WM2-001n - A Bit Na Ta - Resources

Recordings on 15th October 1990 about conversations and accounts of Anton ToValiria and William Taupa on the land acquisition and titles of the customary lands of the Rasiman Plantation, located in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The background offers historical context about the region and its colonial past, which can shed light on the environment in which a plantation like Rasiman might have existed. From 1884 to 1914, the northern part of Papua New Guinea, including the Gazelle Peninsula where Rasiman is located, was part of the German colony of Kaiser-Wilhelmsland. The German colonial administration actively promoted plantation agriculture. Plantations, like Rasiman, were a common feature of the colonial era, often established for cultivating crops like copra (dried coconut). The Tolai people which ToValiria and Taupa represent in the conversation are the indigenous inhabitants of the Gazelle Peninsula, including the area where Rasiman Plantation is situated. (David Bridie & Steven Gagau, July 2025). Language as given: