Pyapini claims to be one of the first tribes to settle in the upper Minamba:
A long time ago in the Kimakae tribe in the Ambota area (near Mt. Ambra), there lived a man named Pyapini. (Later others added that Pyapini’s exact origin place was Yangini at Gumant’s coffee plantation amongst the Tolatepa group). Pyapini left his house in Ambota and followed a path that went around the southern flank of Mt. Hagen. When he reached two small lakes on the slopes of Mt. Hagen, he looked down into the valley and saw smoke rising from Kopya. As he watched the smoke rise, he was wondering who was making the fire, so he called out in the Melpa language,
“Who is down there?”
The person making the fire was a Sambe man who had come all the way from Laiagama to the Nulupelemeposa salt pool at Kopya, in the Minamba, to make salt. He was burning the salt impregnated logs in a fenced enclosure, when he heard Pyapini’s call in an unknown language. Not understanding what Pyapini had said and thinking that it was a ghost calling, the man abandoned his work and ran away, leaving all of his belongings behind.
Pyapini came down and settled at Kopya on the spot where the Sambe man had made his camp. He had six sons, Pandane, Kimbakini, Wanone, Walyagane, Elyae and Sakani.
(Wakale Pangali of Pyapini, Kopya (Pausa))
The early arrival of Pyapini is confirmed by Nenaini elders who say that Pyapini was in the Anjia area when they first arrived, willingly gave them land, and moved further down the valley. There is some indication in the history of Wauni and Yakumani that Pyapini’s movement down the Minamba was blocked by Wauni and Yakumani:
Wauni and Yakumani built roasting pits at the place where the Minamba and Lai rivers meet… They brought some pork with them to roast there. Yakumani used a spear on which to roast his meat and Wauni an arrow. It is not known why they slaughtered the pig and roasted the pork, but since that time, Yakumani is known for killing enemies with spears and Wauni with arrows. Pyapini is said to have crept secretly down the hill, and watched them roasting and eating the pork, but he remained hidden and did not join in. Had he joined them, people think that Pyapini would have been the founder of a big tribe, like Wauni or Yakumani, and not the small group that it is today. He would also have received magical powers to kill his enemies.
(Tambaia Mulini of the Yakumani tribe, Wapenamanda)
Squeezed between the large and powerful tribes of Yakumani and Wauni and incoming groups to the southeast, Pyapini became involved in many conflicts, and expelled two Pyapini clans into the Baiyer river region:
Three of Pyapini’s “sons”, Pandane, Wanone and Walyagane, were troublemakers. They stole pigs from nearby clans, raided villages and murdered men from the enemy side. Surrounding groups retaliated, and Elyae and Sakane, who were peace loving, were always the ones who had to slaughter pigs and pay the compensation.
One day when they were gathered at their ritual site called Winja, Elyae and Sakane said to their troublesome brothers, “We always end up eating the livers and intestines of bush rats because of all the trouble you cause. You stay here and live with your own problems; we are going to leave.” (The metaphor of bush rats refers to the fact that they always paid compensation, giving away the good pork and eating only the livers, intestines and heads themselves.)
After saying this, the descendants of Elyae, Sakani and Kimbakini left, and followed the route their forefather Pyapini had taken. They returned to their place of origin and then continued on to settle in the Baiyer. When they reached Luwandali near Anjia, Kimbakini changed his mind and decided to stay there. Pandane, Walyagane and Wanone remained at Kopya.
(Wakale Pangali of Pyapini, Kopya (Pausa))
Pyapini brought with them an ancestral cult from the Melpa, called the Munja. They were the only clan in Enga to celebrate the Munja. Contact between Pyapini and people in their area of origin was only reestablished in recent generations.
members interviewed
Pyapini
- Wakale Pangali, Tandu Tolao and Kome Wakale of Pyapini, Kopya (Pausa)
CLANS AND LOCATIONS
Pyapini
| Sub-clan | Location | Nearest school/aidpost |
|---|---|---|
| Pandane | Kopya | Pausa/Yaramanda |
| Wanone | Kopya | Pausa/Yaramanda |
| Walyagane | Kopya | Pausa/Yaramanda |
| Kimbakini | Lundale | Anjia |
| Elyao | Baiyer | |
| Sakani | Baiyer |