Interview with Eliab Thomas (Interview)
(Indigenous perspective)
This interview was conducted by Dr Iwamoto Hiromitsu and transcribed/translated by Pastor Jacob Aramans

Thomas: My name is Eliab Thomas. I am from Madina village in New Ireland Province. I was a small boy when the war arrived here in 1942. We ran away into the bush. We stayed for almost two years and eventually they found us and sent us to a school run and taught by the Japanese. We attended school only on weekends. At school we learned how to count in Japanese, Japanese songs and also their language. The school was akin to our pre-school or elementary schools. They taught us a bit on how to march. Other better things may have been taught in schools in other parts of PNG but this was all we were taught. Dr Iwamoto: Do you know the name of the Japanese teacher? Thomas: His name was Aguschu. Dr Iwamoto: Did he teach you in pidgin? Thomas: Yes, he knew pidgin but when we went to school he only spoke Japanese. This was because they wanted people in that place to speak Japanese only. Dr Iwamoto: How many kids went to that school? Thomas: The actual number I cannot remember but kids came from Luapul, Madina, Lugagul and Munavai. Every weekend the kids would go to school, from Friday, to Sunday. On Sundays the kids would go back home. Dr Iwamoto: Did the kids enjoy the school? Thomas: Every one of them was happy. Dr Iwamoto: Did they like the Japanese teacher? Thomas: Yes, they liked him. Dr Iwamoto: What do you think about him, was he a good man? Thomas: He was in fact a nice man. We were small kids then and we really admired him. Dr Iwamoto: For how many months did the kids go to school? Thomas: We attended the school for about two years although we didn't have a proper classroom. We sat on the sand and there were no books or pencils to use. Dr Iwamoto: Did the school end after two years? Thomas: The school ended when the war ended. End.