History of Papua New Guinea

30/07/2024

Hello, readers, fans and followers of , we are about to bring you one of our special editions to our Remembrance Day which was recently celebrated in our country.

THE HANGINGS AT HIGATURU - COMING SOON!

21/07/2024

Shout out to our newest followers! Excited to have you onboard!

Michael Anis, Timothy Kirio, PJ Marsh, Jon Kundiet Hofa, Damne Kumul Ari Bop, Rodney Yukut, Arnold C Juvai, Egxie Seen, Valentine Tukana, Markhus Rumu, Laho Lari, Iso Pai Sui, Neps Muna, Gaba Ako, Paul Kausa, Hosea Kaelam Jnr, Joseph Mipari, Belina David, Pungi Put, Puele Renagi, Ivan Ori, Janet Andandi, Xbolt Shocker, Hoff Goro, Edrick Tomi, Brian Pandaoxx, Clement Tine, Joe Morex Wiwe, Elias Walo, Douglas Benoni, Christopher Valeba, Kosie Sali, Seri William Peter, Philip Wangii, Gafoh Levi, Delma Johnson, Mar Kay Ako, ẞtàñlèy Àmbàlàñg, Win Itana, Enoch Berua, Joshua Miviri, Wantok Smash, Bagle Gewa, Jorge Darío, Elly Bobson, Otto Tossie Gabu, Tii'zzie Em Yet, Pais Kar Tiki, Wensko Api, Joey Maelau

05/07/2024

This is Sergeant Bagita Aromau of Fergusson Island. He was the most respected and highly decorated of all Papuan policemen.

05/07/2024

Pictured from left to right: George Gough (gaoler), GOAVA OA, Tom Gough (European Constable) and KARO ARAUA.

This is a potential Movie Story Documentary! Read main story below.

05/07/2024

KARO ARAUA – HALF KEREMA, HALF HULA

It was on August 8th 1938, Karo Araua of Motu Motu village was hanged at Badili in Port Moresby infront of his people.
It was a Monday and all work and school stopped as thousands of people from the town and surrounding areas turned out to watch what was going to become one of the most terrifying and saddest day to witness.
Karo’s troubles started 10 years ago when he travelled from Motu Motu to Port Moresby to join the Armed Native Constabulary. In September 1929, it was his turn with Armed Constable Bili to carry the mailbag to Kokoda. On the way, they argued and Karo shot Bili, killing him.
When Karo reported what had happened, he was charged and found guilty of murder and sentenced to 5-years hard labour at Badili Gaol. When he was released Karo began to look for easy ways to make money. So he went to Hula, his mother’s village with 3 of his friends, Opa, Tete and Ori.
Soon they were in trouble and police were looking for them. They were captured and taken to Rigo Government Station to be questioned about a trade store robbery. Unfortunately, there was no evidence so they were released. Karo however was fined 2-shillings and 6-pence for wearing a shirt without permission.
In those days local men were not allowed to wear shirts or clothing above the waist under the Australian Administration. The administration decided had decided shirts for local people were unhealthy. While the Assistant Resident Magistrate Ivan Champion was questioning them, Karo noticed metal safe in the corner of the office. Already he knew it contained money.
Two weeks later Karo and two of his other friends returned to Rigo and stole the safe, smashed it open and with an axe and found £130 (Pound). It would have taken any Papuan to several years to earn such a sum.
Champion was amazed when he got to work and saw the safe was missing because it was the first time anything like that had happened anywhere else in Papua. So, he asked the police headquarter in Port Moresby for help and Sergeant Bagita Aromau was sent to Rigo.
Bagita suspected that it was Karo and his friends so soon they picked them up and took them to Rigo for questioning. Tete confessed to the robbery in exchange for freedom and showed Bagita where they had buried some of the money. So Karo and Opa where sentenced to ten years in prison.
Karo was sent to Samarai gaol, and was soon thinking of ways to escape so he secretly rubbed the juice of lala tree into his eyes knowing it would only cause temporary blindness. Then he started stumbling around with a stick, pretending to be blind so the head of the gaol transferred him to Badili gaol.
He was taken to the hospital and was treated however he pretended to be blind and was given a sunglass and allowed to stay in the prison while other prisoners went out to work.
The final episode in Karo’s life began on June 7th 1938. It was time for breakfast and the head of the gaol Ume Hau his wife and Boio Vage and their daughter Igua Ume were missing. After 2 days of searching the family’s bodies were discovered on nearby island next to Badili gaol.
Sergeant Bagita was again asked to question the prisoners, finally Karo confessed that he had lured the three victims to the island by pretending he would show them a magic trick for making money and there he slit the throat of the three.
Karo was asked why he did that and he said another prisoner Goava Oa had urged him to kill Ume perhaps he thought he was in debt to Goava for allowing him to see his sister when she visited the gaol. Goava was also angry with Ume because he never treated him properly. Karo then said he had to kill Boio and Igua so there would be no eye witnesses.
It was because of this Karo was sentence to death and was hanged at Badili. Many Papuans watched and cried and chanted songs, Port Moresby came to a standstill no work everything was ceased that day. All agreed Karo’s crimes were terrible but for once the Whites were made to take notice of a Papuan.
The Port Moresby Newspaper, the Post-Courier seldpom mentioned a Papuan’s name but Karo had been on the front page for weeks. Even sergeant Bagita saw something in Karo admire and later wrote him a poem as his tribute to the late Karo Araua.

05/07/2024

Good afternoon all. The story we all been waiting for is HERE!
Oh KARO ARAUA!

07/06/2024

History of Papua New Guinea is proud to present
THE STORY OF KARO ARAUA
Motuans & Gulf people will remember!

04/06/2024

Hello fans, readers and followers; we have another interesting edition coming up. But please read our latest edition about the story of RABAUL STRIKE.

04/06/2024

THE RABAUL STRIKE STORY

: Men of New Guinea Police Force in 1920s. Seargent-major had two stripes on their Lava-Lavas and wore caps. Constables only one red stripe. No shirts or shoes were worn.

On 2nd January 1929, about 3000 workers in Rabaul went on strike to ask for better pay from their Australian Colonial masters. The strike caused much surprise and anger among the white population, and many were unable to believe it was happening.
It was the first general strike in the history of New Guinea and Papua which was organized by two men, a boat captain Sunsuma and a Police Sergeant-major N’Dramei. The idea od strike first came to Sunsuma when he heard the visiting black West Indian sailors laughing about the low wages paid to New Guinean workers. Sunsuma earn £5. (£) is the symbol for the pound unit of sterling – the currency of the United Kingdom and its associated Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories and previously of Great Britain and of the Kingdom of England.
Sometimes the New Guineans were paid £12 but most workers only earned 5 or 6 shillings. While the white patrol officers were earning £25 a month. Sunsuma heard that in other countries peope even stop work and ask for more if they are not paid well. So, he thought New Guineans can also do the same and soon they plan for a strike.
Sunsuma and N’Dramei passed the message to the workers and the 217 policemen to stop work for one day and demand for increase of £12 monthly for everyone. The intended strike was to be peaceful and was also kept secret from the whites until the agreed day for it.
On the evening before the strike the workers moved quietly out of town in small groups and were joined by police except for those that were still on duty. Everyone headed for Malaguna and Rapolo and camped outside the mission buildings. Early in the morning of the strike they asked the missionaries to tell the government on their behalf about pay increase. The missionaries were sympathetic but told the workers they should finished their work contracts before asking for more.
When the white police officers head of what was happening, they hurried to Malaguna and Rapolo and ordered everyone back to work. Slowly the strikers returned to town release they were not going to get any chances of pay increase. Most of the Europeans in Rabaul were enraged by the strike and held emergency meetings in fear that the New Guineans might return and organize a secrete attack.
So, they insisted the strike leaders were to be arrested and punished so many whites armed themselves to protect themselves. Sunsuma and N’Dramei and were soon arrested and the local police and other leaders were also rounded up. Then there were too many prisoners for the gaols so many were taken to the old Burns Philip Ship beaten up and locked below deck in the sweltering heat.
Nearly 200 local police were dismissed and sentenced to six months in gaol with hard labour while 21 of the strike leaders were sentenced to 30 months in gaol. There were sent to gaols all around the country to do hard labour and work in the goldfields. N’Dramei locked up in Kavieng was often beaten, he served 3 years and later returned to his village on Pitylu Island nea Manus where he worked as a gardener and died in 1940 and buried in an unmarked grave.
Sunsuma serve his gaol sentence in Aitape then to Kavieng and was also frequently beaten. He was released and returned to his home at Boang island of the coast of New Ireland. He then became a leader of his people and formed a copra marketing society. He died on 20th August 1965 and was buried near Rambamur village.

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30/05/2024

As we approach our 2024 LLG Election. Here's an historical record for people of Lae Morobe Province to look back on.

30/05/2024

THE GOARIBARI TRAGEDY- Story Out

A series of tragic events at Goaribari Island near the Kikori Delta, began on April 8th 1901, when a group of Goaribari people decided to kill and eat a dozen visiting missionaries. James Chalmers a well-known English Missionary who worked for the London Missionary Society in the British New Guinea since 1877 was known in may villages along the south-east coast. In 1892 he decided to work further to the west and established new headquarters on Saguane Island. In doing so Chalmers had heard of the fierce people of the Goaribari Island near Kiwai Island but decided to go there with a young missionary Oliver Tompkins. Goaribari people had the history of attacking visitors especially Europeans that once visited them earlier. However, Chalmers believe he could bring peace to the Goaribari people. He was mistaken. Chalmers went ashore at Dopima village accompanied by Tompkins, Navagi a chief from Kiwai and nine Kiwai mission students. Unfortunately, they were led into dubu where they were all killed with stone clubs and cut up and eaten with Sago. Just when Lieutenant Governor in Port Moresby George Le Hunte heard of what had happened, he took two boatloads of policemen to Goaribari. The villagers became hostile and Le Hunte ordered his policemen to shoot and killed 24 of the Goaribari and burned down every dubu and destroyed all their war canoes. Le Hunte was still not satisfied and wanted the people responsible for the killings. He returned a following year and took prisoner Kemeri who then named four leaders of the attack. During that period Europeans in Port Moresby were still demanding action and wanted the four punished for what they did. The Dopima people thought the issue was over between them and the government so they went to trade bows and arrows for to***co when Kemeri identified them. Suddenly fighting erupted among the police and worriers and an Officer Robinson and his policemen started firing and shot many of the Dopimas. After the Dopima shooting, the Europeans in Port Moresby thought that was the end of it all. However, the news reached Australia and Robinson was put on notice to be sacked so the Australian Government agreed and announced that F. R Barton would replace Robinson. The shame was too much for Robinson to take and in the early morning of June 20th 1904 he walked to the flagpole outside the Government House in Port Moresby and shot himself in the head. There were no more attacks on the Goaribari since then. And in April 2001 Charlotte Sainsbury, a descendant of James Chalmers travelled from England to visit the island and was warmly welcomed by hundreds of people and many apologized for what their ancestors have done. She was also introduced to one of the descendants of the men who had murdered Chalmers and she surprised many by saying; “I think my ancestor was wrong to have come to try and change you. So I am very sorry for that. But I will go away with very happy memories of Papua New Guinea.”

24/05/2024

History

First banking service in Samberigi, Erave district | SHP back in 1960s.

30/04/2024

COMING SOON!
Coming up in our next edition of History of Papua New Guinea we feature "THE GOARIBARI TRAGEDY" story.

Pictured here is a Goaribari man with four feathered headdress, shell necklace, armbands and a nose ornament.

30/04/2024

THE BINANDERE WAR

The Binandere people who lives along the Mamabre and Gira rivers in what is now Oro Province have a way of living. They attack and kill strangers who wandered onto their lands.
One day a fierce warfare broke out between the tribal groups and people lived with anger until some White men arrived. The Whites were somehow not even welcomed in some areas and soon there was a conflict.
It began in July 1895, when an Australian, George Clarke arrived at Tamata Creek on the upper Mambare. He was leading a group of miners looking for gold. With them were carriers from a coastal region who were enemies of the Tamata Creek people. This was regarded as an invasion and at the first opportunity the tribesmen attacked and killed Clarke and throw his body in the creek.
The miners and carriers with Clarke fled downstream where they met another boatload of Australians who were also looking for gold. The two groups then combined and took savage revenge for Clarke’s murder and they shot anyone who got into their way whether they were not involved in the murder and burned villages in Binandere.
Then they decided to retreat and look for gold in other area as it was no longer safe for them. William Macgregor, the Lieutenant-Governor of British New Guinea took a squad of Armed Native Constabulary to Tamata Creek and arrested Clarke’s killers and also arrested a Binandere Leader called Dumai.
A fight then broke out and several Binandere people were shot. This even made the Binandere hate the Whites even more and however could not do anything with their spears against the European guns. When Dumai was release from goal in Port Moresby the following year, he was recruited into the Constabulary.
Dumai was then sent with other police to Tamata creek to help the Resident Magistrate John Green and set up a patrol post. But Dumai had not forgotten the defeats his people had suffered and always wanted revenge. So, he secretly told his people to plan an attack on the Europeans including Green and the policemen.
As they were planning they also helped Green build the patrol post however they were not even allowed to carry weapons when near the government station. Dumai saw this and questioned Green but Green said nothing. Green then ordered the policemen to leave their weapons in their tents following requests from the people of Binandere as they claimed to be not safer near them.
The police did not like idea however succumbed to Green’s order and were reported to work at a building. Again, this was a serious mistake when the Binanderes’ decorated with feathers and war paints ransacked the police tents and stole the weapons. They started blowing conch shell to signal the other groups and Green and his policemen were beaten to death.
Macgregor soon returned with his police after hearing the news and destroyed the entire Binandere villages and taught them how to respect British law. Many people were shot dead and taken as prisoners. Green was not the only white man they had killed. It even took several years before real peace was established in their territory.

Picture: Bushimai, a fight leader of the Binandere was gaoled for his part in the attacks on miners and John Green. He escaped from gaol in Port Moresby and walked back home across the island. He later became friendly with the government officials.

30/04/2024

Hello fans, readers and followers. We have a new edition for you.
"THE BINANDERE WAR"
Story Now Out!

03/04/2024

STORY IS NOW OUT. SCROLL BELOW TO READ MORE.

Pictured: New Ireland and Buka survivors of the disastrous Otto von Ehlers expedition. In the picture are Opia and Ranga crouched in the centre, both wearing caps.


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03/04/2024

SPECIAL EDITION

A TALE OF MISFORTUNE – THE OTTO VON EHLERS EXPEDITION

In July 1895 a famous German writer, Otto von Ehlers, arrived at Stephansort (Bogadjim), then Capital of German New Guinea. He told the German government officials that he planned to walk across the Island of New Guinea to gather materials for another book. His plan was to walk from the Mouth of the Fransico River on the North Coast to the Mouth of the Lakekamu River on the South Coast.
The German officials thought Ehler’s plan was foolish because he knew nothing about the New Guinea conditions and such journey would take him through a country that they had never seen. But Ehler’s who had travelled widely in Africa and Asia was determined to go ahead. He said he only had to walk six kilometers each day to complete the 170-kilometer journey in just 28 days.
Accompanied by a German police officer, W. Piering and with 41 carriers and policemen from New Ireland and Buka Ehler set off from the mouth of Francisco on 14th August unaware that he had a 3048-metre high mountain range and rugged country unlike he had ever encountered.
After 9 days, they reached a village, where they rested and bought food. Ehler asked for a guide but the villagers didn’t want to volunteer. And it was a warning for Ehler however he was determined to go on despite no track to follow.
Their cloths tore apart while struggling in the thick forests and leeches clinging to their bodies as it was raining for almost a year. After 36 days their food ran out and they went on without food even not near their destination.
Then Ehlers allowed his dog to be killed and eaten. After that they began eating anything they can find in the dense forest. 8 days later 10 carriers had either died or went missing. Ehlers and Piering had lost their cloths and were very weak they couldn’t walk without help. The remaining carriers were also very ill and weak because of hunger, ulcers and leech bites.
On 30th September, they reached a West-flowing river and Ehlers ordered a raft to be built. Two Buka men, Ranga and Opia, who were the fittest of all, paddled the raft downstream while he two Germans lying on board with their riffles. The progress was slow and perilous because the materials used on the raft was so heavy and the rest of the party walked along the river bank.
Before long, Ranga and Opia decided they could not save themselves and the sick Germans, so they shot their employers and threw their bodies into the river. Some of the carriers were not happy so Ranga and Opia shot 3 of the carriers. Others later agreed to keep it a secret if they need to complete their journey.
The next 9 days six more men died but the rest were saved when they reached the Lakekamu River and found sago. Finally, 20 of the 43 who had set out reached the coast and the British returned them to Stephansort. German police closely questioned the survivors and some broke their promise revealed what had happened.
Ranga and Opia were put in goal to await trial but escaped. Stole a rifle, ammunitions and disappeared into the hills. On there onwards, German patrols searched for the escapees but to no success until in August 1897, when they received information that the two were hiding at Gorib an inland village.
The Administrator Kurt von Hagen led a police patrol to the village but was shot and killed by Ranga and they both escaped. Then more German patrols were sent in and they threatened to punish the villagers. A few months later the villagers spotted Ranga and Opia crossing as they ran out of ammunitions so they mobilized and killed the two men.
Their heads were cut off and taken as proof to the Germans at Stephansort. It was a terrible end to one of the most disastrous expeditions in the history of the country. It would never be known if the two Germans would have reached the coast alive. As it turned out, 20 New Ireland and Buka men were the first to cross the island from Francisco River to Lakekamu River.

02/04/2024

Good evening fans and followers of History of Papua New Guinea
After several editions being published so far. We now have a Special Edition which is Coming Soon!

THE TALE OF MISFORTUNE - THE OTTO VON EHLERS EXPEDITION

01/04/2024

News History of Papua New Guinea

Click on the link below to read more.

Pacific Island descendants call for a national audit of Australian institutions after discovering the National Museum of Australia in Canberra and the Australian Museum in Sydney are storing hundreds of ancestral remains.

26/03/2024

Here's what we got for today. Scroll down below and read more.
EUROPEAND TRY TO SETTLE IN ISLAND OF NEW GUINEA