Like Moses Who Led His People to the Promised Land: Nation‐ and State‐Building in Bougainville

Abstract

AbstractThis article focuses on indigenous religious beliefs and practices in relation to nationalism and state‐building in conflict and post‐conflict Bougainville. Since the early seventies, people of the island ofBougainville have sought to secede fromPapuaNewGuinea and constitute a separate sovereign state. The almost ten year long secessionist struggle between theBougainvilleRevolutionaryArmy (BRA) and thePNG DefenceForce (PNGDF) that eventuated in 1988, destroyed nearly all infrastructure, socio‐economic services, and the functions of thePNGstate on the island. At the same time, the crisis also brought about the establishment of new local governments, such as ‘TheBougainvilleInterimGovernment’, as well as a new Nation: the Independent Republic, later called theKingdom ofMe'ekamui, ruled byBRAleaderFrancisOna. This article explores the creation of theMe'ekamui Nation and analyses the religious underpinnings of nation‐ and state‐building in Bougainville, focusing on the performances and normative frameworks used in the endeavor to become a sovereign state.