Martin Korokan Lomeyari was born into the Malipin Angalean Tribe of Wabag, Australian Territory of Papua and New Guinea, one of the indigenous tribes which has been in existence for more than 65,000 years. Martin completed a Diploma in Nursing of Pacific Adventist University, Enga campus, a bachelor’s degree at Divine Word University and a master’s degree in public policy from Peking University, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China.

PhD Thesis title: Enga Yainanda; Indigenous and Introduced Health Practices in Enga Province of Papua New Guinea.

Abstract

This thesis is about Enga Yainanda: Indigenous and Introduced Health Practices in people who speak the Enga vernaculars of the former Australian Territory of Papua and New Guinea. Yainanda is literally defined as a house of the sick or hausik in Papua New Guinea tok pidgin language. It comes from the words yain meaning sick and anda meaning house. The Enga dictionary defines yainanda as a hospital. In the time immemorial, in what is now Enga Province of Papua New Guinea tribes and clans have Yainanda or a community site where promotion of health and wellbeing was honoured. A Gote mau (An earth oven, ground oven or cooking pit) was offered and Yaniyanda kuli (blessing and healing) was sought. This Gote mau is where sacred prayers are said to Gote or Akali Andake. God is sometimes referred to as Aitawe at Yainanda in Engan tribal community. The archaeological record indicates that Aboriginal Australians crossed from Papua New Guinea to Australia some 65,000 years ago. The Enga people (Laeapo to the East, Mai of the West, Sauwans of the North and the Kanepean to South) have a long history of Medicine and Surgery prior to the first arrival by Europeans in 1933. Kone naepeaop, the Mai, Laiapo, Sauwan, Kandep, Taru and Ipili communities have used the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship (finance refers to traditional items like mena,mamaku or kaleta – Engan money in before arrival of Europeans).  

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate these Enga Yaninanda as historical sources, the living oral performances need to be fixed on paper in a written from an Enga perspective and translated in a language understandable outside the Enga region as part of the knowledge sharing; to describe and the western facilities which are available to Enga; to report data on the way the Engan utilise these facilities and to discuss the choice which a sick person must make between visiting a traditional Enga Yainanda or visiting an introduced health facility.

 Today the Enga people have recourse to 2 types of medical services. Firstly, there is traditional system which has been described in as Kone Naepeyaom Yaina chapters and secondly there is the introduced system of Western Medicine which are describe in Kone Marasin mino Epe have been established by the Kone (white man). These alternative medical facilities will be referred to as traditional medicine and western medicine respectively.