Statement by the Women's Delegation to the Bougainville Peoples Congress
(In Early 1999)
...To survive, we looked within ourselves, our culture and our traditional society. In almost all areas of Bougainville, women traditionally own the land. The land is sacred and protected by men on behalf of the women. The men as guardians share leadership with women, taking the responsibility in open debate to protect women from potential conflict. However, women have the power to veto decisions, and therefore are involved in the final consultative process.
The destruction of this balance of powers as held in Bougainville in traditional times occurred through westernisation in the colonial period. It is a tragic fact that the ignorance of external powers exercised in Bougainville by default weakened the traditional balance that kept a peaceful and harmonious society. In the recent absence of formal western political structures, our people, in social crisis, have turned to traditional decision-making methods in which women have been restored to their rightful place in decision-making methods, to their rightful place in leadership.
Women have built bridges between their own families, clans and displaced fellow Bougainvilleans by working for mutual survival, whether it be in the bush, in care centres, or wherever they have hosted strangers in their own communities. Without remuneration they have laboured beside their men to create basic services using whatever talent or means they had to (at) hand. Today, we pay tribute to all the brave women who are waiting in our homeland for news of peace and a return to a just civil society, where the rule of the gun will be replaced through a secure process for a permanent ceasefire and demilitarization as agreed (upon) in the Lincoln Agreement.
Our menfolk have rediscovered the value of women sharing in the decision-making process and we attest here today to the liberating effect this has had upon our fellow women delegates. As mothers of the land, we take seriously our responsibility to rebuild peace in our hearts and create a peaceful environment that will improve the quality of all our lives. There is so much to be done, whether it be developing ways to relieve or improve the back-breaking menial tasks; or restoring our lives so that we can freely move around, return to our homes and enjoy the ability to speak freely of our human rights end needs; or our goals for a political future where women must take their rightful place as leaders beside their men. We look forward to being included in the new Bougainville government structure so that our rediscovery of woman's participation will continue to shape and build Bougainville's development and government. We have been here at Lincoln to break down the mental blockade that prevails in our home land, where women still live in fear arid are not yet able to discuss and debate openly our democratic form of government. Our society, although men and women have distinctive roles, they are complementary. We women are co-partners with our men and as such we are daunted by the enormous task that lies before us to bring about a new Bougainville. In holding to the peace message that has spread abroad in Bougainville from Burnham, we, the Women's Delegation at Lincoln University Leaders' meeting affirm with all our sisters and fellow Bougainvilleans our determination to make this peace process work until we reach our common goal of freedom..."
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