CIVILISING PAPUA.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15274, 26 June 1923, Page 8

CIVILISING PAPUA.

THE BRITISH WAY. An interesting account of what Is being done to civilise the primitive Papuans was given to a Manchester Guardian representative by the Governor of British New Guinea, LieutenantColonel J. H. P. Murray, who is over in London on a visit. Colonel Murray is a brother of Professor Gilbert Murray, and bis territory is inhabited by about 270,000 natives and 1300 white settlers. The Papuans are lower in civilisation than the Malay or the Javanese. They have advanced from the nomadic state to that of settled villages, but no farther. The Government is introducing new methods to improve their conditions, and especially to get them to work on the land.

“We have,” Colonel Murray explained, "instituted a tax of £1 a head which goes to a fund which Is spent for purely native purposes such as education, medical service, and the improvement of agriculture. We find that natives resent not being taxed. They will come up and say: "We hear you are hard up and we want to pay.” They probably like being associated with the Government of the country. The tax produces about £IO,OOO a year. "We have a system of native plantations which are worked in co-oper-ation with the Government. The Government prepares the ground and shows the native how to plant his coconuts, and so on. The native can pay his tax by working on the plantation. He is paid a certain amount and the rest of the income from the plantation goes into the native fund. We think the system teaches the native to become a producer and saves him from the danger of oppressive taxation.”

Colonel Murray said it was untrue, as was so often said, that the Papuans were given up to cannibalism and head-hunting. Cannibalism is virtually extinct, except perhaps in the few unexplored districts. Cannibalism is easy to put down. We appeal to their snobbishness. If there is a village where cannibalism is practised, we point to another village where there are no cannibals and praise it at their expense. We teach them that it is disgraceful to be cannibals. That is usually sufficient, as they are an amendable people and do such things often simply from conservatism. “As to head-hunting, we ask them: ‘What is the use of killing a man. Why not kill pigs instead.’ We have succeeded in substituting the hunting of pigs’ heads for those of men. Headhunting was probably concerned originally with their very primitive religion—like the so-called ‘ritual murder.’ The killing is supposed in some way to benefit the souls of their ancestors. The law of a life for a life prevailed in these .matters. If nine men of one village were killed the people of that village would not be content till they had killed nine also. Sometimes we were able to persuade them to liquidate the account, as it were. If only seven had been killed we might say: “What is the use of killing two more? Why not accept the price of two men and call it quits?’ “I have occasionally asked natives who had taken part in a raid on some village why they had killed all their enemies and why they did not take them prisoners and make them work. They agreed that it would be a great idea, but explained they had never thought of it." “Baby Bonus.” One of tlie most interesting of the nor is the “baby bonus.” It was feared that the population was declining owing to the fact that it was looked upon as disgraceful to have a large family. “We wanted to alter that, and we did it by remitting the tax on a man who is the father of four children, and by giving the wife a bonus of five shillings, with a shilling' extra for each additional • child. The intention is to hold up the mother of a large family as worthy of distinction in a village. We are succeeding, and It is common to see the relatives come round in all their finery to congratulate the woman who gets the bonus. It is interesting that in the villages, where the women have more to say in communal matters, the opposition to large families is stronger than where they have little influence. ‘Bonus’ has become a fashionable name to give children.” Colonel Murray described the work of the newly-appointed Government anthropologists who are studying , the native life and customs and giving useful advice to the Government. The policy is to interfere with the native life as little as is compatible with obtaining, order and industry. •'The •Papuan, Colonel Murray says, is no idler. In former days most of the work was done by the women, as the men had to be constantly armed and on guard. Nowadays tribal warfere in the settled districts is almost extinct. The natives work on the plantations, in which they have a share, and on the roads, as well as providing for the needs of their own familites by fishing and hunting and cultivating their own gardens. The Government is trying to improve the native houses, and has built model villages in the native style of architecture. A curious feature of the villages ;s the enormous houses, sometimes 200 yards long, and in two storys, in which a large number of families live together. These are skilfully constructed of timber without any kind of metal. Altogether Ihe Governor speaks highly of the Papuans. “Perhaps” he says, “because I have many friends among them.”