BY SAMIE WAIKORI
Auki
RARIPAINA tribal land in the central highlands of Are Are in Malaita province has taken a great initiative to protect some significant historical legends of the society of Are Are.
Coordinator of Wai-Hau Conservation Foundation Inc, Mr Flex Naitoro supports the idea of landowners of Raripaina taking on a conservation initiative.
He said during a recent hike in the tribal land with landowners of Raripaina, they told him lots of stories based on Are Are history which come from the area.
Naitoro said two of them were ‘wooden drum’ and ‘pan pipe’ where people of Are Are being culturally known for them in this modern era.
He said the first set of wooden drum (Para ni o’o) made during the first invention of wooden drum in the society of Are Are some centuries ago was made in Raripaina tribal land.
That first-made set of wooden drum has been protected along the many generations and can be seen today.
Naitoro added that the original pan pipe of Are Are also has its history in the same tribal land.
Adding that there were lot of stories about tribal war and other historical events in the past history of Are Are can be found in the tribal land.
He said there are lots of legends inter-connected to other parts of Are Are came from the tribal land, and it was so lucky that very limited people knew about those histories still exist to tell.
Naitoro however acknowledged them to come up with the conservation initiative to protect the rich historical tribal land.
On the same note he also urged other tribal lands boundary with Raripaina and going towards the inner part of Are Are to take on the similar conservation initiative Raripaina and other tribal lands in Are Are now pursuing.
Naitoro raised an alarm that currently these are the only pristine forest in the whole of Are Are, and any plan to destruct them will be a loss to virgin forest in Are Are.
