Umboi Island

Umboi Island
Space Shuttle image of Umboi Island (north to upper left)
Umboi Island is to the west of New Britain
Geography
Coordinates5°32′S 147°52′E / 5.533°S 147.867°E / -5.533; 147.867
ArchipelagoBismarck Archipelago
Area930 km2 (360 sq mi)
Highest elevation1,335 m (4380 ft)
Highest pointMount Talo
Administration
Papua New Guinea
Province
Morobe Province
Siassi Rural LLG

Umboi (also named Rooke or Siassi) is a volcanic island between the mainland of Papua New Guinea and the island of New Britain. It is separated from New Britain by the Dampier Strait, and from New Guinea's Huon Peninsula by the Vitiaz Strait. It has an elevation of 1,335 metres (4,380 feet).

Umboi Island is part of the Siassi Group, which contains a total of 18 islands, of which only seven are inhabited.

History

During the mid-1920s, the population of the Siassi Islands was a little over 700 people. It had more than doubled (to almost 1,700 people) by the early 1960s, and then decreased to a little more than 1,600 people by the early 1980s.

In 1936, a Lutheran mission was established on the island which was headed by Pastor P.H. Freund. In 1940, Freund was recruited by Lt. Commander Eric Feldt of the Royal Australian Navy to act as a Coastwatcher.

The island was briefly occupied in 1943 by five hundred Japanese troops from the 51st Reconnaissance Regiment, which was commanded by Col. Jiro Sato. By early December 1943, after several Allied bombing runs, the Japanese withdrew from the island.

Inhabitants

The Siassi support themselves through traditional barter across the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits; engaging in and facilitating the trade of food-related items like yams, taro, and pigs, as well as wares like pots and ornate wooden bowls. The building of canoes is also a notable supplemental source of trade for the Siassi, while fishing provides an important dietary staple. The people of the Siassi Islands continue to believe in witchcraft and consider it to be the root cause of unfortunate events such as illness or crop failure. The regional word for witchcraft is sanguma and the accused are often murdered. Representatives from the United Nations have denounced violence stemming from sanguma-based accusations, which includes exile, torture, and execution, as gender-based violence and human rights violations.

Buildings

A majority of the buildings on the Siassi Islands are constructed using vernacular architecture.

Languages

The languages spoken are Papuan Kovai, as well as the Austronesian languages of Barim, Lukep, Mangap, and Tuam-Mutu.

Umboi Island seen from space. Also visible is Sakar Island. (false color)

Volcano

The volcano is described as a complex Holocene volcano; however, neither ancient nor modern humans have described any eruptions in the historic record.

Folklore

Local folklore claims that a winged creature with a prehistoric appearance, referred to as the Ropen, can be observed flying around the skies of this and surrounding islands. The alleged animal has also been described as having bioluminescent characteristics, and has been the subject of inquiry by cryptozoologists, though no definitive evidence has ever been discovered.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ A Holocene volcano is defined as one that has erupted a minimum of one time during the Holocene epoch.

References

  1. ↑ "Islands on shipping lanes facing real threats". The National. 10 October 2025. Archived from the original on 10 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 Freund, A. P. H. (1989). Missionary turns spy: Pastor A.P.H. Freund's story of his service with the New Guinea Coast Watchers in the war against Japan, 1942-43. Lutheran Homes Inc. ISBN 0-7316-7045-0. OCLC 29320154.
  3. 1 2 3 The Influence of Overseas Trade on Housing Quality Among the Siassi of Papua New Guinea
  4. ↑ "Siassi Island Diary (Part 2: Discussions of "sanguma")". PH SPOT. 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  5. 1 2 "The 'black magic' belief behind a rising number of murders in PNG". ABC News. 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  6. ↑ "Sorcery Accusation Related Violence inflicts severe physical and psychological scars". United Nations Population Fund. 30 September 2025. Archived from the original on 3 September 2026.
  7. ↑ Dutton, Tom; Tryon, Darrell T. (2010-12-14). Language Contact and Change in the Austronesian World. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-088309-1.
  8. ↑ Hooley, Bruce A. (1976). Stephen A. Wurm (ed.). "AUSTRONESIAN LANGUAGES: MOROBE PROVINCE". New Guinea Area Languages and Language Study, Vol. 2: Austronesian Languages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University: 335–348. doi:10.15144/PL-C39.335. Archived from the original on 31 December 2025.
  9. ↑ Venzke, E. (7 August 2026). "Holocene Volcano List". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 26 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Umboi". Volcano World. 2011-08-28. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  11. 1 2 Whitcomb, Jonathan David (2007). Searching for Ropens : living pterosaurs in Papua New Guinea. Livermore, CA: WingSpan Press. ISBN 9781595941534. OCLC 1153476698.
  12. ↑ Nalu, Malum (2 November 2018). "Siassi sees emerging revival". The National. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. The ropen, a pre-historic flying creature, is said to reside in the crater of one of the extinct volcanoes on Umboi.
  13. ↑ Tharoor, Ishaan (14 August 2009). "Ropen". Time. Top 10 Famous Mysterious Monsters. Archived from the original on 28 December 2024. The ropen are supposedly bioluminescent.
  14. ↑ Naish, Darren (2016). Hunting monsters : cryptozoology and the reality behind the myths. Cork. ISBN 978-1-78428-191-5. OCLC 954131611.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)