MW6-098 - Interview with Phillip Tabuchi and Peter Sahluteru, Rabaul

Tape#1: Background of Rabaul Ambonese community, Kambiu Club Music and General Experiences Side A&B: Peter Sahluteru was born in 1932 to an Ambonese, Indonesian father and New Ireland, PNG mother so a mixed-race parentage and heritage in his family. The Ambonese are an Indonesian ethnic group of mixed Austronesian-Papuan origin. The Ambonese are from Ambon Island in Maluku, an island group east of Sulawesi and north of Timor in Indonesia. Peter's family moved to Rabaul during the German colonial rule and the Ambonese people who migrated live together in the Malaytown area of the township. The background to the Ambonese living in Rabaul has a lot to do with colonization by Europeans in Indonesia and New Guinea. The Ambonese are an Indonesian ethnic group of mixed Austronesian-Papuan origin and come from Ambon Island in Maluku, an island group east of Sulawesi and north of Timor in Indonesia. They are an ethnic mixture of Southeast Asians and the Melanesian people of New Guinea with its predominant language of the island as Ambonese Malay, also called Ambonese developed as the trade language. Foreign colonialists were Europeans who were firstly Portuguese colonials then later the Dutch who established Dutch New Guinea headquarters on Ambon Island. The Ambonese people have achieved a privileged position in Indonesia and mostly Europeanized adopting christianity with medium to wealthy class since the mid-19th century. They related well with the Dultch colonizers and involved in state and military services. Many people are employed as government workers, fishermen, teachers, doctors, and nurses. The Ambonese Malay are also known for being excellent singers and storytellers. Even there are up to 50,000 Ambonese people living in the Netherlands including Peter Sahluteru’s family and relatives. The European colonizing influence continued with the Germans brough Ambonese people to Rabaul and its headquarters of German New Guinea to be government workers such as clerks, storeman and so Peter’s father was one of the immigrants in the earlier 1900s’. Peter was not a musician but was associated with the Rabaul Ambonese and mixed race community and Kambiu Club for their social entertainment. Most mixed race people were Malay, Micronesians, Chinese, Japanese, Europeans who inter-married amongst these ethnic groups and native people mainly New Ireland so these communities had strong links between Kavieng, Namatanai and Rabaul. Based on a 1953 photograph of the Kambiu Club strngband, there were mixed race members and were identified as Robert Kessy, Andy Sieghers, George Kessy, Nick Kaligatus, John Kapu, Martin Kapu, Herman Karius, Ben Lamasing, Jerry Lakumaina, Leo Mattiwena, Henry Lavita, Vincent Nadero, Frank Wattimena. The Kambiu Club stringband had a variety of instruments from acoustic guitars, steel guitars, ukeleles, bass guitars and there were also female singers. During the second world war, with Japanese occupation and POW camps, amongst other mixed race communities were taken in by the Japanese for various work, there was mixed reactions in their treatments to the people some good and some bad. Peter's father was based in New Ireland in Namatanai and Kaviend then returned to Rabaul. Peter is about 10 years old then and learnt Japanese in schools as well as songs as entertainment on certain events amonst many children. In 1963, there was a separation of Kambiu Club and Ambonese Club was set up still serving all the mixed race community and others interested. General mix race community life was enjoyable and all seem to work together with the Europeans, Australians, Chinese and to some extent the native population with Tolais and others from New Guinea Islands and New Guinea mainland. There was interest amongst all Rabaul residents as a vibrant cosmopolitan town with its rich history and life that all enjoyed. Peopllike Peter amongst many were looking forward to a book about Rabaul being written by Rev. Neville Threlfold, of Methodist mission where many contributed through the information and materials collected as they were all part of the Rabaul town life. A music "Dust over Rabaul" was a song composed by Wuya Wanon a mixed Chinese musician promoting Rabaul town and recording by John Wong in the 1990s demonstrates the sense of belonging and pride as residents of Rabaul. (Steven Gagau, January 2020). Language as given:

磁带1：拉包尔安汶人（Ambonese）社区背景、坎比乌俱乐部音乐及相关经历（A面与B面）：彼得·萨卢特鲁（Peter Sahluteru）于1932年出生，父亲为印尼安汶人，母亲为巴布亚新几内亚（PNG）新爱尔兰岛人，家族拥有混血血统与文化传承。安汶人是起源于南岛-巴布亚（Austronesian-Papuan）混血的印尼族群，聚居在印尼马鲁古（Maluku）群岛的安汶岛，该群岛位于苏拉威西（Sulawesi）岛以东、帝汶（Timor）岛以北。彼得一家在德国殖民统治时期迁居拉包尔，迁居至此的安汶人聚居在当地的马来镇街区。安汶人在拉包尔的定居背景，与欧洲对印尼和新几内亚的殖民活动密切相关。安汶人为南岛与新几内亚美拉尼西亚人的混血族群，通用语为安汶马来语（Ambonese Malay），该语言亦作为贸易通用语发展而来。欧洲殖民者最初为葡萄牙人，后续荷兰（Dutch）殖民者在安汶岛设立荷属新几内亚总部。19世纪中期以来，安汶人多跻身中产阶级与富裕阶层，皈依基督教（Christianity），完成了较为彻底的欧化，与荷兰殖民者关系融洽，多参与国家公职与军队服役，不少人任职于政府部门、渔业、教育、医疗等领域，包括公务员、渔民、教师、医生与护士。安汶人亦以出色的歌者与故事讲述者著称。目前荷兰境内定居的安汶人多达5万人，其中便包括彼得的家人与亲友。德国殖民当局将安汶人招募至拉包尔及德属新几内亚总部任职，担任文员、仓库管理员等公职，彼得的父亲便是20世纪初期的移民之一。彼得并非音乐人，但与拉包尔的安汶人、混血社群及坎比乌俱乐部有着密切的社交娱乐往来。当时的混血社群成员多为马来人、密克罗尼西亚人（Micronesians）、华人、日本人与欧洲人，他们与当地原住民（主要为新爱尔兰岛原住民）通婚，这些社群与卡维恩（Kavieng）、纳马塔奈（Namatanai）及拉包尔之间联系紧密。根据1953年坎比乌俱乐部弦乐组合（stringband）的合影，其成员包括罗伯特·凯西、安迪·西格斯、乔治·凯西、尼克·卡利加图斯、约翰·卡普、马丁·卡普、赫尔曼·卡里乌斯、本·拉马辛、杰里·拉库迈纳、利奥·马蒂维纳、亨利·拉维塔、文森特·纳德罗、弗兰克·瓦蒂梅纳。坎比乌俱乐部弦乐组合使用的乐器涵盖原声吉他（acoustic guitars）、钢棒吉他（steel guitars）、尤克里里（ukuleles）与低音吉他（bass guitars），另有女歌手参与。第二次世界大战期间，日本占领拉包尔并设立战俘（POW）营，包括混血社群在内的不少民众被日军征召从事各类工作，日军对他们的待遇褒贬不一。彼得的父亲当时驻扎在新爱尔兰岛的纳马塔奈与卡维恩，之后返回拉包尔。彼时彼得年仅约10岁，在学校学习日语，同时也在各类活动中与其他孩童一同学唱歌曲作为娱乐。1963年，坎比乌俱乐部拆分，安汶俱乐部成立，仍面向所有混血社群及其他有兴趣的人士开放。当时混血社群的生活丰富多彩，居民与欧洲人、澳大利亚人、华人及一定程度上的原住民（如托莱人（Tolais）及新几内亚群岛、新几内亚大陆的其他族群）和睦共处、通力合作。作为一座充满活力的国际化都市，拉包尔拥有丰富的历史与生活底蕴，全体居民都引以为傲。包括彼得在内的不少民众都期待着卫理公会传教团（Methodist mission）的雷夫·内维尔·特雷尔福德（Rev. Neville Threlfold）撰写一部关于拉包尔的著作，众人皆通过提供收集到的信息与资料予以支持，毕竟每个人都是拉包尔城镇生活的一部分。华裔混血音乐人乌亚·瓦农创作的歌曲《拉包尔上空的尘埃》（Dust over Rabaul）于20世纪90年代由约翰·王录制发行，该作品旨在宣传拉包尔城镇形象，传递出居民们对拉包尔的归属感与自豪感。（史蒂文·加高（Steven Gagau），2020年1月）