Highland's Wedding

Jeff writes:

We attended our first Highland’s wedding two weeks ago. Jonathan, who is the CLTC’s IT manager, married his long-time sweetheart, a young lady named Natasa. The wedding combined a traditional bride-price ceremony with a Western church wedding. We all had a great time, so I thought I would tell all of you about it.

(Be warned there will be at least one photo of a dead pig in this post.)

Six of us loaded ourselves into a 15-passenger van to make the six-hour 250-kilometer (150 mile) journey from the CLTC to Kainantu in Eastern Highlands Province where the wedding was to take place.

Jonathan had gone on ahead to finalize all the arrangements. He wanted to have both a traditional ceremony plus a church wedding. Because Jonathan's father had passed away, his uncle, Elijah hosted the traditional ceremony. When we arrived, preparations had progressed quite nicely.



The ladies were preparing kaukau (sweet potato), chickens and greens for a mumu to feed around 100 hungry guests.

The bride price is the amount of food, pigs and money required for one clan to buy the bride from another. Jonathan negotiated this price with his future father in law. In Tok Pisin the term is simply baim meri or to buy the woman. Upon our arrival there was one heap of food already.



Pigs are the traditional medium of exchange for the Highland’s people, and I was surprised not to see one. It was not long until a group of men came dragging one of two very large pigs. They placed it beside the pile of vegetables.



When the preparations had been completed, there were two heaps of bride-price offerings. One went to the father of the bride’s family, and the other was for the extended members of the clan. After both heaps were completed, the bride’s clan was invited to come into the compound to start the ceremony.

Elijah, welcomed Natasa’s father and her clan. Behind him on the line are bilims (string or yarn bags), clothes, and laplap or cloth, which were also part of the bride price. (Note the man in the white shirt standing to Elijah’s right. I will tell you about him later.)



After Elijah's welcoming speech, a representative from Natasa's clan responded with thanks for the day and satisfaction for the gifts Jonathan's clan had prepared for them.



The speeches alternated from one clan to the other. They expressed their unity by joining together and giving warm hugs.



In the photo above the first speaker from Natasa’s clan is embracing the man in the white shirt. We later learned that this man was a last born child to a family from Natasa’s clan. As an infant he was given to a member of Jonathan’s clan to raise as a first-born son. This greatly elevated the infant’s standing within his adopted clan, and this adoption helped to cement friendly ties between the two clans.

The honor of the last speech was given to Natasa's father. In it he praised his daughter and the contribution she would make to Jonathan's clan. Earlier, Jonathan's clan members said what a good man she was getting. This was an emotional speech because Natasa is his first born, and it was readily apparent that it was hard for him to part with her.



After he finished his clan collected the bride price, and the traditional ceremony was over.



This step of the traditional ceremony would be the equivalent to a Western engagement. The ceremony of salim meri or givim meri is the final step of a traditional Highland’s wedding. The bride’s family formally gives the bride to the groom’s clan. (Natasa was not present at the bride-price ceremony.) In order to finalize the wedding, the festivities moved to a church where the couple exchanged vows and signed their wedding certificate.



After the wedding Natasa said some tearful farewells to her friends.



After the wedding the invited guests gathered outside the church. We then went back to Elijah’s home where we were served a sumptuous meal. Lord willing we will be able to go back to experience the second half of the traditional ceremony. If we do, I will post the experience and photos on our blog.



Remember to pray for Jonathan and Natasa as they start their new married life together at the CLTC. She will be his assistant in the IT department. In November she will graduate with a degree as an IT Technician. Her job will be to repair and configure computers on campus. They are a wonderful couple, and we all wish them the Lord’s best.