ÓRSA Konomala Story Book
Órsa or the Konomala Story Book is a collection of 91 stories, riddles, poems, and songs recorded in the Konomala area in southern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. The órsa, or stories, were narrated and sung by members of the Konomala community, covering a wide range of topics: traditional oral literature, recollections of historic events, and descriptions of activities and items of daily life and customary events. The book is bilingual. Each text is given in the Konomala original and is provided with an English translation.
The creation of this book is part of a Konomala documentation project started in 2024 and has two aims. First, the book seeks to contribute to the collection of traditional and modern Konomala stories and songs to preserve them for future generations. The second aim is to enlarge the corpus of literature written in Konomala to inspire more people to read and write in this language. The book can be used to enhance literacy in both Konomala and English, and to integrate Konomala culture and traditional knowledge into schools.
