Goaribari is an island in southern

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. It is located in

Gulf Province A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another ...

within the

Gulf of Papua The Gulf of Papua is located in the southern coast region of New Guinea. It has a total surface area of . Geography Some of New Guinea's largest rivers, such as the Fly River, Turama River, Kikori River, Purari River, and Wawoi River flow ...

. During high tides, parts of the island are inundated. The vegetation is thick rainforest.

Headhunting Headhunting is the practice of hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing the victim, although sometimes more portable body parts (such as ear, nose or scalp) are taken instead as trophies. Headhunting was practiced in h ...

was evidenced by the discovery of thousands of skulls in village houses and the

longhouse A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America. Many were built from timber and often re ...

in the early 20th century. In 1901, two ministers and ten missionary students were murdered and cannibalized by island natives.

Geography

Goaribari Island measures about in east–west direction. Risk Point is the eastern extreme and southward of it there is a sand bank, nearly dry at low water, which extends nearly off the southeast side of the island. The island is covered with tall mangroves. The island is a formation at the delta of the

Kikori Kikori is a small town in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea. Kikori lies in the delta of the Kikori River at the head of the Gulf of Papua. This area is particularly biologically rich with a diversity of ecosystems and densely forested, wit ...

and

Omati River The Omati River is a river in southern Papua New Guinea. Omati Riverin Geonames.org (cc-by) post updated 2012-01-17; database downloaded 2015-06-22 See also *List of rivers of Papua New Guinea This is a list of rivers of Papua New Guinea. In al ...

s. Its highest point is about above sea level; it consists of mud formation, sedimentary in nature. During very high tides (king tides during storm events), parts of the island become inundated. This has caused some deltaic villages to be relocated to higher ground.

History

On 8 April 1901, the Revs. James Chalmers and Oliver Fellows Tomkins (1873–1901), together with ten missionary students, were murdered with stone implements and cannibalized by the natives of this island, at Dopima village when they tried to preach to the natives and convert them; their bones were hung as trophies. Memorial for James Chalmers

Following the massacre of the white missionaries, an Australian Royal Commission was called in 1904 to inquire into the scandal. This mission was led by Judge Christopher Stansfield Robinson. The object was to apprehend a native called Lake who was allegedly involved in the murders and who had refused to return the mortal remains of the missionaries for a Christian burial. The mission also wanted to train a few natives as a police force to serve the island. A clash ensued between the natives who stormed the Australian ship ''Merrie England''. The clash was implemented without forethought, turning violent. Guns were used on the natives. As many as eight were killed and many were injured. There were no major injuries to the Australians. During this reprisal raid, missionary Rev.

Harry Moore Dauncey Rev. Harry Moore Dauncey (3 January 1863 - 16 January 1932) was a British missionary. He served with the London Missionary Society in Papua New Guinea from 1888 till his retirement in 1928. Early years Harry Moore Dauncey was born on 3 January 186 ...

reported that between 4 and 700 skulls were found in various village houses, and nearly 10,000 skulls were counted in the longhouse and burnt during this raid. The mission considered the natives to be savages as they greased their body for cover instead of wearing clothing. Professor Matthew R. Keller believes the commission viewed the population of the island as a different biological species. As a consequence of the villagers' massacre, Robinson shot himself and was replaced as Chief Judicial Officer by

Hubert Murray Sir John Hubert Plunkett Murray (29 December 1861 – 27 February 1940) was a judge and Lieutenant-Governor of Papua from 1908 until his death at Samarai. Early life Murray was born in Sydney, the son of Irish-born Terence Aubrey Murray ( ...

1924 floods

In 1924, floods and erosion of large tracts of coastal land resulted in the people of Kirawa village abandoning their homes and shifting to other villages in the Goaribari district. As a result, there are only two villages that remain on the island – Goare in the west (pop. 38) and Dopima in the east (pop. 62), which are also subject to frequent flooding. Some archaeological remains of Otoia village remain, while parts have been eroded by the Kikori River's delta channel.

Pile dwellings Stilt houses (also called pile dwellings or lake dwellings) are houses raised on stilts (or piles) over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding; they also keep out vermin. The ...

are common as most of the land is barely above high water (of

spring tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tabl ...

s) which makes most of the island almost uninhabitable.

Culture

The Kerewo people live in the northwestern region of the island. The language spoken by the people is linked to Kiwai. Their ethnic identity is similar to those of the

Fly River The Fly River is the third longest river in the island of New Guinea, after the Sepik River and Mamberamo River, with a total length of and the largest by volume of discharge in Oceania, the largest in the world without a single dam in its cat ...

delta. Men have worn pubic protection crafted from a Melo shell. The Muguru ceremony that natives of the island conduct is similar to the one held by Kiwai people which is conducted at the club house decorated by dracaena leaves and a dracaena branch is stuck into the waist bands of the novices. When a skull is captured then also the dracaena is hung on the club house. On the top of the hill growth of crotons is noted.

Flora

The wildlife is dominated by a tropical wet rainforest. Flora includes Nipa and

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

palms.

Governance

Goaribari is part of ''West Kikori Rural'' LLG (Local Level Government) Area in

Kikori District Kikori District is a district of the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Kikori Kikori is a small town in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea. Kikori lies in the delta of the Kikori River at the head of the Gulf of Papua. Th ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{authority control Islands of Papua New Guinea Headhunting in New Guinea Cannibalism in Oceania Gulf Province