Elep Returns: The Story of a Tree and Its Conversion into Paper

By Arnold Mundua and Jada Wilson

Elep Returns is the story of a tree, named Elep, which grew in Kandrian on the south coast of West New Britain in Papua New Guinea. Elep relates its own adventurous story, blossoming from a seed to a very big tree, to it being cut down and exported as a log to Japan, from its transformation to paper, to its import as paper by Australia and then by the country of its origin, to be printed as school certificates. As a matter of coincidence, Elep, now in its new incarnation, has the proud privilege of displaying the academic excellence of the boy who used to relish its nuts while in the Amumsong village.

Written by a Forest Officer, this science fiction, profusely illustrated, brings to focus the various stages in the growth of a tree, and the working of the Forest Authority mechanism, from its export, and the pulping of the log, to its metamorphosis as paper in Japan. The voyage of the log from PNG to Japan and then to Australia in the form of paper, provides a panoramic view of the places the ship passed through and the beautiful ambiance of Japanese ports and cities. It also describes the distinct nature and skill of Japanese workers.

The Eleps tale, narrated in simple yet delectable way, and interspersed with suspense every now and then, keeps the reader engrossed. In view of the educational nature of this novel, it should be essential reading for both the young and the old alike. It is a must for every school, college, university and institutional library.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Oct 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781479720439

Arnold Mundua

The author, Arnold Mundua, is a graduate of the PNG Forestry College, and is also the author of A Bride’s Price, another novel which portrays the cultural scenarios of the highlands of Papua New Guinea, while narrating the story of a young couple’s unrequited love. He is also the winner of the 2005 National Literature Competition under the Short Stories for Dramatisation category. He comes from Gembogl district in the Simbu province of Papua New Guinea.

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Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgement

1 The Beginning

2 The New Life Begins

3 An Era of Independence

4 The Loss of an Identity

5 My Days are Numbered

6 From Tree to Log

7 Away from Home

8 To the Coast

9 A Visitor from Japan

10 Monitoring for Shipment

11 To an Unknown Destination

12 Good Bye to Kandrian

13 Heading for Japan

14 On the Shores of Japan

15 Into the Paper Mill

16 In My New Incarnation as Paper

17 Voyage to Australia and PNG

18 Back to the Motherland

19 As Grade 10 Certificate

20 Back to My Custodian

Fact File

Dedication

This book is meant for children like Natasha, Tony, Seine, Rhyot and Jacob Cedrus.

Tony was fortunate to see first sunlight in Turuk (Kandrian). This book is for you and your siblings.

Acknowledgement

A call from Xlibris (Australia) on a fine bright August morning resulted in the republication of this book with my new publisher. The call gave me assurance, confidence and new hope towards writing and publishing. I salute Michael Mendes in this respect.

My Author Services Representative at Xlibris made sure I do not bail out along the way. Her constant calls and encouragements remain the source of strength and confidence to assemble and forward the manuscript in minimal time. There is no better person to thank at this point in time, then Vannesa Diaz.

Of all the many good people who supported the republication of this book, Maria Banda, George Komil, Takai Gaima, Francis Hurahura and my wife Betty cannot be easily forgotten for making sure the book gets republished. You have been great, and there are no better English words to acknowledge your contributions and support, then to say, Wakai-we-di, Tenku pondo di yeri-wa.

It is often rare to come across the right person, at the right time, at the right place, when working on a project many miles away from home. Luck and good fortune led me to P Hoffman. I acknowledge and thank him for the Kandrian folk tales and the use his family tree in the main story.

1

The Beginning

I cannot clearly recall exactly when I was born. Many years ago, my mother briefly spoke to me of an insect that flew in to enjoy her delicious nectar when she had blossomed, and how a cargo of pollen had caught on her stigma as the insect was feasting on her nectar. It was through pollination that I conceived you, Elep, she had said. Pollination? I had asked. That’s right. Pollination, she had replied. That was as far as she went. She never told me anything further. Maybe, she was reluctant to tell me everything. Moreover, I never asked again either. Then, too, as a young fruit I had thought I would always remain with my mother tree on her branch. I thought that I’d be there for the rest of my life and would forever enjoy watching the wonderful scenery below and relish the marvelous blue sky and sunshine above. But no! This brilliant thought, however, was to prove totally wrong when I matured. My destiny, as I found out, was far beyond that. It was the Good Lord that was at the helm of everything. I discovered that the Creator has plans for everyone. He has plans for all the animals and for all the plants. He had plans for my brother and sister seeds, and He had plans for me, too. Mine, as I found out, was something beyond my imagination, my mother tree’s, and everyone else’s too. If you can stay with me, let me take you through the daring and adventurous journey of all time that I went through, as defined for me by the Creator, to become what I am today. It is a journey that beholds the Good Lord as the most supreme of all and the source of everything. It’s interesting. It’s sad. It’s frightening too. But most of all, it’s amazing.

My story began in the early part of the twentieth century, around the year 1920, in a place called Amumsong, in Kandrian, on the south west coast of the New Britain Island in Papua New Guinea. It was a great morning. The sun was bright and the clear blue sky covered the entire Kandrian area, indicating a very fine day. A few kilometers outside the present Amumsong village, a black cassowary wondered through the forest feeding on the fruits, wild berries, and fallen seeds from the trees. The area was thick with vegetation and it abounded with wild animals. The cassowary was huge, fierce and awesome looking. Slowly, and with its keen eyes, it searchingly moved through the forest, stopping to pick up whatever food was in its way and throwing it down into its mouth in one gulp, then moving on again. Soon, the giant flightless bird came to the spot where I lay on the ground. I was a mature seed. The previous night, during a heavy rainstorm with a strong wind, I had fallen to the ground along with my other mature sibling seeds.

In the early morning sunlight, the gloss on my wet and polished black seed coat attracted the bird’s very keen eyes. And before I knew what was happening, I was snatched from the ground, hoisted high between the bird’s pointed beaks and thrown down into a dark pipe. I could not tell where I was heading but the tunnel was warm and fleshy. As I slowly glided down, I could feel the mass of flesh in the front opening up, indicating a passage through the tunnel, and then, closing in again after I went through. It was a short journey. For soon, I descended into a huge chamber where, at first, I thought I was alone, but alas! When I entered I found the chamber crowded and noisy. There were many other wild berries, fungi, fruits, nuts and other seeds the bird had collected and seemed to have bagged them in there. I couldn’t see them all, as it was quite dark inside, but they were all seemingly crammed together and tightly compacted in the chamber.

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I alerted the attention of nearly everyone when I entered the crowded chamber.

Now, who is it this time? they all asked expectantly, as I settled in among them.

Oh, it’s me—Elep, I quickly called out, nervous and scared at the many noise and voices coming from the unseen faces in the dark.

Already my mind race against time, trying to think out what I’d be doing next, if anything should go wrong in the chamber. But strangely, no one dared to talk to me again. It was as if I was an intruder in their domain and this made me felt even more nervous and frightened to speak again. I remained cringed in the corner where I had landed, but the hot and unventilated condition of the chamber, combined with the pushes and struggles from the multitude in the crowded chamber made my short stay so miserable that I could not remain still in that strange place.

What’s going on? I asked, through my frightened lips, but no one offered an answer. I felt strange among them. I mean—how did you all get in here? I asked again, my eyes gradually adjusting to the darkness now. No one dared to speak, too. Then, almost as if annoyed, someone asked, How did you get in, anyway? Although harsh, this was a relief after my earlier question went unanswered, and I did not wait to speak my mind.

It happened so suddenly, I said, before I could know what was happening, I was already between the bird’s beak and…

Well, that is exactly how we all got in too? said the one who spoke, even before I finished my story.

He cut me short for any more words. Nothing more came out of my lips. I was lost, confused and frightened too. But I couldn’t remain long to hold back my anxiety. I was still eager to find out more about this strange place, and our purpose in there. Why did the bird picked us? Why did it want to stuff us in this terrible place for no reason? Is it a kidnap for ransom? Why?

Can someone tell us where we are and what is going to happen to us? I asked again, and this time with a bit of command in my voice to scare the weaklings. But it was the opposite.

Elep! You are now in the cassowary’s stomach. Now, will you stop asking so many questions? everyone replied, harshly this time, and almost shouting as if angered by my many questions. I instantly realized we were all bound for the same fate.

Stomach? I questioned again, ignoring their pent up anger. I was now becoming more and more inquisitive.

That’s right!—Stomach! Moments earlier, you were traveling down its throat. You should, by now, realize that you have been taken in by the bird for breakfast

Breakfast? Including yourself too?

Oh come on, Elep. All of us, of course! Why do you think we would all crowd in here like that?

They were now truly annoyed with my volley of questions and I could sense it too.

Phew! I didn’t realize that. I said, hurt and annoyed to have been in the bird’s path initially.

I now realized why everyone was not so friendly. Like myself, they too were robbed and taken away from their nearest and dearest by the monster bird. And many did not like it. They were lost and confused just like myself, and did not want to talk about it either. My many questions have certainly upset them.

Is there a way out then, where we can all possibly escape from here, then? I asked some moments later, and in a more composed manner in the hope of getting some helpful tips. There was no immediate respond at first, but some seconds later, We can’t be so sure of that, they all responded, We are all new in here. And this time, I felt a sudden change of mood in almost everyone. I sensed that they were equally concerned and as eager as I was to get out of this strange place. Then, right next to me, someone offered some hope.

There should be a way out, he said, almost with certainty. It was a blue Eleocarpus seed.

And what makes you say that? someone interrupted, almost excitedly, and, the voice said, Because by the look of things the bird’s stomach will certainly burst if no space is made available for new arrivals.

No one had given a thought about that earlier, even me too.

That’s right, I cried, almost instantly remembering how we had all got into chamber, There should be a way out, because if more and more food keeps coming in here, there will be no more space and the stomach will certainly burst, killing the poor bird. And as the discussions were picking up in every corner of the dark chamber, I called out again, "Surely, there should be an exit somewhere. Can those who are against the walls look around and locate the exit and get us out