WILDS OF PAPUA

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 91, 15 October 1934, Page 10

WILDS OF PAPUA

MISSIONARY'S LIFE

RELICS OF CANNIBALISM

TRAGEDY RECALLED

n The wild.s of Xcw Guinea and the 1 hostile and cannibalistic tendencies of 0 some of the natives hold no terrors for s some people. They certainly do not for s the Rev. B. T. Butcher, F.It.G.S., or a otherwise he would not have spent c thirty years on behalf of the- London ' Missionary Society blazing the trail of Christianity in those parts. Mr. ■i Butcher is one of the senior members of the London Missionary Society, and he is a through passenger to Sydney by the Makura, which arrived today from San Francisco. He is en route to Aird Hill, Papua, where he is stationed. He has been on eighteen months' furlough in England and is returning to resume the work which he started at the beginning of this century. Mr. Butcher is a brilliant conversationist, and in the short time at his disposal ho told a "Post" reporter some interesting facts about his life and about New Guinea generally. lie recalled the massacre by natives in 1901 of Messrs. Chalmers and Tomkins, two members of the London Missionary Society, and their cloven native bearers, and said that ho followed in the footsteps of these two unfortunate men. They met their fate at. Goaribari, which is about 100 miles east of tho Fly River, almost immediately after they set foot in the country. Mr. Butcher, therefore, commenced the missionary work in that part of New Guinea, and ho said it was most fascinating because the subjects were cannibals. A look of surprise on the face of the reporter at. this statement drew a smile from Mr. Butcher, who said that his main difficulty with tho natives was to try to understand them. "I had to leara to speak their language to get friendly with them and it was most exciting at times," he said. "Since then, however, we have got settled work under way and we are now aiming at building an indigenous church. It is a slow process, but I think it. will materialise. It is easy to put churches in places, but it is much harder to get a church that will stand on its own." DIFFERENT TYPES. . There were two distinct types of people in New Guinea, continued Mr. Butcher* The eastern people were -Melanesian and were really allied to the Maori, and the western people, among whom he worked, were known as tho delta people, because their houses wore built in the mud on the sides of the streams that formed the delta. Tho delta was formed by a series of rivers, including tho Fly River, which was 150 miles wide at its mouth. In tho district where Chalmers and Tomkins were killed the houses were entirely different, some of them being up to 700 feet long. Some of tho dwellings, which wore thatched, were solely for men, the women being admitted only on special occasions. In the houses were images at the bases of which were tho skulls of people who had been killed and eaten. Although it was gradually being stamped out, cannibalism was still rife in certain districts. "Within tho last year cannibals had m.ido a raid near Moresby, but under the influence of the native administration in Papua, which was one of the finest in the world, the practice was becoming less common. "Less than three years ago I called in at tho Government station at Daru when on my way home and was informed that a group of cannibal raiders from the Fly River district had just been captured," said Mr. Butcher. "On an investigation being made about a score of dried heads were found strung up underneath one of the nativo houses." When he finst went to the country, said Mr. Butcher, he had to build his own house, but this had now been replaced by an up-to-date two-storey dwelling which he had also built. The original house was built of native timber,but tho white ants had destroyed it. He also built a launch, and a photograph shows it to bo a creditable effort. CLOTHES NOT ENCOUKAGED, Everything possible was dono by the Government and the Missionary Society, remarked Mr. Butcher, to prevent the natives from wearing too many clothes., which were considered to be unhealthy. There was a great deal of rain in the country, and if the natives got wet they would not change their clothes nor would they keep them clean. Every effort was made to see that they lived as near to tho native condition as possible. Difficulty, however, was experienced by traders, selling clothes to the people, many of whom greatly prized the European dress. Intoxicating liquor ■was absolutelyforbidden among the natives, and a person supplying it was liable to a fine of £20 for the first offence. Consequently, little trouble was experienced as a result of drink. The Government also secured the native ownership of land and nobody but the Government could buy it. This was only done when the Government felt that the nativo did not need it. All land was leasehold; nobody could make it freehold.

During his leave, said Mr. Butcher, he travelled about 14,000 miles in the British Isles speaking and lecturing.

He was met on the boat by the Eev. S. G. Campbell and Mr. C. B. Lankshear, general secretary in New Zealand for the London Missionary Society.