Islands

From the

Press

The Samoa Times, Apia, Western Samoa Two journalists from two of the world’s best-known newspapers the Observer in Britain and the New York Times in the United States, Messrs Gaven Young and Richard Bernstein respectively, have been gathering material in Apia for articles on the controversy over Margaret Mead’s book about coming of age in Samoa and about Derek Freeman’s book which contradicts her conclusions. Mead found in the 1920 s that Samoans had an open attitude towards sex, and allegedly hid nothing from their children. Coupled with the freedom of the children to move from natural parents to de facto parents in aunts and uncles, Mead concluded that this was the reason the Samoans were free from guilts and hangups. Freeman on the other hand is arguing in his book that Mead’s Samoa of free-loving natives did not exist at all. Where the truth lies will probably never be satisfactorily determined. But one thing is certain: For better or for worse, Samoa is getting more publicity from this controversy than from any other event in its history.

From an article by Phyllis Rex in Tohi Tala Niue, Niue, on the need to protect the Niuean language from

inroads by the English language

The pressures exerted by the English language are enormous.

English is forever adopting words from other languages without a second thought. Where English is introduced as a second language it generally has more status attached to it than the local language and could eventually replace the local language altogether. English has often been described as “greedy and all-devouring.” With the help of all who are interested, we can prevent Niuean from being devoured. Apart from the ever-increasing danger of using English only, we also face the task of coping with terms made necessary by new technology. It will be interesting to observe how well the Niuean language copes with computers and all their associated terminology.

Part of a letter to The Fiji Times, Suva, in which Meli Bogileka suggests that the famous song Isa Lei should be identified with Fiji, not merely with Suva The Isa Lei song which we hear every night when our radio programs close should have new words at the end. The last verse which goes “. . . mai Suva nanuma tikoga” means “. . . do always remember Suva.” Since this song is more or less a national farewell, I suggest that a national name such as Fiji or Viti should be substituted for Suva, so the line reads “. . . mai Fiji (or Viti) nanuma tikoga.”

A statement by Micronesian Senator Henchi Balos, published in the Marshall Islands Journal, about families displaced from Bikini Atoll by nuclear tests Our desires are very simple. In 1946, when we were moved away from home we were told that the move would be temporary and that the United States would care for us until we could return home. Thirty-seven years have passed and we are still not home. We are told that Bikini will not be safe to live on for more than 100 years. We ask only that the United States continued to care for us until we can return home. As you know we are unhappy with the Compact of Free Association because we do not want to be left in the care of the Marshall Islands

Government. The Marshall Islands Government did not cause the damage at Bikini and it should not be asked to take care of us as a result of that damage. We do not want the United States to walk away from us and close the book on Bikini.

From a news feature by Bernard Maladina, published in The Times of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby Some areas of Port Moresby are so rascal-ridden that they have become a financial risk to insure. And insurance firms in the national capital will not issue insurance cover on people’s homes that do not have a burglar alarm, a watchdog, security bars and lights and a fence.

The Samoa Times, Apia, Western Samoa We should stop relying on other people’s advice which, over the years, has been found most unreliable. Over the years because of deep respect for Christianity and fear of the white missionaries, Samoans have progressively surrendered to the power of the foreign gods. Anything a white man said must be good, and only white men were to be trusted. This is the saddest part of the whole exercise, because it is not the foreigners who do not trust the Samoans, but the Samoans themselves who have no faith in their own people.

From Akio Heine’s column in the Marshall Islands Journal “Aaarrgh, you touch my woman, me clonk your head with big rock!” Beware of Neanderthal men hanging out at disco bars.

Friday and Saturday nights. If you go near their women, either by intention or mistake, they are likely to beat your head with Stone Age tools like rocks, instead of using words to convey how they feel about your asking to dance with their women.

From a letter published in the Vanuatu government newspaper, Tam-Tam, complaining about the closing of a road beneath State House in Port-Vila People who are working at the Prime Minister’s Office now have to walk up the hill. Think about that when it rains sometimes, what will happen if they arrive at their offices with their shorts and shirts full of mud? Please, people who have been involved in setting up the road block, wake up to the fact that by taking such a step, you have not solved the security problem, but helped to make it worse by creating a new situation where the lives of little children are going to be endangered by the heavy traffic and also civil servants at the PM’s Office are going to arrive very late for work.

Comment from The Reporter, published by the Papua New Guinea University of Technology in Lae, PNG For the past few months we have been greatly disturbed by a number of cars moving in and out of the numbered lodges at any time of the day and night as if it was a public road. I would like to kindly ask those directly responsible to ask their visitors to leave their cars out on the streets if he/she is not spending the night with you. Taking cars in for a short conversation and then leaving at any time of the night is very disturbing to innocent students who are either asleep or studying.

A reference in the Cook Islands News to police investigation work on Palmerston Island (population 53) He (the police commissioner) said of all the reported incidents on the island, no charges had been laid as none could be substantiated, apart from three domestic assaults which were not

proceeded with.

Information Bulletin of the University of the South

Pacific, Fiji

It’s an ill wind which blows no good, and Hurricane Oscar has actually helped two British scientists doing research on Fiji fungi. Some of the trees which were blown down contain fungus specimens which were previously inaccessible because they were growing so high in the tree canopy.

From a letter to the editor appearing in The Times of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby It is difficult to gauge the extent to which the Papua New Guinea Department of Education actually deceives itself in its energetic attempts to deceive everyone else.