Those Adjectival Natives

Minister Hasiuck’s latest memorandum to official Papua - New Guinea that the word “native” is to be used as little as possible, except as an adjective, makes about as much sense as some of the utterances about racial equality which have come from the visiting UN Mission at present in NG.

The vast majority of natives of the Territory have not considered whether “native” is a derogatory term or not, and will not do so un less someone in authority insists that they do.

Nor have the majority the time, the opportunity or the educational qualifications to consider the matter of “equality.” But send enough visiting experts into the Territory to tell them often enough that we re gard them as inferior and that they should do something about it, and the necessary resentment will, doubtless, be forthcoming.

What are we trying to do with the New Guinea natives, anyhow?

Turn them into imitation Euro peans? Or help them to develop along lines that will preserve their own natural dignity and common sense? The latter will not be achieved merely by calling them all “Papuans” or attaching to them the ridiculous English title, “Mr.”

It is undeniable that until the Pacific war the colour bar was pretty rigidly drawn in New Guinea. But that war ended over a decade ago.

To-day there is not one realistic, forward-looking Territorian who will ostracise a native simply because he

is a native. Where it has been sh*j that a native has character, itiative, mental capacity and mi stamina he is honoured for hiran —not because of racial “equaliJ There are, however, few natives T can measure up to this standard this is usually attributed (by theorists) to the fact that they lacking in education. With the I sent system of scholarships for I Guinea natives, the next 20 yr should give us some sort of a I about that.

Mr. Hasluck has, of course, pie of precedent for his edict about word native. It is tabu in eastern Pacific, too. At one tt the honoured graduates of the SE Medical School were known Native Medical Practitioners. Sox where along the line in the lasi? years they have all become Assist Medical Practitioners.

In May, the P-NG Legislae Council will solemnly debate w the natives can be called when tt are not called natives. “Papuj is not favoured by residents of I Guinea. “Melanesian” perhaps be considered as an alternative,.

However, it is one thing to what a native is to be called; qp another to pass a law setting how he is to be called. It c not take much imagination visualise a European slave-driven; say, 1966, saying (in derogab tones) : “Oh, he’s a Papuan!”

No one who has had the expo ence of hearing a well-bred Engl;l man say: “Oh, he’s an Australia can have any doubts about thm