Plain Story of a Solomons

Native

By Rev. A. H. Voyce, in “New Zealand Herald”

rE Solomon Islander, Daniel Pule, recently awarded the British Empire Medal for exceptional devotion to duty in a theatre of war, is the son of a New Georgian headhunter. He is a native clerk who in his district has to act as interpreter; collect all native head taxes, receive and despatch all mail, including registered packages; assess and collect duty on packages, and maintain certain schedules on the radio telephone with Tulagi.

Daniel Pule was born about 35 years ago, on a small island in the Roviana Lagoon, about three miles to the east of Munda, called Roviana Island. Only three miles in circumference, this island has a steep hill in the centre, on the peak of which is a ruined native strong hold, with fences of stone, trenches and many dolmens built of coral rock con taining scores of skulls, ornaments of carved shell and many pieces of native wealth.

These defences used to provide the Roviana people with immunity from attack. To-day all is overgrown, but 40 years ago, when the missionaries first began their work at Munda, it was kept constantly clear for defence. Many years ago this island was shelled by a naval vessel as a reprisal for head-hunt ing raids carried out by its people.

The Roviana natives were the most notorious headhunters of the Pacific. In 1899, Norman Wheatley, who had been resident at Munda for 20 years, reported that on the nearby large island called Rendova, 62 white men and women had been murdered within recent years. As late as 1908 a punitive expedition was despatched to the Marovo Lagoon, on New Georgia, as reprisal for the killing of a white man. Frequently official Solomon Islands Government reports recorded the violent deaths of Europeans.

It was in such an atmosphere that Pule was born. From early years he attended the Methodist Mission School at Munda Bay, and when he became a Christian, chose to be baptised Daniel.

After passing through the senior school at Munda (the school where every clerk in the Solomons Islands Government service has been trained) Daniel Pule graduated for appointment into the Gov ernment service.

After some preliminary training and experience at Tulagi, the capital, he was appointed to the district office at Aola, on Guadalcanal, about 40 miles to the east of Henderson airfield. Three years ago he was appointed to the important office at Gizo, in the New Georgia Group, but after furlough was reappointed to Aola, and was presumably there when the Japanese occupied it last May. Like many other Christian natives in the service of the administration. Pule does not neglect to serve the Church, and in his spare time he was actively engaged in helping with the Methodist mission work at Aola.

Pilot-Officer C. D. Lament, formerly a master at Suva Boys’ Grammar School, Fiji, has been posted missing while on air operations over Germany, Amongst Samoan residents who re cently returned from furlough in New Zealand are Mr. J. M. Bower (Police Department), and Mr. J. Francon Wil liams (Dental Officer).