Earth and Spirit Products PNG
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Wednesday, January 9, 2013
'Tau Bada' (Big White Man)
Hi everyone, finally getting around to using the blogsite again. I'll be uploading some excerpts from a book I am writing about the most recent adventures I've been having in Australia/Papua New Guinea. Don't forget to check out the Earth and Spirit Facebook page as well because it contains lots of photos and videos. I'll include the introduction today, and would appreciate any feedback or ideas you have about the book.
Thanks for the support! John Quinlan |
TAU BADA
Meanderings, Anecdotes, and Thoughts of a Change Agent
By
John E. Quinlan
John E. Quinlan, Jr. founded Growth Strategies Global L.L.C. (GSG), headquartered in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, in 1986. He serves as Managing Director. Mr. Quinlan has designed the firm to operate from a unique philosophy that balances his broad range of experiences in upper management with tested management consulting practices, underpinned by behavioral science knowledge.
Mr. Quinlan has provided integrated financial, operational and change management services to U.S. and international companies. He was a founding CEO of a publicly traded financial services company. The successes and failures he experienced during that period played a major role in creating the foundation and operating philosophy of GSG. He has been an advisor to for-profit, non-profit and municipal organizations and has extensive experience in executive coaching.
Mr. Quinlan holds a BA degree in Economics from Albion College, Albion, Michigan and a Master of Science degree in Organizational Development (MSOD) from the American University, Washington, D.C.
In late 1999, Mr. Quinlan met Fiona Tanner while solo motorcycling across America. The serendipity of sharing one motorcycle ride through a remote mountain valley in Colorado, to living in a secluded village nestled in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, is chronicled in a manuscript entitled “Tau Bada.” This globe-spanning adventure has provided unexpected insights and applications to John Quinlan’s personal life and his professional work.
The two lingua fracas of Papua New Guinea are Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu. Between these languages and assorted 700 dialects, Tok Pisin Bikman translated means “Big Man,” i.e. respect for a white man. In Hiri Motu the word for a leader who is a big man is “Taubada.” Living in Oro Province on the Managalas Plateau as John and Fiona do, both languages are subtly integrated. The primary dialect in Oro Province is Barai or Ese, and the name for big white man is “Tau Bada.” John Quinlan earned this title through both his position as a local business owner as well as his physical stature in comparison to the area population.
Over a period of seven years, John and his wife Fiona traversed rivers, valleys and mountains, entering innumerable villages. Frequently the farmers and children would shout out “Tau Bada” as the couple went about the business of building a coffee company.
The following excerpts are selected for your enjoyment. Please comment.
Warmest regards,
John E. Quinlan
Ese (Welcome) John! Ese Tau Bada to Numba Village, July 2009 Managalas Plateau, Oro Province Papua New Guinea |
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Chapter 16
It didn't take John long to learn that life in Papua New Guinea would be quite different from his days as a high powered business consultant, starting with his wedding to Fiona as choreographed by the elders of their village. This excerpt is a portion of the chapter. More is to follow.
PIGS
We hiked
from the Village of Tabuane, crossing streams and walking through coffee
gardens to our home. The late afternoon sun was at our backs, casting shadows
on the mountain tops overlooking the land where our house was built.
Orchids,
impatiens, and bougainvillea were blooming abundantly. The entrance to our
dwelling was a canopy of orchids. Fiona once had an orchid farm. To spend an
evening with her and a botanist is to listen to poetry.
I looked
over the cliffs down to the river and saw the waterfall and pool to my right.
The gardens were manicured and the grass freshly cut with bush knives. The
villagers were expecting us.
Tom, our
gardener, cook, guard and friend, instructed the young men and women to remove
the luggage and supplies from their heads. I am amazed at the loads they can
carry and the balance they possess. The terrain is challenging. Their eye-hand
coordination is impeccable. They chat, sing hymns and village songs, and laugh
as they snake through the coffee garden on a very narrow path.
I gave
them a few kina and thanked them. Fiona, speaking pidgin, was connecting much
more deeply. The village women prized her. Their 50-year-old Singer sewing
machine, lugged up to Tabuane from Australia, created a ton of goodwill with
this new sewing circle, generating cash for their families.
We were
fading from exhaustion. As I was extinguishing the lanterns and blowing out the
candles, Tom grabbed my arm and sat me down. Fiona was in the bedroom.
In his
broken English and with elaborate gestures, he gingerly instructed me not to
touch Fiona tonight. It would be inappropriate before the wedding ceremony.
Besides, everyone would know. "Tom, how would they know?" I asked.
"They will smell you and Fiona tomorrow, John, that's how they know."
The image
of my father quickly appeared. I could see him in the back yard in Grosse
Pointe (circa mid-1950) drawing on a cigarette, sipping a Miller
High Life beer at nightfall in its fullness. "Johnny, if you make a habit
of masturbating, one of two things can happen and possibly both." I was
sitting on the porch steps looking up anxiously awaiting his pronouncement.
"Either your cock will fall off or you will become mentally ill."
Thanks, Dad. I went upstairs, locked the bathroom door and whacked myself off.
Never gave it a second thought. My cock is still working, though the threat of
mental illness still plays on my mind to this day.
This
time, I obeyed. The tribe spoke. I knew they had keen senses. I kept my hands
off of Fiona.
Tom
abruptly woke us up at 6:30 a.m. Standing in a half-circle were six village men
and women dressed in traditional wedding apparel in front of our porch. Every
feather, ring, shell necklace, bead, string, belt, and traditional clothing
including penis gourds for the men had a place and purpose. Innumerable
paintings covered faces, arms and chests. Dyes and pigments fresh from the
garden would be used to decorate the bride and groom.
Our
separation was immediate and lasted until the ceremony. Three men escorted me
to a room on one side of our home; three women took Fiona to a room on the
other side.
We were
washed, dressed, and painted in a ceremony that was dead serious and perfected
to the smallest detail. They have had much practice, following traditions
established over the course of 12,000 to 14,000 years.
Within
two hours we were readied to walk to the village. Fiona was escorted to one
home representing her clan and I to another representing mine. Both of these
clans would be our tambu (kin for
life) with its all rights, privileges, and demands.
My
tambu-to-be, Ezekiel, mentored me the best he could, in light of the language
barrier. The other two men spoke better English. I was instructed by this group
of elders to be clear on the number of pigs I would be giving away to receive
permission to make Fiona my wife. The normal village ceremony would last for
days, with ongoing bartering between clans until agreement was reached on the
number of pigs, shell money and yams. I got off cheap: Fiona cost me three pigs
and compensation for the feast. But the pigs were the clinchers. This was not
chump change!
...
Thursday, November 17, 2011
What is our Vision
Certified Organic
Absolutely no chemicals or pesticides have been used on this plateau. The area has remained chemical free. Our vision is to be the world's first certified organic region, covering over 200 square kilometres of our valleys
Rainforest Alliance
Besides the organic certification, our coffee has been registered as a Rainforest Alliance coffee.
This label identifies the product as being environmentally sustainable, with fair and just social policies for all farmers and workers. It is a socially conscious deliberate decision to do business a certain way with deep integrity.
Once this label is granted to companies, tribal rural farmers and communities are ensured they get a fair price for their efforts, providing them with a sustainable livelihood and encouraging them to maintain good stewardship of their land.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Videos on our youtube channel
Hi everyone, our youtube channel is now up and running with some awesome videos of the work we're doing in Papua New Guinea! So here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/EarthAndSpiritPNG and subscribe to our channel to keep up to date with new videos.
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