Some Sidelights On Yali

Can He Be Regarded As “Cargo Cult,” or Mischievous Influence?

Written For Pim By Sumit

WHILE I was in New Guinea in 1946- 48, on special work, I met Yali, of your article “Case History of Yali” (PIM, May, 1950) and I believe it would be interesting to know more about him from various possible sources, especially missionary.

My first contact with Yali was with his name only. It was in Mungo village, on the south slope of the Pinesterres, south-east of Bogadjim, May 1, 1946.

That morning the village people began to congregate near the main trail entrance and, when I asked the luluai what it was all about, he replied that some of the men who had been working on the coast were returning to the village and all were lining up to welcome them back.

The men were at the head of the line, in order of importance; then the young men and boys; and, last of all, the women.

There were nearly 150 in all.

The line suddenly stilled and straightened, as the home-comers arrived.

The procession was led by a tall, dig nified native wearing an Aussie hat, with a red band on it. He was followed by three other men. All four of them were wearing packs.

The four proceeded slowly along the line, shaking hands with each member of the line. As the leading man seemed to be a somebody, I asked the luluai who he was and I was told that he was one of Yali’s men and had come to Mungo to bring the word of Yali.

Having never heard of Yali, I inquired further and was told, “Im i big fellow man, im i all same King belong New Guinea.”

Then I asked just what was the word of Yali, and was told that Yali’s word was the same as that of the Government.

The government would tell Yali its wishes and Yali would pass it on to the villages, etc.

The luluai also told me that Yali was from Yamai, near Saidor, so I made a mental note that if I ever came through Saidor way I would like to meet this “King belong New Guinea.”

LATER, at Finschhafen, Patrol Officer White mentioned to me that they had received word of a gold bespangled ex-sergeant-major up on the Rai Coast who was supposed to be the root of a case of Cargo Cult. I told him the above tale, and a check was begun.

On December 22, 1946, I finally reached Saidor, meeting Patrol Officer Prowse and, later, Father John Wald, of nearby Gumbi. Christmas was Wednesday and, so as not to interfere with Father Wald’s Christmas mass, the sing-sing was to be held starting Monday afternoon and to finish Tuesday morning.

I asked various natives about Yali, and if they thought he would be coming to the sing-sing. As they were sure he would be coming, I mentioned that I would like to meet him.

Monday night, while watching one par ticular dance, I sensed a peculiar activity behind me and turned around to see a very large and impressive native stand ing in what looked like an old Salvation

Army coat.

I needed no guessing, I just said, “You, Yali.”

I shook hands with a very cold hand and told him I had heard of him over much of my travelling. He did not have much to say, although he appeared very

friendly.

Going from one dance area to another, I noticed that everywhere that Yali went

all activity other than the dances ceased and men would stop to shake hands with Yali.

We walked into one house where a group of natives were busy over a pile of money and a deck of cards. Every one stood up, stepped across the money and shook hands with Yali.

Later that evening I asked Mr. Prowse:

“Is Yali considered a good influence or a bad influence in this area?”

As Mr. Prowse’s station was in the middle of Yali’s area I felt sure he could straighten the matter in my mind. Mr.

Prowse replied that Yali’s word was not a hindrance in the area, that it was good advice which blended very much with the Kiap’s way of government. This seemed to coincide with what I had heard in Mungo village.

Mr. Prowse believed that along the edge of Yali’s area various natives were changing the word of Yali, or adding his name to plans which were sufficient to start an undertone among the natives,

I and an unfriendly attitude by the District Officers towards Yali. Father Wald also S agreed (at that time) that Yali was a 1 wonderful influence over the area.

MY mission inland carried me through the village of Sibog where one of Yali’s clerks, by name of Kinkan, ' lived. Kinkan had also been a clerk for ANGAU during the war—certainly not a warrior, as I learned later in the wilder Ten and Tutup areas, near Nokopo, where his fears even started my police boys to balking.

Kinkan’s house was fit for a head quarters, with the only lawn I’d seen in a native village. There was even a large star, outlined with some small shrubs.

Kinkan and a native missionary named Melandian joined my line at their own request; and, all along the mission, I noticed that Kinkan was bringing the word of Yali to the villages. I am sorry that I did not pay enough attention at the time to hear some of the speeches.

In a little book he carried he would note the population of each village and, when he discovered I carried an altimeter, he also put down the altitude of each vil lage.

One afternoon, after returning to the coast, I was visiting with Father Wald and Yali also stopped in for a visit.

And what a long visit it was! Yali told me his whole war story, how he had come near shooting some Malays at Hol landia because he thought they were Japanese: how he had to walk all the way down the coast to Aitape, and about his trip to Australia, and the clothes he was given.

The part that I did not note in my diary was the well-known Territorian on the Rai coast, in the vicinity of Saidor, who advised Yali to go out and talk to the natives, to tell them just what he saw in Australia, and how all the machines of war are built, that they are not just created out of thin air by the spirits of the Whiteman’s ancestors.

MY last encounter with the word of Yali was on November 1, 1948, at Roinji village, to the east of Saidor, I had just completed a three months’ trek of the mountainous interior —areas where the Lutheran Church was busy baptising hundreds of natives; natives who seemed almost wild compared with these coastal natives.

Here, at Roirji, the black missionary in formed me the natives were turning their backs on the churches and were looking towards Yali, “the new King of New Guinea.”

I was told that Yali had promised them all sorts of cargo, cargo of the white man. How or where he intended to get it only Yali knew —but the natives said he was collecting their money and eating their pigs and enjoying luxuries fit for a king.

As I went up the coast I asked the native missionary of Gall about the Yali movement and he said it was true there, too, and at that time, certain men of the village had been called up the coast for one of Yali’s meetings. These men we met returning, as we were going towards Saidor.

I also noticed the very nice “house Yali,” gaily decorated, in the Malalamai area.

At Seure, where I spent the night, I discovered that the house tambaran had been revived to replace the house lotu.

There I had to listen to the noise from the tambaran way into the night, and I learned that if the women were to look upon the house, the spirits would cause the mountain people to come down and make war on the coastal people.

This time, on arriving at Saidor, I met

a new officer in charge, Patrol Officer Griffith. He also had a good word for Yali, and informed me that Yali was be ing used by the Administration to great advantage.

And so I left New Guinea not knowing whether it was Yali himself who was at fault, or shrewd natives using his name.

Mr. John C. Morgan, a nephew of Mrs.

A. G. McCown, Ovalau, Fiji, who became well-known in Fiji when he worked for a time on the Wai-ni-loka plantation in the 1930’5, has been appointed an Under secretary for Air in the United States.

He had an outstanding war record and received the highest American award for bravery, the Congressional Medal of Honour. Before Pearl Harbour he served with the Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force, and when USA entered the war he transferred to the United States Army Air Force. He twice brought back to English shores badly damaged Flying Fortresses of which he was co

pilot. On the second occasion he sup ported the dead body of the pilot to keep it off the controls, continued in forma tion and pressed home the attack on which his squadron was engaged.