Renown lotu (church) choirs come from Matupit, the site where George Brown the Methodist missionary setup camp. Matupit is the island closest to the most damaging of the volcanos around Rabaul, Tavurvur. The Nakikus brothers were practicing for the funeral of Glen Low down at Ragaga Bay, The Baining. They sat down on the foreshore the night before and softly practiced for the next days ceremony. Their uncle Gideon Nakikus was the man who sang Lapun Man on NDW’s Tabaran album. Matalau Nakikus was in the infamous Barike with Glen Low.
From a 1939 hymn:
“Amana iat da ga rara, Amana ta ra kamara, Ma pa da varubu mulei, a malmal da tigugu tan”
Before we were wrong. In those times when we killed each other. Now we no longer fight. We rejoice about the peace”
Two years later the Japanese Imperial army invaded Rabaul, holding it until the end of the war.
credits
from a Bit na Ta,
released October 11, 2016
Nakikus brothers of Matupit
Future ambient storytelling from London producer Elijah Nang, who takes listeners on a "sci-fi audio adventure" set in a futuristic Japan. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 16, 2022