Tom Harrisson’s Exploits in

New Hebrides Sharply Challenged by MaleKula Resident

Letter to the Editor TN the March issue of the you * referred to a book written by a man named T. H. Harrisson, the name of the book being “Savage Civilisation.”

Notices of the same book appeared in various papers in other States, and in England, and also extracts contributed by the same person to some of the English newspapers.

In all these, remarkable claims are made of particular and super-knowledge of Malekulan people and their customs; also claims of having witnessed and par ticipated in cannibal feasts; of having been initiated into the first grade of the Maugke; of having lived with the primi tive Big Nambus people for a consider able period: and (in the English papers) a claim of having lived for two years amongst cannibals on Malekula and of having gained this super-knowledge by the method of “going native,” etc.

Mr. Harrisson makes the claim of having been a member of the Oxford University expedition to the New Hebrides. By inference, some people might perhaps think he is an Oxford University man. He is not an Oxford

University man, neither graduate nor undergraduate; nor is he of Cambridge; nor is he of any University whatever. In the English papers he is described as a “Young Anthropologist”; in your maga zine and other Australian papers as a “Biologist.” He must have gained those qualifications in very recent months.

When he was in this Group, he was a bird-collector both for the British Museum and private profit.

He arrived in the Group with the Oxford University Expedition led by Dr.

Baker. Until August, 1935, he was in Santo Island. About the middle of, or early in August, 1935, he arrived in Malekula, stopped for short periods at Vao and Atchin Islands; then amongst the Small Nambus people in the north of the Island; and at Taumaro, one of the accessible Big Nambus villages; and one or two smaller villages adjacent. It was suggested that he had been to Zinambit and, by inference, to Amok, two of the less accessible villages. This latter suggestion was disproved when, a few months later, he visited these villages in the company of the Government Dis trict Officer. At the utmost, his “living” with the primitive people could not have exceeded three weeks.

In September, 1935, he came to Bush man’s Bay, which he made his head quarters, till he got a temporary position as assistant to the local District Officer, whilst the latter was relieving a fellow officer in the Vila Office. From September to January he was never in the Big

Nam bus area, except in the company of the District Officer.

In January, 1936, he got the temporary job mentioned above—it lasted for five months. He made his headquarters at a place called Tontow —incorrectly called Meteuavat by him. Here he erected a large, native-thatched house of elaborate style. This place is many miles away from the Big Nambus area.

It was during this term —January to

June, 1936 —that all his wonderful experi ences occurred. He “was initiated into the first grade of the Maugke in the Meteuavat tribe.”

There is no Meteuavat tribe, nor was there ever such a tribe. There were a few human flotsam and jetsam accumu lated in late years, at a place called Meteuavat. These were remnants of de funct inland villages, runaways, refugees, etc. —some 25 in all. This is what Mr.

Harrisson describes as the Meteuavat tribe. His initiation consisted in his kill ing three borrowed pigs, whilst Mr. Lewis, of the Douglas Fairbanks filming party, industriously turned the handle of his camera. It was performed at the back of the Government hut spoken of pre viously, in front of one of the labour houses.

He may have thought he was being initiated; but the natives thought it was a huge joke.

His super-knowledge of native customs would or should have w r arned him against claiming to have eaten human flesh at a native feast. Not having been initiated by the native custom,) he could not eat in the Ganxale with or at the same fire as men. He would eat only at the women’s fire.

His statement about his long locks be ing the admiration of village maidens is pure bunk. Natives have prompt methods of dealing with that sort of philanderer, and he would have been soon passed out on his ear at least, if not knocked on the head. Anyhow, after he reached Bush man’s Bay, his locks, like those of Sam son before him, were cut off. His claim about going native, insofar as a true native horror of soap and water and ordinary decency and cleanliness is con cerned, may or mav not be true. The natives never mistook him for a native, whatever they may have thought of him as a white man.

He gives a great praise to the mis sionaries. They do not return the com pliment. To them all, of whatsoever sect, he was anathema.

I think that what I have written dis poses of some of Mr. T. H. Harrisson’s glories and stories. If he wants further and more minute and less pleasant de tails, he has only to dispute these facts.

I am, etc.,

E. Corlett.

Malekula, N.H., May 16, 1937.

Mr. J. Beveridge, who has been in charge of the quarantine station at Maku luva, Fiji, for some time, has been ap pointed a sub-inspector of constabulary in the Solomon Islands and, accompanied by Mrs. Beveridge, left on May 11 to take up his new appointment.

Dr. W. Ramsay’s retirement from the Fiji Government medical service after 31 years’ service was marked by a com plimentary dinner tendered him by the local members of the medical profession.

Rev. F. G. Lewis, Chairman of the New Britain District of the Methodist Mission, has been appointed a Legis lative Councillor for the Territory of New Guinea.