PNG artist Vallé finds his compass in a homecoming to Enga

For Ōtautahi-based hip-hop and R&B artist, Enjalas “Vallé” Jenkinson, returning to Papua New Guinea as an adult did more than reconnect him with family.

It helped him understand where he comes from.

Born in Port Moresby and brought to Aotearoa New Zealand before his first birthday, Vallé recently returned to his ancestral home in Enga Province.

It was a journey he says gave him a sense of belonging he had struggled to find growing up.

“I always felt like a bit of an alien growing up in New Zealand, to be honest,” Vallé tells Pacific Days.

“Going home gave me an anchoring, a place where I was like, ‘Oh, this is why I am the way that I am and where I’m from.’ It became like a compass, and made me feel more solid in who I am.”

Watch Vallé's full interview below.

The homecoming also brought a mix of warmth and sadness as he reconnected with family, including his grandmother.

“It was super emotional. It was super familiar, but then also new at the same time.

“There’s that immediate realisation of, ‘Oh, it’s been so long and there’s so much that I’ve missed out on,’ and that almost feels like a debt that you want to repay,” Vallé says.

He is using his music to help young Papua New Guineans in the diaspora feel the same connection.

Vallé weaves Tok Pisin and Enga Tokples (Enga language) into his music and sees PNG Language Week as a chance to remind the diasporic Wantok youth that their language and culture are something to be proud of.

“I want Papua New Guineans and particularly young PNG diasporas to feel proud of where we come from and the history that we carry,” he says.

“The best way I know how to do that is just by leading by example, and trying to maneuver and carry yourself in a way where you don’t feel like a visitor in the room.”

That message is also being heard among young PNG people in Aotearoa, where Tok Pisin remains a strong link to family and culture, according to a report by the Ministry of Pacific Peoples (MPP).

For Dhanunjay, Naimah, Dziewanna, and Norah Jay, young members of Wellington Papua New Guinea Community Incorporated, keeping Tok Pisin alive is about holding on to that connection.

(From L-R) For Dhanunjay, Naimah, Dziewanna and Norah Jay, speaking Tok Pisin is about much more than words. Photo/Ministry of Pacific Peoples

Fifteen-year-old Dziewanna spent a year living in PNG to immerse herself in the culture.

She says PNG Language Week gives her a sense of comfort especially as one of the few PNG students at her school.

“No matter how far away you are from your country, your culture or your people, you’ll always carry the language,” she said in the MPP report. “Having a week where I can celebrate our culture, our language, our family, our traditions and the kai we eat, it’s really comforting.”

For 15-year-old Naimah, whose parents speak Tok Pisin at home, the week is a chance to be surrounded by her people.

“It’s a week where I’m just at home with my own people, speaking my own language...Giving our country and our culture more recognition and putting our culture out there is really important.”

Ten-year-old Norah Jay shares Tok Pisin with her school friends while 13-year-old Dhanunjay is learning the language alongside his mother and sister.

“In my class, I usually tell my friends about Tok Pisin and teach them some. That’s how I spread the word,” Noray says.

Dhanunjay wants more people to understand the language.

“It would be nice if more people knew what Tok Pisin was,” he says. “Sometimes people ask, ‘What’s that?’ If more people knew about the language, it would be a big eye-opener.”

Papua New Guinea Language Week ends on Saturday, 12 September, but for Vallé and the young people keeping Tok Pisin alive, the connection goes well beyond one week.

They believe it is about knowing where they come from, carrying that identity with confidence, and making sure the next generation does not feel like visitors in their own story.

Visit the Ministry for Pacific Peoples for more details on PNG Language Week.