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Maiba, a Papuan Novel
Book by Soaba, Russell
115 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1979
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December 22, 2019
A hetvenes évek Pápua Új-Guineája. Soknyelvű, sokkultúrájú terület.
Angol tanítónő neveli a gyerekeket, és dárdával fogják a halat a tengerben. A népszónok amerikai sörrel itatja le az embereit, és a külföldi befolyás ellen prédikálva brutálisan bántalmazza a saját falujabelieket. A katolikus pap cementkereszt alatt prédikál a bosszúállás hiábavalóságáról, majd a puszta jelenlétével védelmezi a templomba menekülteket, a helybeli hagyományokra hivatkozó kamaszlány pedig vezetővé válik. Ezt az ellentmondásos, állandó mozgásban lévő, hol nosztalgiával, hol naturalista módon ábrázolt hátteret kiválóan megragadja a regény. Hiába rövid, rengeteg minden belefér.
Túl sok is. A beleférés. Meg a mozgás. Ami a kulturális információkat illeti, időnként a hitelesség rovására megy a mennyiségük, főleg, amikor a szereplők egymásnak tartanak antropológiai szakkifejezésekkel megspékelt előadást a saját népük múltjáról. Ami pedig a mozgást illeti: ez a regény valami és megyen valahová, de hogy hová, azt nem tudja senki. A regény kétharmadában alig lehet követni, mi miért történik, és sajnos a cselekményben is rengeteg az ellentmondás. Az utolsó harmadban már világos, mi következik miből, csak arról nem fog tudni meggyőzni senki, hogy tényleg létezik ilyen. Olyan alapdolgokról már nem is beszélek, mint hogy a főszereplő a regény közepén kiskamasz, a végén meg legalább húszéves, és közben pár napnyi regényidő telik el.
Azért, aki ezzel kezdi az ismerkedést Pápua Új-Guinea kultúrájával, nem jár rosszul. Még Óceánia kultúrájának nagy öregjeit is meg lehet találni benne: Maori Kikit vagy Albert Wendtet a legnagyobb tisztelet hangján emlegetik a szereplők.
Angol tanítónő neveli a gyerekeket, és dárdával fogják a halat a tengerben. A népszónok amerikai sörrel itatja le az embereit, és a külföldi befolyás ellen prédikálva brutálisan bántalmazza a saját falujabelieket. A katolikus pap cementkereszt alatt prédikál a bosszúállás hiábavalóságáról, majd a puszta jelenlétével védelmezi a templomba menekülteket, a helybeli hagyományokra hivatkozó kamaszlány pedig vezetővé válik. Ezt az ellentmondásos, állandó mozgásban lévő, hol nosztalgiával, hol naturalista módon ábrázolt hátteret kiválóan megragadja a regény. Hiába rövid, rengeteg minden belefér.
Túl sok is. A beleférés. Meg a mozgás. Ami a kulturális információkat illeti, időnként a hitelesség rovására megy a mennyiségük, főleg, amikor a szereplők egymásnak tartanak antropológiai szakkifejezésekkel megspékelt előadást a saját népük múltjáról. Ami pedig a mozgást illeti: ez a regény valami és megyen valahová, de hogy hová, azt nem tudja senki. A regény kétharmadában alig lehet követni, mi miért történik, és sajnos a cselekményben is rengeteg az ellentmondás. Az utolsó harmadban már világos, mi következik miből, csak arról nem fog tudni meggyőzni senki, hogy tényleg létezik ilyen. Olyan alapdolgokról már nem is beszélek, mint hogy a főszereplő a regény közepén kiskamasz, a végén meg legalább húszéves, és közben pár napnyi regényidő telik el.
Azért, aki ezzel kezdi az ismerkedést Pápua Új-Guinea kultúrájával, nem jár rosszul. Még Óceánia kultúrájának nagy öregjeit is meg lehet találni benne: Maori Kikit vagy Albert Wendtet a legnagyobb tisztelet hangján emlegetik a szereplők.
June 10, 2020
#readtheworld Papua New Guinea
I'm surprised this doesn't have higher ratings. I really enjoyed Soaba's story of Maiba, an adolescent girl growing up in a Papua New Guinean village. Since I did not know much about PNG before reading this, I did have to take a brief hiatus from reading to spend some time researching basic geography and cultural facts to get me up to speed. Fun fact: there are over 820 indigenous languages spoken in Papua New Guinea. Maiba references this when speaking to her cousin and wanting to keep the conversation confidential, they switch languages, since they know only a handful of people speak this language of their family. It makes me want to research PNG linguistics!
Anyway, the story follows the alienated Maiba, daughter of the last chief of Makawana, and of the Wawaya-Magura chiefdom. Since her father's passing, Maiba has come to be a pariah of the village, many of whom believe her to be evil, dirty, or just plain bad luck. Maiba and the other characters of the story represent the people of PNG during post-independence. Maiba, her uncle (Mr. Wawaya), and the storekeeper represent the past traditional way of life, while Doboro Thomas, Koboni, Mrs. Wawaya and Siril represent post-colonial capitalism and blindness in the face of money.
The chasm between the two sides seems to break open literally overnight, basically slapping the reader in the face with this sudden cultural shift within a community. The villagers must face this shift, weigh their moral compasses and determine the outcome of Makawana village.
I'm surprised this doesn't have higher ratings. I really enjoyed Soaba's story of Maiba, an adolescent girl growing up in a Papua New Guinean village. Since I did not know much about PNG before reading this, I did have to take a brief hiatus from reading to spend some time researching basic geography and cultural facts to get me up to speed. Fun fact: there are over 820 indigenous languages spoken in Papua New Guinea. Maiba references this when speaking to her cousin and wanting to keep the conversation confidential, they switch languages, since they know only a handful of people speak this language of their family. It makes me want to research PNG linguistics!
Anyway, the story follows the alienated Maiba, daughter of the last chief of Makawana, and of the Wawaya-Magura chiefdom. Since her father's passing, Maiba has come to be a pariah of the village, many of whom believe her to be evil, dirty, or just plain bad luck. Maiba and the other characters of the story represent the people of PNG during post-independence. Maiba, her uncle (Mr. Wawaya), and the storekeeper represent the past traditional way of life, while Doboro Thomas, Koboni, Mrs. Wawaya and Siril represent post-colonial capitalism and blindness in the face of money.
The chasm between the two sides seems to break open literally overnight, basically slapping the reader in the face with this sudden cultural shift within a community. The villagers must face this shift, weigh their moral compasses and determine the outcome of Makawana village.
February 12, 2022
I really like the little note at the beginning, "Maiba ... the common form of Anuki communication which expresses truth only through parables and riddles". Why doesn't English have names like that?! I noticed the characters do speak (and switch easily from) a few different languages - very interesting and would be interested as to whether that is usual. And there are various original language words left like that throughout the text, I'd love to know more about which language they are and the decisions to do that.
A couple of parables stuck out to me, e.g. the one with the two brothers - and the rigid respect for elders throughout this text is very interesting. All the dimdim references are also very interesting.
Otherwise, I like [where the subject is Maiba getting married], "Believe them if you will," says Maiba, losing interest in the subject. "People only tell stories out of their own experiences. Or imagination. And I am Maiba."
Also think the ending should really have a trigger warning.
A couple of parables stuck out to me, e.g. the one with the two brothers - and the rigid respect for elders throughout this text is very interesting. All the dimdim references are also very interesting.
Otherwise, I like [where the subject is Maiba getting married], "Believe them if you will," says Maiba, losing interest in the subject. "People only tell stories out of their own experiences. Or imagination. And I am Maiba."
Also think the ending should really have a trigger warning.
May 7, 2023
Interesting material but confusing and with an unfinished feel to it. The description of the bay, the village and elements of life pulled between the traditional and the new made it worth reading for me.
July 9, 2022
The story was pretty gripping but there were some parts that felt a bit unnecessary. I am also not a huge fan of the writing, which was a bit confusing at times.
October 23, 2022
The cover of Papua New Guinean author Russell Soaba’s 1985 novel Maiba shows the nude, ebony silhouette of a young woman. She wears her hair in a full, shaped afro reminiscent of the hairstyles of the Black Power Movement. And yet, it is evident that this character will not be found in the United States–she is flanked by strong, thick rooted trees and a clear blue ocean. This is a woman living in postcolonial Papua New Guinea.
She is called Maiba, which according to the novel’s acknowledgments, is “the common form of Anuki communication which expresses truths only through parables and riddles.” Her late father was the last chief of Makawana Village, which is a remote agrarian area that has largely been untouched by development.
Soaba describes a lush paradise complete with “[coral] reefs, the long stretches of yellowish beaches, [and] golden sunsets behind purplish swaying palms.” And yet, this blissful image is quickly shattered a few pages into the novel.
From a young age Maiba is an outcast due to her reticence to clothing and ever present runny nose. Her community sees her as unattractive, diseased, and an “ill omen.” Both the villagers and the local Anglican priest believe that Maiba is a product of her father’s sins–a living embodiment of the concept of ancestral sin, in which "the iniquities of the fathers are visited upon the sons and daughters..." (Exodus 20:5).
At first it is unclear what the sin is, but it becomes clear that it is simply indigenous, traditional rule that the locals and the misinares hate. “The village, under the leadership of Maiba’s ancestors, certainly had been rich and powerful. Then had come the Anglicans…and slowly the villagers turned away from their chiefs. The death of Maiba’s father meant that there was nothing left of the ‘dark’ to fear.”
And yet, the village is filled with darkness even after the chief’s passing. The titular character, then nothing but a young girl, is personally confronted with difficulties including orphancy, infant paralysis, attempted molestation, physical and emotional abuse from the aunt who raises her, and the suicide of her classmate.
Due to this, “Maiba could actually and physically feel that loneliness tearing mercilessly at the tissues of her heart.”
Her only source of light is her male cousin Siril, who serves as her companion and protector.
They spend their time together, going for ocean swims, eating pawpaw (papaya) and roasted bandicoots on the veranda, tending the family garden, and sharing traditional songs and parables.
And yet, this fragile bliss does not last for long. Maiba’s hardwon, youthful joys are soon interrupted as the village’s story takes a dark, savage turn–one so unexpected and twisted that it took my breath away.
Inter-community trust is betrayed in ways “far more cunning than even a notorious dimdim [white person] you would read about in history books.” It is evident that some of the villagers have discarded more than their chieftaincy in favor of European ways; they have abandoned their dignity.
There is no longer a need for foreign invasion or oppression. A rogue group has now become the conspirators, the tricksters–the capitalist savages. They are everything they feared Maiba and the traditionalism she represents to be.
The question is, can their sins be forgiven?
She is called Maiba, which according to the novel’s acknowledgments, is “the common form of Anuki communication which expresses truths only through parables and riddles.” Her late father was the last chief of Makawana Village, which is a remote agrarian area that has largely been untouched by development.
Soaba describes a lush paradise complete with “[coral] reefs, the long stretches of yellowish beaches, [and] golden sunsets behind purplish swaying palms.” And yet, this blissful image is quickly shattered a few pages into the novel.
From a young age Maiba is an outcast due to her reticence to clothing and ever present runny nose. Her community sees her as unattractive, diseased, and an “ill omen.” Both the villagers and the local Anglican priest believe that Maiba is a product of her father’s sins–a living embodiment of the concept of ancestral sin, in which "the iniquities of the fathers are visited upon the sons and daughters..." (Exodus 20:5).
At first it is unclear what the sin is, but it becomes clear that it is simply indigenous, traditional rule that the locals and the misinares hate. “The village, under the leadership of Maiba’s ancestors, certainly had been rich and powerful. Then had come the Anglicans…and slowly the villagers turned away from their chiefs. The death of Maiba’s father meant that there was nothing left of the ‘dark’ to fear.”
And yet, the village is filled with darkness even after the chief’s passing. The titular character, then nothing but a young girl, is personally confronted with difficulties including orphancy, infant paralysis, attempted molestation, physical and emotional abuse from the aunt who raises her, and the suicide of her classmate.
Due to this, “Maiba could actually and physically feel that loneliness tearing mercilessly at the tissues of her heart.”
Her only source of light is her male cousin Siril, who serves as her companion and protector.
They spend their time together, going for ocean swims, eating pawpaw (papaya) and roasted bandicoots on the veranda, tending the family garden, and sharing traditional songs and parables.
And yet, this fragile bliss does not last for long. Maiba’s hardwon, youthful joys are soon interrupted as the village’s story takes a dark, savage turn–one so unexpected and twisted that it took my breath away.
Inter-community trust is betrayed in ways “far more cunning than even a notorious dimdim [white person] you would read about in history books.” It is evident that some of the villagers have discarded more than their chieftaincy in favor of European ways; they have abandoned their dignity.
There is no longer a need for foreign invasion or oppression. A rogue group has now become the conspirators, the tricksters–the capitalist savages. They are everything they feared Maiba and the traditionalism she represents to be.
The question is, can their sins be forgiven?
Read
February 23, 2025Είναι ειρωνικό που μια χώρα σαν την Παπούα Νέα Γουινέα με μέγεθος μεγαλύτερο από την Μεγάλη Βρετανία με πάνω από 700 ομιλούμενες γλώσσες, γλώσσες όχι διαλέκτους και τα αγγλικά να ομιλούνται από το 40% του πληθυσμού και είναι και η γλώσσα της κυβέρνησης των νόμων και της εκπαίδευσης είναι ειρωνικό να μην βρίσκεις βιβλία από τη λογοτεχνία αυτής της χώρας.
Το συγκεκριμένο είναι το μοναδικό που βρήκα σε σχετικά προσιτή τιμή €20 για 100 κάτι σελίδες. Δεν μπόρεσα να βρω τίποτα άλλο. Και ξέρω ότι θα δυσκολευτώ περισσότερο με τις υπόλοιπες χώρες της Ωκεάνιας.
Με Αυστραλία και Νέα Ζηλανδία είναι εύκολο με Παπούα δυσκολεύτηκα που είναι και μεγάλη χώρα. Με χώρες σαν Βανουάτου Φίτζι Σαμόα θα μου βγει η πίστη να βρω.
Στα του βιβλίου τώρα δε θυμάμαι Χριστό… Πρωταγωνίστρια είναι η Μάιμπα στον τίτλο ένα coming of age βιβλίο αλλά μέχρι εδώ. Το διάβασα Ιούλη μες στην κάψα τώρα μες το ψοφόκρυο πού να θυμάμαι. Έτσι κι αλλιώς δε θα το διαβάσετε ποτέ. Πιο πιθανό να πάω διακοπές φέτος στην Παπούα παρά να εκδοθεί στα ελληνικά.
Το συγκεκριμένο είναι το μοναδικό που βρήκα σε σχετικά προσιτή τιμή €20 για 100 κάτι σελίδες. Δεν μπόρεσα να βρω τίποτα άλλο. Και ξέρω ότι θα δυσκολευτώ περισσότερο με τις υπόλοιπες χώρες της Ωκεάνιας.
Με Αυστραλία και Νέα Ζηλανδία είναι εύκολο με Παπούα δυσκολεύτηκα που είναι και μεγάλη χώρα. Με χώρες σαν Βανουάτου Φίτζι Σαμόα θα μου βγει η πίστη να βρω.
Στα του βιβλίου τώρα δε θυμάμαι Χριστό… Πρωταγωνίστρια είναι η Μάιμπα στον τίτλο ένα coming of age βιβλίο αλλά μέχρι εδώ. Το διάβασα Ιούλη μες στην κάψα τώρα μες το ψοφόκρυο πού να θυμάμαι. Έτσι κι αλλιώς δε θα το διαβάσετε ποτέ. Πιο πιθανό να πάω διακοπές φέτος στην Παπούα παρά να εκδοθεί στα ελληνικά.
June 9, 2019
This was certainly an interesting read culturally. But plot wise it was quite hard to follow and I'm still not entirely sure why some things happened. Very strange
March 26, 2023
Papua New Guinea - Round the World reading challenge. Chief of village dies and daughter is witness to transitions.
January 11, 2025
Maiba, by Russell Souba is a story of a young orphan daughter of a tribal chief in coastal Papua New Guinea. While recounting her life – the book captures, in great depth, the life and times of a certain Papuan tribe.
The book itself is not set far back into the past – and it remarkably highlights how the traditional way of life in PNG was suddenly exposed to great modernity. The contrast understandably is very stark. The book paints a vivid picture, in all its brutality – with rapes and murders and superstitions, as well its mundane – the routine, the hunting and superstitions of the village. Parts of it are very disturbing.
The narration feels very jagged – and the book reads as a novel in a moment and a National Geographic documentary in the next – making for not the most pleasant read. For instance, there is an abrupt jump to the characters youth in the initial chapters, but then the book jumps back to their childhood and the characters don’t grow up for the rest of the book – leaving one to wonder what the point of the exercise was. Even the main story arc shifts from the protagonist to an sudden village coup – in the final chapters – and the protagonist seemed to have been left aside as any supporting character.
In conclusion: The book – Informative : Perhaps :: Entertaining : Not Really
The book itself is not set far back into the past – and it remarkably highlights how the traditional way of life in PNG was suddenly exposed to great modernity. The contrast understandably is very stark. The book paints a vivid picture, in all its brutality – with rapes and murders and superstitions, as well its mundane – the routine, the hunting and superstitions of the village. Parts of it are very disturbing.
The narration feels very jagged – and the book reads as a novel in a moment and a National Geographic documentary in the next – making for not the most pleasant read. For instance, there is an abrupt jump to the characters youth in the initial chapters, but then the book jumps back to their childhood and the characters don’t grow up for the rest of the book – leaving one to wonder what the point of the exercise was. Even the main story arc shifts from the protagonist to an sudden village coup – in the final chapters – and the protagonist seemed to have been left aside as any supporting character.
In conclusion: The book – Informative : Perhaps :: Entertaining : Not Really
July 13, 2025
La Papouasie- Nouvelle Guinée .. à mille ou plutôt dix mille lieues de notre vieille Europe .... le roman de Russell Soaba, premier de ses romans traduit en français, nous offre l'occasion de découvrir quelques unes des multiples facettes de cette ile océanienne.
Maïba est une jeune fille, orpheline , qui vit depuis sa prime enfance dans la maison de son oncle et de sa tante . Elle est la fille du dernier chef des Wawaya- Magura. Depuis sa port il n'y a plus de chef de village. La vie a changé, l'Eglise occupe une place de choix, la colonisation a apporté certes du bon mais les repères de la vie traditionnelle, des mythes et légendes semblent avoir disparu des mémoires.
La violence est latente et Maiba va finir par enfin trouver sa place .
Alors bien sur il m'a manqué toutes les connaissances nécessaires à la compréhension des évènements auxquels on assiste, Il m'a fallu oublier mon regard occidental qui condamne les exactions . Bref par ignorance je n'ai pas pu apprécier à sa juste valeur ce roman foisonnant. Dommage vraiment.
Maïba est une jeune fille, orpheline , qui vit depuis sa prime enfance dans la maison de son oncle et de sa tante . Elle est la fille du dernier chef des Wawaya- Magura. Depuis sa port il n'y a plus de chef de village. La vie a changé, l'Eglise occupe une place de choix, la colonisation a apporté certes du bon mais les repères de la vie traditionnelle, des mythes et légendes semblent avoir disparu des mémoires.
La violence est latente et Maiba va finir par enfin trouver sa place .
Alors bien sur il m'a manqué toutes les connaissances nécessaires à la compréhension des évènements auxquels on assiste, Il m'a fallu oublier mon regard occidental qui condamne les exactions . Bref par ignorance je n'ai pas pu apprécier à sa juste valeur ce roman foisonnant. Dommage vraiment.
February 9, 2022
"Better to leave the island in mid-ocean, in its entirety of independence and freedom, together with all its anguish and suffering, than destroy it once and for all by making a wild guess at who should be saved and who shouldn’t be."
Het leven in een kleine, traditionele dorpsgemeenschap op een eiland in Papoea-Nieuw-Guinea. Maiba is het zwarte schaap, mede omdat zij de enige afstammelinge is van de overleden dorpsoverste, en de gemeenschap weg geëvolueerd is van de oude tradities. We krijgen een mooi beeld van het leven in zo'n dorpsgemeenschap, tot ineens alles een wending krijgt in een onbegrijpbare, gewelddadige nachtmerrie... is het een droom of werkelijkheid? En wat is de bron van de nachtmerrie?
Is het de oude animistische traditie? Is het de nieuwe monotheïstische cultuur van het kolonialisme? Is het de botsing tussen beiden of kunnen zij met elkaar verenigd worden?
Het blijft een open vraag.
Het leven in een kleine, traditionele dorpsgemeenschap op een eiland in Papoea-Nieuw-Guinea. Maiba is het zwarte schaap, mede omdat zij de enige afstammelinge is van de overleden dorpsoverste, en de gemeenschap weg geëvolueerd is van de oude tradities. We krijgen een mooi beeld van het leven in zo'n dorpsgemeenschap, tot ineens alles een wending krijgt in een onbegrijpbare, gewelddadige nachtmerrie... is het een droom of werkelijkheid? En wat is de bron van de nachtmerrie?
Is het de oude animistische traditie? Is het de nieuwe monotheïstische cultuur van het kolonialisme? Is het de botsing tussen beiden of kunnen zij met elkaar verenigd worden?
Het blijft een open vraag.
August 23, 2025
3.5 stars really.
This was my last read for the Melanesian Islands in my Read the World in Translation challenge. I understood it was an allegory but I had to spend some time reading up on PNG history and it scultural context (though I gave up because there are over 800 language/cultures in those islands.) I spent sometime understanding Russell Soaba's importance to literature of the region (and in the decolonisation period.)
If decolonisation and its consequences are your speed, this is a good book to pick up, just a FYI
The story was well-written and surprisingly (to me) quite immersive. The context of the story is the tension between a disappearing indigenous world and modernization. I found parts of it horrific and other parts terribly sad. My takeaway is that Soaba is an excellent author who managed in about 120 pages to create a real emotional read.
Recommend.
This was my last read for the Melanesian Islands in my Read the World in Translation challenge. I understood it was an allegory but I had to spend some time reading up on PNG history and it scultural context (though I gave up because there are over 800 language/cultures in those islands.) I spent sometime understanding Russell Soaba's importance to literature of the region (and in the decolonisation period.)
If decolonisation and its consequences are your speed, this is a good book to pick up, just a FYI
The story was well-written and surprisingly (to me) quite immersive. The context of the story is the tension between a disappearing indigenous world and modernization. I found parts of it horrific and other parts terribly sad. My takeaway is that Soaba is an excellent author who managed in about 120 pages to create a real emotional read.
Recommend.
January 28, 2026
This novel is set during a turning point in the indigenous village life of Papua New Guinea. Maiba is a girl orphaned after the death of her father, the last chief of Makawana village. Despite the prominence of her late father, Maiba is an outcast with very little support from her people and is depicted as a disheveled tomboy with a runny nose. Over the course of the story the community is torn as some are drawn to Western modernism (which arrives with Christianity and capitalism) and yet Maiba emerges to try to defend the community against the forces tearing it apart. The novel features grim details of violence and sexual assault, as well as more benign passages describing the landscape and traditional ways of Papua New Guinea.
June 24, 2017
[#79 Papua New Guinea] In this short novel, colonialism and traditional tribal culture are personified in order to denounce the former. I struggled a little to understand where this book was going, but that's not unusual with books from countries outside the Western World since they tend to have a different narrative structure.
May 25, 2024
What an interesting story of a society on a precipice, swaying to and fro. I really liked the main character and the choice to focus on her. The atmosphere was vivid and almost tangible. Not going to say it's perfect since it does meander a bit but it's really a book to experience.
May 17, 2019
The story has potential, but the writing style was not that great. It is not easy to follow the story develop and after about 2/3 of the novel read, you start to wonder what's the point?
June 13, 2020
Ratings:
Writing 4
Story line 4
Characters 3
Emotional impact 4
Overall rating 3.75
Writing 4
Story line 4
Characters 3
Emotional impact 4
Overall rating 3.75
July 8, 2022
#109: Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬.
A rare book from Papua New Guinea (PNG). In principle an interesting story, but confusingly written, especially the long central chapter, and with an unsatisfactory ending.
A rare book from Papua New Guinea (PNG). In principle an interesting story, but confusingly written, especially the long central chapter, and with an unsatisfactory ending.
August 18, 2023
Wonderful writing.
March 2, 2024
(Warning: The following has minor spoilers):
3.5/5
A meandering exploration of power and patriarchy.
The setting of this book is a place named Tubuga Bay in Papua New Guinea (I couldn't find such a place in google maps, so it could be fictional). Soaba paints quite a word picture of this small bay - yellow sands, coconut trees, ring of corals, mangrove roots, blue ocean. The book is quick to dispense with any notions of idyllic bliss though - from the get go, it is clear that the human lives are anything but.
The titular character is the teenager Maiba (short for Yawasa Maibina), orphaned daughter of the late chief of Makawana Village. She is raised by her uncle & aunt, the latter of whom detests her. Maiba is no island belle/ tropical beauty - everything about her is raw, rough, unrefined, perhaps unformed, and certainly unlucky. I loved that Soaba chose to anchor his book with such a character, and the book starts off pretty strong. With some flashback, we also learn that Papua was organized under a chief for each village, neighboring villages were allies, and that Makawana village had once been rich and powerful under Maiba's ancestors, but has since fallen into bad times (we never learn why). With the coming of Christianity in the 19th century, the villagers have slowly turned away from their chiefs, and with Maiba's father's death, her village is finally chief-less and seems happy to be so.
The villagers are subsistence farmers. Much of the long, immersive text in the book describes the long hours of toil that Maiba's family (3 children and 2 adults) undertakes to make the land bear fruit - clearing the land, agriculture, hunting, fishing. These parts are well written and make for a beautiful read. A good chunk of the rest of the ink is divided between two themes, neither of which I found particularly well written. The first is Maiba's aunt, an adulterous woman with a long-held, illogical grudge. The second abruptly rears its head about 60% into the book in the form of a colonialist-style, gun-fueled power grab, executed by some wayward villagers. There is some graphic child molestation that came out of nowhere, totally unexpectedly.
I was never sure where Soaba was heading with these themes. At one point, I thought the book was about Maiba finding her voice, and she does do so, but pretty weakly. I also wondered if the book was making a commentary on the "in-between land" the village found itself in - wanting to let go of the old, but without really having strong new socio-cultural norms to replace it. Soaba never explores this theme fully either. There is enough mockery of both old and new customs, but it is never clear to what end.
After the strong start, the book meanders hither-tither and never really manages to pull it all back together. When the dust settles, we are left with a family in shatters, characters with new wounds and voices, and a village that seemed to rise against patriarchy only to ultimately find itself smoothly slipping back into it.
Reading context: Reading around the world choice for Papua New Guinea.
Read as: Original work in English.
Book format: Physical book, borrowed from Stanford libraries (Thanks to the alumna, the late Eve Rannells, who donated the book to the library).
3.5/5
A meandering exploration of power and patriarchy.
The setting of this book is a place named Tubuga Bay in Papua New Guinea (I couldn't find such a place in google maps, so it could be fictional). Soaba paints quite a word picture of this small bay - yellow sands, coconut trees, ring of corals, mangrove roots, blue ocean. The book is quick to dispense with any notions of idyllic bliss though - from the get go, it is clear that the human lives are anything but.
The titular character is the teenager Maiba (short for Yawasa Maibina), orphaned daughter of the late chief of Makawana Village. She is raised by her uncle & aunt, the latter of whom detests her. Maiba is no island belle/ tropical beauty - everything about her is raw, rough, unrefined, perhaps unformed, and certainly unlucky. I loved that Soaba chose to anchor his book with such a character, and the book starts off pretty strong. With some flashback, we also learn that Papua was organized under a chief for each village, neighboring villages were allies, and that Makawana village had once been rich and powerful under Maiba's ancestors, but has since fallen into bad times (we never learn why). With the coming of Christianity in the 19th century, the villagers have slowly turned away from their chiefs, and with Maiba's father's death, her village is finally chief-less and seems happy to be so.
The villagers are subsistence farmers. Much of the long, immersive text in the book describes the long hours of toil that Maiba's family (3 children and 2 adults) undertakes to make the land bear fruit - clearing the land, agriculture, hunting, fishing. These parts are well written and make for a beautiful read. A good chunk of the rest of the ink is divided between two themes, neither of which I found particularly well written. The first is Maiba's aunt, an adulterous woman with a long-held, illogical grudge. The second abruptly rears its head about 60% into the book in the form of a colonialist-style, gun-fueled power grab, executed by some wayward villagers. There is some graphic child molestation that came out of nowhere, totally unexpectedly.
I was never sure where Soaba was heading with these themes. At one point, I thought the book was about Maiba finding her voice, and she does do so, but pretty weakly. I also wondered if the book was making a commentary on the "in-between land" the village found itself in - wanting to let go of the old, but without really having strong new socio-cultural norms to replace it. Soaba never explores this theme fully either. There is enough mockery of both old and new customs, but it is never clear to what end.
After the strong start, the book meanders hither-tither and never really manages to pull it all back together. When the dust settles, we are left with a family in shatters, characters with new wounds and voices, and a village that seemed to rise against patriarchy only to ultimately find itself smoothly slipping back into it.
Reading context: Reading around the world choice for Papua New Guinea.
Read as: Original work in English.
Book format: Physical book, borrowed from Stanford libraries (Thanks to the alumna, the late Eve Rannells, who donated the book to the library).
December 14, 2013
Read this for my African-American and Oceanic literature class. It was very interesting, if a bit hard to get in to because of all of the Anuki words scattered throughout it. Don't be afraid of not knowing them, as there are very few Anuki speakers in the world, and even fewer who can read. It's a stylistic thing. That doesn't stop this from being an interesting short novel on how colonialism has affected Papua New Guineans (Doboro Thomas representing post-colonialism and Maiba representing the tribal system, of course.) It's a good read if that's what you're in to.
October 30, 2025
Reading around the world: Papua New Guinea
very weird book, it jumps from one thing to another in a very bizarre way.
very weird book, it jumps from one thing to another in a very bizarre way.
September 17, 2008
A novel from PNG for the reading around the world challenge.
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