Técnicas e instrumentos de recolección de datos .1 Encuestas

In this matrilineal society, women‟s economic contributions are substantial, but their political status is not. Consequently, their participation in decision-making about the mine has been restricted, mainly because they are culturally excluded by men. Qualitaitive data from this study indicate that Lihirian women often believe that men will represent their interests, a perception that is not unusual in a paternalistic society like PNG.Recognising this inequality in political power, LGL established a women‟s section within its Community Affairs

Department aimed at facilitating the development of women‟s issues. This led to the formation of the „Petztrome‟ Women‟s Association in 1995 (Petztrome in the Lihir dialect means working together).In 2007, the association was reformed and renamed Tutrome Lihir Women‟s Association. „Tutrome‟ in the Lihir dialect means „stand together‟. The association was reformed following widespread concern that the earlier association „Petztorme‟ had failed to deliver its mandate. Petztrome, although meant to represent all the women on Lihir, in actual fact had only 80 financial members. In contrast „Tutrome‟, has over 500 members, and according to a senior local politician, the aim is to get all Lihirian women who are over 18 years old, and are residing on the Islands, to become members. Demographic records held by the NRLLG and LGL‟s Community Affairs Department, shows that there about 3000 adult women on the Lihir Islands.

The association was generally embraced as a good idea because women saw it as a means to ensure they have an institutional base for participating in decisions about the social and economic changes affecting them. Therefore, the association had empowered women to stand up and be counted alongside men (Macintyre, 2003). However, according to women interviewees, many men were either baffled or affronted by women having to form an association, which would represent them in decision making processes relating to the social and economic issues affecting their livelihoods. Some clan leaders were bewildered and questioned why a foreign organisation was supporting their women to form an association, especially in a society where culturally they were supposed to subordinate themselves to man‟s leadership. However, women often think otherwise, as put by one of them, our men

have to realise that they have no choice, but to support us, it is us the women who are mostly affected by decisions or policies made by them, for example we now have to catch buses to attend to our food gardens, because we were not consulted on the land size we were going to be reallocated to; alluding to lack of land for family food gardens in the relocated sites (See

Chapter 6). Nevertheless, as indicated by an executive of the association; until such time that

men accept women as equal partners in development, any women‟s group formed to represent women in PNG will always face a big challenge working with men.

According to an executive of the association, with financial assistance from NRLLG, the association was able to establish three income earning projects. These were the Lihir local market, a can crushing machine and a seed distribution garden. The seed distribution garden ceased operation in 2006. Female interviewees who had previously benefited from the seed

garden claimed that the division of primary industry, which was responsible for managing the project, lacked the technical knowledge to sustainably manage it. Generally, women perceive their association as a mechanism to upgrade their skills and assist them initiate income earning projects in their villages. On the other hand, the association expects women in their respective villages to initiate fund raising activities to raise money for their association. This is a concept which many women embrace, as many of them indicated that if they were to engage themselves in income earning projects they would be more committed to the projects, in contrast to merely receiving mining royalties or allowances. A women interviewee indicated that self help projects, although they would require a lot of effort to start and sustain, would on the other hand make them work hard to ensure they are profitable. However, in their effort to organise income raising activities, they noted that their association is no different to the established church women‟s organisations. Indeed, the women‟s church organisations are village based, and the same women are expected to raise money for their village church congregations. For example, the United Church Women‟s fellowship group uses a concept called a four square programme, and one of the activities in that program is fund raising. Likewise, Macintyre (2003) found that the Catholic Church parish-based structure used by the women‟s association made it difficult for women to work out just how the association‟s fund raising activities were different, as the membership are exactly the same. This situation seems to have exerted more pressure on women, by doubling their activities.

Despite the challenges faced by women in their effort to raise money for their association, the association had organised and staged many activities on the islands. These included events to mark days such as Women's Day and the Universal Children's Day. Women's Day was a colourful event with songs and dances, and speeches by women on HIV and AIDS, on respect from men, and calls for tougher measures by the authorities against alcohol and drugs. They also facilitate women‟s involvement in business and Women in Mining conferences and participated in the review of the IBP.

In 2004, the women in the Londolovit Township, including spouses of overseas staff working on the mine had a day out and joined the local women in their gardens learning how to harvest yams and cooked their own harvest in „mumu‟ pits (ground ovens) and over open fires. They all agreed it was a time of learning and great fun. They also learned to sing and dance with their local compatriots. For local women, who are more used to earth ovens for cooking and using running streams for washing, standing behind an electric stove was a thrill, although a tap of gushing water had its limitations compared to their open streams (LGL, 2004).Overall,

with administrative and financial assistance from NRLLG, the women‟s association provides an important voice for Lihirian women who seek recognition of their status as landowners in a matrilineal society.