Question/Answer - Numero 9

9. What concepts in the Sawi culture intrigued/reviled/saddened/angered/surprised you?

As cannibals, the people of the Sawi culture devoured human flesh. However, not only were they eating humans to satisfy their appetite, they believed that eating the flesh of another person would give them complete power over the dead person. Also, one of the tribes ate a Peace Child that was given to them because they believed the spirit of the Peace Child would live inside of them eternally. As I read on, however, I realized the Sawi cared more of the process to reach the opportunity to gain human flesh. They savor the moment when the person about to be eaten stiffens up in terror as the realization strikes him that his fate had been planned. To produce such an effect, they use the concept of “Tuwi asonai man”, which means “fattening a pig for slaughtering”.



From the moment we learn how to talk and start learning about the world, one of the things we are told by our parents is that we should not deceive and betray others. In the Sawi culture however, I realized that the mere act of treachery is considered as an honorable and noble act. In the first two chapters of the “Peace Child”, Yae believes that he has established a successful and friendly relationship with another tribe, Haenam. Yae acts as a diplomat between his own tribe and Haenam. However, the people of Haenam decide to betray him. Not until the moment before he is killed does Yae realize that he had been tricked. Reality strikes him, however, before he can rescue himself out of the predicament; he is killed and is devoured down the throats of the hungry people of Haenam. Yae had been the pig that was fattened for slaughtering. From a world that treats the act of treachery and betrayal as one of the worst actions one could do, the fact that the Sawi culture revered this concept was shocking. This is also shown when Richardson tells the story of betrayal when Judas betrays Jesus. For the Sawi, Judas becomes the “super-Sawi” and hero of the story.

I was shocked to discover that the children in the Sawi culture were trained to be violent and treacherous since childhood. Instead of learning to be considerate and caring, the children were taught to become warriors and live to betray others. Consequently, they would have grown up only genuinely trusting no one but their family. In a society that I am a part of, international relations and connections between many people are essential. Consequently, I found the fact that the tribes could not intermingle with each other surprising.



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Question/Answer - Numero 8

1. How do I relate to faith? How did Don Richardson relate to Faith? How do the Sawi relate to faith?

How do I relate to faith?

Someone who I can have faith in is someone who I can trust and rely on. That someone to me is God. Although I admit that my faith is not complete and can waver when I face hardships, I believe that God can give me strength and courage to stand back up.

Faith gives me Fortitude and courage to take action.
Faith acts like an Antidote for my heart lacerated with sin.
Faith helps me to be Introspective and reflective of how I live my life.
Faith with prayer helps Transports me to God in times of adversity
Faith removes various kinds of Hindrances that attempt to impede my relationship with God.

How did Don Richardson relate to Faith?

Don Richardson related to his faith in God as his motivation to go and help the Sawi people learn about Christianity. Although Richardson despairs in times when he experiences difficulties in trying to convey the message of God to the Sawi people, his unwavering and consistent faith in God produces the result of the Sawi believing in God.

Faith gave Richardson Fervor and passion to spread the word of God to the Sawi people.
Faith helped Richardson to Approach the cannibalistic tribe with courage.
Faith gave Richardson the ability to Ignite the light of Christianity for the Sawi people.
Faith helped Richardson to Traverse and to have perseverance with the Sawi people.
Faith enabled him to have Hope even when he faced hardships.

How do the Sawi relate to faith?

The faith of the Sawi people consisted of malevolent spirits, cannibalism, and treachery. “Tuwi asonai man”, which means, “to fatten with friendship for slaughter” is the basis of their faith. When Richardson came, he found that they had no words to describe the concept of God, therefore, could not have had any possible relationship to Christianity.

However, the redemptive analogy overturned the tide.

Upon Richardson’s declaration of him leaving the tribe because of constant war between the tribes, the tribes decided to guarantee peace by the “Peace Child”. By exchanging the Peace Child, this promised peace between the tribe as far as the peace child lived. Here is where the redemptive analogy comes in to play. Jesus is portrayed as God’s Peace Child, who guarantees eternal peace. Jesus’ crucifixion can also tie in when one of the tribe leaders expresses sorrow over his son, a Peace Child who was killed and eaten by the other tribe. Richardson presents God’s one and only Son killed by the ones who God gave His Son voluntarily to. Eventually the Sawi people come to accept God and establish a church.

The faith of the Sawi people was filled with Furor in treachery and betrayal.
The faith of the Sawi people was difficult to Approach with an attempt to change it.
To the Sawi, their faith was Immaculate and flawless.
Their traditional faith in cannibalism and treason was the focus of the life of the Sawi people.
However, the Sawi people finally came to understand God and Jesus through redemptive analogy.




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Question/Answer - Numero 7

10. How did Christianity change this culture?

For centuries, the Sawi had lived as cannibals. In order for one to be honored and to be a “legend maker”, one had to commit a treacherous act and betray another’s trust by murder. This concept was called the “Tuwi asonai man”, which meant “fattening a pig for slaughter”, just like a pig that is given a lot of food to eat before it is slaughtered. The Sawi also believed in spirits of the dead. However, Richardson helps bring a transformation of the Sawi culture. Through redemptive analogy, he connects the concept of the Peace Child to Jesus Christ and helps the Sawi to comprehend what God did for His people. The Sawi initially thought Judas, who betrayed Jesus, was the hero of the story. Through Richardson efforts, the Sawi finally realizes the connection between their Peace Child and God’s Peace Child and understands the atrocious crime that Judas committed by killing God’s Peace Child.

Christianity changes the once barbaric culture into a community that no longer believes that they need a Peace Child of their own. The Sawi understands that their Peace Child does not last forever, and is not perfect. Richardson helps them realize that God's Peace Child, Jesus is the perfect Peace Child who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Consequentially, Richardson helps the Sawi to build a church. Christianity also gives the opportunity to have more trust in other tribesmen. Before Christianity was introduced into the tribes, no one knew what would happen those who put their lives at risk by attempting to create a friendly relationship with another tribe. In the first two chapters, Yae goes alone to Haenam to establish a friendly relationship with another tribe. After a successful first visit, Yae feels more and more confident after each visit to Haenam. of having established a peaceful relationship with another tribe grows. Ultimately however, Yae is murdered by the blood-thirsty tribesmen of Haenam, who had been patiently waiting for this day to carry out the slaughter part after fattening the pig. Although the culture of the Sawi cannot be utterly modified,the spread of Christianity will help the Sawi culture to develop a stronger sense of trust with other tribes.