Big Bay Story

Brings Land

Tiffs Into Open

A chief of the island of Espiritu Santo has appealed to the South Pacific Commission to

stop Europeans from encroaching

on land in the Big Bay area, which he claims is the property of himself and people.

THE appeal is a direct result of the story published in PIM in March about the discovery in January, by Mr. Ted Hebblewhite, of a mysterious wall in the south-east corner of the bay.

The New Hebridean who made the appeal is Chief Buluk, who directed a letter to the SPC from Panvo, Santo. The letter was written in broken English by another New Hebridean, D, K. Olsen, of North Ambrym.

After claiming that the wall found by Mr. Hebblewhite was built “just after three Presbyterian missionaries were there,” Chief Buluk said that, following Mr. Hebblewhite’s visit, a European had landed 100 rolls of wire in that area of Big Bay.

In gaol

As a result of a clash over this, five local natives had finished up in the French District Agent’s gaol in Santo.

Chief Buluk claimed that “all the dark bush” in the area belonged to him and “our coming native children”.

He said he had “reported” this dark bush over 10 years ago to both the French and British Agents, but that “all the planters” were still cutting the bush without giving notice to “us the people of Santo”.

“Please stop these planters not to do this thing any more,” he added.

With Chief Buluk’s letter came a letter written on February 8 by Jimmy Tubo, of Panavo, Santo, which claimed that there was trouble between himself and a French com pany over the ownership of “dark bush land” at a place called Matantas.

The French company, which claimed the land, asserted that the land had been paid for, whereas Tubo said he knew from his grandfather and father that no payment had ever been made.

Tubo said that all the members of his family had lived on the Matantas land years ago. But as many of them

had died of sickness, his grandfather had made the land tabu and the people had left it.

Although there has always been an undercurrent of discontent among the New Hebrideans over past land transactions with Europeans, it is only in recent years, as the population in the Group has begun increasing sharply, that the New Hebrideans have become outspoken on the subject.

Probably the most outstanding example of their outspokenness was at a meeting of the Advisory Council in Vila in December, 1965.

On that occasion, Dr. Philip Ho, speaking on behalf of all the native members and claiming to be putting the views of all New Hebrideans, told the Joint Administration that the New Hebrideans regarded all pre vious land registrations as “im proper”.