Letter 2 / 1 / 84
Plenty going on today - New Year celebrations, dancing and feasting - but it's all at the other end of the village (a good mile or more away), too far for us tired bodies in this heat.
Peter is supposed to be in the Komet Clan dancing team tonight - I spent the last couple of days making him a new lava-lava (by hand) - but the practice for it was supposed to be last night and after being up most of the night before (New Year's Eve) poor Peter was fast asleep long before the drumming started at 9.30pm.
Peter doesn't know any of the dances, so he really could have used the practice.
Dance Competition
Tonight is like a competition between the various teams - it will go well into the night.
James has caused quite a stir - he's a good little dancer. I think because people were pleased with him they invited Peter to dance too.
Then came a big discussion over which clan we are in - its all been very helpful in our learning more about the culture.
These people have little or no art and crafts, but their dances are very expressive. They tell stories about fishing, catching turtle, things like that - the actions are very obvious. (All the old head-hunting and spirit dances seem to have been put aside, we never see or hear them.) So we find them actually quite enjoyable to watch.
Its customary for the women to go among the men as they dance and sprinkle them with talcum powder or squirt perfume on them, or if they are especially pleased with their dancing they put money at their feet (or in their mouths) and maybe mimic a bit for a laugh (by showing how badly they do it they make the man look good) - but I'm not quite up to all that ... I might when Peter dances.
Housework
Housework has been a bit of a nightmare for me lately. The house is in such a mess - Peter's done most of the washing, washing-up and child-minding. Every day I wake up with determination to clean the place out and catch up on everything ... but by 10am I'm worn out and flopping. I get up for a bit, carry Alison around, then flop some more.
Tuesday morning - after the dance
Last night's dance went until 4.30am - it was due to start at 8pm but didn't get underway until 10.30pm. By then all the little dancers (like James) had fallen asleep, all dressed up ready in their "su" (palm leaf skirts) and everything.
Fishing
Peter went out in the boat twice on Saturday. He took James out in the morning and came back with two big beautiful coral trout. And then he went out diving with 3 men. They brought back six beautiful big crayfish, a barrel of clam meat, and a bucket of turtle eggs.
Shark
While they were out (walking in the water towing the boat), Wifred 'mentioned' there was a shark nearby, and laughed to see Peter scrambling into the boat.
He called to the others to come and look, he said it was a one metre shark, and they all peered under the boat at it - Peter said it was more like a metre wide, about 8 foot long, just the other side of the boat - kind of lying on the bottom with a bevy of brightly coloured fish buzzing around its head.
Suddenly it lifted its head, opened its mouth and came straight for them (slowly!).
Peter was first back into the boat, landing on the clam shells and getting lots of little cuts. Wilfred (all 120kg of him) landed on top of him so heavily he broke Peter's crayfish spear. And the other two also tried to get into the same side of the boat, all but tipped it right over - there was an awful moment with three pairs of legs dangling in the water before the boat righted itself and they all fell in a mess on the top of the clams in the bottom of the boat.
They didn't see where the shark went!
Airstrip Jab
The Doctors on TI have finally got their act together and they have decided that if I won't come in to TI hospital and let them observe me for 'x' number of months (they must be bored) they would at least give me the 'anti-d' injection.
Peter was all fired up to do it, but then a boy here got an infected finger, and they sent out a plane for him - complete with a syringe-brandishing nurse for me. To save time I met her at the air-strip ... where I had quite a job persuading her that under the circumstances I'd rather have the jab in my pudgy little arm than elsewhere!
Sick Ali
Alison has finally recovered from a miserable 4 days and 3 nights of high fever - still don't know what caused it. She came out in a brief rash after the fever left, and her eyes were slightly puffy - she was really wrung out and floppy for a while. Maybe it was German Measles or something - but she is also teething.
Sick Duck
We also have a lame duck. She seems to be improving after a few days of special care, but still can't walk. No eggs yet. It does appear that about 6 of the ducks are going to be considerably bigger than the other 4 - who seem to have stopped growing. Maybe we will have 6 drakes and 4 ducks. I guess we will soon be eating some duck meat - or give some away if so.
