero Frestadius, Touko Martikainen, Jenni Mölkänen, Pekka Tuominen
and Heikki Wilenius, with whom I have sat in reading groups and seminars as well as
shared the ups and downs of graduate studies. The reading group in political ecology
convened by Markus Kröger and Anu Lounela, and attended by Mira Käkönen, Jenni
Mölkänen, Liina-Maija Qvist and Tero Toivonen lasted for several years and many of the
ideas presented in this thesis stem from discussions we had. In the final years of writing
up, Henni Alava, Tuomas Järvenpää, Sonal Makhija, Jenni Mölkänen, Liina-Maija
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Qvist, Heikki Wilenius and I formed a writing group, in which we commented on each
others’ texts. The critical comments, good insights and the unconditional support I
have received from the group members has been important in ways I fail to describe.
Without them this thesis would be a shadow of what it is now, were I ever able to finish
it. My deepest thanks to all of you.
My parents Antero and Liisa and my siblings Jaakko and Kaarina have been ever
supportive of me. Without them working on this thesis would have been much harder
and duller. I have gotten vital emotional and intellectual support from friends like
Henrik Hohteri, Jukka Pajarinen, Olli Hakkarainen, Tikli Oikarinen, Hilkka Peltola,
Roni Saari, Jenni Sahramaa, Tyko Sillanpää and Kim Åke. And obviously Anni
Mustonen, who has patiently watched this thesis progress (and especially not progress)
for several years. Olette parhaita.
The closer I come to Papua New Guinea, the larger my debts—intellectual and
practical. In 2007, Damien Ase, Peter Bosip, George Laume, John Nilles and Almah
Tararia helped me to come to Papua New Guinea and conduct research. In addition,
they taught me a great deal about environmental issues in Papua New Guinea. Likewise,
in Kokopo, Peter Tutuai, Linda and Michael Pasingan and the staff at ForCert and
Wide Bay Conservation have gone to great lenghts in helping and teaching me. Without
ForCert lending me their GPS when my own one broke, my land survey project would
have stopped dead in its tracks. The Department of Lands and Physical Planning, the
District Court of Kokopo and the Catholic Mission at Vunanpope all let me use their
archives—my warmest thanks to all the staff members and especially to Puipui Tuna
and Father Winnfried Holtz. Jim Robins at the National Research Institute helped me
with research permission and visa matters several times.
In Kokopo, I have often stayed with Elizabeth Tongne and her husband Kiap. They
have shown me such kindness and warmth that I find it hard to express how grateful
I am. More so, enormously knowledgeable about social, political and environmental
issues, Elizabeth has been an important teacher throughout my stays. It is impossible
to name all the people in Wide Bay who have helped me, but I am especially grateful
to Ancilla Elta and Bernard Suka in Maskilklie, Rosvita Mrei and Henrik Chuprakau,
Robert Kasain and Andrew Rapge in Baein. In Sampun, I am very grateful to Maria
Balel, Francis Kemalo, Felix Lupgeteip, Vittius Paneng, Thomas Paru, John Tongpak,
Tadius, Tony Vundei and especially Trecia Avelte, Francis Naso and Peter Nanikau Jr.,
with whom I stayed in Kokopo and whose friendship means a great deal. In Tagul,
I want to thank also Barnabas Katal, Doloros Masulkau, Maria Kosmilgne, Patrick
Nonoi, Lucas Ruka and Julius Kole, and especially Elizabeth Alpu and John Dong.
In Wawas I often stayed with Josephine Matapoeng and Otto Tniengpo as well as
Anastacia Knieke and Leo Kaingemang, my deepest thanks to them. I want to mention
also Joanna Chengtaken and Francis Kavatpu, Jacob Lgenkau, Gabriel Toa, Steven
Psiken, Melchior Loait and Alberta Gouptaol. Alberta, Melchior and Josephine—all
gifted singers—sang me tandaning wailing songs and translated them into Tok Pisin as
well as taught me about the song genre. When I had a customary obligation to give
gifts at the initiation of my namesake in Toimtop, Melchior Vevei supported me by
giving me a pig and Josephine by bringing food.
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The kind people in the small community of Toimtop allowed me to live in their
village, fed me, look after me when I was sick, answered my endless questions with
good humor, comforted me when I was lonely and became my friends. My greatest
debts and gratitude goes to the community as a whole. In addition, I want to thank the
Women’s group for making me food and the Youth group for helping me with my land
survey. I want to thank Celina Amblelin and Michael Msalel, Roberta Tata and John
Langlang, Benedicta Lavain, Joseph Longaver and Clara Kelmande, Paul Segletaun and
Barbara Kelmande, Otto Tongpak, Michaela Soe, Rodney Mguileteip, Evelyn Ospuan,
Simon Makrain, Augustine Tongpak and Clara Mraipaken, Maria Komair and Joseph
Saimoteip as well as Rosina Mgalrucheng, Martina Nakai, Cornelia Konprin, Allen
Plermoteip, Robert Vailangteip, Raymond Mgepailpu and Carol Vongpar, Michael
Kaunvong and Lucia Turtechen and their family, Maria Sarik, Henrik Mtore and Joseph
Plovgil, Patrick Riete, Maria Mtogle and Douglas Rmetein, Francis Paupa, Raymond
Tokungvan and Bernadette Kaikchun, Marianna Punmli, Elisbeth Gelmais and Manuel,
Tekla Leiv and her family, Cornelia Maispnolin and Michelle Totpolin, John Viltak
and Geraldine Wawa, Maria Losongmlu, Lucas Viangmus and Gertrude Mguellelin and
their children, Josephine Chengmanman, Martin Teipkokal and Rocus Mang, Bernard
Maktman and Tresia Metkoi, Norbertine Giche, John Metore, Catherine Kaltenmak
and Peter Kvetman. Not forgetting Antony Rewcastle, who like me had come to work
in Toimtop.
Margareth Glentou very patiently taught me about songs, plants and gender.
Ambrose Tigas often accompanied me and became a dear friend. Father Carroll
Tewamli also became a close friend. I stayed with him in Bomana and later he traveled
all the way to Finland to visit me. I thank also Prisca Lena and Joseph Teivotaip, who
always helped and cheered me up. Joseph’s keen observations and thoughtful answers
to my questions provided me with much of the insight that runs in my analysis.
Since my first arrival to Toimtop in 2007, the Vomne family took me in and gave
me a home. Hosting a complete stranger and sharing your most intimate sphere with
them requires immense patience, friendliness and kindness—qualities each of the family
members embodied. Martina Gomeyan and Sylvester Vomne looked after me like
parents and taught me in their gentle ways many things. Through their thorough
explanations or quick witty comments I learned about life in Wide Bay and beyond.
Likewise, Peter Vomne, William Kmanpretaun Vomne, Perpetua Tpongre, Koska Lamail
and Peregrine Tpenge treated me like a younger sibling. William first introduced me to
the community and I owe a great deal to him. I remain for ever humbled and grateful.
It is with great sadness that I heard of the passing of Koska, Peter and lastly Gomeyan.
I dedicate this book to their memory and to their work on behalf of their community
and the environment. Ya louk matan mo pis.
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