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The documentary ”Ongka’s Big Moka’ ‘

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The documentary ”Ongka’s Big Moka’ ‘

The documentary ”Ongka’s Big Moka’ ‘explores the Kawelka tribe in the country of Papua Guinea, which was led by Ongka, also known as the ‘big man’. Ongka is there for the most prominent leader of the tribe.  The tribe holds a festive ceremony referred to as the Moka. Moka is a ritualized system of exchange that involves reciprocating gifts to pay back another tribe that had given a Moka before, and in return, the tribe will receive more that it gave when the time comes. The main reason why Ongka’s Moka is essential is that giving the gifts gives a sense of pride and prestige for Ongka and his tribe as a whole. The Moka was also planned as a way of Ongka to gain influence over his rivals, particularly Riemer, who was an aspiring big man in the Kawelka tribe.  Equally, the Moka acted as a ‘last celebration’, especially since Ongka felt that the old ways were changing because the younger generations did not seem to care so much about the Moka exchange ceremony. The gifts for the coming Moka wewere intended for Peroa, who was another ‘big man’ from a neighboring tribe and was a local member of the national assembly of Papua New Guinea. Ongka accumulated vast numbers of pigs intending to hit 600 pigs more than the 400 he had received from another tribe some years back. Therefore the main commodity for the Ongka big Moka was 600 pigs. Pigs are of high value to the Kawelka community because, as Ongka says, “Pigs are our strong thing, its pigs that keep us going. You need pigs for everything, you must have pigs for Moka, to pay for troubles and to get wives. If you don’t have pigs, you are rubbish, you are nobody.” Pigs have a powerful symbolic significance for members of the Kawelka tribe. They act as symbols of wealth, honor, and prestige and are used to settle quarrels between tribes and amongst themselves as a community. Before the Australian government pacified the area, the purpose of Moka was to create peace among enemy tribes and settle quarrels amongst allies. Pig giving’s were used in the Moka’s as a sign of peacemaking. During these times, big men were vulnerable to possible attacks from rival tribes; thus, the Moka ceremony was vital for tribes willing to make amends. To gather the gifts for the Moka in time, Ongka had to persuade his tribesmen to help him prepare for the Moka by gathering their investments. Besides, he had been promised pigs by his father in law and other men he had invested with. Therefore Ongka held three small Moka’s that would feed pigs into the final Moka ceremony, among other gifts like money that people had made from selling coffee. Additionally, Ongka had a significant amount of money 1800 Australian dollars in a savings bank earning a ¾ percent interest, money which would be used as a gift for the Moka exchange ceremony. The Moka’s gifts included 600 pigs, 12 cassowaries, eight cows, 10000 Australian dollars, and a truck. However, near to the end, Ongka’s big Moka was postponed due to the accused sorcery that resulted in the death of another tribe’s Big man, which caused a lot of chaos and a possible threat of war.

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