Baka Barakove Bina

Man of Calibre Baka Barakove Bina

Set in a typical village in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, the story is about a rural village dispute settlement process. This is a very informal process that takes place in the village. It is usually chaired by village elders and this moot court mostly sits on the weekends. If the parties elect to do so, they can decide the matter go before the formal Village Courts, that is manned by elected officials. The leader's court can also refer the aggrieved matter to the proper village courts. The village has woken up to a new day when the night before, two fiesty men exchanged harsh words and punches after a drinking binge. A lot of stomach cringing words were exchanged during the night which included a wide range of swear words, both local and imported. New English words too are introduced that bring new concepts and understandings that plays havoc on the lives of these simple villagers. During the ruckus, an innocent man's name and reputation are brought into disrepute. A village gathering will happen and a court made up of elders in the village will sit as a village leader's court today. Of course the innocent man will want his name and reputation fixed. However, before the village moot can start, people from the neighboring village led by women from the village who had married into the neighbouring village, think the fight in the night is wrong and build a traditional 'make a fire' in the village square. The two drunks have to 'kill off' this fire. The act of 'making the fire' is usually done by the sisters of a man who was wronged. The sisters would be accompanied by their male companions including husbands and male children. In 'killing off the fire', the pepertrator will repair the reputation of the innocent man. In this case, the two men don't have any 'kago' or resource to 'kill off the fire' and it is the women of the village who come to rescue to pool together their reserve and hidden money to 'kill off the fire'. Their neighboring villagers satisfied that they have been adequately compensatied leave with high praises for the village women folk. Later the village elders and leaders continue with the moot court. One of the drunk called himself a 'man of calibre'. The villagers now wait to see if he can live up to the hype of being the 'Man of Calibre' and pay the appropriate fines imposed by the village elders in the moot court. In yet another surprise ending, a 'het pei' ceremony is done by the wife as her own reparation for husband's part in tarnishing the name and repute of the innocent man - a relative who is many times removed.