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A collection of 50 essays by scientists and historians at the University of Papua New Guinea, this volume details the political and economic development of PNG in the late colonial years and the first 17 years of independence, through the prime ministerships of Somare, Chan, Namaliu and Wingri. ... Read more

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Stretching from the eastern half of the island of New Guinea to many islands of the neighboring archipelago, Papua New Guinea is an orchid wonderland. Its many variations of climate and habitat support a diverse orchid population, including a large number of species of Dendrobium, but also epiphytic and terrestrial orchids from a wide range of groups within the orchid family. This introduction will be welcome to the thousands of growers who are discovering the beauty of these orchids. ... Read more

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a valuable reference
This book is rich with many picts of Dendrobium species, and followed by short information on each of the species, appearance of flowers, growth habit and distribution. I always use this book with Dendrobium and Its Relatives by P. S. Lavarack to identify some orchids from eastern part of Indonesia(mostlyDendrobium family) ... Read more

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Much has been written about Papua New Guinea over the last century and too often in ways that legitimated or served colonial interests through highly pejorative and racist descriptions of Papua New Guineans. Paying special attention to early travel literature, works of fiction, and colonial reports, laws, and legislation, Regis Tove Stella reveals the complex and persistant network of discursive strategies deployed to subjugate the land and its people. ... Read more

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This title examines the role of the international community in the handover of the Dutch colony of West Papua/Irian Jaya to Indonesia in the 1960s and questions whether the West Papuan people ever genuinely exercised self-determination guaranteed to them in the UN-brokered Dutch/Indonesian agreement of 1962. Indonesian, Dutch, US, Soviet, Australian and British involvement is discussed, but particular emphasis is given to the central part played by the United Nations in the implementation of this agreement. As guarantor, the UN temporarily took over the territory's administration from the Dutch before transferring control to Indonesia in 1963. After five years of Indonesian rule, a UN team returned to West Papua to monitor and endorse a controversial act of self-determination that resulted in a unanimous vote by 1022 Papuan 'representatives' to reject independence. Despite this, the issue is still very much alive today as a crisis-hit Indonesia faces continued armed rebellion and growing calls for freedom in West Papua.

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A definitive reference book
Over 2,700 delegates gathered in West Papua's capital of Jayapura in June 2000 for the Papuan Congress. The theme of the Papuan Congress called for a major historiographical revision: `COME ON, LET'S STRAIGHTEN THE HISTORY OF WEST PAPUA.' The Anatomy of Betrayal is the first significant historical work about the transfer of West Papua from the Netherlands to Indonesia. By the estimation of Papuan nationalists this was this key period that was in need of revision. Dr. Saltford's timely book questions if the people of West Papua were ever given a genuine opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination.

On 15 August 1962 representatives of the Netherlands and the Republic of Indonesia signed an accord at United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York. This accord, which has become known as the New York Agreement, `explicitly acknowledged and guaranteed the right of self-determination for West Papua' by Saltford's analysis. The UN, the Netherlands, and Indonesia were obligated by the New York Agreement to protect the political rights and freedoms of the Papuans and to hold a referendum in accordance with international practice. However, Cold War politics and the interests of `big power,' Saltford argues, meant that Papuan self-determination was never considered to be a serious option once the New York Agreement was signed.

The United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) administered West Papua from 1 October 1962 to 1 May 1963. Saltford has documented how the UNTEA banned Papuan nationalist marches during this period. Indonesian military troops also began a campaign of violence against Papuan nationalists while UN administrators were still ostensibly in control of the territory.

According to the preamble of the UN Charter, one of the aims of this international body is`to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained.' The Anatomy of Betrayal details how the UN ignored the obligations of the New York Agreement. In West Papua the UN violated its' own mandate, by Saltford's analysis.

Indonesian rule of West Papua began on 1 May 1963, before any act of self-determination had taken place. Military operations against Papuan nationalists intensified once Indonesian administration officially began.

In 1969 `The Act of Free Choice' was conducted by Indonesian authorities, Saltford argues, in order to give the false outward appearance that Papuans supported the transfer of authority to Indonesia. This fulfilled the terms of the 1962 New York Agreement which stipulated that Indonesia, under UN supervision, would conduct an act of self-determination `in accordance with international practice.' What contemporary Papuans call `The Act of No Choice' was an unanimous vote by 1,022 carefully selected `representatives.' Saltford details the UN role in monitoring and endorsing this controversial consultation. `The vote was a complete sham' according to a senior UN official quoted by Saltford.

The Anatomy of Betrayal is an important reference work for historians of the Cold War, scholars of post-colonial Southeast Asia, and policy makers who seek to understand the roots of Papuan nationalism. Saltford's documentation is thorough, and at times daunting. An Indonesian language translation of this study-eagerly awaited by Papuan intellectuals-is already in the works. Saltford's exhaustive study of UN sources about the Indonesian acquisition of West Papua is one of the very first academic books about the post-colonial history of West Papua. This book has broken significant ground and sets the stage for future research on related topics with the vast wealth of rich and varied source materials that remain unstudied.

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S. Eben Kirksey completed his Ph.D. in the History of Consciousness Program of the University of California at Santa Cruz. Currently he is writing a book titled "Freedom in Entangled Worlds: Lived Experiences of Possibility in West Papua."

Reprinted from the IIAS Newsletter ... Read more

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Bones of the Ancestors tells the shadowy story of the Ambum Stone, a 3,000-year-old carving from Papua New Guinea that found its way onto the antiquities market and then into an important modern museum. ... Read more

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An anthropologist reviews this book
I wrote this review in 2006, and it was published in Pacific Affairs, Summer 2006:volume 79, No. 2.



This is an important volume that belongs in the library of anyone seriously interested in Bougainville before - and after - the conflict. Like all volumes that derive from conferences, it contains a variety of viewpoints and professional orientations - so many that it might be subtitled "Ways of Seeing Bougainville."Although the first two sections of the book's five sections are written by "the usual suspects," the next three sections include work by authors new to me.It is a fine thing to see new names associated with Bougainville research and commentary, and even finer that among the 23 authors (of 30 chapters)6 are Bougainvilleans. (Disclaimer: I am a Bougainville anthropologist and know many of the authors; I was asked to contribute a chapter, but was unable to do so in time for the publication.)

Contributors to the first section ("The Place and the People") represent archaeology, geology, linguistics, and anthropology.All make the point that Bougainville language and culture is impressively diverse and complex.For example, there are perhaps 25 languages among some 175,000 people.Numeric caution is required here, as elsewhere in the book: the authors have as many ways of counting and classifying as ways of seeing.This is a virtue, not a defect, because Bougainville has been in state of flux for many decades.These, and other, chapters offer no support for those who might prefer to characterize Bougainvilleans as homogenous.

The second section ("The Colonial Period to World War II") is the work of historians.The chapters are of uneven quality, and overlap considerably.There is ritual flogging of Eurocentric observers:Elder accuses Thurnwald, Blackwood, Chinnery, and Oliver of "extracting intellectual property in the form of sociological and ethnographic data..." (164); I cannot think how what they did differs from what a modern fieldworker does.Helga Griffin, in a chapter dominated by praise for Thurnwald, attempts to locate "hidden values" (205)among fieldworkers of the 60s and 70s, but the connections seem superficial.

I found the third section ("Economic and Social Change Post-World War II") the most interesting.The contributors - economist, agricultural researcher (Buin), miner, historian, politicians (Buin; Torau), teacher (Buin) are a varied lot, and ironies abound.For example, Lummani wonders whether Francis Ona and the BRA's attempt to "restore egalitarian fairness by trying to suppress developmental change" may actually have "contributed to an ever-widening situation of inequality" because Bougainvilleans "are even more dependent on cash-crop income than before the conflict" (252). The other chapters give examples of unintended and unforeseen consequences, perhaps nowhere more than in Vernon's contribution - a forthright statement from a CRA/BCL miner's perspective.I found his many"had we only known..." statements unconvincing.The information Vernon regrets not having could not have been difficult to obtain; the search for "hidden values" would be fruitful here.

The fourth section ("Persepectives [sic] on Particular Bougainville Societies") comprises competent journeyman descriptions of Buin, Haku, Nasioi, and Nagovisi.The writers - all anthropologists, one a Bougainvillean - also provide short, impressionistic post-conflict portraits.
The final section ("Towards Understanding the Origins of the Conflict") is especially useful because both writers were importantly involved with the crisis and its aftermath: Regan as an outside advisor, and Tanis (Nagovisi) as a BRA functionary, a peace process worker, and BIPG Minister.Tanis' piece moves effectively between detailed descriptions of village life and the broad sweep of the Crisis.

One final comment.Most of the authors take pains to cite multiple causes of socioeconomic change and the conflict.The list is not surprising: missionization, plantations, WW II, cash cropping, the copper mine, unwelcome migrants, and others.However, I was astonished to find only one (passing) reference to the taro blight that fundamentally altered subsistence and forced dramatic socioeconomic change in many areas in the post-WWII period.If this volume has a systemic defect, it is that the authors commonly explain change exclusively in terms of human behavior.None of the authors (except Lummani) consider ecological factors except as asides or when assessing mine-related environmental disasters.It is sad that a volume representing multiple points of view lacks this important perspective.


Buffalo State College, Buffalo, New York, USA DON MITCHELL

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The civil war in Bougainville lasted from 1990-2001. This is the story of the aftermath of the civil war. Using oral evidence it tells the story through the eyes of the people--the victims, the freedom fighters, the women who took a leading part in the peace process. The author provides some perspective on the threatened loss of culture and identity caused by the war and on the residue of trauma left by terrible violence and human rights atrocities.
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Breaking Spares Mending Hearts
A very good insite into conflict resolution and postconflict rebuilding as must read for anyone working in this area... ... Read more

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Reflecting a growing awareness of the need to integrate security and development agendas in the field of conflict management, the authors of this original volume focus on the case of the Pacific Islands. In the process, they also reveal the sociopolitical diversity, cultural richness, and social resilience of a little-known region. Their work not only offers insight into the societies discussed, but also speaks to the realities of political community and state-building efforts throughout the developing world. ... Read more

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For the Foi people who live on the edge of the central highlands of Papua New Guinea, the flow of pearl shells is the "heart" of their social life. The pearl shell is the exchange item that mediates the creation of their most important sexual and social roles.The Heart of the Pearl Shell analyzes a number of myths of the Foi people, elegantly bringing together significant ethnographic materials in a way that has important implications for the development of social theory in anthropology and in Melanesian studies. Scholars of semiotic-symbolic anthropology and of comparative religion will also share the author's interest in the meaning and role of mythology in Foi culture.Instead of relying on orthodox methods of Freudian or structuralist interpretation, James Weiner assumes there is a dialectical relationship between the images of Foi myth and the images of the Foi's social world. He demonstrates how each set of these images is dependent upon the other for its creation. This innovative study locates Foi social meaning in the re-creation and attempted solution of the moral dilemmas that are crystallized in mythology and other poetic usages. ... Read more

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The Hilarious, riveting and sometimes terrifying adventures of an Australian field bioligist in the jungles and mountains of NewGuinea, one of the last frontiers left on earth.In New Guinea Pidgin, throwin way leg means to go on a journey. It describes the action of thrusting out your leg to take thefirst step of what can be a long march.Flannery observes the collision of cultures as Catholic missionaries seek to reform traditional beliefs and mining companiesexploit the huge gold and copper resources of the island. ... Read more

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Throwim Way Leg more than an Adventure book
Throwim Way Leg is far more than an adventure book. It is an insight into the ecosystem of New Guinea and the lives of the people and cultures that live there. An incredibly difficult region to exploe due to the terrain of the country for many the only way they would ever be able to imagine how people live there is through a book like this. Not only isolated from the world but also isolated from communities within the region these people have survived. Papua New Guinea is one of those places where new dicoveries are still waiting to be found and books like this spark the imagination for those willing to make the effort. I highly suggest this book for anyone interested in the cultures, flora and fauna of New Guinea.

Lonnie McCaskill
Expedition Cargo ... Read more