Cultural erosion in Bougainville Flashcards
key info:
- location
- why they a part of PNG
- population
- how many language groups
location: 1000km from the capital of Port Moresby
- the most remote island of Papa New Guinea /19 provinces
- part of the Solomon Islands chain, but due to an error in the 19th-century colonial map drawing, became part of Papa New Guinea
- 200,000 population
- 800 language groups (cultural and linguistic diversity)
timeline until Bougainvilles integration into PNG
1902: first Christian Mission
1905: German New Guinea
1914-42: Australian New Guinea
1942-45: under control of the Japanese army
1946-75: Australia administered the territory of Papa and New Guinea
1975: Bougainville attempted to secede, resolved by guaranteeing autonomy (self-government) under a provincial system
1975: Papa New Guinea gained independence
what were the relations like between Bougainville and central colonial authorities?
very troubled relations that were maintained after Papa New Guinea gained independence from Australia in 1975
what was the effect of the conflict in 1988?
- mines
- on rural communities
- on government (1990)
- on state structure
- closure of one of the world’s largest copper/gold mines which had made Bougainville the wealthiest province
- relied on subsistence farming and autonomy + isolation changes were slow
- efficient provincial and local government system
- was weak at all levels, failing to impose policies on local communities (who were determined to oppose them)
pre-colonial social structures
- main social units
- what are clans and lineages like (not in Buka)
- what are clans and lineages like in Buka?
- what is leadership based on in other areas?
- land holding local clan lineages
- matrilineal
- hereditary leaders, ‘chiefs’
- performance, but there is still a hereditary element to this and are often referred to as ‘chiefs’
what caused the closure of the mine?
it had a perceived imposition by the colonial regime for the benefit of the rest of PNG, so was resented by the civilians of Bougainville. This caused the emerging ethno-nationalist movement for succession (independence) from PNG in the 1960s
how did Bougainville attempt succession?
- how was this disputed in 1977?
through a unilateral declaration of independence in 1975, just days before PNG gained independence.
- disputed by PNG establishing a constitutionally based decentralized system
what caused the violent conflict of 1988?
- who responded?
disputes over the mine and revenue shared by younger landowners, which caused the destruction of mine property and widespread violence which was the catalyst for wider ethno-nationalist rebellion built on a long history of grievance and resistance
- the PNG police
what had become the main goal of the ethno-nationalist rebellion?
separation of Bougainville from PNG
effects of conflict/rebellion:
- on non-Bougainvillians
- when did PNG troops retreat from Bougainville
- when did Bougainville declare independence
- what conflict developed in the 1990s?
- when and what ended the conflict?
- many non-Bougainvillians left Bougainville as they feared for their life due to ethnic cleansing (1989-90)
- MARCH 1990
- MAY 1990 (but gained no international recognition)
- Intra-Bougainville conflict which complicated the rebels efforts
- in 1997, a series of peace-making endeavours and negotiations led to the political settlement in 2001
what was included in the political settlement of 2001?
- high level of autonomy for customary social groupings and to strengthen these groups and state structures
what was the impact of this post-colonial and colonial change?
- in Melanesia:
what were the new arenas for power competition?
identity?
how did people react to change?
- effects of traditional social structures like customary authority
- immense effects on pre-existing social structures
- new ideologies
- new arenas: Christian missions, colonial administration, cooperatives, elected local governments, village courts and elected provincial governments
- new sources of identity emerged due to challenges to traditional understandings of how the world worked
- many welcomed and benefited from it but some resisted
- some remained strong and some were changed, but any who weren’t okay with traditional authority could go to the police or village courts.
what has happened in the 20 years after WW2 in terms of race?
- what did this lead to
Bougainvillians have expressed grievance of racist treatment by the ‘whites’ and colonial neglect which resulted in limited infrastructure and economic development
what had ‘outsiders’ done to the mine in the 1960s
disrespected Bougainvillian cultures, squatted on customary land and competed for economic opportunities that locals felt were rightfully theirs
what is an example of one of the various forms of resistance to colonial rule? (in efforts to come to terms with the outside world)
Cargo Cults
- originated in beliefs widespread in pre-colonial Melanesia about a millennium where all things would be available
- in colonial times, cults were a reaction to the injustice of the affluence of whites
- influences by Christian missionary promises about the afterlife
- involved Bougainvillian’s assertion of autonomy over their communities and lives