Fatal Accident Sparks Tension

The accident set in motion months of delicate negotiations between the two clans, with government officials working tirelessly to prevent violence.

The agreed compensation was $425—a sum that reflected the Kamanagu view that their payment should be symbolic, as the Queensland Insurance Company would be paying approximately $8,000 to the victims' families.

Colonial administrators spent considerable time navigating this tense situation, consulting with the Public Solicitor's Office and Queensland Insurance to secure timely interim payments. Their efforts yielded timely results when the insurance company released $1,500 in late June 1973.

The Stage Is Set

On Friday 29 June, Endugwa clan members—some armed with bows and arrows—arrived at the Sub-District Office to collect compensation.

Due to confusion, the Kamanagu representatives arrived late and unprepared. Assistant District Commissioner R I (Rob) Barclay paid $500 of the insurance money to the Endugwa clan, with both groups agreeing to complete the exchange the following Monday.

Barclay specifically instructed clan leaders that only they should attend the Monday meeting, without younger clan members or weapons. The leaders readily agreed, pleased that some compensation had finally materialised.

Unknown to officials, however, prominent Kamanagu members spent the weekend organising for the compensation ceremony to follow traditional protocols—including the bearing of weapons.

This information reached the Endugwa clan, who responded in kind. The first indication of trouble came Monday morning with ritual yodelling from the Endugwa clan gathered at Gon School, on a steep hill about a mile west of Kundiawa.

Tensions Escalate

Officials despatched to clan gathering points instructed people that weapons would not be permitted in town. Most Endugwa members appeared to leave their weapons at Gon School before proceeding to the marketplace, although many had secretly hidden weapons around town.

Meanwhile, Assistant District Officer W Sanders had gone to Gere village, where the Kamanagu were gathering.

Despite his instructions to disarm, the clansmen refused, insisting that carrying weapons was traditional in such circumstances.

When Sanders accompanied them to the nearby Highlands Highway, District Commissioner Laurie Doolan and other officials again attempted to persuade them to disarm.

Kamanagu leaders verified that the Endugwa had come unarmed and reported this back, but most still refused to relinquish their weapons.

The situation reached an impasse when the Kamanagu declared there would be no payment unless they could carry their traditional weapons.

As officials debated conducting the ceremony at a road junction, Councillor Andei—a principal Kamanagu leader—seized one of the money poles and marched toward town, with his clansmen following.

Officials intercepted them about 400 yards from the Kundiawa market and managed to disarm approximately 100 men, who then proceeded to the marketplace. The remainder retreated up the hill.

Violence Erupts

The compensation meeting began at 1:00pm in the marketplace and proceeded in an orderly way with speeches by Kamanagu leaders.

However, Ongawi Wel—widow of the man killed in the accident—began interrupting Councillor Andei's speech.

Speaking in the local Kuman dialect, she criticised the Kamanagu people for failing to bring pigs or cows as part of the compensation which she followed up by making insulting remarks about Andei's masculinity.

Andei retorted that "the Endugwa fathers had no houses or gardens" and that the "Kamanagus were strong men and the Endugwas were only a small group of rubbish men."

His inflammatory words triggered an immediate reaction from the Endugwa clan.

Chaos ensued as Kamanagu members crashed through the marketplace gate while Endugwa members scattered or stood their ground.

Bows and arrows "miraculously appeared" and both sides began throwing stones. Officials and clan leaders attempted to restore order, but the situation had spiralled beyond control.

A Police Riot section of about 25 members formed a line between the warring clans, who were now firing arrows at each other.

Tear gas was deployed, eventually dispersing the groups into smaller groups that conducted running battles throughout Kundiawa until 4:00pm, when police reinforcements finally pushed them out of town. Andei was arrested at the marketplace while attempting to escape.

Aftermath and Response

After being pushed from town, the Kamanagu pillaged Endugwa hamlets, destroying gardens and stealing six pigs before tear gas forced them to move on.

As darkness fell, two Police Riot Squads accompanied by Sanders and Patrol Officer T MacIndoe deployed to the Kamanagu and Endugwa territories, respectively.

By dawn on Tuesday, Sanders' team had arrested 60 people at Kogoma and Gere (though 60 more escaped), while MacIndoe's group apprehended 50 at Anigl.

News of police presence triggered a mass exodus of warriors. The Kamanagu attempted to enter town via the EGL Mission to retrieve the body of a clansman they believed had died but retreated upon spotting police.

Throughout Tuesday afternoon, four police parties led by district administration officials searched the Kamanagu hamlets but made no arrests as residents had hidden in gullies. An aerial reconnaissance of the Sub-District confirmed no large groups were massing to assist either side.

Wednesday saw the same four parties searching Endugwa and Dom territories, dispersing groups of young men but making no further arrests. Vehicular patrols continued through Thursday morning, with a total of 162 arrests made.

Officials Under Fire

During the riots, district officials faced direct threats. At the marketplace, Barclay and Sanders were threatened with spears by Kamanagu members who blamed them for disarming their clan.

Later, they and a police party were fired upon with arrows and pelted with stones when ordering a group to disperse. Tear gas forced the attackers to flee.

District Local Government Officer J Benson and two police officers were threatened with drawn bows near Gon School, while another warrior with a drawn bow confronted officials near the Pre-School.

Throughout the conflict, verbal abuse was directed at Administration officials and police, who moved continuously through the area without personal protection.

Lessons Learned

In his report, Barclay noted several observations from the incident. Spectators—both Indigenous and expatriate—impeded operations by obstructing access and making it difficult to assess the situation.

For future mass arrests, he recommended two parties to encircle men's houses at dawn, as daytime movements allowed ample warning.

The continuous movement of police throughout the area successfully prevented the clans from regrouping and continuing hostilities.

District administration officials with local knowledge proved invaluable in directing police units unfamiliar with the terrain.

Radio communications were effective, and cooperation between police and administration was excellent.

The report concluded by commending Sanders, MacIndoe, Patrol Officer O Fischer and Assistant Patrol Officer J Grierson for their roles in containing the violence.

In a personal note added later, Barclay remarked that, while initially considered "just another day at the office," the incident was unusual for the direct targeting of officials with weapons.

He also noted the difficulties of working with the Public Solicitor's Office, which had little field experience and limited understanding of the implications of their actions in such culturally complex situations.

The Kundiawa Township Riots illustrated some of the challenges of governing during Papua New Guinea's transition to independence, where traditional practices often collided with colonial administration—sometimes with violent results.