The Editor's Mailbag
pp. 34-35 · Read in the full issue
A Matter Of Facts
Sir, —Glen Wright’s apologia ap pearing in your October issue is sin gularly unconvincing. His comment that the two letters of protest against his article in your May number came from Fiji and Tahiti respectively lacks point, unless he wishes his readers to infer that as he lives in Samoa he must know more about that country than I do.
In my letter published in July last I made it very clear that I spoke from a background of residence in West ern Samoa for the best part of 20 years. During that time I studied the Samoans, their country, their language and their customs.
Glen Wright obviously has not. If he had he would not have mis-spelled Tiafau —twice—as Tiafu. Tiafau is a name well known throughout Samoa.
Tiafu does not exist either as a name or as a word.
Glen Wright claims that his article on the power of Samoan matais is a report in which all material is attributed as to source.
This is not so. The gross errors of which I complained appeared in his article as factual, not as expressions of opinion. No Samoan has ever referred to the position of the matai, as Glen Wright did, as the “ruler of a tribe”.
No responsible Samoan has ever attributed to the Samoan matai the atrocious sexual habits which Glen Wright asserts—without quoting any authority for his statement—that the matais in Samoa regularly exercise.
Glen Wright claims to be “an observer calling the plays as I neutrally see them, with truth as my sole objective”. In these circumstances he should take more care to be ac curate. In his article in your October number on the Council of Women Building in Apia there are several glaring mistakes.
No one with even a rudimentary knowledge of the Samoan language could say, as Glen Wright does in that article, that palagi is the Samoan word for “white man”. Palagi is a small fish. The word for white man is papalagi, and the derivation of this word is well known to Samoans and papalagi alike.
Lady Powles’s Christian name is Eileen, not Irene as Glen Wriebt has it. The name of the Lte widow is Noue, not Nove as Glen Wright has it. His spelling of
“Lilian” as “Lilan” can perhaps be excused as a misprint.
It may be objected that these are minor errors. But they should not occur if the facts are checked, as they should be checked by any conscien tious journalist.
PIM enjoys, deservedly I think, a high reputation in the Islands. But may I respectfully suggest that that reputation is liable to become tarnished in the eyes of at least one section of the Islands community unless more steps are taken to ensure that a contributor to your pages on Pacific subjects knows what he is talking about.
Malau O Tiafau.
Suva, Fiji.
Professor Maynard
Sir, —I am writing as the Research Assistant of Professor Geoffrey Maynard to correct your spelling of his name. His surname is not Meynard; for professional reasons it would be wrong for your mis-spelling of his name to go uncorrected.
John R. Baker.
Nukualofa, Tonga.
Tonga's Educated Nobles
Sir, —In relation to the Letters column PIM, Oct., I would like, for S. Ataata’s information, to state that right now, well after a century of Tonga being a modern government, King Taufa’ahau, who is the head of the Tongan nobility, is the only one, I repeat the only one, among all the nobles who had a university education and graduated with univer sity degrees.
At the same time. His Majesty’s educational scheme which was started while he was still Premier and Minister of Education, has more commoners gaining university degrees, and other educational opportunities overseas, than all the nobles ever hope to get in this and the next century.
A matter of conventional belief, and a solemn duty of a loyal citizen is to prevent the hands that offered the bones from being bitten.
I recommend that S. Ataata should come to Tonga and observe the situa tion for himself.
With reeards to Glen Wright’s letter (PIM, Oct., p. 25), may I stress the world-wide accepted prin
ciple, that reality is based on facts, not on reading an article in bed and forming logical-evaluation on change able human behaviour and attitudes May I also point out that there has never been a well documented personal-observation made anywhere in the world, unless it was a result of scientific studies, and even then some inaccuracies have always been found.
Joe Fanamanu.
Nukualofa, Tonga.
The " Wind Song #/ Story
Sir, —We have followed with in terest your articles regarding Fred Wood and Wind Song. In June we met Fred at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii (scene of Captain Cook’s death). We left soon after for Palmyra, and Fred was to leave within a day or two for Christmas Island. After a month on uninhabited Palmyra, we next had word from Fred upon our arrival at Fanning Island, where we learned of his mishap on Christmas Island.
A few days later we again saw Fred, this time aboard the US Coast Guard buoy tender Planetree which called at Fanning with materials for the University of Hawaii Research Station.
Fred’s article in Ocober PIM is a masterpiece of understatement. The very fact of his survival on Christ mas’ unhospitable south shore is in credible in itself, as anyone familiar with Christmas Island can attest. The punt which he constructed out of pieces of sheet metal is a master piece. especially when you consider he had no tools.
A final note: Wind Song was washed ashore, and found by a party of copra cutters about two months after Fred’s epic swim. The boat was a total wreck and nothing of value was salvaged.
Dick Soupene
of Altaic.
Pago Pago, American Samoa.
"Waka Toru" Appeal
Sir, —PlM last year reported several items about the loss of the trimaran Waka Tom in the Pacific.
One of the crew members, Valerie, was my daughter. Would you please publish this item as soon as possible, as it may establish in somebody’s mind that their yacht was sighted in mistake for that of the Waka Torn Something is strange about the loss of the Waka Tom, and the time it was supposedly lost.
The Scandinavian ship, South Pacific, claims it sighted the Waka Tom under full sail on a bright, sunny day about 12 noon on October
20, 1968. She was coming south-east from the direction of Chesterfield Reef west of New Caledonia. She was one mile from their ship. There were two people on deck who appeared to be men. The crew have told me this in letters and a telegram.
If this was the Waka Torn, which they believe it was, then they did not all drown or capsize, on or about August 22, 1968. If this ship was not the Waka Toru, but a vessel resembling the Waka Toru, would somebody please let me know so that this matter may be cleared up?
(Mrs.) Mary Quirk.
12 Alice Street, Caringbah, NSW, Aust.
The Kents In Rabaul
Sir, —Sensationalism and inaccuracy were the chief characteristics of the PIM report on the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Kent to Rabaul {PIM, Sept., p. 111).
It is true that the Tolai ceremonial welcome did not eventuate and that this was an embarrassment. The Tolai leaders were present, but not the ceremonial dancers. This had nothing to do with the oposition to the multiracial council. The same dancers were to perform for the German Consul General and did not do so.
Some Tolai people, disturbed by the accusations of political intrigue, have made their own inquiries. It would be closer to the truth to say that a misunderstanding, if not jealousy, between some village spokesmen was the real cause of the embarrassing situation.
They say that a spokesman from Tavalavalov village told leaders of the Taulil village that his people were preparing the ceremonial wel come. The offended Taulils did not come. The Tavalavalovs came and put on a dance as part of the regular singsing—unaware of their “spokes man’s” interference at Taulil or his request to the organising committee that his people do the official wel come.
It is likewise true that the Bougain ville cook was not in the kitchen.
Probably due to his excitement, he had gone to his house to touch up his dress! The kitchen was not locked.
The royal visitors were shown the mess and met one of the cooks.
“Unperturbed, the Duke shot some movie film and then it was off to the Residency for a reception . . .”
Sounds like a quick, unimpressive, disappointing visit. No mention of the more than 15.000 people present; no mention of the reception in the assembly hall, the 60 singsing groups or the Haus Dukduk specially con structed for the Duke and Duchess
(a full week’s work) to view the singsings.
It was because their Royal High nesses mixed so freely with the crowds—the Duke taking his movies, the Duchess speaking to people here and there—that the Haus Dukduk did not shelter the royal couple.
After an hour and 10 minutes (instead of the scheduled 50 minutes), the royal visitors departed.
It is difficult to understand how a reporter who joined the tour could give such a disjointed report, stressing the absence of 20 or 30 and belittling the interest and efforts of the 15,000.
The people of the local village who were originally to stage the traditional welcome have felt very keenly the criticism of the Tolai people. A “dukduk” has been carved out of hardwood and together with a ring of shell money, is being prepared for forwarding to the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Their sincerity is unquestion able and the misrepresentation of the situation is regrettable.
B. H. Louisson
Principal, St. Paul’s Teachers’ College, Vunakanau, Rabaul, New Guinea. • PIM reporter Luke Sela, who covered that story, based his account on information from Mr. Louisson and native people at the gathering.
He replies: “What Mr. Louisson now writes may be largely the truth. But the truth as he now sees it was not so apparent to me or anybody else on the day of the incident’.
Death Of Mr. Patel
Sir, Your news reporter on political movements in Fiji is im mature. He even does not know to what party the late Mr. A. D. Patel belonged. In fact at the time of his death in October Mr. Patel was leader of the National Federation Party, not the Federation Party. He was like Mahatma Gandhi to Fiji, Your magazine also failed to enlighten the image of his ideal, which was “to form Fiji into one nation, and one country by peaceful means—non violence”. He was a man dear to all in Fiji, irrespective of race, sex, colour and age. A dedicated man of principle, besides an eminent bar rister. May his soul be in peace.
Francis Swaran Singh.
Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji. • PIM could publish only the briefest announcement of Mr PateVs death in its October issue, because the event occurred after our dead line. Mr. Singh will find a longer tribute to the qualities of the late Mr. Patel in the November issue.
Search For Mick Gollin
Sir, —I am trying to contact a Mr.
Mick Gollin in reference to some research I am doing.
Mr. Gollin was the radio operator on Nauru Island in July, 1937, at the time that Amelia Earhart made her attempt to fly from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island.
Nauru Island Radio picked up messages from her on July 2 between 5.30 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. Nauru Island time. I have a brief description of one of the messages received from a dispatch from the American Consul in Sydney but there seems to be no extant record of the messages re ceived. This is why I desire to con tact Mr. Gollin to see if he could reconstruct the messages.
All 1 have been able to find out about him is that he was in an auto accident in New South Wales about 18 months ago.
Francis X. Holbrook
Department of Social Studies, Fordham Preparatory School, East Fordham Rd., Bronx, New York. 10458.
Thanks, Mrs. Milne!
Sir, —Your reference {PIM, Nov., p. 105) to Dr. Fanaafi Larkin, West ern Samoa’s distinguished lady Direc tor of Education, as “He said the conference in Moscow was interesting and useful,” reminds me of the Bangkok waiter who insisted on addressing European women as “Sir”.
John Milne.
Canberra.
Australia.
South Pacific Conference
Sir, —November issue of PIM has just been received and may I say your coverage of the 9th South Pacific Commission Conference, under the lead “Togetherness Comes To The SPC”, is a masterpici e of reporting. From the mass of two weeks of discussion you have un erringly picked out the kernels whiJ'. had meaning, and brought them into crystal-like focus through good reporting.
It was my hope that someone would tackle just this job in order to provide an easily read and digested record of this significant conference, which is a turning point in the history of the South Pacific Commission.
Thank you for giving readers of PIM such an excellent account of an important Pacific event.
William B. Hussey,
Regional Representative.
United Nations Development Programme, Apia, W. Samoa.