Peter Kelly
The Patrol Officer was ’God’s shadow on earth’; every white man was a ’Masta’. As colonialism imposed itself on the inhabitants of Papua New Guinea in the first 70 years of last century, the experience also transformed the character of the colonialists. Maski Wari’s 12 pieces of historical fiction span the seven decades of Australian administration of the territories of Papua New Guinea; they do not attempt to portray the indigenous viewpoint, instead they are an examination of the motives and outlook of some very dissimilar characters - kiaps, miners, teachers, missionaries, anthropologists, nurses. They are anecdotes solely from the white colonialist perspective.Maki Wari: ’she’ll be right’
