Story Series
Stories from the Land of the Malind and Kanum
These stories were compiled from field interviews with seven narrators in Merauke Regency, South Papua. The text appears as approved by the owners of the manuscript.
Supporting pages
Story list
12 stories
- 01Tuturan
The Origin of the Kanum Tribe
Two elders follow their dogs, which always come home full, and find a nibung palm where four peoples began.
NarratorMarthen Ndiken, customary adviser of the Kanum people, Sota village
6 minRead the story - 02Tuturan
Born from the Belly of the Earth
Why the Malind are called true human beings, and why the ground is treated as a mother.
NarratorFrederikus Mahuze, chairman of the Customary Community Institution of the Malind Anim, Merauke Regency
5 minRead the story - 03Tuturan
The River Whose Name Is Blood
Ndalir was the boundary and the war frontier between Malind and Kanum, and its name holds what once happened there.
NarratorMarthen Ndiken, customary adviser of the Kanum people, Sota village
4 minRead the story - 04Tuturan
When People Thought God Had Come
The Malind journey from Kondo to Digul, the age of the headhunt, and the day white skinned people were taken for dema.
NarratorYulius Romeo Mahuze, customary head of the Sosom territory, Buti village
6 minRead the story - 05Tuturan
Land That Walks After the Sea
Lima Suba, Bui Pare, Tot Pare, Mbanggu. A village history told not in years but in place names.
NarratorYulius Romeo Mahuze, customary head of the Sosom territory, and Alexander Kaize, customary head of Wasur village
5 minRead the story - 06Tuturan
Seven Clans and the Story That May Not Be Told
Each clan is known by particular animals, plants, and creatures of the sea. And one question is deliberately left unanswered.
NarratorYulius Romeo Mahuze, Alexander Kaize, and Dominggus Bakap
6 minRead the story - 07Tuturan
What Time Will You Come Back
One short question always asked before anyone enters the forest, and the large knowledge held inside it.
NarratorDominggus Bakap, head of Wasur village, and Yulius Romeo Mahuze, customary head of the Sosom territory
5 minRead the story - 08Tuturan
The Forest Closed for Mourning
Sasi works on three levels at once, as a sign of mourning, as a way of letting the land recover, and as a marker of boundary dispute.
NarratorAlexander Kaize, customary head of Wasur village, Dominggus Bakap, head of Wasur village, and Marthen Ndiken
6 minRead the story - 09Tuturan
The Village That May Not Be Sold
At Baad village what is most abundant is not stories but prohibitions. On the old village, the sago grove, and knowledge that passes without being taught.
NarratorAgustinus Ndiken, head of Baad village
5 minRead the story - 10Tuturan
A Year Without Touch
For a full year a Kanum child may not be touched by its uncles and aunts. Then the ceremony of holding the child is held.
NarratorMama Norce Mahuze, tradition bearer of the Kanum people, Marthen Ndiken, and Alexander Kaize
6 minRead the story - 11Tuturan
The Dance That May Not Be Borrowed
Gatzi has spread as far as YouTube, while Ettor remains the property of Baad village. And what is most endangered is not the dance but the song.
NarratorAgustinus Ndiken, head of Baad village
4 minRead the story - 12Tuturan
A Register of Songs and Dances
Seven songs and five dances named in the corpus, with the reasons why only one set of lyrics can be published.
NarratorAlexander Kaize, Dominggus Bakap, Yulius Romeo Mahuze, Mama Norce Mahuze, and Agustinus Ndiken
7 minRead the story