Fear, one of the most sobering impressions missionaries get when beginning to work among tribal people, grips and controls the lives of the Inapang people on a daily basis.
"Okuma! Okuma!" It's what the Inapang people call a man with the ability to work sorcery on them. And the name has been on everyone's lips in the village where missionaries Daniel and Elizabeth Moore serve.
In the Inapang tribe, as in most other parts of Papua New Guinea, you don't get sick, the sickness gets you.
"They believe an okuma can make you sick or die," wrote Daniel. "A young boy died last week, a girl was brought to us convulsing and seriously ill, a lady had a miscarriage and two ladies working in the garden say they saw an okuma."
A burning sensation in your ears means that an okuma is close by. Even the call of a black cockatoo nearby brought men running with spears.
"The villagers wonder who will be the next to be killed or made sick," Daniel wrote. "The village men decided that one thing they could do was make the village cold."
So a ritual was performed by an Inapang man named Dwan to cool the village.
"It appears that if something is hot that is not a good thing," Daniel wrote. They are still looking into the significance of this.
As Daniel and Elizabeth strive to grasp the Inapang culture and language, the tribe affords constant opportunities to learn.
"Now a tribal football (soccer) tournament is dominating village life," wrote Daniel. "One team was accused of cheating because a man was found to have some things tucked down in his socks. This was to give him power when he plays, and meant he had performed a ritual to help him score."
This sort of cheating is taken as seriously as a positive drug test in other parts of the world.
Pray for Daniel and Elizabeth and their co-workers as they seek to understand the Inapang culture.
"We often feel our lack of ability, but are so thankful for His promises to stand on, and that he uses earthen vessels for His own glory," wrote Daniel. "We are daily thankful for all of you who are praying, giving and encouraging us in the Lord's work here."
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