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There are many documentaries about lost civilizations, migration of communities and even abandoned places. The documentaries are fascinating as well as entertaining.
This makes one think about whether there are any such stories like that in Papua New Guinea. Of course there, but, the lack of records or written documentation makes these interesting stories “unfindable”.
There is in fact some written documentation of a place in Port Moresby that was once an officially recognised village but had been abandoned in the 1920’s.
That village is Kourabada and was once a small but thriving village on the foot of what we now know as 3 Mile Hill.
The name Kourabada still still but as a street in the suburb of Badili. Its roots in fact, date back to the now Hubert Murray Highway or three mile hill in Port Moresby’s North Western suburbs.
Kourabada was predominantly inhibited by Koitabuans although ironically, its name deriving from the Motuan word for valley or a place “engulfed” by steep hills.
Undoubtedly, like other Motuan place names that have become official names in the city’s street directory, Kourabada is descriptive of its surroundings.
Other common place names that follow this descriptive place naming style are:
- Hanuabada a Motuan literally meaning Big Village – consisting of three separate villages and gradually became one “big village”
- Porebada: Pore is Motuan for sandbank and bada meaning big, hence, large sandbank.
- Konedobu: Kone in Motu means “beach” and dobu meaning “deep” as in deep beach.
The very little records available does however show that the village existed until 1927.
It was officially recognised village with its own ward councillor.
There is a possibility that this is the name Motuan interpreters gave to the colonial administration at the time when conducting official surveys or census.
In 1915, an official census was conducted and it was revealed that Kourabada Village had a population of 96 – not an entirely large community but perhaps indicative that gradual migration was in progress.
Street names like Kourabada Street in Badili may also signify as one of those places Kourabada Villagers migrated to. Badili is a predominantly Koitabu territory.
Developments in the coastal areas may also have been a contributing factor to the villagers migrating but perhaps the most obvious might have been the early building of the Hubert Murray Highway.
Those who migrated from this once village are likely to have gone to Kila-Kila Village and some predominantly Motuan villages with Koitabu links like Vabukori and Hohodae clan of Hanuabada. Some have established what we now know as Mahuru, although Mahuru was not a traditional Motu Koitabu village in the early 1920’s.
If you ever make a visit to Pacific International Hospital, and look out to see the surrounding mountains, down below is the Koura – Kourabada Village. The lost Village.
Original article: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/meavai_i-have-an-interest-in-reading-and-watching-activity-7026126858584821760-V3XY?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
