A simplified form of the Motu language (nowadays called Hiri Motu) was used for communication between the traders. 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. The outward voyage was usually comparatively short and uneventful, typically only a week or so. When the lahara (south-east trade winds) started to blow, the canoes set off to the west. The Hiri voyagesĮvery year Motu men prepared lagatois (large, multi-hulled sailing canoes) for the hiri, while the women shaped and fired the uro (pots). 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. One day, a lagatoi appeared on the horizon and slowly approached the village. Failing to stick to this routine would endanger the expedition and the lives of Edai and his men.
HIRI QUEEN SKIN
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. They mocked Edai’s wife, and tried to force her to remarry.
The villagers were all convinced the crew had perished. He and his friends then sailed up the coast into the waters of the Gulf of Papua.įor months, the Bogebada and its crew were away. 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 returned Edai to the surface of the sea, after instructing him to build a great lagatoi ( sailing canoe), to fill it with cooking pots, and to sail westward, following the south-east trade wind called the lahara in the Motu language. The eel was really the spirit of the sea. LegendĮdai Siabo, from the village of Boera, was returning from a fishing trip when a great eel appeared and dragged him under the water. 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. On the other hand the Motu, unlike most people of Papua New Guinea, were skilled in the art of making clay cooking pots ( uro). Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta said his government would work with organisers and sponsors for a bigger and better show next year.The Motu live in a comparative rain shadow – the dry season is unusually harsh, and there are not enough suitable areas for the growing of sago ( rabia). Mr Udia said the lagatoi is a legend when the Motu-Koitabu people sailed on voyages to exchange goods with the people of Gulf Province in the past. The Hiri Moale Festival celebrates the cultural heritage of the Motu and Koitabu people of Port Moresby and nearby Central Province villages including Boera, Papa, Lealea and Porebada.įestival chairman, Opao Fo’o Udia, said Hiri Moale had always attracted both local and international visitors over the years, and one of the spectacle’s of the festival is the Hiri Queen competition crowning and the arrival of the traditional double-hulled canoe, the lagatoi. “And not forgetting my people from Barakau and Tubusereia villages, I love you all,” Miss Nou said. “I would like to thank everyone who have contributed to host the show this year, especially sponsor, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, operator of PNG LNG Project, for the third consecutive year with a K50,000 donation,” she said. Miss Nou said it was an important moment and achievement for her, her tribe and village in taking the crown. The beauty queen was crowned by Gulf Governor, Chris Haiveta. Runner-up was Miss Araira-Tatana Rizza Tupa and Miss Heturu – Friendship – was won by Miss Tatana, Jessie David.ġ8 contestants took part in the Hiri Hanenamo Quest, as part of the annual Motu-Koitabu festival that started on Friday at Ela Beach. She was crowned winner during the two-day festival at Ela Beach, Port Moresby, on Saturday. Eighteen-year-old Barakau teenager Hebou Kedea Dikana Nou has been crowned the 2017 Hiri Moale Queen.
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