Meet The Mokolkols

The Ned Kellys of New Britain

From a Special Correspondent MEETING the Mokolkols has been quite a job for the Administration of Papua-New Guinea, for this brown skinned, Ned Kelly tribe has been success fully dodging Governmental authority for about 30 years.

In that time, they have raided and murdered far and wide in the country near the base of the Gazelle Peninsula, in New Britain until the mere name “Mokolkol” tends to cause panic among neighbouring tribes. In fact, they have few neighbours, for the latter tend to clear out and leave these New Britain hill billies in undisputed control of about 500 square miles of countryside.

Patrols went out intermittently over the years to round up these anti-social Mokolkols, but never succeeded in really getting to grips with them. Sometimes there was a bit of a skirmish, but on most occasions, the natives just skipped into the jungle and faded out, like a conjurer’s rabbit.

But in November of this year a patrol led by Assistant District Officer D. M.

Feinberg, of Rabaul, with Cadet Patrol Officer C. Normoyle and 12 native police, finally tracked down the Ned Kelly hide out. A Forestry officer, Mr. W [Bill]. Heather, also accompanied the patrol.

They got within a few feet of the first house before first a pig and then a woman gave the alarm.

The patrol immediately closed in, and two bearded warriors tried to bolt from their huts. But a shot into the ground at the door of one of the buildings dissuaded one black gentleman, who was then dis armed, and the other retreated indoors.

The first had obviously meant business, for he had a long-handled axe in each hand, and plenty of ability to swing both at once. The patrol picked up the second man, and a Mokolkol woman and four children before the villagers got away into the jungle.

These Mokolkols are now in Rabaul, learning Pidgin, as a preliminary to being taught to live in peace with their neigh bours and the world in general.

A WORD about the history of these people. It seems that some 30 years ago they came from the general direction of the Bainings area; and, perhaps because of a quarrel or for some other reason, they took to the mountains between Wide Bay and Open Bay. There they have lived as nomads, making temporary gardens and raiding, with berserk ferocity, isolated natives working in the gardens of adjoining settlements.

Their ferocity, and the superb bushcraft which enabled them to appear and disappear at bewildering speed, added to the ill-repute gained by their wholesale slaughter, made them dreaded, for miles round. Not a native would wander know ingly within their area.

It appears that they raided mainly for axes, which apparently are not only their chief weapons but an important part of their culture. A search of the village showed that these are all of the tomahawk type, of Australian or American manufacture, and fitted with native-wood handles four or five feet long. They swing these with deadly effect, and they also use them on less murderous jobs for which other natives normally use knives. The axes are sharpened on whet stones to a razor edge; and this process is never allowed to be watched by the women of be tribe.

The two Molkolkol men taken by the patrol are both comparatively tall and well built, and both are bearded, one 33

years and the other 38. The woman is of the Baining type, with rounded head and a plump body. She is described as being extremely voluble and quite intelligent It was found that the Mokolkol language was somewhat similar to another dialect of Baining origin, and it was pos sible to get a halting and stumbling inter pretation through the language of this second group.

THE patrol, working on preliminary in formation from the Mokolkols taken to Rabaul, and subject to later check ascertained that the entire Mokolkol group now numbers about 30, including women and children, and that the numerical strength of the tribe has been declining for some years. It is regarded as astounding that this small group should have built up such a reputation and spread such fear through so large

on area. Even natives in quite distant areas regard the mere name of Mokolkol with dread.

The little group at Rabaul expects to be able to make contact with the rest of the tribe when they return home. They will be sent back after a short time, accom panied by a patrol to ensure their safe acceptance by the tribe, and it is hoped that they will be the means of establish ing permanent contact with the Adminis tration. If so, the solution of this tough little spot of trouble will be only a matter of time.

Meanwhile, it would be interesting to know what these wild folk of the hills think of civilisation and the strange new world to which thev are being introduced.

Perhaps, with increasing knowledge of Pidgin, they will be able to express their views before they go home.