By MALUM NALU
Writing the article about missionary James Chalmers and his
tragic end at the hands of Goaribari
Island
James Chalmers
The book is titled Missionaries,
Cannibals & Colonial Officers –
a dog-eared copy of which is still on my bookshelf - and is one of the most-fascinating
history books about Papua New Guinea I have ever read because of its novel-like
writing style.
Cover of Missionaries, Headhunters & Colonial Officers
It touches on the Goaribari incident in 1901, the subsequent
killing of Goaribari islanders in retaliation by the British administration,
and how then-governor Christopher Robinson – who ordered the punitive
expedition – then took his own life under the flagpole at government house in Port Moresby
It is the Goaribari incident that lies at the heart of Peter
Maiden’s extraordinary history of what was then British New Guinea.
The second half of Maiden’s history focuses on the career
and tragic end of the very first Australian-born governor of British New
Guinea, the Brisbane
Christopher Robinson
He arrived in BNG in May 1903 and soon afterwards witnessed
a savage conflict between the native constabulary and Papuan warriors.
In March 1904, Governor Robinson committed a catastrophic
error in the Goaribari affray.
June 9th, 1903, was a proud day for Queenslanders in
general, but most particularly for the people of Brisbane
However, it was a difficult assignment and despite his legal
skills Robinson was quite inexperienced.
For this shortcoming
he was to pay a terrible price.
In 1903, Britain
Sorcery, cannibalism and headhunting were endemic in Papuan
society.
Sorcery was a criminal offence but still it flourished.
Its practitioners “spoke” directly to the Spirit World and
could simply frighten a Papuan to death.
And these magicians seemed omnipotent.
In 1903, for instance, a disgruntled sorcerer in eastern New Guinea
The men were panic stricken, New Guinea
Headhunting was another obsession.
To possess a skull collection was to enhance one’s standing
in the spirit world.
In 1901, on Goaribari
Island in the Gulf
of Papua , a missionary, Harry Dauncey, found 10,000 skulls in the
island’s Long Houses.
Even as late as 1957, Australian government officials on one
occasion confiscated 78 skulls on Papua’s Casuarina Coast
Fortunately, cannibalism was not quite as widely practiced.
As one writer, Wilfred Beaver, pointed out, “the population
would eventually be reduced to small proportions”, if everybody was a cannibal.
The weakest tribes were most vulnerable.
West of Port Moresby the Mohohai tribe, according to Beaver,
was regarded as “a kind of larder” for the predatory Ukiaravi warriors.
Elsewhere, the Scottish missionary, James Chalmers, newly
arrived at Suau in 1878, was pleased to be invited to his first tribal feast –
before learning that a terrified young boy was on the menu.
Chalmers, the so-called “Livingstone of New Guinea” was a
star in the London Missionary Society’s firmament.
For 34 years he served in the South
Seas islands as a near-perfect example of “muscular Christianity”.
Chalmers was a
physically impressive man with a commanding presence and he possessed a cool
head in a dangerous situation.
He liked whisky, loved exploring the magnificent countryside
and had a genuine, albeit paternal affection for the Papuan people.
But for a white man, life in New Guinea
Numerous lonely miners and missionaries met with a grisly
end, most notably in 1901 when the Reverend Chalmers’ party of 12 was lured
into an ambush on Goaribari
Island
There they were beheaded and eaten by natives.
This atrocity demanded revenge and more than 20 Goaribaris
were killed in a government reprisal raid.
Soon after arriving in BNG, Christopher Robinson joined a
government patrol along the Yodda
River
This patrol appears to have soured Robinson’s attitude
towards the Papuans.
Afterwards, Robinson seemed to show little sympathy to the
indigenous population.
He once declared that he had “an intense loathing” for these
“inhuman creatures”.
Robinson was capable and one local identity described him as
“one of the most promising officers New Guinea
Others, though, believed he was arrogant, and even
frightened by the very people he was supposed to be protecting.
In March 1904 Robinson led a strongly armed commando to
Goaribari, intent on arresting those responsible for the Chalmers’ missionary
massacre.
Unfortunately, his serious mismanagement of a confrontation
with the Goaribaris became the subject of a sensational Royal Commission in Sydney
While the native bowmen fired only a handful of arrows in
anger, Robinson’s men replied with a murderous fusillade of 250 rounds.
At least eight natives were shot dead and two European
witnesses testified that the governor had shot at least three of the Papuans.
Robinson’s career prospects were in tatters.
The lonely young governor, now afflicted with a severe bout
of malaria lost heart and fell into a mood of deep depression that worsened as
the date of the Royal commission approached.
Finally, on June 20th, 1904, Robinson took his own life
under the flagpole at government house, Port
Moresby
This is a history that makes the clash of the proselytising
white colonials with the Papuan warriors come vividly alive.
It is a story of dedication and courage, but also a story of
tragic failure. A riveting read.
