Good Friday in Wewak

It was Good Friday and the students of St. Benedict's College, Wewak, Papua New Guinea, in common with the rest of the Christian world, were in the midst of Holy Week ceremonies. Liturgies in Papua New Guinea tend to be lively and colourful thanks to the introduction of traditional chants, dances and costumes, none more so than those of Holy Week. Each day of Holy Week, the liturgy combined some of the beauty of the ancient tumbuna rituals with text and movements from the Roman Missal. But Good Friday was truly special.

As darkness fell, large crowds from the surrounding villages and settlements joined the staff and students. Following the greetings and the opening prayers, the Passion was read and illustrated by a series of tableaux presented by the college students using considerable ingenuity to provide themselves with costumes and props. As Jesus breathed His last and hung lifeless on the cross, a hush descended on the congregation.

Suddenly, in the distance, a plaintive cry rang out to be answered moments later from another direction, and then another and another until the whole area seemed to pulse with the heartrending sound. It was the traditional announcement to the clan that a "big man" had died and a summons to all to attend the obsequies. One by one and then in small groups, people began to appear from all over the compound shuffling their way slowly towards the center, all the while chanting a mournful piercing dirge. As the mourners drew closer it could be seen that their bodies were covered in red mud, the ancient symbol of grieving amongst the Highland peoples of New Guinea. Gradually the crowd grew larger and surrounded the body of Jesus. Then as the chanting grew even more mournful the clan leaders removed the corpse from the cross, hoisted it on their shoulders and began to move off slowly into the darkness, the way lighted by only a few flaming torches. Finally they were out of sight, their chant gradually tailing off, and then absolute silence.

The congregation was transfixed, for several minutes nobody stirred; not a sound was heard save for an occasional sniffle while tears streamed down many cheeks. The death of Christ was not only proclaimed and meditated upon, it seemed to be experienced and entered into. At this stage a homily would have been an intrusion.

Enculturation

The liturgy described above is an example of one aspect of enculturation, a topical issue in missiology as it is understood today. The most significant moment in the Gospel proclamation was entwined with a solemn ancestral ceremony, each lending depth to the understanding of the other, each probing for a new insight and meaning.

Until relatively recently it would have been highly unlikely for such a liturgy to have taken place. Missionaries often tended to pass on the Good News well packaged in Euro-American wrapping. For the most part, ancestral traditions were written off as primitive or, in the case of primal religions, as pagan superstition. Even those interested in ancient customs from an anthropological perspective saw little value in attempting to integrate these with the Gospel, very much aware of the harsh treatment accorded in the past to such missionaries as Matteo Ricci and Roberto de Nobili. African theologian Oscar Bimweni lamented that "Africans pray to God with a liturgy that is not theirs; they live according to a morality which is not the conversion of their own. previous morality under the action of God's grace and the breath of the Holy Spirit." Christianity was a monologue by the Western missionaries who did not know the traditional religions and misunderstood much of what they saw. Now contemporary evangelization lays emphasis on the importance of enculturation and of dialogue with traditional religions, a process encouraged by Rome. As Pope Paul VI stated, "A faith, which does not become a culture is a faith that has not been fully received."

Much more demanding is the challenge to integrate customs that long predate Christianity but which do not conform to canonical prescriptions and theological systems derived largely from European roots. Our campus liturgy in Wewak is perhaps an instance of one small step in the right direction.

Michael Doyle, C.S.Sp., was a missioner in Papua, New Guinea. He lives in Toronto.

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