A curious round object

Today, a curious thing happened. I was at the office as usual when an acquaintance paid me a visit. He is a Bouganvillean who goes by the name of Cornelius and he has always approached me with inquiries on odd objects. He knows that I have a keen interest in antiques and has brought me some old watches and swords that he's dug up from World War II before.



Bouganville has plenty of these island paradises!



He has brought me a most curious object which has been the subject of controversy and interest in Bouganville of late. But first, let me tell you more about Bouganville. It is an island located to the extreme north east of Papua New Guinea and is close to the equator. It is so far removed from the main island that it is closer to the Solomon Islands and travelling via a small boat to Gizo in the Western province of the Solomon Islands is a journey a lot of Bouganvilleans do.

This island was the location of the civil war some time ago. The war was caused by the Panguna copper mine for which the people never benefited. The war ended only in 1997 but the island suffered a major set back with majority of its infrastructure destroyed. The capital was then moved from Arawa to Buka. The island also bear witness to World War II and to this day, decayed Japanese bodies from the war are still being dug up. That's how my friend came across old Japanese watches and Swords.

2 months ago, curious orbs started washing ashore in the rivers of Bouganville. These orbs are coloured blue or maroon and come in a variety of sizes. It is a mystery as to where they are coming from. The people who have found them have started worshipping them and I was informed that some people have talked about starting a cult based on the discovery of these curious orbs. My guess was that they are glass marbles. However, I don't know their exact composition as my friend would not allow me to destroy one so I can examine it closely. Oh well. The mystery shall go on then until someone with a scientific mind is able to unravel it all. I hope they don't form a cult around it.

Here are a few photos.

the blue orb - such a fascinating shade of blue

it is just about the size of a glass marble

it is not opaque as light goes through it

my acquaintance Cornelius with the shiny blue object. i hope he doesn't start calling it "my precious"

Another fascinating tidbit that I've been told time and again is how the Bouganvilleans used to worship the supply planes that would pass overhead and drop supplies. This was after World War II I believe. People would line up on shore and worship the planes passing overhead. Perhaps they thought that the planes carried gods? Well, who knows?