The Editor's Mailbag

Pictorial History Of Png

Further to your recent review of ‘A fictorial History of New Guinea’

PIM, Nov, p 61), I would like to ualify your reviewer’s comments by aying that this volume could have een a fascinating addition to every ne’s library, had it not been thrown ogether without full knowledge of le material used or available. 1 should add that in December, 973, I was privileged to inspect more fan 14,000 photographs in the DIES les in Port Moresby; and in the ourse of a book recently completed, ave obtained a fair idea of what is vailable in Sydney and London.

I feel that the seven pages devoted d the first people are contemptuous, am in favour of archaeological data eing included, but not the omission f a wealth of material on the Papua lew Guineans (I hate the term ‘lndi ces’ used in the index) recorded on amera for very many years. This tiows the people in the natural sur- ‘doing their own thing’ in leir own way—such as the fantastic ing-sing photos from the Orokolo )istrict in the 19305. Then there was o attempt to show the diversity of arms of native architecture: J. Beete ukes’ and D’Albertis’ 150-yard long inghouses in the Fly Delta area; or *ee houses in O. C. Stone. . , .

Why was it necessary for most laps to be redrawn by Edgar Ford? )etailed maps of W. Irian are extant md out of copyright) in 'Verslag van er Militaire Exploratie van Neder mdsch Nieuw Guinee, 1907-1915’ üblished in 1920 and there is a mag ificent map with sketches super nposed showing the forms of archi jcture used in various areas of the 'est of the island.

Instead, we find pages and pages f posed groups (whether they are ierman, Queen Emma’s multitude of slations or the whites of the Kikori fiver Station in 1926 is irrelevant), here are just too many static pictures f meaningless groups of people, of iterest only to an individual who by hance, might see someone he knew.

But I must not neglect the text. On 59 there is an illustration which all Australian school children should ap reciate. John Moresby raising the ag. They also know that he dis overed the port, which bears his

family name, on February 20, 1873.

But turn to the top of p 68 (Plate 127) and there is a portrait of Andrew Goldie. Much to my astonishment, the caption says that he ‘came to Port Moresby in 1872 as a botanist’. I am amazed that such a revolutionary dis covery by the compilers did not re ceive greater prominence and that Goldie’s picture did not precede Moresby’s; or could it be that lan Stuart in Port Moresby, Yesterday and Today was correct when he said that Goldie actually arrived in POM in 1875?

It is also surprising that although the caption to Plate 41 states D’Albertis and Beccari spent ‘most of 1872-73 in the Arfak Mountains’ the Italian explorer in his book wrote that he arrived at Mansinam between August 2 and 5 and left there on November 7, 1872. In other words, the total period in the area was just over three calendar months; and the period D’Albertis was in the moun tains was from September 4 to October 1.

Then, as a last example of such accuracy, on p 113 there is a drawing of ‘The Rev and Mrs Lawes crossing the Laloki River in about 1875 as depicted in the Illustrated Sydney News’. The edition when this was published happened to be March 3, 1876, and had the compilers looked a page or two further on and read the text, they would have learnt that the ladies pictured were the wives of the Polynesian teachers. In Lawes’ diary, they would have learnt that Mrs Lawes, after bearing the first white child to be born in New Guinea, earlier in 1875, did not ac company her husband inland. On this expedition, incidentally, the organiser was O. C. Stone; they left Port Moresby on December 7, 1875 (see his book pp 149-151) and they were accompanied by Hargrave, Broadbent and Petterd. Hargrave’s diary indicates that he was probably the man illus trated on the end of the rope, pulling the others across.

What is of much greater interest would be the location of a photo graph which Lawes claimed he took of the expedition members, which is neither in the Mitchell Library col lection, nor in the LMS Archives in London.

In conclusion, I also find it strange

Letters

at Lindt’s first photographic book i New Guinea does not receive men >n in the shockingly laid-out biblio aphy.

John Goode

Midi Junction, NSW

The Lost Caravel

Robert Langdon’s book The Lost iravel (PIM, Oct, p 63) has, if (thing else, brought creeping once ain into the light of day everyone 10 has an axe to grind about Pacific igrations. Not particularly caring provide an exception to the general le. I may as well add my two nts.

A criticism brought against Lang n’s “Spanish” theory is that it is tronising of the Polynesians. This true but irrelevant. Also it is, to a gree, understandable.

Four hundred years before the rt of our era, the mathematicians Alexandria measured our planet d set it spinning among the fixed rs. It had to spin almost 2,000 >re times, however, before the irs of Hellenistic expertise could rise clocks accurate and reliable Dugh to provide navigators on this clidean sphere with a ready means determining longitude.

Fhus equipped with the finest pro mts of our civilisation, the great rigators at last sailed into the rific . . . only to discover a people 0 had been navigating the Great can with ease and accuracy for at st several centuries. To the Euro in eye, the navigational techniques the autochthons seemed so “primi as to be beneath notice, much * emulation. (A notable exception this attitude—as to so much else Pacific history—was shown by t singular man James Cook, who 5 genuinely interested in Poly ian navigation and might have rned a good deal about it except the secrecy of the navigators’ ools.) Tie Polynesian system seemed too imathematical” to provide nice itional discrimination to European igators who were themselves thematically unsophisticated x)k, again, excepted). (What is, 1 is not, the preserve of mathe tics depends on the point of view; is in this area—the mathematical is of Polynesian navigation—that

I hope, in a paper now in prepara tion, to resolve some of the current confusion.) The entire attitude of denigration bespeaks profound cultural shock, a malady which some Europeans, in cluding, apparently, Langdon, haven’t recovered from yet. This runs to such extreme cases as that of Andrew Sharp, who chooses to ignore the evidence and insist that the Poly nesians couldn’t navigate at all.

But a more serious criticism of Langdon’s argument, it seems to me, is that, like Heyerdahl’s, it is psycho logically unsound. Castaways simply do not found dynasties, no matter how “culturally superior” they may assume their own civilisation to be.

There are reports of Japanese fishing vessels which became disabled and drifted to Hawaiian beaches during the century that preceded European contact; while their crews interbred with the local populace and certain characteristics noted by early Ha waiian writers were presumed to be results of these unions, the cultural impact of this forced immigration was so slight as to be subliminal.

It is possible—even likely—that some of the European ships that dis appeared in the Pacific during the era of exploration found hospitable islands where their crews survived and eventually reproduced. But the probability that these survivors at tained any cultural or political hege mony in the established hereditary order seems vanishingly small. And if—by dint of their iron cannon or Roman Catholic God or by the force of some really outstanding person ality—they overcame these almost impossible odds to become founders of an important sub-branch of the Polynesian civilisation we would certainly know about it in less am biguous terms: the Polynesians are not exactly noted for being overly modest about important ancestors.

David Call.

Greenslopes, Queensland.

Chipper-Austin Travelmill

It is noted you featured an article covering the Chipper-Austin Travel mill which this company exhibited at the Forest Industries Machinery Ex position in Victoria.

It is also noted that you indicate that inquiries should be directed to Austin Engineers, Rabaul. This is incorrect. Inquiries should be directed to this company who now manufac ture the Chipper-Austin Travelmill and have worldwide sales rights.

J. L. Chipper

J. L. Chipper & Co. Pty. Ltd., Rabaul, PNG

Mana

The section MANA was missing from your October issue, owing to some foul-up in communications. In its present form it could well be omitted more frequently.

There are two main deficiencies in MANA. Firstly, it does not represent the contributions of the full spectrum of Pacific Islands Monthly reader and writership. From the various com mentaries accompanying articles, stories and poems in the past, one can only conclude MANA is the sole preserve of the people of islander ethnic identity. While such an ex clusionist policy may have been neces sary in the early days of MANA, surely, as the Island states are now shedding their “Protected” and de pendent status, it is time that the pro tective editorial policy was modified.

Secondly, with the wealth of material now available from writers, poets, and students perhaps a more critical approach by the editor could be attempted. A lot of what has been published in the past is excellent, but, in my opinion, a great deal deserves to be re-worked and some filed in the waste paper basket.

I am not only voicing my opinion in this, but have discussed it with a number of other people.

It would be interesting to ascertain the opinions of your other readers.

J. A. Bennett

Suva, Fiji

Country Women's Help

Regarding an item (PIM, Oct, p 28) which alludes to the Country Women’s Association study of Pacific Islands as its Annual International Project for 1975, you mention that a “whip around” might be a good idea.

Well I would like you to know that the CWA of NSW does give help to Island women though not by a “whip around”. Each year we sponsor an Island scholar to do a course in cooking, nutrition, health, hygiene and the art of making prac tical use of materials at hand in a native village.

This knowledge the student ac quires at a suitable institution in Suva, Fiji. She then returns to her particular home village to dissemin ate the knowledge and techniques gained, thereby promoting its general welfare. As an example, our 1966 scholar Kala Kila, has now risen to be Vocational Centres Supervisor in Port Moresby. She has formed 100 centres, 35 of which are for young women.

Also, each year we make a state wide collection, known as “Village

Aid”, which is dispatched to Papua New Guinea. This comprises sewing materials, dress lengths, cottons, scissors, saucepans, even an oc casional sewing machine—in fact anything which can be of use to our darker sisters who “want to learn low”. So you see, in our modest way, ve do try to help.

Just recently this writer spent a month in Samoa and Tonga where ;he visited sister associations in Apia md Nuku’alofa and was most kindly eceived in both towns. Incidentally, his writer could settle in very easily o the unflurried tempo of Poly lesian life, plus a few comforts, of :ourse, like electricity in the home.

I love the Pacific Islands and have ilso a great affection for PIM as a egular reader.

Christine Brown (Mrs)

rumut, NSW.

South Pacific Literature

A literary association with a engthy, but accurate, name has re ently appeared in the Pacific Islands egion. It is the South Pacific Asso iation for Commonwealth Literature nd Language Studies, set up after onsultation among writers, editors, cholars, teachers, and students in the louth Pacific region.

Its aim is to bring together people oncerned with the writing, reading, nd study of literature in the region nd with the study of the language i which it is written. It is affiliated /ith a world-wide association con erned with the reading and study of iterature in English, the association or Commonwealth Literature and .anguage Studies, having its head uarters at present in Mysore, India.

The new South Pacific Association /ill publish a newsletter for mem bers, containing information about rants available to creative writers nd about facilities for the study and caching of Commonwealth literature nd languages. The newsletter will rovide information, in particular, bout what is being written and pub ished in the South Pacific region.

The association will also act as a learing-house for information about ravel and exchange between one commonwealth country and another, it will hold conferences to bring agether writers, scholars, and stu ents of ‘Commonwealth’ literature nd language.

Information about the association

is available from the Honorary Sec retary, SPACLALS, Department of English, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia 4067.

K. L. Goodwin

(Interim Chairman, SPACLALS) Department of English University of Queensland Brisbane 4067.

Any Offers?

I am 29 years old, a civil building engineer living in the Western Bohemia region of Czechoslovakia, and my really big hobby is the col lecting of coloured view cards from the Pacific Islands. I study the his tory, geography and architecture of the area and am very much interested in the life of the Islands.

However, I haven’t in my collec tion any view card in colour or black and white of Norfolk, Pitcairn, Wallis Island, Guam, Saipan, Rota, New Hebrides, Canton, Enderbury and the Line Islands.

I am looking for contact with people on these islands to exchange correspondence and view cards. I have received several editions of your magazine.

Ing. John Kostalek.

Susice 147/111, 342 01 Susice, Czechoslovakia.

Bougainville

1 would have some understanding for UN to ignore Fr Momis and Teosin’s request that Bougainville separates itself from Papua New Guinea, the reason being that the UN or member countries were instru mental in making Bougainville arti ficially part of PNG, but I cannot see any reason whatsoever for PNG Gov ernment to force Bougainville to stay as part of PNG except that PNG Government is being a puppet of some foreign influence.

PNG Government knows very well that the foreign idea of unity it aspires for, cannot be achieved by force if islands that are not part of PNG wish to stay out. Experience has shown and continues to show that countries forced to unite in this way almost always fall apart; we really never learn, don’t we?

I think I would be speaking on be half of a lot of my countrymen when I write to say that the PNG Govern ment should let Bougainville go the way it wishes to go. The PNG Gov ernment should act according to facts but not on artificial notions which have no lasting values and have no lasting binding force.

PNG Government knows very well that in the islands from long ago we have been independent. Islands or

tribes have their own leaders and manage their own affairs. There was trade between the islands and so forth, but they were not united under one government or one leader. This unity under one leader is a foreign concept and it works only in societies such as ours when kingdoms or islands voluntarily opt to be governed bv one government and under one leader. But there has been proof that although we are separated yet we had elements of unity among islands.

Can’t the PNG Government see this kind of unity? Or should we still follow whiteman blindly even though we are independent. Michael Somare are you starting another Ireland here?

Please look at the example of Tuvalu and the Gilbert Islands, learn from these little ones.

In my little way I would plead to the islands of the South Pacific to assist in solving this problem or are we going to repeat with, Cain’s “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

D. Kane.

Honiara.

Solomons' Birth Pangs

I write to put the record straight with regard to a passage in the article by Ken McGregor entitled Birth pangs of a new Solomons (PIM, Oct, P. 37).

The Chief Minister is quoted as saying that a scheme for appointing Solomon Islanders to understudy de partmental heads was turned down by the Governor and the Public Service Board.

I am authorised by my board to say that no scheme has been referred to it.

J. A. Jones

(Secretary, Public Service Advisory Board) Honiara, Solomon Islands