Check it out!

What do we all have in common with each other? Food! I attended another mumu yesterday that was being held for us at ITF and those among the Benabena who have been helping us to abit of Tok Pigin.
It was totally amazing to see how they put/layered everything together! Greens, kau kau, lamb and cooking bananas.

Something in Common!

What is the one thing that as people, we like to do? We all like to eat! A group of us went to a village for a mumu with the Benabena who we have gotten to know and who have helped us abit in learning Tok Pigin.
I learned that mumus are held for weddings, funerals, coming of age for girls and for get togethers....similar to potlucks!

Let Me See!

The kids (as do the adults) love to have their pictures taken. Better yet, they love to see themselves on the digital cameras! This is my buddy Michael from Germany with several of the kids who are enjoying the "kodak moment" :)

Hey There!

This is a Benabena child looking through the window of one of the houses in one of their villages.

Forks or Fingers?

Forks are not really used at mumu's. So you use what you have and make sure you have hand sanitizer.
In the bowl is beef, pork, chicken, kau kau, banana and tapiok. It was actually quite good, if you did not mind going without salt and pepper!

Beef, it's what's for Dinner!

These are some of the Benabena men cooking a cow for the the mumu that is being held for three of the Benabena girls who are coming of age. This time for the girls is known as moon sickness.

Coming of Age

These girls have just come of age. They are no longer pikininis (children) but now Meris (women). The Benabena people held a special mumu for this ritual and invited all of us from Interface to come watch.
Just to give an idea of how different things are over here, each of these girls had a bride price put upon them. In other words, if a man wanted to marry one of them, he would have to pay the girls family a set price. The bride price for each of these girls was set at 3500 Kina (roughly $1200 U.S. dollars) which is the currency of Papua New Guinea. What you see here and have read is only a small part of what goes on. Some of it is a sad reminder that these people are still without Christ. There are missionaries that are working among this group and a small band of believers. Keep praying for them!