Oksapmin in Papua New Guinea

Introduction / History

As a kid I never knew how, when and where my great grand parents came from. Not only me, but all of the boys from Oksapmin are being taught by our grandparents on where, when and how we came to be. This is due to the very fact that we believed in what is known as Tumbuna stories.

Where Are they Located?

Oksapmin is located in the mountainous part of the Sandaun Province of Papua New Guinea. Sandaun Province have four districts, which one of them is Telefomin district where Oksapmin is sub-district to it and this is the sub-district that is in the mountainous part of the Province. It shares international border with Indonesia and also provincial borders with Western, Hela, Enga and East Sepik provinces. Life in Oksapmin is very hard due to the roughness of the geography of the area.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Our lives before the missionaries came was very dangerous because of tribal wars, sorceries and other dangerous activities which would lead to destruction. We used to believe in our grandfathers' spirits when we do anything just to succeed. I would say ''from the stone age out to the sky age''.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Before the Missionaries came to Oksapmin, we used to believed in the death spirits of our ancestors in every thing we do. However, in the late 1980s and mid 1990s our whole way of living was changed by the missionaries. It's like we were in darkness and when they came we learned new things and were able to see the outside world.

Text Source:   Ghothon Waito