So I was looking over the book that I got from Zach and found a really interesting story about a Mt. Hagen man. Here is the low down:
Things were changing because of European influence. Women were more concerned with wearing makeup and going off to flirt with men in pants than they were of tending the gardens and raising pigs. Men were dressing in pants and were playing cards and were not spending time getting ready for Mokas nor were they doing their part in helping out the women. Without support, the community was changing and the government was readying them for self- rule. The narrator speaks of his "last moka" and how he wanted to go all out because he wanted his name to be remembered amongst those who valued the traditional ways. He performed the Moka for one of the leaders of another tribe that was falling under the influence of the Europeans (sort of as a way to see if he could challenge him to bring about more gift giving in the future, which in turn might return things to the way they used to be with women working and men helping them). He gathered pigs, cows, motorcycles, and a car. The narrator even spoke of a time in the past when they gave away a woman to a neighboring tribe.
A suggestion:
Here's just a brainstorm for a Moka stemming from the guys story: What if we gathered a bunch of things that we value today i.e. tv, bicycle, random things from home (we could even try to bring a car onto the grounds to showcase in our moka) and present. I'm trying to see if we can one-up the rival Hagen tribe so that we can stand out. Also, the shells that they lay out are presented on leaves. We can gather palm leaves for those. If we wanted to, there is a great speech in the book that I got that talks about the changing times and the significance of the last moka (it is kind of like a poem). One person could shout that outloud as if we are addressing the others.
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