Pursuit Of The Mokolkols

Written For Pim By Mark Pitt

AS several inaccuracies in connection with the Mokolkol natives have been published, the PIM might like to have some facts about the Mokolkol as he really is. and perhaps divest him of some of the mythical mystery in which, over the years, he has been shrouded.

Presumably, all patrol reports and records of work done by the field staff of District Services were lost in the war, and statements now made about the Mokolkols are apparently but figments of someone’s imagination.

In the latter half of 1934 I was in structed to take a patrol to the area of the Mokolkol activity in New Britain; to make contact, if possible, with this group of natives: and. if successful, to make investigations into the alleged recent murders by them of several coastal natives.

Coastal natives had bestowed the name “Mokolkols” on this group of hinterland natives—a nomadic tribe roaming in the area of New Britain between, roughly, Open Bay (on the north coast) and Wide Bay (on the south coast). Over the years, these nomads had apparently gained a unique reputation for cunning, ferocity and elusiveness.

Several previous unsuccessful attempts had been made by District Service officers to make contact with the group. These attempts would follow on successive re ports of murders of coastal natives when, it could only be expected, those guilty would be particularly on the alert, expect ing reprisals. This point, undoubtedly, militated against the success of these patrols.

The patrol party, as instructed, pro ceeded to the area and was approximately six months there, making contact in that time with more than 30 Mokolkols —men, women and children. Those contacted were at once sent to headquarters of the New Guinea Administration, which was then at Rabaul, for educational purposes, particularly to learn the lingua franca, Pidgin English.

The late General Griffiths, was, at the outset of the patrol, acting as Adminis trator. He was obviously determined to have this Mokolkol job completed— a job which had been started many times over a number of years but, each time, aban doned without anything concrete being done. Those premature abandonments tended only to make the Mokolkols bolder, and a greater threat to the coastal natives.

A copy of reports on all patrols which had been carried out previously in what had become known as the “Mokolkol area” was made available to me. They showed that all the reported murders by the Mokolkols had been carried out with, apparently, the same motive —viz., to obtain steel implements such as knives and tomahawks. They showed, also, that a similar technique was employed in each case.

The Mokolkols would select a suitable vantage point overlooking coastal natives’ food gardens. When the women were seen to be working in their garden, not closely guarded by their men folk, the Mokolkols would swoop down and grab the steel working implements, at times killing the unfortunate women in the process. They would then flee to their hinterland hide outs with the loot.

UNFORTUNATELY. during our patrol, General Griffiths retired from his position as Administrator. With his retirement, all interest at headquarters in the Mokolkol patrol seemed to vanish.

This seemed strange, as there were one or two officers, then in responsible positions with the Administration at Rabaul, who had previously led patrols in the Mokolkol area.

As success was rapidly crowning our efforts, and small batches of Mokolkol natives were continually being sent on to Rabaul, one would have expected that these officers would have exerted their influence to see that interest was main tained and every effort made to assist the patrol to a successful and logical con clusion. Tne logical conclusion, it was considered, was the contacting and send ing to Rabaul of everyone of these nomad natives. The patrol then being concluded, anthropologists and others could take charge of the evacuees and. at their leisure, direct their education and dis

‘Since writing this article in early January, Mr. Pitt died at his home in Madang. See page 22 this issue.

cover the secrets of their make-up—not missing, of course, whence they originated.

All District Service field officers, to carry out their work efficiently, must, it is claimed, be anthropologists, whether they know it or not. But one must be academically trained to discover whether the Mokolkols are really Timoip or Earn ing natives, as the writer would expect, or whether, on the contrary, they originated from the Laplander. However, on completion of the educational and anthropological work, the evacuees would then be handed over again to District

Service officers for repatriation and re habilitation.

However, the logical conclusion was never reached and, with General Griffiths’ retirement, orders were received that the patrol should be abandoned.

Perhaps it was considered that, when European miners’ and prospectors’ lives in the Morobe and Sepik Districts were in danger, it was incumbent on the Administration to post there the majority of the limited number of District Service field officers available.

BE this the reason or not, the patrol was withdrawn, much to the disappoint-1 ment of native personnel, as well as my- f self, and Cadet Patrol Officer Hamilton, ! who accompanied me. Complete success f was well in sight.

Success had commenced after a period which was required to lull the Mokolkols into a sense of safety and security.

The patrol wandered about the area, simulating a complete lack of interest in everything. There were no beaten tracks or pads in the area—the patrol was com pelled all the time to “break bush,’’ with several natives in the lead with knives and tomahawks hewing a track. An open compass had to be held in the hand con tinuously to maintain direction.

However, the country, for the most part, was fairly sparsely timbered. The natives’ food, as far as was seen, consisted of wild fruits and nuts and, at intervals, we found small plots of sweet potatoes. All these were left scrupulously intact by the patrol, as also were houses encountered.

No food gardens of any appreciable size were found. Nothing was done to lead the natives to believe the patrol was un friendly.

Throwing them thus off their guard, the patrol was able to make contact with some. However, when the first batch of these was caught up with, and sent to Rabaul, the Mokolkols became more suspicious and alert than ever. The patrol’s tactics, therefore, had then necessarily to be altered.

By this time, the native members of the patrol, on whom one must largely rely for success in such a venture, had become well acquainted with the terrain, and with many of the Mokolkols’ habits, weapons, etc. They knew him not as a superman, as he was inclined to think previously, but as he really was—a rather poor type, physically and mentally.

The only weapon seen, apart from a few wornout steel implements—doubtless stolen previously from coastal natives — was a poor type of spear, fashioned from the “limbong” palm and roughly sharpened.

The “limbong” palm also served, apparently, as an article of diet. Short lengths of these were often found anchored in streams. These lengths, when thoroughly decayed, were apparently chewed by the natives. It is thought that this item of diet was used by the Mokolkols only when they were closely pursued and with little respite, as was to happen later in the patrol. rE native constables’ morale was high, when the time came for an altera tion in tactics. We had gained a great deal of knowledge of the country and of the inhabitants.

Now, our patrol’s movements had to be as secret as possible, to enable us to get within a short distance of our quarry • without his realising our presence. No « fires were lit in the daylight hours, all . cooking being done at night.

Then, having got reasonably close to < the native, it was a comparatively simple < job for a well-conditioned native constable i of average intelligence to literally run him j to earth. , .

My estimate of the number of natives ; in this nomadic group was in the vicinity y of 60 only—this included men, women and i children. This estimate was based on a j thorough inspection of their nightly y camping-places, at several of which the j patrol arrived apparently only a few hours ? after they had been vacated by the 6 Mokolkols.

The paucity of signs of inhabitants in i the hundreds of square miles of combed during the patrol showed also that o the number was very limited.

Therefore, having sent to Rabaul mores than 30 of them, it was a wrench to be s taken from the area, leaving the small I

rouo behind to carry on with their efarious work. It was likely, too, that lose who had si far eluded the patrol r ere the more virile and robust of the roup.

It was considered that those remaining mid all have been contacted within a lonth. However, this was not to be. The atrol left the area, leaving once again le coastal natives to the Mokolko l lenace.

It may be mentioned here that there as not a shot fired nor a casualty in icted or received during the entire period I this patrol.

T must be remembered that the patrol of which I have written was carried out nearly 20 years ago, so one must tpect things to have altered somewhat.

For instance, it is interesting to note •om the article in the October PIM that village has been observed in an air jconnaissance flight. Apparently the [okolkols have improved on the lay-out id architecture of their houses. Formerly leir dwellings were inconspicuous affairs, udely erected, and with no attempt made i clear ground or fell trees in the en rons—it is considered that they would it have been visible from the air.

Miss Diana Bowring, with a friend, Miss mine Hunter, both of Sydney, recently burned home after a holiday at Edie reek, New Guinea, with Diana’s grand other, Mrs. Alice Bowring.

Mr. J. C. Hammett, of Laumono Planta on, Shortland Islands, BSI, spent about iree weeks in Sydney recently. He left adly for the north in early February, 7 way of Rabaul, in a Carpenter ship hich also carried a 40 ft. workboat for ie Hammett establishment. The boat as lined up for him in Sydney by Nelson id Robertson Pty., Ltd., well-known land firm, and the boat’s new owner did it stay longer in the metropolis than he >uld help. Mr. and Mrs. Hammett and ieir grown family bought Laumono about iree years ago—formerly it belonged to :r. W. Atkinson. They are happy there, it would be happier if they could re uit labour in Bougainville, which is only ght miles away, but regarded as foreign il by the BSI Administration. There is vere shortage of labour in the Short nds. Mr. Hammett was previously a isident of Papua, where he and his mily spent many years before the epression drove them away.