Notes on the Gogodara Tribe of Western Papua.

Gogodala Canoe Festivals, Customary Ways and Cultural Tourism in Papua New Guinea

“…Near by were two shelters, which I learned had been used for storing food for the festival. From some of the old men I learned that the actual launching of the canoes is done by the men, and that, besides the feasting and dancing, trial races between crews picked from each of the clans are held, to test the speed of the canoes (Lyons :351).Later Lyons requested the old men select some men for the canoes and they did so, instructing them to hold a race for the benefit of the colonial observer.

[e]ach crew took its canoe to an arranged starting place out in the lagoon and near some reeds. The canoes were lined up alongside of one another with the prows comparatively level.

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“…In fact, one of the primary and most compelling images of Gogodala villagers in the early part of the last century was of the 30–40 metre‐long, elaborately carved, painted and decorated single‐hulled dug‐out canoes that were raced along the waterways and rivers of the area (see for example Beaver ; Lyons ). Several of these canoes (or at least the prows) were collected by early traveller/ adventurers, colonial administrators and amateur ethnographers (see Crawford ; Lyons ). The significance of these canoe races was challenged by processes of pacification that set in place punitive measures for inter‐village rivalry and warfare – often the rationale for the racing of the canoes – and the establishment of a close, residential expatriate mission that emphasised the cessation of activities associated with certain ceremonies and what came to be known as ‘evil spirits’.…”

'Dancing for joy': Gender and relational spaces in Papua New Guinea

“…Canoe races, gawa maiyata in the Gogodala language, have a long history in the area, noted first by A.P. Lyons, Resident Magistrate of Western Division in 1916(1926; they were originally part of a series of maiyata or ceremonies held during cycles of male initiations (see Dundon 2013). They are usually now held as the penultimate 'customary' activity at the end of events like the one described above or at community school openings, national independence celebrations and, increasingly, as the basis of a 'cultural festival' (Dundon 2013).…”

Gunnar Landtman in Papua. 1910 to 1912

“…Haddon's terminology was corrected by the Lieutenant Governor no less (Haddon 1916;appendix). The word Kabiri [Kibili] is the actually the name of the large lagoon in front of Balimo and Dogona villages and Girara is the Gogodala word for 'language' (Lyons 1926). However the village of Gaima on the Fly was a logical place for Landtman and Butcher to begin an investigation of the inland wetlands and the well populated area along the Aramia River that gave access to the Bamu River.…”

“…In the dry season the grasslands are burnt off and the isolated village communities can then be reached on foot. The Gogodala have a rich carving tradition and their distinctive style is readily recognised (see Crawford 1981;Beaver 1914a;Lyons 1926). During his patrols, Wilfred Beaver made a collection of artefacts which was later bought by Albert B. Lewis from the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago who was later to criticize the quality of Landtman's photographs (Crawford 1981).…”