The PNG Mafia

The PNG Mafia
The dark side of the PNG tribal system operates a lot like the Italian-American Mafia. To be more accurate, I should say the tribal system mirrors the Hollywood version of the Italian mafia. I have no idea how the mafia works except from what the picture box shows me. Still, I feel like they have an understanding of the inner workings of the mob. But I digress. What I am trying to get at is that every time I hear juicy stories about village life, it sounds like an episode of the 'Sopranos'.

The Don - Big Man
The leaders of every tribe are known as 'Big Men' or 'Bikpela Man'. A Big Man can expand his umbrella of rule in several ways. The cleanest way to go about this is by granting favors (protection, food, cash money) to weaker tribes. By continuing this practice, a virtual debt is created that cannot possibly be repaid. Over time, the stronger tribe assumes control. Another way is to simply knock off the 'Big Man' and his captains of another tribe and take reign by force.

Even the Score
Last month there was a tribal fight in the mountains near Kondiu. In fact, I could see the smoke from the burning houses billowing up from the landscape. The catalyst for the fight is confusing and irrelevant. Fights will rage on until both sides feel that the losses on both sides match. In this case, tribe A killed a man from tribe B who was a notorious killer and thief. Tribe B responded by killing a respected, god-fearing man from tribe A. Tribe A cried foul, feeling that the loss was lopsided in B's favor since their man was held in higher regard. They wanted the blood of another man to balance the scales.

Cleaning House
A tribe can only tolerate a prodigal wontok so long. If a wontok (loosely translated as a 'member of the same tribe/clan') is a bad seed, he can become a considerable financial burden. A tribe may have to continuously pay compensation to cover this wontok's drunken episodes. It may come to a point where the tribe simply cannot afford the wontok anymore and decides to have him erased. In most cases, the police do the cleaning. The authorities will receive a tip from the family, informing them when a where their wontok will be. They will get the black sheep drunk, take him to the spot, and the problem is solved. Permanently.

Go to the Mattresses
When it is time to go to war, the fighting is not conducted in a traditional battlefield arena. The tribes do not line up in formation and charge. The fighting is conducted in a more guerilla warfare style. Small pods of men will conduct night raids on specific targets. Often, members of a tribe may be lured to a spot to conduct 'negotiations' and are then slaughtered.

What's yours is mine
Whatever is earned by an individual of a tribe expected to be shared. I don't know what the percentage is, but a considerable chunk is earmarked for the tribe. In many ways the wontok system is very positive, for it is a localized form of social security. The first Friday of every month is payday for all government employees, which includes teachers. This usually means a trip to the bank. On these first Fridays, an absolute mob materializes outside the bank. The ranks of people consist of family members and wontoks waiting for their chunk of the booty.

Police and Politicians
There is rampant corruption throughout the police force and the government. A policeman will never, under any circumstance, arrest a member of his tribe. This is a fundamentally understood fact. A fellow wontok with a badge is a serious asset - he is basically on the tribe's payroll. The government is worse. Essentially every seat in the house of parliament has been bought. The votes of an entire tribe are signed over. Elections are rigged. The same person hand in multiple ballots. People that are deceased will magically cast votes. I am quite relieved that my stay in PNG does not coincide with an election year for when the results go wrong for certain tribes, the countryside can turn into an absolute war zone.