After high school Edward A Polansky went to West Papua to study at the Administrative Institute in Hollandia and became a civil servant in Sorong and Salawati. Later he obtained leave and studied Non-Western Sociology in Leiden, in which he got his master’s degree in April 1962. He then returned to West Papua and became the controller of Teminabuan. He remained in his post during the Untea period and after the Indonesian takeover he moved to Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, where he held a position as Research Scholar in Pacific History for the Australian National University. He already had some experience in making radio broadcasts during his study time in Leiden; he made three radio programs for the national radio station Een Rondreis langs de Radja Ampat eilanden, Bezoek uit Melanesië, Ed Polansky spreekt met Jos Hay en Betty Kasiepo and Nederlands Nieuw Guinea: Oud en Nieuw door F. Kirihio en Ed Polansky. He also featured in a number of newspaper articles, among others Naar zelfstandigheid van Nieuw-Guinea in the Nieuwe Leidsche Courant of 28-11-1960 and “gevangen infiltranten” in the Volkskrant of 13-6-1962. In 1957 he wrote Memorie van overdracht van het district Salawati : with notes about the languages of the Raja Ampat islands and about the shamanic mon religion on Salawati. 1957. He also wrote a short report on Kinderspelen Ajau-eilanden and Enkele vondsten op Noord-Waigeo in 1956.
Also take a look at: http://www.netpha.nl/netherlands-overseas/netherlands-new-guinea/manokwari-to-budapest-netherlands-new-guinea/
Band 112
Polansky
Pace obtained the tape through the veteran John Mantingh but originally it was made by the former Dutch civil servant Edward Polansky who worked in Sorong, the Radja Ampat Islands and in Teminabuan. He made it as a radio broadcast from Rabaul in Papua New Guinea in the early sixties and sent it to friends in the Netherlands. After the copying the tape, it was returned to John Mantingh but unfortunately without any scans and notes about the tape itself.
Side A starts with music and an announcement “Here is Rabaul in Papua New Guinea and we will play some songs from former Dutch New Guinea, from West Papua and the voice of West Papua in exile. Excuses for the bad sound quality”. Dari ombak besar and Hai Tanakuh Papua are played. A story about other Papuans in exile is followed by a Dutch song on New Guinea and a rowing song from Biak. After 9’00 he changes to songs from Polynesia, Fiji, Raratonga, the Maoris, Solomon Islands, and his own recordings from Tonga and Rabaul all with extensive comments, and then after 43’00 more songs follow with La Paloma in the Pacific version and a Maori goodbye song.
For more information or any messages or correspondence contact huublems81@gmail.com or srgales@ziggo.nl.
Side A is 48’01