Our Culture

 CONFRONT OUR CULTURE

Rabaul is famous for its singing - song, dance and ceremonies that range from being the tip of the iceberg of the deepest cultural secrets, through compositions telling the story of notable recent events, to items that are simply entertainment, often a mix of slapstick and ribald!

More recently, "String Bands" (Guitars and Ukeleles) became popular, then "paus bens" (electric and electronics instruments).  So popular is their music you will hear it in every store and every bus in Rabaul and Kokopo.

Church-based choral singing is a feature of Tolai life too with mixed groups rendering old and new favorites in undirected four part harmony on demand.

NATIONAL MASK FESTIVAL AND WARWAGIRA

This is an opportunity in mid-July every year to see the most outstanding singsings, string bands, paua bens, and choirs performing over several days.  This is an event very largely aimed at visitors rather than residents and offers opportunities to get close up with variety of performers and performances.

We can organize a visit for you that involves an mix mix elastic of Festival events and wider experiences in the Rabaul-Kokopo area and the neighboring Duke of York Islands. 

Welcome to another world with a day of island life on my home, Matupit Island.  Cruising to Rabaul, you will see Matupit lying low on the starside board as your ship enters the harbour.  It was once a true Island home has become the end of a little peninsula jutting out into the harbour between Tavurvur volcano and Rabaul town.

You will start with a visit to the Volcanological Observatory ("Haus Guria"), then move through the ruins of Rabaul town to the areas devastated by the burning gas and ash from Tavurvur volcano in 1994 and 2014, to the hot springs where youngster will boil a (wild chicken) mega pod egg for you.

Matupit Island, in the shadow of Tavurvur, was devastated in the 1994 eruption, but thankfully, largely spared in 2014.  You will tour areas being restored by the Matupit people.  The United Church will be a feature, along with other public buildings, private houses, and most importantly for us Tolais, gardens - food gardens and decorative gardens.

The visit is interactive.  In addition to seeing how we live, you will have a chance to experience it too.

You will join us preparing food from our garden, a "mumu" and "aigir" lunch (chicken or vegetable options).  We will demonstrate these two kinds of cooking, mumu with parcels of food buried in hot stones and aigir with food in a pot and hot stones added!.  In both cases will be cooked with coconut milk.

You will join us in weaving fine quality mats with pandanus leaves, weaving rough mats or making baskets with coconut fronds and threading "tambu" shell money on cane for storage displays.  You will join our singing group and learn a simple Tolai singing dance and song.

After lunch, we will wrap up your visit with a tour of the Rabaul Market where you will see the cornucopia of the wet tropical region, with the vegetables and fruits you have seen in our gardens, along with handcrafts and other small items, all on sale.

TOURS TO YOUR TASTE.!

We are happy to provide specialty tours made to order for individuals and small groups.  Tell us what you want to see and experience and we will arrange to put you in the middle of it