The Papuan Villager. Volumes 1 (1929), 2 (1930), 3 (1931), 4 (1932) and 5 (1933).

WILLIAMS, F. E. (editor)

About this Item

Port Moresby, Papua : Government Printer, 1929-1933. Five volumes, bound in the original pictorial wrappers (as issued at the end of each respective year by the Government printer); Volume 1, nos. 1-11 (complete); Volume 2, nos. 1-12 (complete); Volume 3, nos. 1-12 (complete); Volume 4, nos. 1-12 (complete); Volume 5, nos. 1-12 (complete); all issues in uniform 8-page format, with photographic and line-drawn illustrations; from The Papuan Collection of Charles Fletcher (Melbourne), his bookplates to the inside of the front wrappers; in excellent condition throughout. An exceptional set of the first five years' issues of this immensely significant periodical, published by the Australian colonial administration in Papua and edited by the Government Anthropologist, Francis Williams. Extremely rare.The last time any issues from the first five years of The Papuan Villagerwere offered for sale at auction was in 1970 (Sotheby's, London:Vol. 1 no. 1 to vol. 2 no. 1, twelve issues unbound). 'The Papuan Villager(1929-1941) was unique in colonial history. It was a newspaper produced by the Australian administration in Papua as a vehicle for what is now called ?social marketing.? TheGovernment Anthropologist,Francis Williams, had the idea that a newspaper might be a good way to help Papuans learn English as part of assimilating into western culture. SirHubert Murray, Papua?s literate and forward-thinking Lieutenant-Governor, agreed; he thought the newspaper could engender a sense of ?national? unity. He divertednative education taxmoney to pay for the venture because he viewed their ?little experiment? as adult education. The ?experiment? persisted for thirteen years, until Williams' death in an airplane accident. Williams personally edited the newspaper over its entire lifespan, which is an indication of how seriously he took the project. Francis Williams used the newspaper to teach Papuans the few things that he felt they needed to know in order to improve their daily lives: principally facility with English, better hygiene, and improved gardening practices. Other than those three areas, Williams thought that Papuans ought to keep their culture as intact as they could. His theory of cultural assimilation was eventually published as "The Blending of Cultures" (1935). In that essay, inThe Villager, and in his academic writing, Williams takes a modified functional approach to anthropology. The Papuan Villagerused a tabloid format and was 10-16 pages long [sic.]. Its contents were interesting and its tone friendly; it contained the results of sporting events, simplified versions of international news (especially exotic articles about the British royal family), gardening hints, tips on how to understand western culture, detailed information on different indigenous cultures in Papua, local news stories, and two centre pages of photographs featuring the faces of islanders and expatriates whom readers would know. The newspaper engaged its readers even more by offering contests for the best village gardens. But the reason thatThe Papuan Villageris important for both literature and print culture is that Williams used it to encourage Papuans to retain their own cultures and to use the written word for communication. He began by valorizing native customs, such as the making of arrows and baskets. He included many pen and ink illustrations of Papuan artifacts, describing how they were used and how important they were to keeping Papuan cultures alive. He urged his readers to become writers, telling them that this wastheirpaper and offering to pay for successful submissions. His readers responded by sending Williams written versions of Papuan folklore and by serving as village correspondents for local news. Each writer was acknowledged with a short biography. Early inThe Villager?shistory, Williams included samples of editing, in order to show his Papuan writers what he considered to be acceptable newspaper style. His editorial hand was light. William. Seller Inventory # 38880

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Papuan Villager. Volumes 1 (1929), 2 (...

Binding: Soft cover