Arapesh children

RAYMOND SIGIMET

‘Dai lukluk i stap’ is translated as ‘Death is looking’. It is a village figure of speech which refers to a deceased person lying in the mortuary or funeral home awaiting burial. This is a cultural poem based on mourning and ceremony. The ceremony is called ‘Gabah/Gabahash’ in Arapesh society or ‘Stretim ol Kandre’ in Tok Pisin. Other societies have their own vernacular names. The poem speaks of the emotion when a person dies (stanzas 1 and 2), the preparation and mourning stage (stanzas 3 and 4), the transactions and funeral ceremony where payment is made to the ‘kandre’ or maternal relatives of the deceased (stanzas 5 and 6), finally the (human folly that is associated with this practice and a personal comment from the writer poet (stanzas 7 and 8) - RS

Yumi pilim bel i pen
Na aiwara i kam olsem ren
Taim dai lukluk i stap

Yumi lukim lewa i buruk
Na painim kaikai long kuk
Taim dai lukluk i stap

Yumi sindaun wantaim sori
Na tingim bek olgeta stori
Taim dai lukluk i stap