Wednesday 29 October 2014

Tigak Hymns II

Last year Catherine and I were able to help Miskum format a hymn book  in his language, Tigak. This year we were able to hear the hymns in action as we attended a day of hymn singing and recording. The book has not yet been printed, but the copies of the draft are numerous and the anticipation is great.

Welcome song and dance (H.Schulz)
The location of the hymn fest was Kaut village on the west coast of New Ireland. In the morning we travelled out there in a dual cab ute. As we were too many to fit in the cab, Susie and I rode in the back. Two white women sitting in the tray of a vehicle… we attracted plenty of attention and waved to as many strangers as a royal must wave to! We travelled south from Kavieng enjoying the ocean views along the coast, experienced a brief cool change as we crossed the mountain ridge that forms the spine of New Ireland, passed the new phone tower and bumped along a muddy road to Kaut.

Rain tree (S.Pederson)
After arriving, we waited until the welcome party was ready, then walked a decorated walkway to the singing of a choir, were giving a welcome wreath of flowers… or tinsel… and took our seat on the stage built specifically for the day. After the official opening of the day was over, we could move off the stage to the sit in the shade of an enormous rain tree. With white coral sand under our feet, a backdrop of clear blue water and a soundtrack of heartfelt praise it was the sort of setting tourist brochures are made of.

Choir and conductor in action (R.Drew)
During the day the choirs from different congregations presented their songs. Each choir was in a matching uniform and sang with passion. The conductor would change between songs, but each one had some form of stick to use as a baton. Conducting styles varied enormously, occasionally making my musically trained colleague twitch at the randomness of the swinging stick in relation to the music. As I was not having to sing to the beat of the stick, I could just enjoy the passion and attitude with which it was wielded.

Stephen spent the day recording the songs. A generator was running in the distance, with a long enough extension cord that the noise did not interfere with the recording. The miracle of the day was that not a single rooster was seen or heard. They are the bane of village recording and had somehow been banished. Once Stephen has edited the tracks he recorded, he will return them to the community on CDs and SD cards.

(R.Drew)
The highlight of the day for me was the drama representing the coming of the gospel to the Islands region over 100 years ago. One group was in a dinghy, singing hymns as (so the story goes) George Brown and his party did on arrival. On the beach was a gathering crowd of people dressed to look like they were wild bush people, threatening the boat load with their spears. As the singers came closer to the shore the wild people grew still and quiet. The boat came closer and the wild ones took a step back. The boat emptied onto the shore, the people still singing, and the wild group stepped back again. They then stood still, listening. One by one their spears dropped to the sand as they stopped their fighting and welcomed these new people with their new song and their new message.


Fallen spears (R.Drew)
The drama was completely in the local language, but the meaning was clear; the gospel in song had brought new life and peace. With this as the history they re-enact, it is no wonder hymns play such a big role in the life of the local church. 

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