The Living, Dead and Dying: Music of the New Guinea Wape

The Living, Dead and Dying: Music of the New Guinea Wape is an exploration of a highly ceremonial and musical culture. Recorded over an 18-month period spanning 1970 and 1971, anthropologist William E. Mitchell documents a people struggling with famine and disease. To combat their struggle, they hold curing festivals, sing demon chants, and conduct other musical remedies. This field recording consists of songs from these events, as well as a number of typical routines and rituals of the Wape people, such as the burning of bamboo trees to clear out unwanted fog that settles in villages. The liner notes include short descriptions of each track and photographs of Wape life.

Track Listing

101	Call to the Forest (1) Yamtulu	01:01
102	Parade of the Niyl Masks Parade participants, Wilkili village	03:45
103	Maikasi Chant Young people chanting with drum, Otemgi village	01:12
104	Mani Demon Chants (1) Mani festival participants, Taute village	03:00
105	Mani Demon Chants (2) Mani festival participants, Wilkili village	02:01
106	Wene Demon Chants Wape men chanting to Wene demon, Taute village	02:50
107	Poril Demon Chants Poril festival participants, Wilkili Village	08:06
201	Death of Waibu Signal drummer and mourners, Taute village	03:01
202	Epilo's Funeral Female mourners, Taute village	01:12
203	Entrance of the Mani Mask Mani festival participants, Wilkili village	01:09
204	Mani Demon Chants (3) Suwe	03:38
205	Bamboo Fire Ritual Burning bamboo thicket, Taute village	00:55
206	A Lonely Wife's Lament So'ope	01:35
207	The Reluctant Bride's Lament Kuruwai	01:47
208	Lament of the Ugly Men / A Brother-in-Law's Lament Waiape	03:18
209	Lament of a Parisko Maiden Yenge	03:02
210	Lament of a Compromised Maiden Kumoi	01:30
211	Night Laughter Bilu	01:01
212	Call to the Forest (2) Suwe	00:54