MANY NATIVES IN MELANESIA ARE STILL PRIMITIVE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 59, 4 November 1949, Page 5

MANY NATIVES IN MELANESIA ARE STILL PRIMITIVE

While the various church missions had done much to raise the native from savagery the majority of the Melanesian peoples were still in a comparatively primitive state, especially those living in the more remote parts of the islands, said the right Rev S. G. Caulton, Bishop of Melanesia, in an interview with the Beacon during his visit this week to Whakatane. This state still existed, even though most of the natives had been brought into direct contact Vith the white man during ithe war, he added. Bishop ' Caulton, who was paying his first visit to Whakatane since he left his position as vicar of the local parish in 1943, expressed his pleasure of returning to the town to renew old friendships and seeing the changes that had taken place since he was last here. He had seen many places since 1943, he said, and as Bishop of Melanesia he had a fine opportunity of studying one of the most interesting areas of the Pacific,

Few White Men. Melanesia, which includes all those islands from Fifi through the Solomons to New Guinea north of Australia, is distinct from Micronesia and Polynesia. Inhabited by a big native population the only white men present are the missionaries, a few traders and the Government administrators.

The church was doing most of the educating, Bishop Caulton said, and had made good headway among the villagers living near the sea coast. Here they came into contact more often with the white man and as a, result had advanced in their mode of living with much improved housing conditions. Those living near the Government stations had very good homes and the majority of them were taking to their new way of life very well.

“Most of the natives semed willing to adopt the white plan’s way of life, especially in the goods used in .the homes, such as furniture and kitchen utensils,” the Bishop continued. “During the war many obtained a lot of goods from the armed forces serving in the islands.” Bishop Caulton said that the native had been on very good terms with the white soldier but had been somewhat spoiled by the generosity of the Europeans. Some had acquired large sums of money, which they still had because of the limited scope there is for spending.

While the missions had done most of the educating in the past Bishop Caulton said that the different Governments were beginning to take an interest and he thought there would be a faster improvement in the standard when they came into the picture.

Native Teachers Most' of the boys’ schools were staffed by native teachers but the girls were taught entirely by a staff of white women. The main thing taught was to make them good housewives and to give them some idea how they can improve their domestic life and that of others when they returned to their villages. All together there were seven high schools throughout Melanesia. Bishop Caulton pointed out that of the education was still in the elementary stage but it was the intention to educate native teachers so that they could take over from the white man more of the administrative posts. While this was being done gradually there was still much work ko be clone yet, he added. -