Outspoken

Care Of Pacific

Races

Sir Peter Buck Is Outspoken

THE need for close study of the cus toms and manners of the natives in different areas of the Pacific by the countries responsible for the govern ment of Islands territories was empha sised by Sir Peter Buck when he de livered the 1949 Cawthron lecture at Nelson College, NZ, on March 2. Sir Peter, who is Director of the Bishop Museum, Honolulu, is on a visit to NZ in connection with the Pacific Science Congress.

There was a time, he said, when the Governments did not trouble much about the natives for whom they were responsible unless they wanted some thing from them. The tendency of the ruling races was not to pay much at tention to the culture of people, but to expect them to absorb the culture of white races.

Now, throughout the world, there was a dawning feeling that in the govern ment of the natives of the Pacific area the administration should go hand in hand with study of the peoples, their manners and customs. This would not only be of benefit to the natives, but would smooth out the problems of gov ernment.

The United States Navy’s investiga tions in Micronesia provided an example of this work and the same scheme was being adopted in the South Pacific, where the South Pacific Com mission had recently been set up by the countries concerned, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, France and the Nether lands.

One problem facing the administra tors was that no single rule could be found to cover all the different island groups, said Sir Peter. What suited one group might not suit another. They were at different stages of advancement.

Speaking as one of the native people himself (Sir Peter’s mother was a Poly nesian) he said he believed the Govern ments had been trying to get results too quickly. There was a great danger of confusing the people and making them feel that they could not do anything.

The responsibility for looking after the native peoples of the Islands could

not be shuffled any longer. There must not only be co-operation between the

white peoples, but also between the white and brown races.