Our Services Research & Consultancy in prehistoric culture, customs and traditions of Enga The people of Enga have a special place in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. We have a total population of more than 600,000 and we are the only province speaking a single language, compared to the rest of Papua New Guinea, who have just about one language per every 8,000 people. Our cultures and traditions are similar in general throughout the province. As far as ancient oral history goes, there is evidence that Engans being the last of the Highlands provinces were heavy involved in trade with the rest of the Highlands. They even traveled as far as to the coast of what is now Madang and brought with them sea shells and other goods from the coastal people. From the worship of what they called ‘ a unknown’ god, to ancient myths that resemble the birth and death of Christ, the Engans have been a unique people that were and are rich in oral history. Our stories are not just stories or myths but they have physical reverence to the environment and events, and they are still relevant to the present and future. YBO Consultancy attempts to reveal and uncover the ancient past that holds a treasure of hidden truths and explanations, even to today’s modern world. As a consulting and research agency, clients are required to provide an area of interest or topic pertaining to the people of Enga. We can then conduct research specially relating to the topic and provide it as raw data or present it as a critical analysis of the findings with relevance to existing and known findings and against the perceptions and attitudes of present day Engans. Research & Investigation of significant prehistoric sites with mythical/legendary connections Truly speaking, Enga has some of the world’s yet undiscovered ancient sites with mythical or legendary significance and connections. We have surprisingly the same myths being told all over Enga of events that took place long ago which actually have known and identified sites of the actual occurrences of the events that built up the myths. For instance, there is the sacred cave in Kandep which is understood as the dwelling place of the world’s biggest snake that holds together the ends of the earth. The key to the cave is passed from generation to generation in a chosen family alone. Sounds like purely mythical stuff but its worth investigating. The cave is still there and the people still believe in it. We have many locations around the province which are still considered sacred even today. The myths that are told regarding these sites are not simply stories but they have connections to the mountains, the rivers and the people that lived there during that time. Research in traditional myths, legends, songs & sayings of Enga We have the living proofs of man-like beings called ‘Puritils’ that live in caves, even to this day. No one has found out what these creatures are. They are presumed to speak the language of our people, yet, they possess magical powers and only a few can see them with their naked eyes. Just last Christmas in 2004, a man was making a new garden on a mountain site, close to a stone clip and suddenly was attacked by these beings. The story was that the man was walking up a creek near his new garden. He was looking for flat stones to construct a fireplace in his new house. He saw a good flat piece, just the right size ready to be fried off from the main rock wall that ran parallel up the creek. He pulled out a dry fungi growing out of the crack in the rock and suddenly, out came naked manlike beings that beat him to the bones, and dragged him down the creek, and left him half death. While beating him, they had spoken in the Engan language saying, “We have given enough land to you people to make gardens and yet, you people are determined to destroy our dwelling place. Now we have taught you a lesson not to disturb us again!” The poor man regained consciousness and stayed at Yampu Health Center for a full 3 weeks before he recovered from his wounds. As far as history goes, these friendly creatures but only get mad when men disturb them for no good reason. No one has ever found out what these beings are! The people have Enga have a wide range of songs and sayings. Some of the songs which have significant historical connection are still remembered and sung by the people. Songs have a lot of significance. They are the major form of conveying secret and parabolic messages that can only be interpreted by the intended audience. Songs have the power to cause death and warfare. Songs have a special place in courtship; through singing, young people can either convince, attract or indirectly single out and individual and sing to or about that person. Enga has some of the most wonderful sayings you can ever find elsewhere. Even the educated elite of the province today treasure and like the use of idioms and sayings in delivering speeches. Nothing drives a point home, or emphasizes the importance of something better than the use of sayings and idioms. A research done earlier by one of our YBOs said that he had collected up to 800 popular sayings originating from the people of Enga.

Special Research & Investigation into Enga Tribal Warfare One of the only set-backs in Enga is tribal warfare. Although it was perceived as a means of administering justice in the old days, the current change warfare methods has lost its traditional meaning and purpose. The rules of tribal warfare as set by our ancestors are no longer followed today. In those times, tribal warfare was meaningful and was fought under set rules and regulations. Today’s version of tribal fight with automatic rifles and ruthless killing of innocent kids and women reflects a complete evolution in tribal warfare. YBO Consultancy aims to dig deep into the roots of tribal warfare and come up with reasonable and working solutions to long-lasting conflicts. We want to work closely with the provincial government and local authorities in how we can combat tribal warfare in our province. Special Research & Investigation in Enga Politics Engans everywhere in Papua New Guinea have become some of the most outstanding political figures in the country. The way Engans play politics is nothing compared to the rest of PNG. ‘Tanim Taibol’ or ‘Pyapala Mandenge’ is a concept entirely developed by the people of Enga. It simply means an entire community or rest house, not (necessarily willingly in some instances by a few individuals) agrees to vote for only one candidate. Politics in Enga is one of the main contributing causes of tribal warfare. It has taken a different twist that even close relatives and clan members separate themselves as a result of differences arising from individuals selecting to support their own choice of candidate. The basic concepts and ideas of Enga politics are complicated and hard even for the qualified academic to understand the rules of the game. The twists and turns in Enga politics are widely popular in the province and has a greater effect on the nation’s political climate. YBO Consultancy aims to investigate, understand and explain the driving forces of Enga’s political climate as is today. Enga today is largely governed by politics at all levels as it generally lacks judicial, public, and even religious independence. We would like to enlighten the people of Enga on how politics should be seen and played and how it should be treated and understood by them. Special Research & Investigation in cultural & social changes of Enga Tribes, communities and language groups all over PNG are going through rapid social and cultural reform. Enga is no exception. Although we have been regarded as the last of the provinces to be exposed to the outside world, the phase of cultural and social change tells a completely different story. Some of the problems we have today are more of a social and cultural misunderstanding and mismatch, of which, society itself tries to find an equilibrium in maintaining balance in the communities. By tracing the nature, source, phase, and reason of these changes, we are able to shape cultural and social reform in a more effective way and for the better. There is no arm of the government or even an NGO existing in PNG today, monitoring the effects of social and cultural change. As society and culture means the very nature of the people, lack of understanding and insight in cultural and social change equates to making people’s decisions that are not necessarily socially and culturally sound and reasonable to the communities. To bring impact positive change for the better requires us to understand the phase of social and cultural reform today and to make foreseeable predictions. These predictions should be our guide towards introducing social and cultural reform and also for bringing self-sustainable, socially and culturally acceptable economic ventures. YBO Consultancy aims to work closely with the government in studying and monitoring social and cultural changes in our province and even in the country. We would like to work with established organizations in carrying out research and investigations in the merger, conflict, parallel or independent existence of cultural and social values of the ancient, with those of the foreign world. Here, you can name and include other such related areas of interest of which, we have missed out on the list. Simply contact us and we will inform you as to whether we are able to provide what you require.