July 15, 2014
Northeast of Gundai, the land of the Fungai clan slopes steeply down to the ravine of the Rigahn River. In the 1960s a well-built bamboo suspension bridge provided easy crossing, but the almost vertical slope of the path upward from the ravine was an exhausting challenge, especially at the end of the fourth day of walking the Kiap Road from Simbai Patrol Post. We had come through Koki, Kumbruf and Kinimbong in Kalam-speaking territory, then crossed into the Maring-speaking area and passed by the hamlets of Dikai, Mondo, Gai, and Nimbra in each of which was a government-constructed guest house -- haus kiap -- meant to shelter the occasional Australian patrol officers and other travelers such as ourselves.
We crossed numerous big and little rivers whose names we neglected to ask: our attention was fully concentrated on "getting there." On the last leg of the route, the Kiap Road threaded its way between the land of two enemy clans - the Korama and the Tsangamp -- and then down the slope to the bridge over the Rigahn. It was the exhaustion of the climb up from there, passing low altitude yam gardens, second growth patches of forest, groves of pandanus, and mid-altitude sweet potato gardens, before coming out near the ridge to the hamlet of Gunts which was the last straw. When we had left in 1968, I knew I would never again visit Gunts.
But now I was within sight! Only .... just where was Gunts on that sunny slope? I could recognize Tababe, the location of the Fungai haus kiap. It was the almost treeless, flat area in the middle of my view from Gundai. But Gunts? Probably hidden behind the nearby trees on the right. I would never know.
Nintup had another idea. He lived in Gunts and had seen my exhaustion two days before after my walk from Dega. Now he invited Shiva to go to the place her grandparents had actually lived in. And so she set out early in the morning, accompanied by Sebastian with a camera, Stanley as translator, Pita, and several others.
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