Aboutness Statement – Gulf District, Kerema Station, Volume 15, 1936-1937

“The volume centers around village, plantation, and native labor inspections; tax collection; and census taking and updating. Officers held Court for Native Matters, recruited new A.C.s, and distributed prizes for village contests. Patrols were made by whaleboat or canoe and every report remarks on the harsh weather of the rainy season; flooding and erosion are…

Aboutness Statement – 1935-1936 – Kerema Gulf District

Revised ‘aboutness’ statement: This volume focused on inspections; villages, roads, fences, and general infrastructure.  Patrol Officers took regular census of men, women, children, and infants; while cataloging marriage, death, general health and disease information.  Minute information regarding family bonus, wages and payments (including other than money payments), building and bridge construction, carriers employed, police taken…

Aboutness Statement

West New Britain is an area located in the country of Papua New Guinea. During the 1900’s the island was under the administration of Australia until its independence in 1975.  During Australia’s administration there were kiaps, also known as patrol officers, who were assigned to record the process of preparing Papua New Guinea for its…

Aboustness Statement Kyeongbin Kim

The patrol report volume no.12 from 1961 to 1962 on the region of West New Britain of Papua New Guinea is composed of 8 different reports. Six different patrol officers including C. Booth, B. Besaspearis, and B. Batterham participated in writing the reports. The format of the reports was daily diary where the information regarding…

Aboutness Statement for Port Moresby 1946 – 1948

This volume is about general maintenance of established westernization of the villages located just outside of the city of Port Moresby but within the geographical area of Port Moresby. Maintenance includes routine census, health and hygiene checkups, road evaluations, agriculture, and native villager observations. Some reports include inquiries, requests and payments of Native Compensation for…

Aboutness Statement for Patrol Reports of East Sepik District, Yangoru 1950’s

Aboutness statement of volume: The patrol reports from this volume discussed census information and revision, routine administration and medical inspections in the villages visited, and enforcement of hygiene practices, as observed by Officers W.M. Stokes and F.S. Martin. Agriculture and livestock management were reliable in the region, though fertility was greater along the slopes of…

Aboutness Statement Vincent Rojas

Aboutness statement:  This patrol volume focuses on economic development such as roads (Tealands road), bridges, schools, cattle and poultry projects, farming, and gardening with test plots of various crops. Kiaps in this volume were to survey land for development while settling small village disputes. Along with daily tasks listed above, Kiaps politically educated villagers in self-government…

Cultural Context Port Moresby 1946 – 1948

Port Moresby is currently the capital of Papua New Guinea. Before the European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Motu and Koitabu people. The port was named after the Adm. Sir Fairfax Moresby, father of the explorer, Capt. John Moresby, to whom the harbor is credited. (Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2018)   In present day, the…

Cultural Context – Gulf District, Kerema Station, Volume 15, 1936-1937

Commonly known as PNG, Papua New Guinea’s reputation often precedes itself. PNG’s infamous diversity, combined with its many colonial relationships, has resulted in a deeply complicated history. Papua New Guinea is a young nation, having gained independence in 1975 following a long process of missionization, outside government control, and colonial rule which began in earnest…

Cultural Context West New Britain, Talasea 1968-1969

The patrol report that I am assigned to is West New Britain, Talasea station, Papua New Guinea from 1968-1969.  The Diary entries for the first patrol report mainly focuses on the road work on road from Talasesa to Narunageru. Patrol officer W.G. Speldewinde wrote down the amount of progress that was worked on the road,…