Legends of the Mendi Valley

Culture within traditional societies has at times been portrayed as bad, even evil, something that people need to move on from to demonstrate a true faith in Christ. So it is against that negative paradigm that Stella Sondpi seeks to offer a contradictory view - that God has been present in tribal cultures well before their ’discovery’ by missionaries and the rest of the world. These oral cultures have a rich heritage of stories and legends passed down faithfully through the generations. The key is in understanding the deeper meaning and significance of these narratives, like an overlay of meaning beyond the actual storyline.Building on her first book, POMBREOL, stories of pre-first contact life in the Mendi valley of Papua New Guinea told her by her grandfather, the author digs into ten legends in her tribe. The concept of Biblically-based spiritual truths embedded in culture was expounded by former missionary in Irian Jaya, Don Richardson, in his book, 'Eternity in Their Hearts'. He proposed that God has never left people groups devoid of witness and in fact, within various customs and tribal narratives are redemptive keys which are fulfilled when the full gospel message of redemption in Christ is received. Take, for example, the practice of blood sacrifice so common in Melanesia, or the acknowledgement of a Creator.Set in two parts, the author presents the ten tribal legends in Part One, then in Part Two explains their meaning within the culture and significance as prior ’footprints’ of the gospel, embedding biblical truths within the culture in preparation for the coming of missionaries and the gospel message. Her claim is that her people were prepared to receive the Christian message as a result and accepted it.