Baining leaders recognise Makolkol as sixth clan

Baining leaders through their Council of Elders, the Qaqet (Baining) Stewardship Council has recognise the Makolkol people as a sixth clan of the Baining tribe.

Preparations are in place to formalise this and ensure a Makolkol clan leader representative join the ranks in the council.

This follows an awareness programme last week, that saw the representatives of the Council visited Mandrambit in the Gazelle district, just past the lower Toriu river near Open Bay.

Mandrambit is also part of the Uramat Clan that boarders the Kachqet, Simbali, and Mali Clans.

Uramat is actually the only clan within the Baining-Qaqet tribe which boarders all the clans: Kachqet, Simbali, Mali, Kairak and now the Makolkol.

The Makolkol are located near Nakanai ranges, but are actually an ethnic Baining people.

According to William Labu, the Makolkol people are a group of people who broke away from the Simbali Clan in the traditional past following a dispute amongst the people.

Labu, an elder of the Makolkol, said according to the stories passed on to him by his elders, the split occurred after two women fought over bamboos at a watering hole when fetching water.

He said since then, his people had relocated after the split towards what is now referred to as the Nakanai Ranges, and many of the younger generation are not pure Baining blood anymore.

He revealed that only about five people speak the Baining Makolkol language, similar to the Simbali and Mali dialects.

Labu and his nephew Peter Maindu attended the awareness, the first for the Council in Mandrambit, and appealed to be formerly recognised as one of the Qaqet-Baining Clans which was met with much enthusiasm.

Council Executive Officer Boniface Setavo says a full Council quorum will formally endorse Makolkol as the sixth clan.

Setavo says this means the Makolkol will be part of major decisions regarding land mobilisation, economic and human resource development affairs for the Baining tribe.

For example, in terms of human resource development, the Makolkol will see their children benefiting from the Council’s Student Assisatnce Programme which sponsors Baining students at tertiary level. 

Setavo said in terms of land mobilisation, the Makolkol will be included as part of the anticipated Baining district.

He said this was the main purpose for the awareness – to facilitate clan demarcation boundary lines agreed upon by all clans.

Since the Uramat Clan boarders all the clans, they have actively participated in the weeklong awareness programme which started at Mandrambit, to Dadul and ended at Gaulim.

Setavo also acknowledges the assistance of a partner in development, TzenNiugini and contributions on land and Integrated Land Group [ILG] information dissemination by former Provincial Lands Advisor for East New Britain, Jeffrey Leba, and all clan representatives who were part of the awareness team.

Setavo added that the awareness will continue.

Author: 
Joshua Arlo