I had read, with fascination, that members of a Tolai tribe living on Matupit Island, which abuts Rabaul, had traditional privileges to dig up and sell at the market these rich eggs. The birds lay their eggs deep in warm volcanic soil at the foothills of Tavurvur, the active volcano I climbed.
You can see how deep the birds dig.
The eggs are a delicacy. The yolk is proportionally much larger than domestic chicken or duck egg. One egg can be a meal. The privilege to dig is passes down by blood ties. I read several law cases in books by the anthropologist A. L. Epstein where the land area an individual claimed was disputed by relatives by marriage. The cases were heard and settled by village elders at village moots as late as the 1960s. A. L. Epstein and his wife, Scarlet Epstein, have written seveal books studying Tolai economy and cultire. I joyfully inhaled them while developing my Tolai character. Before submitting to a publisher, I was lucky to find Tolai researcher Angelique Giranah, who did a Sensitivity Reading edit.
Inevitably, two of my characters became close via eating a BrushTturkey egg. So when I was in Rabaul, I wanted to visit a harvest. My guide, Albert Konie, knew men who would dig on a certain day and got permission for us to visit.
Here’s the beginning of a happy harvest day.
https://a.co/d/hu396sG
AMZ link for Beyond the Bukubuk Tree: A World War II Novel of Love and Loss.
“IaKumu greeted the woman. They seemed to know each other. After what sounded like banter, she bargained hard, finally unthreading half her
shell money for one huge, boiled egg. She peeled it and pushed
it at Lee’s mouth. His eyes widened as he chewed and sucked
the rich yolk, savouring the scent of palm frond and grass.”
I am thrilled that the novel has won a third award. To be revealed in my next post. Thank you readers.
