MW6-059 - Interview with ToJack Tonga of Duke of Yorks Is, Malay Town, Rabaul

Tape#1: Musical Journey and experiences of ToJack Tonga in leading stringbands and performances in Rabaul and Port Moresby in 1970s'. Side A & B: Jack Tonga originates from Kababiai village of Duke of York Islands and about 40 years old at the interview. He was exposed to music at an early teenage years playing guitars and ukelele and later composed songs and performed with his band, "Diwari" in stringband competitions such as the Tolai Warwagira festival. The name Diwari refers to a spirit world creature that lived in the local area and believed to have connections to Jack for his musical talents after being initiated through custom of "tena buai" or getting into the a traditional process of "go insait long buai". The were mean for selective people to learn and and receive musical ability instilled for song and dance practices of "singsing peles tubuna" and stringbands. The type of keys used in stringbands then were 5-key, Blue Mountain, Spanish key which were brought in by missionaries and colonial settlers. Other keys include Fiji, Hawaii but they usually overlap and even modified locally to be identified as Nakukur key or DOY key as hybrid styles through picking/plucking to strumming on guitars. Tonga demonstrated a playing the five-key guitar style on a Tolai song "Ona data tavangun" or when we wake up in the morning, we wash in the sea. His popularity and success earned him his brand of "Style blong Jack" stringband key. Under Tonga, his Diwari band won various stringband competitions from 1972 to 1974 and was a successful musician and in particular winning first prize awards at Tolai Warwagira. He then started another stringband called "BoyoBoyo"in another village as he moved to through his second marriage at Kabilamo. He trained up other musicians and the same time was still involved and continued with his original band, Diwari led by his brother. In 1974, his Diwari stringband performed in Port Moresby at South Pacific Festival of Arts. Other performers from Rabaul were Blasius Touna and Baining Fire dancers. There were audio recordings of his songs on tape played mainly on local themes of "warbat, malira, tutupele" relating to women attraction and the tubuan ceremonies of "matamatam, balabalaguan". (Steven Gagau, February 2019). Language as given: