We finished the cross-sectional survey on Tuesday and threw a small party for the team to celebrate. The following morning a land dispute erupted in Kodi. The entomology team was in Wainyapu when men from one sub-village marched by carrying spears and large rocks. They started a battle with men from the neighboring village of Waiha. For the time being, all work has ceased in Wainyapu. We must wait until they have decided to put away the big rocks and pointy sticks. The worst part, according to Chris, is that access to a prime surfing spot has been cut off. I realize what I am about to write may sound flippant, but I have a hard time imagining an actual battle in Wainyapu given that no one out there weighs more than 110lbs.
In all seriousness, though, the situation is real and people will get hurt maybe even die. An elderly woman in town told us there must have been blood shed as all of the light had gone from the sky (no moon) last night. I hope she is wrong.
The Nixons are safe and sound. We live at least 1.5 hours from Wainyapu and won't be getting anywhere near there for quite some time. It just feels surreal to have people nearby engaged in a tribal war and people in Waitabula (where we live) to say, "tidak apa-apa, itu biasa" (No big deal. It's normal.) The whole situation makes me seriously question their definition of normal.
And yet, after reading the local papers, innocent children are caught in the cross-fire of turf (land) warfare (disputes) in our inner cities between rival gangs (villagers?). In places like Oakland, this seems to be a regular occurrence ... maybe not normal, but we don't seem to be as shocked or outraged as we should be.
ReplyDeleteI'll take sticks and stones over semi-automatic weapons any day. At least the protagonists can focus on each other and not the uninvolved.