Tandaning: Songs of Lament of the Wide Bay Mengen, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

The tandaning is one of the song genres of the Wide Bay Mengen living in East Pomio, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Tandaning is derived from the North Mengen verb tandan, “to cry,” also referred to as singsing krai in Tok Pisin, the lingua franca of PNG. The tandaning songs are composed by individuals who sing about a person dear to them, often a child, spouse, sibling, or friend. It is primarily, but not exclusively, the responsibility of women to compose the songs, in which they describe particular events that involved the person held dear and that moved the composer to tears. Events and topics that inspire compositions can include the illness or death of the person whom the composer mourns, feelings of longing for an absent loved one, anger over perceived mistreatment of a loved one by others, or joy felt for them (see also Be 2021:62). I refer to the tandaning as “songs of lament,” thereby distinguishing them from other genres and registers of crying and weeping songs, as well as sung crying.