Australia in New Guinea (1940s)

[Music] to the north of australia lies a group of densely populated areas china and indochina with their hundreds of millions then to the south the malayan peninsula with its mixed population further south again the javanese of indonesia to the northeast the philippine archipelago and finally within one day's sale of our shores new guinea the western section belonging to the dutch and the eastern half administered by australia in the malay states the city of singapore is a cross-section of many people [Music] in the islands of indonesia 80 million people lived their industrious lives [Music] then to new guinea and the stone age in its last lingering form primitive warriors some not long removed from the cannibal state lords of the tangled jungle this is the kind of country australia took over first in papua in 1906 and then in its mandate over former german territory the natives built villages on mountain ridges safe from enemy raid but equally inaccessible to officials either in frail pre-war aircraft or by patrol on foot it was a rich productive country but except for the well laid out native gardens a jungle wilderness the first patrols must have met scenes like this tribes with no contacts with the outside world the first white missionaries shared the dangers of officials but soon learned to like the natives for their simple charm native customs were always closely observed for instance when relatives died the women whitened their eyes with a sign of mourning and the men dressed their heads with nets made from the hair of the deceased when it rained natives covered their heads with mats from pandarus leaves despite the wild and mountainous country the administration continued to penetrate peacefully into uncontrolled areas to extend the benefits of civilization here is a typical pre-war patrol [Music] with 60 bearers the patrol sometimes stretched half a mile along the ridges as they passed along the creeks and rivers it was heartening to notice the presence of women a friendly sign up and down now at the height of a range ten thousand feet up soon to go down to the valley again previous patrols had been as far as the river before now they must venture across [Music] [Applause] the first encounter with an unknown tribe was always a time of tension and preparedness especially when the men were armed with bows and arrows and obviously excited [Music] but after an interpreter had explained the patrol's friendly mission the head men were willing to approach [Music] the chief was followed by his bodyguard and a welcome sign a small boy bringing gifts of food again the presence of women indicated a peaceful tribe and experienced patrol officers knew how to gain their confidence and to establish friendly relations with these assured they usually would stay for several days by way of welcome the tribesmen would solve the housing situation by cutting and collecting cunai grass for temporary shelters then there would be an exchange of gifts food from the tribesmen the patrol supplying the luxury gift of salt of which the natives had no natural supply [Music] but before the feast could proceed there had to be fire a string-like piece of bamboo in friction with soft wood was their box of matches [Music] and then with a few puffs the flame was away there'd be plenty of vegetables and a supply of wild pork so sometimes they at native possums and in the wake of the patrols came the most modern transport of the day the juncker's freight planes for gold was discovered heavy dredges were brought in piecemeal by the planes and assembled right on the dredging site the dredges floated in lakes of their own making scooping up the gold bearing gravel in great buckets [Music] the buckets emptied onto revolving screens which separated the stones from the padre which in turn was deposited in the sluice boxes [Music] in the ultimate process gold melted at two thousand degrees fahrenheit became pure molten wealth each gold ingot worth over two thousand pounds even at pre-war figures this little collection totaled twenty thousand pounds the precious cargo to assist australian credit overseas and to finance more development of the country from which the gold was won even before the war new guinea like other neighboring countries had rubber rubber and copper were the two major industries [Music] experiments were being conducted with cocoa coffee and rice for neem tropical fruits and spices but the best development of any country lies in the education of its children and here australia was true to the highest demands of her trustee then as now english was taught in the schools and teachers were surprised by the standards of native intelligence [Music] the onrush of war found the natives loyal to australia some of the well-trained native constables continued to act as police but many volunteered as soldiers as did hundreds of other natives australian instructors brought them to a high degree of military precision then came australian troops to fight the invading jet they had to learn how to adapt themselves to jungle conditions and at first it was a losing battle along the epic kokoda trail australian wounded were carried by new guinea natives with tenderness and care although some of these native civilians suffered severely at the hands of the enemy they remained loyal to the australian administration winning many decorations from a thankful king but what of wars aftermath plantation lands were overgrown and neglected thousands and thousands of acres of productive land ruined by the jungle a clearing job that will take years but the groves must be won back coconuts for copra a raw material in global demand the dredges escaped bombing during the war but a flood overturned this one high pressure nozzles are moving the debris away to put the gold earning dredge back in commission on the credit side giant times unspoiled by war grow to 280 feet an inexhaustible supply of building timber well-trained natives are quite at home with complicated machinery as they cut through the selected logs [Music] [Music] all the milling is most carefully planned for housing timber is cut into exact lengths and shapes at the mills as part of a pre-provocation system port mosby the administrative center sits quietly in the sun after hectic war years the last island stronghold against the japs mosby suffered severe damage but structures like this hotel are part of a general rebuilding paved streets make a strange contrast with grass-skirted natives the port of mosby is busy with reconstruction and normal trading the war brought extended warps to accommodate allied shipping and once again the natives prove that they can handle most jobs once they're shown how but for the bulk of new guinea aviation is still the most effective transport modern aircraft mark a big step from the old junckers planes of yesterday oil derricks pinpoint the search for oil no luck yet but the search goes on its discovery a strategic prize for australia meanwhile hundreds of miles away in virgin country other oil seekers follow watercourses where streams have cut through overlying alluvium to expose the rock beneath a likely specimen has the characteristics he seeks and with others it is taken back to mosby where paleontologists with a well-equipped laboratory and the native staff analyze the pieces paleontologists are experts in the study of fossils and the chances of oil formation in a land of timber a knowledge of woodwork is an asset to the community coastal centers concentrate on boat building to exploit the teeming waters a trade that calls for precision and craftsmanship school teaching is no longer monopolized by the missions for now there are many schools under government direction assisted by native committees this is a teachers training school splendid types all who will go out into wide areas to spread the advantages of education equally valuable is a development of medical orders who get thorough grounding in anatomy and medical hygiene this training is advanced but the native mind takes it all in the dreaded tropical disease from bca can be combated by intravenous injections of modern drugs of course there are still tribes who have never seen a white man here 10 000 tribesmen who responded to an invitation to meet no lesser person than the governor general of australia [Music] [Applause] dramatic moment as the friendly tribesmen surge around the visitors with characteristic good nature [Music] the number one big white master as the natives call the governor general meets chieftains of various tribes respondent in their ceremonial regalia the luna guy or chief seems at home on the microphone as his weird incantation is the signal for a tribal welcome [Music] [Music] uh [Music] in their restful moments they can look on at a conference presided over by colonel murray the administrator of papua new guinea as officials discuss a sheep growing project in an experimental area a flock of romney marsh sheep is shepherded by natives new to the ancient art [Music] the new guinea people are great dog lovers and delightedly watch a trained kelpie going through its paces [Music] strange fashions are in evidence as the women satisfy a typically feminine curiosity it is one thing to civilize the natives but they must be given useful occupations and certainty of a gainfully employed future with this in mind every job planned for the men of new guinea is for their economic and social development and in keeping with australia's obligations of trusteeship

Channel: travelfilmarchive

Views: 43,072

Keywords: 1940s, Australia, New Guinea, Australian government, indigenous New Guineans, Papuans, indigenous people, indigenous culture, native life, historical documentaries

Id: Cj-jpXlW9QI

Length: 21min 2sec (1262 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 09 2021