The first record we found of the sighting
of Ninigo was in 1768, though the Spanish
'discovered' the Western Islands in 1545.
World events periodically changed the
players, but the colourful and greedy western
entrepreneurs, many who ruled like kings, were
all sadly similar. What is more troubling is to this
day, over forty years after PNG independence,
the land has not yet been returned to the people
who have lived continuously in these islands
for thousands of years. The PNG government
has asked the cash-poor people for payment for
the copra plantations that sit on the islander’s
ancestral lands.LIFE
It is remarkable that the culture of the Seimat
people survived its occupiers. Today, only a few
hundred generous souls live in the Ninigo group
in a handful of remote communities where
schools are located. It was only in the past few
years that schools have been free, so parents,
some of who are illiterate, are keen to ensure
their children are educated.
The brightest children can now progress to
secondary or tertiary levels of education and find
jobs that bring a few kina (PNG currency) back to
their families in the villages. Often a family will
have a hut near the school and another nearertheir historic home or their garden. Most homes
are constructed of jungle materials.
As converts to Christianity, the villagers
are either Catholic or Seventh Day Adventist
though everyone seems to live in harmony and
intermarriages occur. Neither denomination
in the recent past has sent clergy to support
their followers.
The provincial capital, called “town” by the
Ninigo people, is Lorengau on Manus Island in the
Admiralty group, nearly 200 nautical miles away.
The president of the local level government (LLG),
a man from the nearby Hermit Islands named
Paul Silas, lives there as the sole representative of
his people. The deputy president, Kelly Lui, lives
in the islands but has no phone service, no e-mail
and no boat except his sailing canoe.
What compounds the remoteness of these tiny
coral islands is that there are no service boats
that call. The last supply boat fell victim to poor
maintenance brought on by corruption or poor
planning and was scuttled rather than repaired.
Without a regular supply of any commodity
that cannot be gotten in the jungle or from
the sea, the people treasure simple things like
clothing, fishing line, books, food, medicine,
pots and pans. With no supply boat, there are
also no affordable options for islanders to send
even high-value products, such as their pure
coconut oil, to market.ABOVE: Kelly Lui deputy
president of Ninigo Hermit
local level government at
the awards ceremony.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Canoe
design and building is a
revered art.“DESPITE A MYRIAD OF CHALLENGES, THESE FRIENDLY, CARING AND KIND PEOPLE
SURVIVE AND ARE FOR THE MOST PART REMARKABLY HEALTHY AND HAPPY.”
68
Cruising Helmsman June 2017DESTINATION
SE ASIA