Guinea Natives?

Is There Danger of a Post-war Flare-up Among New Guinea Natives?

JN the years before the Jap invasion, the primitive natives of New Guinea were making a slow and

painful progress towards higher

standards of life. But it was a difficult process beset by problems.

An outstanding problem was pro vided by the missions. They taught that all men were equal in the sight

of God. Here and there, unusually

intelligent natives would arise and ask: Why, then, is there any distinc tion here between white and black men? One could see trouble coming, unless Governments werte wise and

tactful.

War conditions have accentuated these problems a hundredfold. Natives now, after contact with tens of thou sands of careless white soldiers, are more difficult to handle than ever before. The dangers of native up risings in New Guinea are discilssed here by an old Territories resident, Mr. N. M. Bird: STEMMING directly from religious teaching of equality, and its result ing sense of injustice, is what is generally known as “Vailala Madness,” or “Cargo Cult.”

Various explanations of the “Madness” have been advanced, but the late F. E.

Williams, anthropologist to the Papuan Government, after extensive study, gave as his conclusion that the main cause was “ill-digested” religious teaching.

This “Madness” is not confined to any one area, but is found among tribes whose dialects and customs differ widely. In all cases the “Madness” takes the same form: A native, infected with the disorder, states that he has been visited by a relative long dead, who stated that a great number of ships loaded with “cargo” had been sent by the ancestor of the native for the benefit of the natives of a particular village or area.

But the white man, being very cunning, knows how to intercept these ships and takes the “cargo” for his own use, giving the natives only that portion of the inferior goods that the white man does not require.

The “Madness” has broken out in many areas quite recently, but should not be regarded as a result of enemy invasion.

It was present for many years prior to the invasion. Outbreaks have occurred in widely separated areas—Lakekamu and Goilala areas in Papua, and in Huon, Madang, Seplk, Bena Bena and Hagen districts in New Guinea.

An outbreak in Madang in 1944 is quoted as an illustration of how the “Madness” works: An infected native mustered some hun dreds of other natives, whom he called his “soldiers,” and armed them with stolen hand grenades. He told these “sol diers,” and other natives, that the white man was stealing ships, aeroplanes, motor vehicles, etc., belonging to the natives, and that it was his duty as their new king to prevent this theft, and to drive the white men from Madang.

The man’s addresses generally took the form of distorted religious speeches, and were usually followed by the sing ing of hymns. During these speeches, the natives were told that the black skin they now had was not their “true” skin, but that it would shortly be discarded, and they would appear in their white skin.

Missions are blamed for these out breaks. In New Guinea it is not un usual to find two or more missions established in a district, all teaching widely differing doctrines to natives whose dialect and customs are exactly similar for that district. Each sect fiercely claim their particular doctrine as being the “right” one. Is it any wonder then that such cults as the “Mad ness” are the unhappy result?

This must not be construed as an attack on the missionaries as individuals.

Those I have known have been, in the majority of cases, good and concientious men, carrying out to the best of their abilities what they consider to be their duty. Nor can the whole mission move ment be condemned because of this one unhappy result of their teaching. But the fact of the “Madness” remains, and must be faced.

We have seen grave harm to the native population arising from the “Vailala Madness,” where livestock has been destroyed, and gardens neglected in the expectation of the magic cargo arriving.

The natives infected by the “Madness” sank into indolence and apathy regarding common hygiene, with dire effect on the health of the community.

HOW much more dangerous, then, will the “Madness” be when a military aspect is superimposed on the religious? Imagine the position, with some thousands of natives armed and trained in the use of modern weapons, at the disposal of such a “king” as he who arose in Madang in 1944.

It is folly to say: “It cannot happen here, to us.” It CAN, and may, happen here, to us. It is ridiculous to think that the discipline instilled with the military training would make such an uprising impossible.

One instance is on record where years of rigid training and discipline did not prevent a party of native police running amok among the native population. I refer to that party of native police who deserted in 1942, with their arms, and who, before being intercepted and dis armed by a few inteprid New Guinea citizens from Madang, carried out sys tematic murder and rape of the native populations in their path.

And this was no organised rebellion, but a desertion of a small party of police, made possible by the dislocation of civil services by the invasion of these Islands by the Japanese, How much more dangerous, then, would be an organised rebellion of thousands of savages armed with modern weapons.

Those, of us who witnessed the “strike” in Rabaul in 1928 do not wish to see another such—certainly not with thou

sands of natives armed with modern weapons.

What would the result be if the “Vailala Madness” took hold of the regiments of black soldiers now being trained in New Guinea?

By his very nature the New Guinea native is peculiarly susceptible to these “cults” and to the influence of the “kings.”

The very fact that he is being trained as a soldier, and is expected to fight

alongside the white man, and the fact that he is accepted as an equal in bar racks by the whites, but is not accepted as equal by society in general, will aggra vate the condition and render him still more susceptible to these cults and to the Influence of the “kings.” His dis cipline and training will be discarded at a moment’s notice and he will, emerge, as he is, a primitive savage with all a primitive savage’s instincts.

The New Guinea native is not unre liable. He Is worse—he is unpredictable The result of an organised uprising of these armed savages could be the mas sacre of Europeans in these islands, to gether with a host of natives.

IS New Guinea to be for ever the “happy hunting-ground” of politicians who wish to try out some crack-brained scheme, some murderously dangerous “experiment,” with its “cushy” jobs for a

politically-favoured few?

Is New Guinea to be for ever at the mercy of politicians, who, in the majority, have spent less than a month in the Islands and know nothing of the latent dangers in these Territories?

One of the worst aspects is that this set of politicians, having instituted this “plan,” will, when the thing crashes Into the mud. be elsewhere, still with their heads in the clouds, completely ignoring the chaotic results of their “plan,’ or blandly disclaiming all responsibility.

The New Guinea Native Police Force proved itself to be quite adequate to handle all situations that arose in these islands. Why then the need for these regiments of soldiers?

WE fought hard and long to be allowed to have some small voice in the laws by which we were governed in New Guinea. We won the fight end were granted a Legislative Council. Here at least our representatives could voice our ideas and suggestions for the better ment of both ourselves and the native

population. , .

Henceforth, the citizens of New Guinea will be dumb, gagged by the Canberra politicians. The Legislative Councils are abolished. The New Guinea citizen, besides being gagged by the politician, will not even have the melancholy satis faction of casting his vote against those

politicians who so effectively gag him.

Being a New Guinea citizen, he has no vote in Australia.

The “Vailala Madness” remains—and will remain until some control is exercised to counteract it. a military education is being* forced on these unfortunate and unsuspecting natives. The ill-digested religious teaching gave rise to the “Vailala Madness.”

What will the result be of the ill-digested military education?

The New Guinea citizen, having watched the growth of the Vailala Madness,” while being powerless to pre vent it, now stands gagged and bound by the Canberra politician and watches the growth of a new ‘ Madness’ that may be destined to wipe out his home, his wife, his children, and himself.