Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 17, 2007

FORT SMITH - A Fort Smith college instructor had a narrow escape from deadly tribal fighting in Papua New Guinea last month.

Fort Smith's Hilary Gemmell, left, and Grade 10 students at the Highland Lutheran International school in Papua New Guinea gather for a photo in 2006. - photo courtesy of Hilary Gemmell

Hilary Gemmell had just arrived at a school in the country's Enga province when a battle broke out between two neighbouring tribes - the Ambulines and the Wapukines.

"It's a very war-like kind of society," she said. "A lot of the neighbouring clans are continually fighting each other."

Gemmell - now safely back in Fort Smith - arrived at the Highland Lutheran International School on Aug. 8 and fighting erupted early on Aug. 11.

She heard singing, chanting and yelling at about 5 a.m. that Sunday morning as Wapukines prepared to attack.

Gemmell then heard shots. Guns are often used in clashes along with bows and arrows.

Initially, she wasn't worried, Gemmell recalled. "I thought maybe it's just a skirmish and it wouldn't affect the school."

However, when staff gathered students in the school library at 6:30 a.m., they found one had been hit in the arm by a stray bullet.

One of the tribes also broke through the fence of the school, burned sheds and shot at a teacher's house.

Gemmell said the battle involved about 30 fighters on each side, noting eight were killed over a week.

During the fighting, the Ambulines pushed the Wapukines back, burned houses and destroyed a Wapukine Roman Catholic Church and vocational centre.

"They took it apart and looted it," Gemmell said, noting the church material would be used to build houses.

Many teachers worried the Wapukines will eventually retaliate against the Highland Lutheran International School, which is on Ambuline land.

That's the payback system in Papua New Guinea, where conflicts are usually over land, Gemmell explained.

"I would love to go back, but I'm not prepared to risk my life," she said, adding she will wait and see what happens.

"I felt sad about leaving," she said.