Tara Parker
Assignment 2 – Patrol Report
Tari – Volume 7- Southern Highlands 1955-1956
Summary
Tari 7 1955-1956 Patrol Report is a detailed report conducted by patrol officer James (Jim) Patrick Sinclair. The area visited was in the Southern Highlands, specifically the Hundia-Naggia[?] country south-west to the Karenda basin, the Lavani valley, Peta and Luna areas. The purpose of the patrol was to explore the Duna country and establish a basecamp known as Koroba station. The goal with this patrol was to spread influence over New Guinean people in the territory adjacent to basecamp. Through the patrol, extensive medical work took place. Sinclair while investigating for further expansion, he created an original map and contacted the people within the areas visited.
Sinclair, while exploring the Lavani Valley, expressed interest over the location of oil deposits. Albert (Bert) Speer, the medical assistant accompanying Sinclair, made ‘progress’ with further contact while performing thousands of various treatments on the New Guinean people. Speer was unsuccessful in his quest for blood slides; however, the New Guineans response to medical treatment was good. The weather conditions proved to be difficult, slowing the construction of the Koroba basecamp. Throughout the patrol, several incidents resulted in violence; one incident involved the drowning of constable Yanda in the Tagari River, near Headmare. The patrol had trouble with carriers wanting to turn back and refusing to carry, one reason being from fear over Yanda’s death. The patrol was considered to be a success by the acting district commissioner Robert. R Cole.
Key Words: Basecamp, Administration Expansion, Duna Country, Oil, J.P Sinclair, Violence, Carriers, Trade, Medical
Introduction
After World War II, the speed of development in New Guinea accelerated, and over time, the colonial administration was re-established and extended into the more remote areas.[1] This essay will explore the colonial experience in the Tari Seven 1955- 1956 Southern Highlands patrol report. James (Jim) Patrick Sinclair, a post-war kiap and later, a prolific author was the officer conducting the patrol.[2] In 1955 Sinclair, alongside his accompanying officers, patrol officer Trollope and medical assistant Albert (Bert) Speer extended colonial administration and set forth on influencing the New Guinean people. The patrol entered into areas of the Hundia-Naggia[?] valley country south-west of the Karenda basin, the Lavani valley, Peta and the Luna areas. It encountered considerable difficulties along the way, but an argument can be made that the several objectives set for the patrol to be completed by Christmas of 1955 were successful.
A patrol officer’s responsibility in New Guinea was varied and broad.[3] Outlined early in the report by the Acting District Commissioner Robert Cole, were the main objectives of the patrol. The main objectives were to
‘… establish the administration in Duna country to facilitate further extension and create a favourable influence which would filter through to outlying areas and assist in the work of new contact’.[4]
The patrol did encounter new contact, ‘two strange-looking natives’ from an area apparently unvisited from Tuguba[?], several days walk from camp.[5] According to historian Nicholas Dirks, establishing colonial administration is a cultural project of control, where ‘traditional’ societies are ‘modernised’ and transformed by and through colonial technologies of conquest and rule.[6] However, as Sinclair stated in 1984, ‘the peoples of New Guinea’ had a ‘peaceful penetration’ by the visitors and colonisers in ‘the Southern Highlands’.[7] Although Sinclair considered penetration into the Highlands as peaceful, his main concern was to build and represent ‘all arms of the government’.[8]
Following the main objects outlined by Cole, Sinclair was to establish a basecamp in the Hundia-Naggia area. Stations are a ‘constant reminder to the people of the power of the Government’.[9] Sinclair successfully established a basecamp later known as the station of Koroba.[10] He states, ‘Everybody seems to be happy about the idea of a station in their area… the main owner of the Koroba ridge is now quite happy about the Government moving in’.[11] The main owner was happy, provided the existing gardens were not interfered with, and support was promised to him and the people of Koroba.[12] Original mapping was completed showing all groups, streams and main peaks.[13] Through the use of maps, the survey modality is evident. Tracks and passes are worked into the map while; architecture is described in the development of the Koroba basecamp. Establishing maps of the Highlands would not be possible without the New Guinean patrol members, although their workmanship was questioned.
Difficulties with carriers on patrol included those who ‘wanted to turn back every 15minutes’ and having Hedamare people refuse to carry.[14] There was also a tragic incident with a drowning which emphasised the difficulties with the terrain and the fears of travelling with the patrol. Sinclair and Cole were under shared assumptions regarding the tragic drowning of constable Yanda in the Tagari River. ‘Carriers who come from the valley fear the fast-flowing waters’.[15] On Wednesday 12th ‘almost all the carriers and labourers’ were clearing out, wanting to be allowed to return immediately home.[16] The drowning created difficulties at times in maintaining and obtaining carriers for the patrol moving forward. What was noted, however, is how ‘serious the problem’ was and the ‘unlimited patience and understanding to handle it’.[17] Sinclair’s outlook was that if carriers were ‘given good treatment’ they would ‘cheerfully follow his officer through the worst that New Guinea can offer’.[18] As the report confirms, Sinclair praised the Kaugel River carriers for their ‘excellent type’, and to his great relief, the Kaugel River carriers decided to stay even through fear.[19]
Medical assistant Albert Speer’s position in the patrol was vital, treating colds and fevers, which developed among the patrol. Speer’s extensive medical work throughout the patrol provided treatment of diseases, arrow wounds, burns, small sores and dental cases to the New Guinean people.[20] Speer was responsible for ‘influencing’ and ‘contacting the people’. However, he was disappointed in his main aim of collecting blood slides.[21] According to Sinclair, the reason why collecting slides was being refused was that the ‘people are too suspicious and uncertain of the aims, … understandably enough’.[22]
While investigating the Lavani Valley to extend contact further, Sinclair expressed interest into oil deposits. The Lavani people were ‘uncertain of our motives… uneasy and unconvinced’.[23] The interest into oil deposits stemmed from a patrol led by Desmond Clancy on behalf of the Australasian Petroleum Company.[24] Huli men brought mineral oil to the station at Tari, stirring thoughts that oil was to be found in commercial quantities somewhere in the valleys and hills between the Strickland River and Tari.[25] Sinclair was unsuccessful in gathering any information surrounding oil. Interestingly, this was stated as being a prime aim of the visit, however, it was not mentioned as one of the main objectives at the beginning of the report. The Lavani ‘people refused to guide’ Sinclair; ‘they are extremely secretive’ when discussing oil.[26] The Lavani people were beginning to resent the questioning about oil, and a rumour was picked up that if the patrol continued to try and locate the oil deposits the Lavani people would attack.[27]
Sinclair believes it is important to realise in many cases ‘natives will attack’ through fear of the intentions and motives of the patrol.[28] New Guineans’ instincts, conditioned by generations of fighting and the tribal law of payback, was a factor to consider with caution when patrolling the Highlands.[29] Although, within this report, all the areas visited had been contacted previously by patrols, the contact with the people in these areas had been minimal. According to Sinclair, it was the ‘first real visit to Lavani’. Breaches of a clan and tribal boundaries and the violation of hunting rights often led to bloody warfare.[30] An example of this was on 10 November, which Sinclair described as the ‘worst disturbance that we have had’.[31] The fight commenced between four visiting ‘natives’, one accusing another of stealing from his garden.[32] The affair snowballed, women and at least four hundred people around the camp joined in.[33] The station labourers and carriers also joined in, and it took some time to be restored.[34] Violence between New Guineans was a problem for patrol officers. The leading difficulties included safety of the patrol and the struggle with finding New Guinean workers due to violence within the community. The carriers specifically did not want to ‘travel beyond their boundaries passing through enemy areas is too dangerous’.[35]
The patrol report is evident of Cohn’s enumerative modality as Sinclair reports back to the administration on the social, cultural and linguistic differences between the New Guinean people.[36] Linguistic differences are found under ‘Native Affairs’ as Sinclair explains he is of the opinion there are several dialects in the areas visited.[37] He also reports on anthropological information. Sinclair states, previously the Lavanis[?] are similar to ‘the outsiders’. What is noted to be different is the Lavanis[?] were bitter and their inhospitable nature of their land was reflected in the people themselves.[38] Anthropological information is vital for colonial administration when determining the next area for further extension.
Sinclair and his party successfully opened a station in Koroba, extending administration in Duna country. Sinclair was respectful of the New Guinean people’s fears, uncertainties and understandings. The patrol was successful in completing an original map that extended to the Lavani Valley. Violence in the Highlands created difficulties for the patrol officer including, safety being compromised and the difficulties of maintaining and obtaining New Guinean patrol members. Speer completed many treatments, enabling further contact with the New Guinean people, however, was unsuccessful with his aim to collect blood slides from them. The aim of finding out information regarding oil deposits was also unsuccessful. Carriers feared travelling past their boundaries because of tribal warfare. They also had built up fears around the Strickland’s and the drowning of constable Yanda. The overall success or failure of the patrol is subjective. The debate over the differences between the colonial experience and New Guinean experience is much more complex.
Bibliography
Brown, P., “Colonial New Guinea: The Historical Context.” In Colonial New Guinea: Anthroplogical Perspective (2001), pp. 15-26, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2001. [online] <https://content.talisaspire.com/deakin/bundles/5f17b74947e6431c521f2094> Accessed September 24, 2020.
Cohn, B., “Introduction To Colonialism And Its Forms Of Knowledge: The British In India”, Colonialism And Its Forms Of Knowledge: The British In India, 1st edn, Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1996. [online] <https://d2l.deakin.edu.au/content/enforced/917543-AIH399_TRI-2_2020/Introduction%20to%20Colonialism%20and%20its%20forms%20of%20knowledge-%20the%20British%20in%20India%20in%20Colonialism%20and%20its%20forms%20of%20knowledge-%20the%20British%20in%20India.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=DmbQX3rs1L2PjP4vLRmHiETZT&ou=917543> Accessed September 24, 2020.
Dimond, P., New Guinea Patrol, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Alexander Street, 1958. [online] < https://video-alexanderstreet-com.ezproxy-b.deakin.edu.au/watch/new-guinea-patrol?context=channel:anthropology>. Accessed September 23, 2020.
Jackson, K., “Jim Sinclair OBE, Recorder Of PNG’s Colonial History, Dies At 89”, Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG ATTITUDE, 2017, <https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2017/10/jim-sinclair-obe-dies-at-89-recorder-of-the-colonial-history-of-png.html> Accessed September 23, 2020.
Kituai, A. “The Role of the Patrol Officer in Papua New Guinea.” In My Gun, My Brother: The World of the Papua New Guinea Colonial Police, 1920-1960, 19-41. University of Hawai’i Press, 1998. [online] <http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt6wr4nx.7>. Accessed September 23, 2020.
May, R. J. “From Promise To Crisis: A Political Economy Of Papua New Guinea.” In State and Society in Papua New Guinea: The First Twenty-Five Years, pp. 302-323. ANU Press, 2004. [online] <http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jbkfq.19.> Accessed September 24, 2020.
Nelson, H., Taim Bilong Masta, Sydney, ABC Books, 1982, [online] < https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/126312>, Accessed October 3, 2020.
Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. National Archives of Papua New Guinea, Accession 496, <https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb9694744v> Accessed September 23, 2020.
Sinclair, J., “James Sinclair Papua New Guinea Research Collection – Archives”, Archivescollection.Anu.Edu.Au, 2013, [online] <https://archivescollection.anu.edu.au/index.php/james-sinclair-papua-new-guinea-research-collection>, Accessed September 23, 2020.
Sinclair, J., “Patrolling In The Restricted Areas Of Papua And New Guinea”, Australian Outlook, vol. 8, no. 3, 1954, [online] <https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy-f.deakin.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/10357715408443912?needAccess=true>, Accessed September 23, 2020.
Strathern, A. and Stewart, P., Empowering The Past, Confronting The Future, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
Waiko, J., “From Stone Age To Steel Age”, A Short History Of Papua New Guinea, 2nd edn, pp. 1-26, OUP Australia and New Zealand, 2007. [online] <https://content.talisaspire.com/deakin/bundles/5f28aa229faa88732f56a764>, Accessed September 23, 2020.
[1] J. R. May, “From Promise To Crisis: A Political Economy Of Papua New Guinea.” In State and Society in Papua New Guinea: The First Twenty-Five Years. ANU Press, 2004. [online] <http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jbkfq.19> pp. 302- 303
[2] Jackson, K., “Jim Sinclair OBE, Recorder Of PNG’s Colonial History, Dies At 89”, Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG ATTITUDE, 2017, <https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2017/10/jim-sinclair-obe-dies-at-89-recorder-of-the-colonial-history-of-png.html>
[3] A, Kituai. “The Role of the Patrol Officer in Papua New Guinea.” In My Gun, My Brother: The World of the Papua New Guinea Colonial Police, 1920-1960, 19-41. University of Hawai’i Press, 1998. [online] <http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt6wr4nx.7>. p. 19
[4] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. National Archives of Papua New Guinea, Accession 496, [online] https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb9694744v>, R. Coles letter
[5] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. September 25th
[6] Brown, P., “Colonial New Guinea: The Historical Context.” In Colonial New Guinea: Anthropological Perspective (2001), University of Pittsburgh Press, [online] p202001.<https://content.talisaspire.com/deakin/bundles/5f17b74947e6431c521f2094>, p. 20
[7] Brown, P., “Colonial New Guinea: The Historical Context.”, p. 20
[8] H, Nelson., Taim Bilong Masta, Sydney, ABC Books, 1982, [online] < https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/126312>, p. 39
[9] J, Sinclair., “Patrolling In The Restricted Areas Of Papua And New Guinea”, Australian Outlook, vol. 8, no. 3, 1954, [online] <https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy-f.deakin.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/10357715408443912?needAccess=true>, p. 145
[10] Sinclair, J., “James Sinclair Papua New Guinea Research Collection – Archives”, Archivescollection.Anu.Edu.Au, 2013, [online] <https://archivescollection.anu.edu.au/index.php/james-sinclair-papua-new-guinea-research-collection>
[11] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. August 3rd-5th
[12] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. August 3rd-5th
[13] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. Native Affairs Lavani Valley
[14] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. August 2nd & 7th
[15] P. Dimond., New Guinea Patrol
[16] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. September 12th
[17] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. R. Coles letter
[18] J, Sinclair., “Patrolling In The Restricted Areas Of Papua And New Guinea”, p. 132
[19] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. Carriers & September 12th
[20] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. Appendix A
[21] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. Native Affairs, Lavani Valley
[22] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. December 7th
[23] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. Native Affairs, Lavani Valley
[24] Strathern, A. and Stewart, P., Empowering The Past, Confronting The Future, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. p. 19
[25] Strathern, A. and Stewart, P., Empowering The Past, Confronting The Future, p. 19
[26] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. Native Affairs, Lavani Valley
[27] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. Native Affairs, Lavani Valley
[28] J, Sinclair., “Patrolling In The Restricted Areas Of Papua And New Guinea”, p. 137
[29] P. Dimond., New Guinea Patrol, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Alexander Street, 1958. [online] < https://video-alexanderstreet-com.ezproxy-b.deakin.edu.au/watch/new-guinea-patrol?context=channel:anthropology>.
[30] J. Waiko., “From Stone Age To Steel Age”, A Short History Of Papua New Guinea, 2nd edn, OUP Australia and New Zealand, 2007. [online] <https://content.talisaspire.com/deakin/bundles/5f28aa229faa88732f56a764>, p. 19
[31] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. November 10th
[32] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. November 10th
[33] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. November 10th
[34] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. November 10th
[35] P. Dimond., New Guinea Patrol, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Alexander Street, 1958.
[36] Cohn, B., “Introduction To Colonialism And Its Forms Of Knowledge: The British In India”, Colonialism And Its Forms Of Knowledge: The British In India, 1st edn, Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1996. [online] <https://d2l.deakin.edu.au/content/enforced/917543-AIH399_TRI-2_2020/Introduction%20to%20Colonialism%20and%20its%20forms%20of%20knowledge-%20the%20British%20in%20India%20in%20Colonialism%20and%20its%20forms%20of%20knowledge-%20the%20British%20in%20India.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=DmbQX3rs1L2PjP4vLRmHiETZT&ou=917543> p. 8
[37] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. Native Affairs
[38] Patrol Reports. Southern Highlands District Tari 7, 1955 – 1956. Native Affairs, Lavani Valley