087

There are those on the French side, some from the English. But there were not too many English.

087-001 Ipitlak nanre ni Franis , tete nanre ni Inglis . Me nanre ni Inglis rutap laap perkati mau .

There were many French ones.

§ 087-002 Teni Franis kin runrus laap perkati .

And those whose names I know, there's Mister Marinas, Mister Ena, on the French side. Mister Harris on the English side.

Go tenen kin atae nagier , ipi Mister Marinas , § 087-003 Mister Ena nanre ni Franis . Mister Harris nanre ni Inglis .

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Mister Aru, French, on the French side.

§ 087-004 Mister Aru , franis , nanre ni Franis §

Tiker, English.

087-005 Tiker , nanre ni Inglis §

And Platimiere, French.

087-006 Go Platimiere , nanre ni Franis §

Mister Jacques Nichols on the French side. Mister Frouin, he would have been on the French side.

087-007 Mister Jacques Nichols nanre ni Franis § 087-008 Mister Frouin , ga me ipo pi nanre ni Franis .

Ohlen, Mister Ohlen, one of the French planters.

§ 087-009 Ohlen , Mister Ohlen , nanre ni Franis nafet planter ki .

And where did they work?

§ 087-010 ( NT ) Go ruweswes esua ?

They worked along, some started at Takabe. They worked like, at the place, I said its name, then to Undine Bay,

§ 087-011 ( KK ) Gar kin ruweswes ur nanre ni , tete rustat Takape . Ruweswes tefla nanre ni , ato til nagien nanre nen , pak Undine Bay .

Facing that side, to around Paonangisu, to Paufatu. Some were at Mele. Mister Watt.

§ 087-012 Toklos nanre nen pak Paonagisu mana , pak Paofatu . Tete ruto Em̃el . Mister Watt .

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As for the half castes,

§ 087-013 Nanre ni haf kast , §

there was Emi Laurent. He was a half caste, he

087-014 ipitlak Emi Laurent Ga me ipi haf kast iskei , nen kin ga me ... ...

Did you work the ground?

... 087-015 ( NT ) Ag kuweswes naroi ?

They had ground that they worked.

§ 087-016 ( KK ) Ruen- gar rupitlak na naroi gar nen ruweswes wes .

‎Me?

... ( KK ) Kineu ?

But you?

§ 087-017 ( NT ) Me ag . ...

I didn't work it, but some but some similar things I did work at.

§ 087-018 Kineu atap weswes wes mau , me tete nen kin ito- ruto em̃eltig kin aweswes .

For a small time I did some construction work.

§ 087-019 Mal sees , kineu apreg tete nawesien , ni na konstraksen .

Contract. But as for me working on the plantations, I didn't work on plantations at all. No.

Kontrak , e e § 087-020 Me rekin kaweswes plantesen , kineu ata weswes plantesen mau . Itiik .

But were there some Erakor people who worked?

§ 087-021 ( NT ) Me ipiatlak tete natam̃ol ni Erakor nen ruto weswes ?

There are some who were like stockmen or cowboys who workmen, there were some.

§ 087-022 ( KK ) Ipitlak tete nen kin rupi taosi kin stokmen go kauboy nen kin ruweswes , ipitlak tete .

And some who worked copra, but they weren't many. There were some Tannese.

§ 087-023 Go tete nen kin ruweswes nanre ni kopra , me ruta laap mau . Me ipitlak nam̃er ni Tanna .

Some Malakulans were there. But us, from Efate mostly didn't work. Only a few worked.

§ 087-024 Tete nam̃er ni Emlakul naur ur nen kin ruto . Me komam ni Efat tep̃ur rutap weswes . Tenrfaal m̃as kin ruweswes .

Why?

§ 087-025 ( NT ) Nlaken iku ?

Because they didn't want to work with white people, because of some issues with the language. They didn't know how to speak well and that meant that they couldn't go to work.

( KK ) Nlaken , wel , rutap muurin weswes skot , nam̃er taar , nlaken tete , § 087-026 sup̃ ni nafsan . Rutap tae pes wi mau go ipregi rukano pak nawesien .

But I know that many worked. But they worked for a short time then they came back.

§ 087-027 Me atae na telaap ruweswes . Me ruweswes mal sees ale ruler mai .

Some would go when they needed a little money. Because, in those days, there wasn't much money.

§ 087-028 Tete ito pan ileka na imuur mane sees , vatu sees , imer pa . Nlaken kin teetwei , mane isees .

We would sell a kilo of copra, one vatu a kilo.

§ 087-029 Upaakot kilo kopra , wan vatu kilo .

It was right for that time. You buy a small piece of cloth, but you buy it for one vatu.

§ 087-030 Me ilegki teetwei . Kupaakot pis nkal sees nen me kutae paktofi ki wan vatu .

Back then it was good. You could buy bread for one vatu.

§ 087-031 Teetwei iwi , pret kupaktofi , wan vatu .

All different things, but they weren't big money. It was right for that time.

§ 087-032 Go , sernale fserser , me ruta pi mane p̃ur mau . Ilegki malnen kin .

‎‎Knowledge was low eh?

§ 087-033 Ntaewen isees , a ?

And from that point of view there was a French company which worked over at Teouma.

Go nanre nen ipitlak , na , § 087-034 Franis kampani ga kin iweswes nanre ne , Teouma .

That place facing Eratap to around Eton and further. There was de Gronz (?), he was up there.

§ 087-035 San toklos nanre nen pak Ertap , pak Eton mana teflan pa . Ipitlak deGronz ito elag .

And the French missionaries who were at Bellevue, up there at Montmartre.

§ 087-036 Go Franis misnari , nen kin ru , gar me ruto Belvi , elag sanie . Montmartre .

Then, if you worked, did you sleep there?

§ 087-037 ( NT ) Malnen if wel kuweswes if wel ipitlak naat nen ruweswes kumatur esa , rumatur sanpe ?

They would sleep at where they worked, some would sleep there for two months, three months, then return.

§ 087-038 ( KK ) Rumatur na , naor nawesien tete rumatur naor nawesien , atlag inru , itol , ale ruler .

And what was life in the plantation like? When you were there, what was it like?

§ 087-039 ( NT ) Go , nam̃olien ni naroi , ipi nafte ? Olsem , taem yu stap long ples ia , laef i olsem wanem ?

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It was hard, but if you wanted to have a little money, you see, it is bad, but you would work.

§ 087-040 ( KK ) Ikerkerai pe kumuurin na p̃afitlak mane sees , § 087-041 kuleka isa , me p̃afo weswes .

You go to work, you waste some money and you come and rest. Then you want to go back again.

§ 087-042 Kupa rekin pan kuwest mane sees kumai marmar . Kuleka na kumuurin na p̃amer ler pa .

Go back to his work. Or the planter boss calls you. He calls, "Boy!" He wants some work.

§ 087-043 Mer ler pak nawesien ga . Ko naot ni planta isosok . Isos , " Boy !" Imuur na teweswes .

Some chose themselves. They went to work.

§ 087-044 Tete rutmer mtaluer . Rupa pan weswes .

But the money was all the same. And the people on the plantation work just the same amount.

§ 087-045 Me mane ipitkaskei . Go nam̃er ni plantesen ruweswes pitkaskei m̃as .

They would get their price. Some would raise it only a little, the money would be a little higher. Sometimes it would be half a penny a kilo.

§ 087-046 Rupreg praes gar . Tete isak isees m̃as , ipreg nrus mane ga inrus fakelag sees . Tenrak ipi wan haf peni , tefla , kilo .

But they gave them food. A little food, but they ate.

§ 087-047 Me , rutuer rukfam . Nafnag sees me rufam .

They tried to do well for that time. That was their time.

§ 087-048 Go , rupreg na rupregwiki na mal ne . Mal ne , mal nen kin ipi mal gar .

They were good to people, it was correct enough for their life as it was.

§ 087-049 Rupregwiki natam̃ool ileg tlas nam̃olien nen kin rutkos .

The way of the boss?

§ 087-050 ( NT ) Sup̃ ni masta ?

No. He would talk strongly to you sometimes. A good boss would only shout at you.

§ 087-051 ( KK ) No . Kefo pes keraikik tete nrak , tete nrak . Masta nen kin iwi , ipes kerkeraiki ag m̃as .

But a bad master, sometimes he would whip with a stockwhip.

§ 087-052 Me masta nen isa , tete nrak ifseiki stokwip .

But back then, weren't there any police?

§ 087-053 ( NT ) Me malnen ita piatlak polis mau ?

Oh there were police, but this was the planter's work.

§ 087-054 ( KK ) O polis ito me , ipi nawesien ni planta .

Sometimes he would make you jump on a horse and chase animals, like cows. You miss some, they go over the fence.

§ 087-055 Tenrak ipregi usak hos kukop teem̃ol , taos kau mana . Kusraf tete , itaf tp̃er .

That's it. He shouts at you, sometimes he whips you with a stockwhip, but sometimes he just shouts at you.

§ 087-056 Inom . Ipes kerkraikik , tenrak ism̃anri ki stokwip me tenrak ipes kerkraikik m̃as .

No.

... ( KK ) Itiik .

But he didn't kill anyone?

§ 087-057 ( NT ) Me itap krakpun tete naat ? ...

I think sometimes. A few times only he would hurt one of the boys.

§ 087-058 Amrokin tete mal kin . Mal sikskei m̃as tete nen ipreg israf nafietwen ga . Go ipregsaki boy .

But But some he would whip, the boy can't do anything about it. But his skin would be red, because the stockwhip was strong.

§ 087-059 Me tewan ifisktofi boy ikano pregsaki . Me naskon kefo miel nlaken stokwip ikerkrai .

But it wasn't often.

§ 087-060 Me ita pi nrak laap mau .

Was there anyone who was like that? Particularly hard?

§ 087-061 ( NT ) Ipiatlak natam̃ol iskei nen ipi sup̃ ni naat nen ? Sup̃ kerkerai ?

Mr Ena. He was one. He was well educated. He was well educated, but when you made a mistake he was like a school master, he would hit you.

§ 087-062 ( KK ) Mista Ena . Ga kin . Me ga ipitlak skul wi a ? Iskul wi me selwan kusraf itaos skul masta iskei ipo sm̃anri .

He showed how to look after cows, horses, goats, sheep.

§ 087-063 Ipeiki kin teflan kulekor kau kulekor hos , nanan , sipsip .

But if you didn't understand he would shout at you, sometimes you made a mistake and he would hit you.

§ 087-064 Me selwan kuta satsoki mau kefo pes kerkerai ki , tenrak usraf , ism̃anrik .

But on the other hand he did good and you learned everything.

§ 087-065 Me nanre kaaru ipregwi kutae sernale .

It is the truth, he was a hard man, but he had... he gave you knowledge, he gave me knowledge.

§ 087-066 Itilm̃ori ipitlak sup̃ kerkrai , me ipitlak ... iwelkia itu ag ntaewen , itu kineu ntaewen .

And they took the boys who knew how to do plantation work.

§ 087-067 Go ru , rupreg boy rutae weswes nanre ni planta .

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Many knew how to make a fence, and some had ... a special way which they could move the land boundary. They pulled in ground.

§ 087-068 Telaap ruletae go teflan kin ruwesweski tp̃er , go tete , tete rupiatlak , na § 087-069 tete sup̃ nen kin gar me rumer tae pregi nen kin runrus ki ntan . Ruto puet ntan sees , a ?

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