Books, Reviews, writers

The Finer Points Of Rape In

The 20S-Papua Style

Confucius said: if rape inevitable, lean back and enjoy it. Nonetheless, we can take it as a general rule that most women dislike being raped and that if they are white they parti cularly dislike being raped by a black man. Which, of course, is just another case of ridiculous, illogical racial prejudice and what Amirah Inglis’ book, Not a White Woman Safe, is about.

The title comes from an article of the same name which appeared in Sydney Truth in April 1930 and a facsimile of the page on which it was published makes the exciting looking dust-jacket—all of which goes to show that even the Australian National University Press isn’t above a bit of commercialism on the side.

It is a fond belief among publishers that an attractive or sensational book jacket does wonders as a sales gim mick, no matter what kind of material appears inside the covers.

In this case what is inside the covers is a thesis for a Master’s degree, which leads one to wonder what Australian academics would do if they couldn’t exhume some ancient Papua New Guinea currently un popular foible to explore in the interests of their MAs or PhDs.

Mrs Inglis explores the “sexual anxiety and politics in Port Moresby, 1920-34” for her thesis, particularly the White Women’s Protection Ordinance that was passed in 1926 and which provided the death penalty for rape or attempted rape of a white female. This ordinance, she believes, was brought about by hysteria and panic with, she infers, mighty little cause, at least looked at from the distance of 1974.

Up to the time that the ordinance became law, no white female had actually been raped, or at least had not reported being raped, which may be is not the same thing. There had, however, been peeping toms, a clutch of bedroom prowlers; one woman, a nurse, who had had a hospital orderly “clutch at her fork”; an indecent ex posure or two; a few assaults on small children; and one woman from Paga

Hill, who must have been a sound sleeper, who reported waking up with a “native lying on top of her.”

Most of these assaults were disposed of by the women themselves who yelled “Get out!”, administering a kick were it did most good, or shrieked for husband, friends or even Papuan servants.

The urge to get such crimes into the statute book as capital offences was largely, so the author thinks, the result of injured chauvinistic white male sexual pride. That they suc ceeded at all was only through the unexpected weakness of the then Lieut Governor, Sir Hubert Murray.

The new ordinance did not prevent

such assaults and the author gives two case histories in which the death sentence was actually pronounced but carried out in only one instance.

The first case concerned a man named Miaro from the Gulf District who was accused of attempted rape of a merchant’s wife. He was duly tried, found guilty and sentenced to death. The gallows were erected at Badili gaol and the execution j scheduled for January 13, 1930.

However, at the last moment, a telegram from the then Labor Prime Minister of Australia made the “strongest possible representations” that the execution be not proceeded with and with apparent alacrity Sir Hubert, fearing a lynching party, i

whisked Miaro out of Badili gaol and sent him under escort to Kokoda.

On the way over the rough mountain trail Miaro very sensibly did a bunk and escaped into the bush. Sir Hubert's enemies, of whom there were uany, were not amused.

The second case was that of Stephen Gorumbaru who rose to the ank of sergeant in the Constabulary ind was in a position of great trust, vhich included, among other things, he job of inspecting other police for /D.

In 1933 he was attached to police icadquarters at Konedobu where the Jeadquarters Officer had a five-year ild daughter. In December of that ear, according to evidence sub equently given, it was found that this hild was suffering from gonorrhoea nd that the sergeant admitted one act f intercourse with her, stating that e had himself had the disease for vo months but concealed the fact.

Stephen was committed for trial efore Mr Justice Gore on January 12, Dund guilty of rape and hanged on anuary 29, 1934.

There were great soul searchings i Port Moresby before and after the :t and, according to the author, the sople concerned suffered such trauma ad guilt over the trial and the iecution that none has ever been ale to tell the truth about it since.

The White Women’s Protection rdinance was repealed by the then egislative Council of Papua New uinea in 1958 on the grounds that it as discriminatory. However, neither ie 1926 Ordinance nor its repeal 'er had much deterrent effect on ack/white sexual assaults or attempt- I assaults in Port Moresby.

Although in 1974 one can say that e Papuans should be 50 years more phisticated in their social behaviour, hat is still loosely called “boy Duble” is more prevalent now than ever was in the 19205.

Mrs Inglis questions the popular ea that white women themselves ovoke attacks by Papuans by their vn behaviour but makes no attempt provide an alternative theory. It is ae, of course, that even in a whiter an-white society females run the k of occasional male assault but itistically the risk is far greater in >rt Moresby than in, say, Sydney.

This reviewer has her own theories the subject but as she has no pirations about a PhD she will Ddestly keep them to herself. dy Tudor.

Not A White Woman Safe. By

lirah Inglis, Australian National iversity Press, P.O. Box 4, Canberra, T, Recommended price $7.95.)