New Britain 60 Years Ago

From the Diary of F. J. Goedicke,

Haapai, Tonga

ILEFT Sydney on October 16, 1884, on His Imperial German Majesty’s ship . “Albatros” for New Britain, to be assistant to the German Commissioner von Oertzen.

'Hie Commissioner was sent to New Britain to select a site for administrative buildings; and, until the material arrived, we lived with the manager of the German firm, D. H. and P. G, The entire Terri tory of the Bismarck Archipelago was protected by the German Government, but was placed in the control of a com pany, founded on a basis similar to that of the old British East India Company.

The enterprises of planting coffee, cot ton, and so on had not yet begun, with the exception of an enterprise by an American firm directed by Thomas Far rell, who had accompanied “Queen Emma” (afterwards Madame Kolbe) from Samoa. The labour employed by this firm was brought from the Solomon Islands. It was inferior labour, but very cheap—each man costing less than five dollars a month.

Like the majority of the aboriginal races, the Papuans (natives of that place) were polygamists. A man could have as many wives as his means permitted, and the more capital he invested in this kind of property the better off he was—for his wives were his slaves and were obliged to do all the field labour.

Every morning, lines of naked, dirty women could be seen wending their way to the food gardens, to hoe their master’s yams and taro. Meanwhile, the lords of creation were preparing their canoes for fishing., or repairing the curious basket like fish-traps that they used.

The women seemed perfectly content with their lot rebellion was never dreamed of. Divorce was unknown.

When a man purchased a woman she became his property, like his canoe or his pig. When he became tired of her, he purchased a new wife, and the old one had to console herself by more in dustriously cultivating her lord’s yam patch. If a woman was unfaithful, her paramour was judged guilty of having stolen her, and was called upon to pay her full value. If he refused, war was immediately declared between the two families; or, if Lothario belonged to another tribe, the fight was between the two tribes. The injured husband had the option of killing the erring wife; and the Papuans of those days were not in clined to mercy.

The life of a white trader among those savages was not enviable. Usually, he was landed on a beach from a small vessel, with his box of trade goods and some provisions, among a strange people whose language was unfamiliar; and he was left to shift for himself. He was usually completely isolated, and would not see another white man until the vessel re turned, a month later. He was com pletely at the mercy of the natives—his life, as well as the success of his trading venture, depended upon his wits, and his quality in dealing with primitive savages.

Many of these men lost their lives be cause they were not quick enough in understanding the ways of the people they had gone among. If a trader was not liked by the natives, the chief usually deputed one of his men to kill him, and if he were unsuspicious, he would be speared or clubbed’* in his bed, or poisoned.