Nose For A Nose
p. 36 · Read in the full issue
It's Still A
In New Guinea
The social habits of their sul jects remain a source of frequet embarrassment to the worthy Ad ministration Officials of P-NG. • For example, there was the cai of Ken, a Western Highland villager, to whom Mr. Justice Goi recently gave three years’ gaol, i Wabag.
KEN suspected that his will Minemenk, was playing abot with other men, and he warnfi her that unless she mended h< ways he would take measures I destroy her beauty.
Minemenk, however, ran awaj and Ken went after her.
He caught her at the house of I relation, threw her down and trie to bite off her nose.
Minemenk resisted and Ken teeth failed in the job; so Ken drej his knife and cut off her nose.
In court, Minemenk denied faitli lessness; but Ken insisted that th lady was guilty and deserved all sh got.
Mr. Justice Gore, who has spei a life-time in this judicial servid said that the brutal custom of dis figuring unfaithful wives had t stop; and the court would deal vei severely with future offenders.
Value of a Bride
Then there was Nuru, a gentlj man of Tari, in the primitTsl Southern Highlands of Papua.
Nuru decided to take Mabu as hi wife; and, for the privilege, he pai a “bride price” of 10 pigs.
But Nuru found Mabu unsuij able; and so he took Mabu back j her family and demanded the re turn of his 10 pigs.
Wabaija, the brother of Mabl handled the situation. He argud that as Mabu was now second-hanfj and would not command th original bride price, they were en titled to keep five pigs by way d compensation. So he returned onl; five pigs to Nuru.
Nuru felt that he had been th victim of injustice. He had a well grown son; and so he took the sol with him to a place near WabaijaJ village, and when Wabaija camj along they grabbed him.
Wabaija did not have a chancj While the son held him firmlj Nuru shot him full of arrows.
Patrol Officer Brian Jinks brought Nuru before Mr. Justice Gore’l court bn a charge of murder. H( could not find Nuru’s son, who hat escaped into the jungle.
Nuru pleaded justification anc tribal custom; but he was “sentencec to death”, which means he’l probably spend a couple of years ii gaol learning better manners.