Before the first Australian patrol to Mt. Hagen in 1933,
stones axes (green axes) were used daily in the highlands of Papua New Guinea
and were widely traded, often in the context of ceremonial exchanges.
In recent times, a group of axe factories located in Waghi
and Jimi Valleys accounted for the bulk of production was in circulation at the
time.
An anthropologist had spent 3 months, during the late 1963
and early 1964, journeying through the New Guinea highlands in an attempt to
trace sites where stone axes (green axes) have been made in recent past. In the
Simbai (Tsembaga) and Kaironk areas in Simbu, steel axe has effectively
replaced stone axe only within the last ten years, though some steel axe have
been traded in a decade or so earlier.
In other highlands areas, stone working axes had probably
dropped out of use by the early 1940’s, of the ten quarry sites then examined,
three had been visited before by earlier workers, two were reported to the
writer by an anthropologist, C. Criper, working in the Upper Simbu, and the
others were found by walking about the country pursuing local information.
Stone axes (green axes) were also used in West Papua (Irian
Jaya), when Ronnajdn Frank traveled up the isolated Brazza River in West Papua
in 1989, the ‘tree-house’ men would only trade a stone axe in exchange for
steel axe. They needed their steel axes on a daily basis and would not easily
replace the stone axes (green axes). Something which money, tobacco or other
traded items wouldn’t do.
During the Stone Age
period, there are many known areas on the Island of New Guinea where green axes
are used and traded but only few areas were tipped as ‘factory’ where it was
made.
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| Display of some of the carvings made by Simeon Nikints from imagination. Image Credit: Peter Kinjap. |
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| Display of traditional Green Axes and small carvings Simeon Nikints had made. Image Credit: Peter Kinjap. |
Simeon Nikints of Moika village in Mt. Hagen Central
district, Western Highlands Province could be one of the last remaining
survivors of the ‘green axe’ makers in the highlands of PNG, acquiring the
skills from his father and grandfather. Simon is currently living in Taurama
suburb in Port Moresby with his daughter Grace Mone selling some of the last
remains of his produce from the highlands, the ‘green axes’ he made. He renamed
the stones axes as ‘green axes’ that he produces because of the colour of the
fine stone that he gets after months of rubbing against each other. Simeon is
married to a lady from Sinasina village in Simbu Province. He has 3 daughters
and a son.
“My father made the stone axe and I watched him when I was a
small boy. I started imitating my father and trial few myself when I was still young.
I later realized I could make stone axes from this experience.” Simon said.
“I started collecting stones (raw material) from the Rondon
River upstream in Mt. Hagen and started sharpening them against each other” he
added. “It’s not an easy task to rub them against each other to get the
expected sharpness and toughness of the stone axes. It took us months to rub
the stones against each other. Only the committed men could do that.” A
confident Nikints said.
“We have to rub, sharpen and publish until we get to the
core which is the green part of the stone that gives us the sharpness and the ‘green’
colour” he added. “Too much energy; you got to spend hours to strain your
muscles to get to it. I had to spend hours of my days in the afternoon to do
that.” He said. “When I spend full day working on it, I can get a finished
product in few weeks. But when I spend few hours in the afternoon, I get to it
in months”, he said.
Simeon said he had never used the ‘green axe’ himself. He
made them to sell or trade. In his youthful days, steel axe was introduced. Jim Taylor, the first explorer of Western
Highlands Province arrived in his village when he was only a boy. He recalled
he was only a child during World War 2 which ended in 1945 when Japanese and
American war planes flying over and making strange noises up in the air. “Jim offered
us salt; some kids especially young girls tasted it first. I was amongst those
kids but did taste as I was afraid of the white man. I was also afraid of my
village elders. They restrict us from getting anything he offered or going
closer to him saying he could be a spirit of a dead man from the enemy tribe to
kill us or poison us,” Simeon added. After leaving the Moika village, Taylor later
settled in Nebilyer valley.
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| One of the traditional green axe made by Simeon Nikints. Image Credit: Peter Kinjap. |
“One day I saw a group of foreigners taking photos and
videos. A man was invited to demonstrate cutting a tree using a ‘green axe’ and
those photographers and video crew were taking photos and video footages. The
‘green axe’ cut like a steel axe. It was exciting watching the show,” he said.
Like many other traditionally made items, ‘green axe’ was
also used in the ceremonial events such as the traditional singing. The Western
Highlands men in traditional full attire would hold a traditional green axe or
carry a green axe under his armpit while marching around in traditional attires
and chanting out in loud voices the ritual traditional songs.
The green axe was mainly a tool for gardening, cutting trees
and building houses. Rough hard rocks were found near the rivers and creeks.
The handle of the green axe is made separately. Then it was
fitted. The hardest task was to get the stone from the river side or creek and
rubbing against each other. Smoothing and making the handle is easy.
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| One of the wood carvings made by Simeon Nikints from his imagination. Image Credit: Peter Kinjap |
“Carving is another special gift that I have. I produced through
my own imagination a board of paradise and carved it. Or a human face and carve
it, as well as other designs too. I can produce a human face from a wood or any
other design from my imagination,” he added.
“I am still carving and doing my artwork in producing the
green axes today. Any museums or historians or just about anyone who is
interested to get a ‘green axe’ for their display and exhibition or a souvenir
from the Island of New Guinea, you can find me at the back of Holiday Inn Hotel
in Port Moresby where there is a craft and paint market or alternatively you
can contact the writer of this story who knows where I live.” Simeon Nikints
said.
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| Simeon Nikints with one of his green axes he produced. Image Credit: Peter Kinjap |
The ‘green’ axe is
a sustainable and eco-friendly tool that has been used in the past, especially
during the Stone Age. Today when
humanity is facing humiliation and suffocation from climate crisis, remains of such
tools as the ‘green axe’ being produced and used without causing any
disturbance to the environment should find a special spot in the museum
exhibitions and environmental conservation forums around the global.
The article was first published in;
The National - https://www.thenational.com.pg/ten-million-trees-by-2030/
PNG Attitude Blog - https://www.pngattitude.com/2020/02/planting-trees-to-fight-climate-change.html
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