As the legend goes, a long time ago near Tipinini in the Porgera District, two mountains fought. Mt. Munimanda fought Mt. Tongapipi near Munipau, where a man named Munasi lived. Mt. Tongapipi chased Munasi down to Lyungu Pau where he rested, but saw that Mt. Tongapipi was still pursuing him. He fled to Mt. Komai from where he looked back to see if Mt. Tongapipi was still coming after him. It was not, so he settled there at Matata near Winja in the southern Kandep region.
That is all that is told of Mondatepa origins. The fight between the two mountains represents a tribal fight, but it is not told exactly who fought Munasi nor why. The representation of groups according to the mountain they inhabit is a common one in the Porgera area. It is also no longer known exactly why Munasi came to the southern Kandep region and settled at Matata, although the elders interviewed guessed that it was his wife’s or mother’s place. Marriage between people of the eastern Porgera District and Kandep is frequently mentioned in the historical traditions of Kandep.
Once settled at Matata, Munasi and his wife had one son, Mondatepa, and Mondatepa had two sons, Kone, and Pumbuti, and a daughter, Gatalame. It is said by some that Gatalame had incestuous relations with her brother Pumbuti, possibly a simplified way of saying that she married within her own clan or sub-clan. She gave birth to Kepo and Tondo who founded two clans of Mondatepa. We could not get any further information on Mondatepa history other than a mention of past conflicts with neighboring groups.
members interviewed
Mondatepa
- Osa Injua of the Mondatepa Ulane clan, Tiangi, Lakalapa;
- Kainakali, Timbalya, Tokape Kowalya and Nick Thomas Mitua of the Mapia clan, Winja;
- Ketai Luwaingi and Paki Kungu of Mondatepa, Matata.
CLANS AND LOCATIONS
Sons of Munasi
• Mondatepa
Children of Mondatepa
• Kone
• Pumbuti
• Gatalame (f)
Sons of Kone
| Clan | Location | Nearest school/aidpost |
|---|---|---|
| Ulane | Tiange | Lakalapa |
| Alane | Tiange | Lakalapa |
| Umbu | Teketapa | Mendi, S.H.P. |
| Angalya | Teketapa | Mendi, S.H.P. |
Sons of Pumbuti
| Clan | Location | Nearest school/aidpost |
|---|---|---|
| Suni | Tipia | Matata |
| Ipapalya | Putimi Ipaka | Lakalapa |
| Napu | Kaimba-Andaka | Lakalapa |
| Pataja | Kaimba-Andaka | Lakalapa |
| Mapia | Winja |
Sons of Gatalame
| Clan | Location | Nearest school/aidpost |
|---|---|---|
| Kepo | Matata | |
| Tondo | Matata |