Ninigos

H. R. WAHLEN tells How:

I Repopulated The

A COUNTRY’S greatest asset is its population. A heavy responsi bility lies upon a Government which bas to look after a population of un :ivilised natives, living under poor :onditions. As soon as such natives :ome into contact with the civilised vorld there is a decline in population, >wing to sickness not known before md brought in by the Europeans.

When I took over the Western islands of New Guinea, in 1902, most )f the atolls were very thinly popu ated, with the exception of Maty iWuvulu) and Durour (Aua) islands.

Fhe Hermit atoll, with its wonderful larbour, was in former years a head itation for whalers and, later on, the veil-known trading firm of J. C. jodefroy & Sons opened a trading tation there and recruited labourers or their plantations in Samoa.

Quite a lot of natives, who had >een in Samoa, were suffering from ;lephantiasis and other infectious ill lesses in the Hermits, as well as in he Anchorites; and when I arrived, mly 64 natives were living in the Permits, and 36 in the Anchorites— nostly in a very poor state of health, asked for advice from the medical

authorities and the opinion was that it would not be possible to raise the population again on these two atolls, so I left them alone.

IN the Anchorites only one child —a small boy of about 9 years, with the name of Bullukau—was living among the old people. I took him to Maron as houseboy for Wahlenburg. When I called again at the Anchorites the father of Bul lukau told me that his mother had died, and he handed over to me the well-polished skull of Bullakau’s mother and asked me to give it to his son Bullakau, which I did.

Bullukau took the skull, and wept bitterly. I put the skull on a cup board in my office where it stood high and dry. Always, when Bul lukau entered the office, he glanced with a smile at the skull of his mother, and he was very thankful that 1 looked after his mother so well.

In former times these Hermit people, like those in the nearby Admiralties, were quite an enter prising race. Many years ago a brigantine passed the Hermits and the captain went on shore with two of his sailors, to get fresh water. The natives killed them, and went on board and killed the rest of the crew.

After that, they took all the goods on shore, and sank the vessel. In Europe, the owners regarded the ship as lost.

The crime of the natives was dis covered by a trader of Godefroys’ when he found a small book, bearing the name of a sailor on the brigan tine. After his report, the German warboats Hyaene and Albatross bombarded the village on the island of Louf; but little damage was done, as the natives were hidden in the caves of Louf. When the sailors went on shore, they could not find

any natives. The only thing they

could do was to burn down the village. As the NW season was just starting, many natives died before the village was rebuilt.

T'HE natives of the Ninigo group -*• are similar to the Micronesian type. When I started the establish ment of plantations about 400

North of the New Guinea mainland, and some hundreds of miles westward of the Admiralty group, lie the Northwestern Islands—small, widely-scattered islands, chief of which are the three atoll forma tions known as the Hermits, the An chorites and Ninigo.

Until the turn of the century, the only contact which these islands had had with Europeans—whalers, casual traders, black birders—was represented by bloodshed, disease and depopulation. Then, exactly fifty years ago, they were adopted by a famous German planter and trader, Hein rich Rudolph Wahlen. For many years, he reigned there as uncrowned king. On Maron islet, in the Hermit atoll, he built a fine house, which he called “Wahlen burg.” Old hands still talk of his colour ful life, and his Eastern hospitality.

A few months ago, we discovered that Herr Wahlen was still alive, and a resi dent of Hamburg. He has survived two World Wars and, though advanced in years, he is well and a keen student of world affairs. Following an interesting correspondence, he has sent us this ar ticle. embodying some of his memories of the Northwestern Islands.

natives were living there, but I could engage only a few boys as labourers. 1 had to recruit natives from New Guinea—wild cannibals, who were greatly disliked by the Ninigo people.

I explained that I had to engage these wild people because there were so few natives in the whole Ninigo group for use as labourers.

I asked the chief, Hallokonin, why the women did not get more children, who would be labourers on the plantations later on, and in such a case it would be not necessary to recruit labourers in New Guinea, and bring these wild cannibals here.

Hallokonin became quite indig nant, and answered that this was not the fault of the men but of the women, who ate a fruit of the virgin forest and, after that, they would not get a child.

When I heard this I at once in structed my overseer, J. Devlin, an old, good-hearted Irishman, to find this most interesting fruit; but he was not successful as the women refused to bring it, “Well,” I said to Hallokonin, “the white man does not allow his wife to eat such fruit. If she does, she will be hanged.”

Hallokonin at once undertook to hang all the women of the Ninigo group.

When I interrupted, and pointed out that in such a case no more children would be born, he agreed again.

I then made the proposal that the {Continued on page 77)

vomen be invited to get children. I aid I would pay, for every child, ifter the birth, a sum of 5/- in ;oods.

Hallokonin became quite excited, md was sure that this was the emedy and that many children could >e expected. Every child born in the *4inigo group had to be considered is capital for me. The more natives n the group, the less labourers I had o recruit elsewhere.

After six months, I visited N ini go igain on my fine MS Maron, and vhen I came near the station, on he island of Longan, 1 saw many :anoes under sail for Longan. doming on shore, Hallokonin greeted ne on the pier, and was delighted o tell me that all the Ninigo women vere going to have children.

I followed him up to the station vhere about 50 women were lined jp. As I passed along the line, I vas convinced that Hallokonin had spoken the truth.

The next vessel brought a medical issistant to Longan, with orders Tom me to settle all the natives on me islet of the atoll, help them to mild houses and roads, control heir health, and encourage them to ncrease the population.

My experiment was a complete success. The fee I promised was paid as soon as it was due, and the latives were very happy.

SOME time ago, London friends sent me an article from the London Sunday Times, with a description of the Wuvulu (Maty) natives. These are Micronesians, mixed with Malayan blood. Al though the report in the Sunday Times is a little exaggerated these Wuvulu natives are indeed a wonder fully good-looking people. When I first landed there—after they had killed a trader—they called me “the man on board of a ship”—believing that, except Wuvulu and Aua no land existed elsewhere, and I had to live always on board of a ship. I brought iron tools to Wuvulu; up to then they used shell tools.

The salute of these Wuvulu folk was “Watschi watschi viga”, which means “I love you”. This is not the exact translation, but the meaning.

These natives lived in a paradise.

The men wore no clothes, the women only a leaf, like Eve, A red hibiscus flower, and frangi-panni in their long black hair made them look beautiful. The war cry of the

Wuvulu woman was love, love and again love.

Many natives were living there when I first visited the islands. But, on account of intermarriage, the race had degenerated, and had to be mixed with stronger races. I en gaged strong and big Solomon Islands men, sent them to Wuvulu, and married them to the pretty girls.

Both sides seemed very happy; the girls loved the strong men, and the boys the lovely girls. The rising

generation was a little bit darker, but stronger.

THE NG Government, said the article in the Sunday Times, is considering it must do something to stop the decline of the people. I must say it is rather late for this apprehension. The decline had al ready started in my time and since then—in the last 30 years—nothing seems to have been done.

The real weakness of New Guinea,

considered in relation to its great natural wealth, is its small popula tion. When development was planned in German times, we often debated as to where to go in the future for labourers for the planta tions and many proposals were made.

We thought we might allow the immigration of Chinese, Indonesians

and Indians, with the condition that they serve for three years as labour ers on the plantations and, if desired, they could then become landowners in Southern New Ireland where, many years ago, the Marquis de la Ray settlement was founded.

Or they could go to the Highlands of New Guinea. To-day, it seems

impossible to introduce these races, and the labour supply is getting more and more a very serious problem.

The Australian Government has; not done much to solve this question.

On the contrary, the official way of treating these NG people of the Stone Age has spoiled the natives altogether. When wages are asked of £4, and paid up to £2 per month, the profit of any enterprise will soon

iminish, and the development of the ountry will be prevented, so that it fill become a burden for the home ountry.

Since 1914, the conditions in the forld have changed altogether. New Guinea, at that time very little nown, now occupies an important osition as a defender of the Western ountries against the East. The line xtends from Japan through the 'hilippines and New Guinea to umatra and Ceylon.

Japan and the, Philippines are pro ved by USA. Australia, alone, annot protect New Guinea. Here, Iso, USA will have to help. USA, s the most interested Power in the acific, has to carry the greatest part f the burden involved in the defence f the Pacific.

Would it not be advisable to invite ISA to take an interest in the idministration of the Trust Terri >ry of New Guinea? Ought not the Americans to show some interest in le fate of Dutch New Guinea?