The plight of the ongoing gender
issues and gender equality discussions in Papua New Guinea and most parts of
Melanesia has now become so commonplace that it is seen as a life rather than
an issue.
In that many people perceive the
trend and makeup of this controversial issue as something that we should
accept, deal with and move on with in life rather than a foreign material
stitched to the fabrics of our lives against the will of our cultural and
social motivations.
Despite how we perceive the issue, what one needs to
realise now is whether the issue is here to stay or not. Discreetly, to what
extent will the issues such as gender equality, gender issues, women abuse and
violence implicate in the future?
The cultures of the traditional
Melanesian societies talk much about gender in their art, literature, morals,
teachings and ethics.For instance Motuan women were
tattooed and kept away from sunlight for several months to guard the spirit of
the Hiri voyage executed by men. In
some parts of Vanuatu, a woman had to be on a man’s side and be buried alive
together to commemorate the death of their traditional Roymata chief. In New
Caledonia, culture required that women harvest together with men and
participate in agricultural ceremonies. In Fiji, the sound mind and good heart
of women in a clan determined the effectiveness of communication between the
clansmen and spiritual beings during kava
ceremonies. In the highlands of PNG, a man’s status was
determined by how many wife he had. In the Milne Bay, East New Britain, North
Solomons and some parts of the Solomon Islands, women were clan and village
chiefs through matrilineal inheritance of power and chieftainship.
This shows that traditionally gender
was already an important segment of life in the Melanesian sociocultural
domains. There are numerous examples already documented in the works of
anthropologist, pioneer missionaries, linguists, early traders and explorers.Conglomerating all descriptions
and conclusion of these historical documents, the bottom line highlighted is
that women play important roles in the society.
Depending on the varied cultural
beliefs amongst different groups in Melanesia, the status and importance of
women vary from one society to another which does not in any way deny the fact
that women still have important roles to play. This means that our traditional
Melanesian societies not only perceived but accepted women as meaningful
integral part of the society and they were equally as important as the men.
The chain of gender issues we
have in the Melanesian region appear homogenous in almost all cases. Last
month’s reports concerning gender-related issues include the rape of a three
month old infant in Fiji, the gruesome burning of a live woman in PNG for
allegedly practising sorcery and the sexual harassment of a betelnut vendor by
City Council Officers in the Solomon Islands. Protract back the time a little
further and there are countless similar reports. Wind the time into the future
and your view becomes blurry from fear and unprotected circumstances.
Where is the women’s place in
Melanesia today?
Traditional cultures have been
influenced and altered significantly by the intrusion of foreign, Western
determination, of course. But this does not have the capacity to totally
explain why women should lose their importance and status in the society.
Furthermore, if Western influences can downgrade the status of women or distort
traditional sociocultural perceptions of women, then why would it upgrade those
of the men? Logic is way below deficient, otherwise.
Monetary values, conflict of
interests, different religious propaganda, instabilities in the gender statuses
and emergence of new diseases have all resulted in the changing roles of women
and men in contemporary Melanesia. But it is only the roles that change, not
the status and reputation guaranteed by traditional perceptions. So, a man can
do child rearing while the wife is employed as a mechanic. At the end of the
day, the man remains as who he is and the wife still remains a woman in the
society.
We still live in a period of
transition. The contemporary Melanesian culture is a blend of both Western and
indigenous, traditional Melanesian cultures. With honour to other public
opinion pertaining to the solution of gender issues, the most inexpensive and
salient remedy that is within our reach is to be culture-literate.
We are not born with a culture,
but we are born into a culture. Just as we learn our local languages and those
that are foreign, we are capable of learning diligently the cultures that are
both indigenous and foreign to us.
Having to mention cultural
literacy, it means the comprehension of pre-conceptualised ideologies and
norms. Cultural concepts, identities and traits, both indigenous and foreign
are already well-constructed by the time we are born. In understanding them, we
break down and deconstruct them. We must define the mechanics of each culture
and reconstruct them and/or assimilate them into our contemporary situations.
It is like building a bridge that we can use to move to and fro. This will
maintain harmony and avoid cultural clash.
It is a fallacy to believe that
some Melanesians drink like white men and act like bush men. What you do to
gain different roles and reputation is not that important, rather it is what
you do, (during this course) to remain who you are.
Melanesian people are
traditionally powerful and have strong will power. We have the Power to either
define or defile the status of our women (my
own).
