Boys In Boots
p. 63 · Read in the full issue
N. Guinea Natives Now May "Wear Anything”-and They Do?
From Our Own Correspondent
Finschhafen, Oct. 20.
MANY Papua-New Guinea natives look attractive enough in their lava lavas or lap-laps; some of them have pleasing features, slim, athletic bodies, and, give colour to the place, es pecially when they swagger along with an hibiscus or some other vividly-coloured flower in their thick, curly mops of hair.
It is a sorry sight, however, to see so many of the “boys” now slouching around in Army boots many sizes too small for them. They look ridiculous, particularly when they wear long trousers as well.
A flat-footed native can look well in a loin cloth just as the Hanuabada belles, with their full bosoms and grass skirts, add attraction to Port Moresby.
But when they foolishly and hideously ape the white man, they look incongru ous.
Even the wearing of a shirt is detri mental to a native’s health. Essential Vitamin D is absorbed from the sun’s rays, and before the war it was an offence in the Mandated Territories for a male native to wear anything on the upper part of his body.
Although the Administration has now decreed 4 that a native may wear anything he wishes, old residents, who love the country, resent any alteration in native attire. One reason is that it holds them to ridicule among visitors to the Territory.