A history of the Anglican mission in Papua, 1891-1941

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to enquire into the aims, methods and achievements of the Anglican Mission in Papua between 1891 and 1941. This span of fifty years may conveniently be divided into three periods. In the first of these (1891 - 1910) missionaries made a foothold on the northern Papuan coast while their patrons attempted to secure for them a source of support. In the second period (1910-1920) the mission sought to define attitudes towards indigenous culture in harmony with contemporary colonial philosophy and traditional theology. The third period (1920-1941) saw a slowing down in missionary momentum as a result of diminishing support at home, at a time when Papuans were encountering other agencies of western culture. The work of the Anglican Mission is examined both in relation to the aspirations of its founders and the reactions of the Melanesians. Its struggle for survival and growth is set in the context of a society in transition. Since it is in the nature of missionary work to come to an end, leaving an integrated Christian culture behind, the methods used by missionaries to bring this about are evaluated, and in particular why some enterprises died and others flourished, where the mission failed to realize its goals and where it attained a measure of success. The mission entered northern Papua under the aegis of a powerful invading culture. The Papuan reaction to the invasion ranged from an eager reception of missionaries in some places to the waning of millenarian hopes in others. This varied as the Papuans attempted to relate missionaries both to other westerners and to their own experiences and philosophies of life. Lastly, the enquiry is directed towards the Papuan Christian as he moved slowly away from the guardianship of the missionary on the edge of civilization, as missionary and convert saw hopes for a golden age of Papuan missions dashed on the stubborn realities of cultural change.