‘Black Magic'

How Do Islanders Communicate?

By L. Poole

I noticed, in a recent Pacific Islands Monthly, that Captain N. W. Macdonald, of the Western Pacific High Commission’s motor vessel, described how some Makwana boys knew that one of their num ber (a returning indentured labourer) had died on the ship at sea, although no message had been sent them. The captain said that, as they anchored a canoe from Makwana came out for the body; and he called it Black Magic.

But it was not Black Magic.

As long as Whites, from the West, have been visiting these archipelagos of the Pacific Islands, the inhabitants have been known to send messages in this way, over miles of intervening sea, and along the coasts.

In this case the boy concerned was a Makwana native. Therefore, the message was received from a fellow-member of the tribe on the ship. The dead boy was closely re lated to some highly-placed relative at Makwana—probably the son of a chief or perhaps the next in succession.

The natives of the Islands in the Torres Strait and Arafura and Coral Seas, and those lying between the Australian continent and New Guinea (Murdug, Badu, Moa, and others too numerous to mention) were all adepts at sending messages of this sort—certain groups having a system of communication as correct as our wireless.

Often, on especially serious occasions, native drums were ex tensively used, to stir up the war like feelings of the people when they were expecting the receipt of such tribal messages.

To my knowledge, the last definite message sent by a Solomon Islands “boy” was in 1913, when a recruit ing schooner, a very fine vessel, was burned to the water-line in Marau Sound, Guadalcanal. Thirty miles distant, the news was received in some way across the water, at Aola, by a native of the tribe concerned — ship’s name and other particulars were complete.

I think that this message system is a natural-born gift of people directly attuned to earth vibrations.

The power was possessed only by intelligent men of rank.

In urgent cases it was the only means of communication, and it was used to warn many a tribe of the approach of blackbirders, giv ing the kanakas time to hide in the bush where, in thpse days, sailors dared not penetrate.

As the natives were human, with all man’s vanities and love of show added to their desire to stand pre eminent among their fellows, they interwove so many curious and

often revolting and awe inspiring ceremonies with their practice of sending and receiving messages, that reverence and fear of them were aroused among the masses, reducing them to abject submission.

From this attitude of the natives there originated the white man’s MaSp ation ° f the term ’ Black iviagic.

I thought this had become a dead letter, and I wonder just what Captam Macdonald means by the term, as used by him.

As the need for these tribal messages decreased, owing to the increasing white population, so did the practice of the system disappear and one can understand

how the natives have lost the art.

Secret ceremonial practices by the feared witch-doctors were bound to be abandoned as Western influence grew, The Netherlands now ranks second amongst the West European oil producers. Up to a few years ago no oil was found in the Neth erlands. At present oil wells in Holland produce approximately 700,000 tons annually about 25 per cent, of the country’s own re quirements. The Netherlands also has developed an important oilfield in Western New Guinea.