Betelnut Bisnis (ATOM Study Guide)

In Betelnut Bisnis, the central character, Lukas Kaima, from Chimbu Province, is living in Goroka, the main town in the neighbouring Eastern Highlands. Like an increasing number of Papua New Guineans he is living away from his clan lands, but for those trying to make their way in the towns, finding cheap land and shelter is always hard. He and his wife Kopu have an agreement with local landowners who allow them to live on poor country on the edge of town. It is not suitable for gardening so they cannot grow their own food and the only water is distant and dirty.

Kaima has known Chris Owen since 2002. As a willing and skilled bush carpenter he worked with Chris, but apart from the other casual labouring and taking the night shift as a security guard for the compound where Chris lives, he has no regular home.

As he, his wife and members of his family are betelnut chewers, they need cash above the basic amount needed to pay for food. Also, they want money for school fees and emergencies. In Papua New Guinea there is no free education and almost no welfare system. Without pensions or unemployment benefits, people simply have to look after themselves. Many look to bisnis, a Tok Pisin (Papua New Guinian pidgin) expression taken from the English word 'business', but having a wider meaning to include most money making ventures. Lukas long considers whether he might try his luck in the betelnut bisnis, and when he has some money he decides to risk it by buying betelnut. He goes to Lae in the small buses on which the drivers yodel their destination to collect passengers, buys betelnut in the market, and returns, hopeful that he will make money. 

But after his wife has sold it. There is no profit. Lukas tries again by going to Madang, but again there is no success. The betelnut bisnis requires a talented knowledge of which sort of nuts people like to chew and the seasonal variations in prices. Also, Lukas is only bringing back one bag of betelnut and he has to cover the cost of his bus fare and loss of the betelnut that he eats, or gives away to friends, or sells on credit. Lukas remains dependent on his uncertain income from labouring and working as a security guard.

Jane Tamas is another significant person in the film and like Chris, she is a participant in both the events and the filming of them. A researcher and production assistant on the film, Jane is a young woman from the coast. She appears neatly dressed and competent, but we learn that she has had only five years of schooling and knows that she has to improve her education if she is to get on in life. But to do that she needs extra money. She teams up with Lukas' wife to go into the betelnut bisnis. Through her relatives on the coast she buys betelnut and brings it back for Kopu to sell in the market. There is just a chance that with their complimentary skills the two women will succeed. While there are many successful male businessmen in Papua New Guinea, it is often said that women are the best traders in the market and the ones most likely to look after any small profits. This is a film of hardship and poverty, but not one without hope. Most of all, it is a revelation of the lives of ordinary people in Papua New Guinea – the people who do not appear on Australian television screens or in newspapers. 

Curriculum Links

The film was made for SBS television, conforms to the fifty-two minutes of the television hour, and is appropriate for and adult audience. With its gentle and absorbing revelations of basic human ambitions it is also appropriate for tertiary students and the final three years of secondary school. Its primary relevance is to the social sciences and any courses where the aim is to extend understanding of the region. Given the increasing involvement of Australia in peacemaking on Bougainville, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands and Enhanced Cooperation in Papua New Guinea thei is of growing importance.

Betelnut Bisnis could also be used in English classes where the main themes – relationships between people and their prospects in a difficult environment – can be discussed. For English (or language) students there is also the issue of the common language, Tok Pisin, used by Papua Guineans when they wish to speak to those from another language group. (See language overleaf.)

Both Chris Owen and Andrew Pike have distinguished careers in film and their work should always be of interest to students of media.