840 languages are spoken in Papua New Guinea -- the most of any country in the world. The island nation also contains seven percent of the world’s plant and animal species. To put that in perspective, the United States, 30 times larger geographically, has roughly 400 spoken languages and 12 percent of the world's species.
On the island of New Ireland, I followed a chief who works tirelessly to reverse the unnatural processes that are lowering those percentages. His voice was the first I heard out the doors of the tiny airport in the jungle. “Stefan,” the voice said. I turned to my left and there he sat, shirtless, relaxed, chewing beetlenut. Chief John Aini? He extended his hand and smiled as though he'd known me for years. “Let’s go have a beer.”
We went to his bungalow, sat by the fringe reef and said very little but I felt we’d connected. I didn’t pull out the camera for a few days. And when I finally did, it synchronized with a Malagan -- a traditional celebration that honors a deceased relative. Island villagers traveled in their boats for days, stuffed from bow to stern with regalia, instruments and live pigs, to the island of Nusa, to share their village rituals and feast in honor of their ancestors and deities. The rituals I witnessed were unlike anything I'd ever seen, summoning shouts, laughter, tears. After the final ritual on a sun drenched day, the sky itself broke into tears and roared with thunder. Everyone slept.
Months later, Chief Aini visited the Bay Area to receive the prestigious Seacology Prize for island conservation. He stayed at my place in Oakland. I wasn’t married yet and shared a small house with my friend Aled, who fondly remembers John’s vitality, his urgency. One night John suggested an outing. I was sleepy and said, “No problem, we can go now. Or also, we could go later." John shook his head and said "Later is gone now, Stefan.” That was gold for Aled, a musician who went on to make an album by the same name (https://open.spotify.com/track/29D4OkqA4hQDYL3Dpq1M8N). So John and I went out on the town. The next day we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. I snapped some photos (see below).
I hope to return to PNG and see my good friend again. We discussed the possibility of someday making a feature documentary. I became inspired initially while reading Jared Diamond’s illuminating “The World Until Yesterday” before my arrival. Then I saw firsthand how indigenous rituals and Christianity rituals influenced each other. At times, they were like two tidal waves colliding. Other times, they were part of the same current.