ABSTRACT
The Kaliai area came under colonial rule in the early 20th century.1 The Ger mans appointed a headman or luluai who was accountable for his village to vis iting patrol officers. This system of indirect rule continued under Australian co lonial administration. It ended when local councils were set up in 1967 (Counts 1968:10-38). Present administrative control is hindered by a total absence of roads into the Kaliai interior. The major patrol posts (Gloucester and Talasea) can be reached only by a one-day boat journey along the coast. There is a smaller patrol post at Iboki which is on the Kaliai coast and located about one-half to two days’ walk from most interior villages. Most government officials find the walk into the Kaliai interior troublesome and tend to visit the bush villagers only two or three times a year. The Catholic priest at Kaliai makes visits of similar fre quency. Government and church officials, along with coastal villagers, generally regard bush villagers with disdain and fear. Bush people are seen as being igno rant, superstitious, irreligious, wild, and even primitive.
