17.06.2014 Source: Post-Courier Uma on the road to reconcile BY...

17.06.2014
Source: Post-Courier
Uma on the road to reconcile
BY ROMULUS MASIU

BOUGAINVILLE’S Me’ekamui front man Chris Uma has started his personal reconciliation with victims of the Bougainville Crisis.
In the first part of his many upcoming reconciliation ceremonies in Kieta district, Mr Uma, who was the Bougainville Revolutionary Army commander for Central region during the height of the Bougainville crisis, engaged in the traut (vomit) session, which is called dankinang in the Nasioi custom.
During the dankinang ritual, families or relatives of those people killed during the crisis by Uma or his men (under his command) will question Uma of his actions, why he killed their relatives, where their remains are questions they have in their hearts and minds.
In reply, Mr Uma will have to tell them the truth and if he was really involved or to clear his name that he did not take part in the killings but someone else did.
Last week at Todutodu village, the dankinang ritual was held between Mr Uma and six families of Kerei, North Nasioi Constituency of Central Bougainville. The six families includes the Blaise Dutaira family, Michael Naki family, Piaora family, Joseph Mimiro family, Chris Kauona family and Francis Tobana family. It was a moving ceremony where the family members of the deceased questioned Chris Uma and his associates on the killings. While two of the deceased were killed in sorcery-related killings during the height of the Bougainville Crisis, others were killed under suspicious circumstances; they were mostly blamed for spying and collaborating with the PNG government forces.
In the sorcery-related killing, two of the families found out that their loved ones were shot dead at point blank range at the former Bougainville Copper Limited’s Loloho wharf and dumped into the sea.
On the six killings, Mr Uma denied his involvement and maintained that he did not give orders for the killings. Those under his command admitted to the families that they were the ones who killed their relatives and not Mr Uma.