POGERA GOLD MINE

Up in the highlands region in Papua New Guinea, following the highlands highway past Western Highlands Province, up to Wapenamanda, Kombiam, and to Wabag the town of Enga province is where you have to pass through reach Liagam. Liagam is located on a spiral road that leads up to a junction to Kandep and Pogera where the story takes place. Long, long ago, their once lived a couple in a small village. They just had a newly born child who they named KIiyo Akal which interpreted, meant Spirit man. They lived well until when they boy child was about six or seven years of age a great famine struck the land and therefore everyone he knew of in the village died and left him as an orphan. He was forced to go the bush in search for just about anything he could make use of as a days meal. From a little boy, surviving on wild nuts, berries, frogs, lizards, and so on he grew up and matured into a man an after several years. By then the hunger that came about had passed and everything was enriched again. One ordinary morning, he went on out in search for food and other stuff for the day. As the sun became hotter reaching the peak of the day, he grew thirsty and went searching for water. Finally he came to a creek stared to gulp down the water hurriedly when his attention turned and drew to a sweet voice singing nearby. Quietly he made his way up the creek and followed the voice until he reached it. In the clearing at the creeks supply there was a small round river, which was very crystal clear, and in the middle of the river was a young gorgeous lady who was carried away having a bath. Shocked yet excited to see a human being after all this years of loneliness, he silently peered in amazement as the lady continued her bath and after finishing left. The very next day he came to that same place at the exact same time and watch as the lady was bathing again, and then this time followed her cautiously to her house and then turned back. The day after he did the same thing again but this round he bravely followed her to her house and a few minutes after she entered, he followed and went in the door. The interior of the house was not exactly what he expected, it was dark gloomy and has no windows accept for the wide entrance of the door and a large long bamboo that was stationed at the far end of the house and looked like it had water in it. Confused he tried to figure out were the lady had gone to and how. Since his curiosity couldnt hold up any longer, he decided to stay and wait until she returned. He waited, and waited, and waited until the break of dawn, when he was stating to doze. All of a sudden the long large, bamboo at the other end of the room started shaking violently, and startled Kiyo Akal ran and hid behind the side of the ground set house and watched attentively. He then saw a figure coming out of the bamboo as it walked into the light it turned out to be the lady. Instantly Kiyo Akal knew what she was according to his distant memories of tales his parents told him as a child. According to the tales that lady was known as a Puriril End or spiritual water being who like water environment therefore she always spent the day at the river and slept in a water filled bamboo and used the house as a decoy. Tales also told that if you do ever encounter one, hold on to it tightly and dont let go. It may attempt to frighten you by ch anging in to different creatures and monsters however if you hold on to the end, it will reward you by fulfilling what you wish for most in order for you to let it go. Knowing this Kiyo Akal waited the whole day until sunset when the lady returned to it house to sleep. When assured she was completely asleep, Kiyo Akal carried the bamboo, which was a kind of heavy all the way to his house and satisfied, he also slept. In the morning when the lady came out of the bamboo, she realizes she was not at her house and she saw Kiyo Akal waiting for her. Calmly he told her that he knew exactly what she was and that she mustnt try to escape. Then he stated his proposition tell her that since he has been lonely all his life he want her to stay with him as his wife. The Puriril End had no choice but only to follow.

So they got married and lived together. After some time she bore a child which turned out to be a snake. Upset, Kiyo Akal became very angry and said that even though she was a spiritual being, she took the form of a human therefore their child should have been a human and this resulted in him removing them from the area. Sad and depressed the lady brought her child, went up to a mountain nearby called the Paiyam Rocks and committed suicide. In the end she died but her snake child just hurt its tail slightly. The snake went on and killed the father, blaming him for its mothers death. From there it grew so big and shaped along the highway spirals and since it was half spiritual it naturally contained different precious stones and gold. However it swore upon its mothers life that humans would not touch its riches but will only excavate its tail as it was damaged in the fall. To this date the Egans believe this and say that Pogera gold mine is at its tail and the y assume the head is at Kandep because there is said to be a cave named Tundak, filled with diamonds. Ev ery year a ritual is carried out were they throw a Very well grown pig into the, to settle the snakes spirit as the tail is being mined upon. And that is how the Pogera gold mine came to be.

The end