West Papuan matriarch who arrived in PNG at age 16 celebrates her 70th birthday by Sincha Dimara

I once asked my mother how was it that she married at the tender age of 16 and left
home for foreign land never to see family again for more than three decades.   She told
me: “When your father left for work and I was left alone, it dawned on me that I may
never see my family again.
 
“Silent tears flowed in those quiet moments, tanta (aunty) Wanma noticed, she asked
me if papa was not nice to me, I shook my head, ‘no’… it was only after the birth of my
first child, that my whole world changed.”

My mother Dolfintje Imbab was born on the 4 th  of December 1949, four years after World
World Two.  She is 70 today (4 th  December, 2018).
She was born somewhere on the banks of Warfor river on Supiori Island, part of Biak
islands in West Papua at a time villagers were forced  to move inland to escape the
horrors of war.
She completed her primary education in 1960, in what was then a  Dutch colony.  She
was not considered for further studies because most women back then were told to
return home to assist the family male members of the family to continue their
education.  This meant gardening, fishing and other daily chores to sustain the family.
My father Domingus Dimara (that’s a story on its own) came to PNG as a young man in
1963.  He was against Indonesia’s takeover of West Papua then and decided to make
PNG home.
He returned in 1965 in search for a bride, my mother was chosen.  My late father was a
disciplinarian and always believed in doing the right thing.   Initially there was
resistance from my maternal grandparents upon hearing that their daughter would
marry and move far from home.
My maternal grandmother placed locally made bracelets (Gelang Biak) on both her
arms.  The bracelets identify a woman or man as a Biak person.
They were married in May 1965 in Biak town and after meeting legal and customary
obligations they travelled to Hollandia, now Jayapura.  From there, they travelled  by
plane to Lae,  then on to Port Moresby.
My parents lived with Om and Tanta Marjen (late Aunty & Uncle Marjen) who had
earlier moved to Port Moresby after Indonesia gained control of West Papua.  My
parents were also accommodated by the Wanma family.  This was in the 60s.  One of her
early memories is witnessing the 1969 South Pacific Games in Port Moresby and  the
basketball matches played at the Hohola Courts.
A few years later when Port Moresby was beginning to expand and new suburbs
sprouted, my father was able to secure a house from the National Housing Commission
in 1970.

In 1990, more than 30 years since her arrival in PNG,   she first crossed the border as a
PNG citizen into Indonesian territory.  She did so  after communicating with family
members through letters for over 20 years.  Her father had passed on but  her mother,
my grandmother,  was still alive then.  She would meet family members again over the
years.
 
In 1979 both my parents were granted PNG citizenship along  with other West Papuans.
 Among them were the  Marjens, Sarwoms, Wanmas.
Sadly,  my father passed on in 1994.  My mother’s strength and love for the family has
kept her going this far.  She lost  three of  her seven  children.  Edward our youngest
died of heart failure 1992.  Robin was murdered by criminals  1999 and my sister
Salomina died  of breast cancer in 2013.

Throughout all the hardships,  I believe her faith in God has kept her going.  She has
mastered the Motu language, speaks a little English and Tok Pisin and made many
friends in PNG.
She is also a survivor of breast cancer having gone through treatment in 2011.  In a few
weeks’ time she will travel home to visit her place of birth and meet her  siblings again.
I jokingly asked if it was time to return for good. But  I guess she’d rather spend time
with the family she created – her children and grandchildren.