Talking about warfare in PNG, of course it is true. The problem is that for years we have been talking and talking without doing anything about it.

If we want change, we must first create change. People don't just fight for no good reason. There is always something behind everything. Every individual have their own rights and freedom here on earth.

PNG is rich with culture and traditions. Everyone has a different way of thinking and doing things. For us to change one, it needs alot of time.

What we should be doing is, getting opinions and caring out awareness on these problems.

Thank you Michael for expanding on my point!

I have a question for all: will a PNG Melanesian Jurisprudence outlaw the practice of sorcery and witchcraft; tribal fights; polygamy; and wantokism?

It'd be interesting because the PNG Melanesian Way sort of prides itself on these.

Yes, brilliant point there Jeff. Your sensitivity to that one word is the mark of a poet and a philosopher.

We can expand your point on Phil's argument, that indeed this 'war' is the result of an underlying challenge facing the so called 'Melanesian Way' in PNG; our once limited boundaries, physical (land and resources), social (populations, language groups, urban expansion, rural-urban drift) and therefore political (tribes, clans, provinces) have extended over each other.

The outcome then is that this apparent physical warfare, which was always obvious (and almost proverbial) in the highlands provinces, is now more apparent everywhere else, especially in our metropolitan melting pots, Port Morseby and Lae.

There are other forms of this'warfare', e.g. inter-cultural clashes, land disputes between clans and tribes for resources, increased 'bad scenarios' of wantok system, misuse of customary prosess to gain advantages, 'block voting', political movement to form two new provinces and others.

People are demarcating their 'territory', people are fighting for their piece of the PNG pie.

Moreoever, in a philosophical sense, is this not the reason why some intellects call for a Melanesian Jurisprudence, to help us define the underlying precepts that guide our laws?

PNG society is still trying to define itself, maybe because for too long we have been enchanted by the surreality of being Melanesian, soaked up with the 'be-ing' without understanding the 'do-ing'; as in the arguments "To be is to do" - Socrates, and "To do is to be" - Sarte.

But that's just me and I'm with Sinatra - "Do be do be do".

Very good point Jeff.

The article is extracted from a draft document on cultural awareness intended for resource developers.

I'll flick you a copy when it's developed a bit more and you might care to comment on it.

Meanwhile I'll make the change.

Well you can say that PNG is not like USA or Australia just because of their culture. In the USA everybody speaks English and shares the same beliefs [no they don't - KJ] but in PNG their are over 800 cultures and that means 800 ways of thinking.

To change the way of warfare one needs to go down to 800 different kinds of ways with just one idea. This could take time.

So don't talk about it, start putting action into it if you really want change. If not, forget it because it's a waste of time putting it out like this with nothing being done.

The first lesson most young boys received from sages up here is about emulating some warriors in the order of the knights of the round table.

Should one think he/she will just trample them with rhetoric and plunder their land and resources will make a big mistake.

Phil, nowadays some priests and pastors buy guns to run for offices let alone bureaucrats and politicians. I am sorry but we are truly at war with each other.

Thanks Phil. Your explanation of how it is may help some understand how disappointed and frustrated some of us ‘oldtimers’ felt about not being given enough time and opportunity to make Pax Australiana become accepted and evolve into Pax PNG. PNG was cheated by a few selfish and near sighted people on both sides of the Torres Strait. People we dealt with face to face in the villages kept saying ‘Don’t go!’ ‘Stay until we are ready.’

I think you’re wrong about these recent ‘little’ wars however. They were and are about influence. Look at PNG’s own message when it sent Tony Huai and his troops into Vanuatu?

As to throwing a spotlight onto PNG being in a constant state of warfare, well that’s no different to almost any other nation except for the severity of practice. As an example, can anyone deny that the ‘State of Origin’ football matches are anything else but clan warfare minus deaths? Look at the clan colours and face painting. Some families I know ‘live and breath’ football. Just look how they can’t wait for the cricket matches to end so that they can start the ‘pre season’ competition?

Most contact sports are merely organised warfare with rules that evolved to hopefully stop death and major injury. These so called sports are almost as brutal of the old Highland clan warfare but without the claymores and except that they are played out by a team of the champions of those who sit on the sidelines or glued to their televisions and cheer on their team. Having yelled themselves hoarse and received a shot or three of adrenalin and the odd beer, they then retire back to their mundane and often boring lives. The Roman mob would have instantly seen the parallels but wondered why the fights were stopped before death occurred and there was no hand out of free bread.

So perhaps we are not so superior? We just preserve a few niceties of ‘the rule of law’ and kid ourselves.