George Ambo
Encyclopedia
Bishop
Sir
George Ambo (born "near Gona
", Northern Province
, Territory of Papua on November 25, 1922; died Popondetta
, Northern Province, Papua New Guinea
on July 6, 2008), originally named Ambo Arukaba after his father and grandfather, was an Anglican
archbishop
who was "the first South Pacific
native to be made a bishop", in 1960. He was also known for his role in a "cargo cult
" in the months prior to his death.
He was born among the Somboba people, one of seven children (with five sisters and a brother), the son of the clan's "specially trained and initiated" master of traditional dances. He learnt to dance in turn, and "had become a leader of the dance [...] before he started school", which he did in 1934, at an Anglican mission school
. He was baptised
and given the name "George" the following year.
He subsequently became a teacher at All Souls school in Gona, then, in February 1942, attended St Aidan’s College at Dogura in Milne Bay
, to train to become a "teacher-evangelist". In July, the Second World War came to Papua in the form of a Japanese invasion
. The college remained open, despite being close to the fighting, and Ambo remained there throughout the war. In 1945, he returned to Gona, his home village, as a parish teacher. In the latter capacity, he taught the people of Gona to maintain most of their customs, including traditional dances and what he called "good traditional stories", but also to embrace Christianity and reject their "belief in witchcraft and sorcery". He taught the "stories of the Bible
" through "traditional dancing, singing, drumming and miming".
He married in 1946, and, in 1949, was transferred to Eiwo in the Kokoda
hills. In 1952, he began training as a deacon
at Newton Theological College at Dogura, and was ordained deacon in 1955, then priest in 1958. In 1959, he "gained his government registration as a teacher", and was posted to the mission in Boianai. To spread his teachings and reach the people of the area, "scattered through the rugged southern reaches of the Owen Stanley mountain range, Ambo often swam storm-swollen rivers in his shorts". On October 28, 1960, he was consecrated as "the first Papuan Bishop and the first native Bishop in the South Pacific", in St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane
. He became Archbishop
of the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea
in 1983, and retired six years later, "having reached 65, the constitutional age of retirement for PNG bishops".
He had been awarded an OBE in 1978, and was awarded a knighthood (KBE) in 1988, becoming Sir George.
In 2007, however, he was excommunicated
after "set[ting] up a cargo cult
[...] with a former Anglican mother superior
, Sister Cora" (or Kora). They founded a religious movement which they called the Puwo Gawe Ministry, meaning "come and see" in the Ewage
language, in reference to the spirits of the dead allegedly bringing "large quantities of goods" to their relatives, and in reference also to "the Gospel according to St John
, chapter 1 verse 39". Sister Cora was reported as the founder of the movement, which Sir George joined when she invited him to do so. The Puwo Gawe Ministry described itself as Christian, and criticised the Anglican clergy for "not doing enough pastoral visits". The movement was a success; it was reported that "[t]he ancestral worship and belief that dead relatives would return with money and cargo is drawing followers right across [the Northern] province and huge guesthouses are built in preparation for the return of dead relatives. [...] [The] Puwo Gawe Ministry has taken Northern Province by storm". It was also described, along with other "cult movements in the Northern Province", as being "a major concern both to the Anglican Church and to the provincial and national governments".
Following Sir George's death the following year, the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea reported that he had "asked for forgiveness from the Church", confessed and "received Absolution" prior to his death. The Church released the following statement:
It called upon the Puwo Gave Ministry's leaders to "say sorry to God for misrepresenting the late Father through their private confessions and return to work with their parish priests and congregations", so as to enable a reconciliation of the Province's Anglicans.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
George Ambo (born "near Gona
Gona
-History:Gona was the site of an Anglican church and mission.During World War II, Imperial Japanese troops invaded on 21–22 July 1942 and established it as a base. Three missionaries were captured at Gona, Father James Benson, May Hayman and Mavis Parkins. The two women and a six year old boy were...
", Northern Province
Oro Province
Oro Province, formerly Northern Province, is a coastal province of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital is Popondetta. The province covers 22,800 km², and has 133,065 inhabitants ....
, Territory of Papua on November 25, 1922; died Popondetta
Popondetta
Popondetta is the capital of Oro Province in Papua New Guinea.In 1951 the town became the focus of relief efforts after nearby Mount Lamington erupted and killed 4,000 people....
, Northern Province, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
on July 6, 2008), originally named Ambo Arukaba after his father and grandfather, was an Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
who was "the first South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
native to be made a bishop", in 1960. He was also known for his role in a "cargo cult
Cargo cult
A cargo cult is a religious practice that has appeared in many traditional pre-industrial tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures. The cults focus on obtaining the material wealth of the advanced culture through magic and religious rituals and practices...
" in the months prior to his death.
He was born among the Somboba people, one of seven children (with five sisters and a brother), the son of the clan's "specially trained and initiated" master of traditional dances. He learnt to dance in turn, and "had become a leader of the dance [...] before he started school", which he did in 1934, at an Anglican mission school
Mission School
The Mission School is an art movement of the 1990s and 2000s, centered in the Mission District of San Francisco, California.-History and characteristics:...
. He was baptised
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and given the name "George" the following year.
He subsequently became a teacher at All Souls school in Gona, then, in February 1942, attended St Aidan’s College at Dogura in Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
, to train to become a "teacher-evangelist". In July, the Second World War came to Papua in the form of a Japanese invasion
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.Before the war, the island of New Guinea was split between:...
. The college remained open, despite being close to the fighting, and Ambo remained there throughout the war. In 1945, he returned to Gona, his home village, as a parish teacher. In the latter capacity, he taught the people of Gona to maintain most of their customs, including traditional dances and what he called "good traditional stories", but also to embrace Christianity and reject their "belief in witchcraft and sorcery". He taught the "stories of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
" through "traditional dancing, singing, drumming and miming".
He married in 1946, and, in 1949, was transferred to Eiwo in the Kokoda
Kokoda
Kokoda is a station town in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea. It is famous as the northern end of the Kokoda Track, site of the eponymous Kokoda Track campaign of World War II. In that campaign, it had strategic significance because it had the only airfield along the Track...
hills. In 1952, he began training as a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
at Newton Theological College at Dogura, and was ordained deacon in 1955, then priest in 1958. In 1959, he "gained his government registration as a teacher", and was posted to the mission in Boianai. To spread his teachings and reach the people of the area, "scattered through the rugged southern reaches of the Owen Stanley mountain range, Ambo often swam storm-swollen rivers in his shorts". On October 28, 1960, he was consecrated as "the first Papuan Bishop and the first native Bishop in the South Pacific", in St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. He became Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea
Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea
The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea became a discrete province of the Anglican Communion when the Anglican Province of Papua New Guinea was separated from the Anglican ecclesiastical Province of Queensland, Australia, in 1976 following Papua New Guinea's independence from Australia in 1975. Its...
in 1983, and retired six years later, "having reached 65, the constitutional age of retirement for PNG bishops".
He had been awarded an OBE in 1978, and was awarded a knighthood (KBE) in 1988, becoming Sir George.
In 2007, however, he was excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
after "set[ting] up a cargo cult
Cargo cult
A cargo cult is a religious practice that has appeared in many traditional pre-industrial tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures. The cults focus on obtaining the material wealth of the advanced culture through magic and religious rituals and practices...
[...] with a former Anglican mother superior
Mother Superior
A mother superior is an abbess or other nun in charge of a Christian religious order or congregation, a convent or house of women under vows.Mother superior may also refer to:*Mother Superior , a rock band who became ¾ of Rollins Band circa 2000...
, Sister Cora" (or Kora). They founded a religious movement which they called the Puwo Gawe Ministry, meaning "come and see" in the Ewage
Binanderean languages
The Binanderean languages are a family and part of the Trans–New Guinea languages family in the classifications of Stephen Wurm and Malcolm Ross . They are found along the north/east coast of the "Bird's Tail" of New Guinea, and appear to be a recent expansion from the north...
language, in reference to the spirits of the dead allegedly bringing "large quantities of goods" to their relatives, and in reference also to "the Gospel according to St John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
, chapter 1 verse 39". Sister Cora was reported as the founder of the movement, which Sir George joined when she invited him to do so. The Puwo Gawe Ministry described itself as Christian, and criticised the Anglican clergy for "not doing enough pastoral visits". The movement was a success; it was reported that "[t]he ancestral worship and belief that dead relatives would return with money and cargo is drawing followers right across [the Northern] province and huge guesthouses are built in preparation for the return of dead relatives. [...] [The] Puwo Gawe Ministry has taken Northern Province by storm". It was also described, along with other "cult movements in the Northern Province", as being "a major concern both to the Anglican Church and to the provincial and national governments".
Following Sir George's death the following year, the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea reported that he had "asked for forgiveness from the Church", confessed and "received Absolution" prior to his death. The Church released the following statement:
- "The late Father had started this ministry 'Puwo Gave Ministry (PGM)' [...] to help Anglicans who had drifted away from the Church. This very good intention had been abused by his fellowship, mainly PGM Co-ordinators, who used the good name and reputation of this great man for their own ends to spread false messages and teaching such as 'Cargo Cult', in order to gain for themselves money and popularity. The late Father was not aware that these followers of his were misrepresenting him and using him for their own selfish ends."
It called upon the Puwo Gave Ministry's leaders to "say sorry to God for misrepresenting the late Father through their private confessions and return to work with their parish priests and congregations", so as to enable a reconciliation of the Province's Anglicans.
See also
- Anglican Church of Papua New GuineaAnglican Church of Papua New GuineaThe Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea became a discrete province of the Anglican Communion when the Anglican Province of Papua New Guinea was separated from the Anglican ecclesiastical Province of Queensland, Australia, in 1976 following Papua New Guinea's independence from Australia in 1975. Its...
- History of Papua New GuineaHistory of Papua New GuineaThe prehistory of Papua New Guinea can be traced back to about 60,000 years ago when people first migrated towards the Australian continent. The written history began when European navigators first sighted New Guinea in the early part of the 16th century....
- Cargo cultCargo cultA cargo cult is a religious practice that has appeared in many traditional pre-industrial tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures. The cults focus on obtaining the material wealth of the advanced culture through magic and religious rituals and practices...