Bongu was the first language from this part of the world that Europeans encountered. On September 20, 1871, the Russian explorer Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklucho-Maclay landed at Garagassi Point and met the Bongu people who lived in the nearby settlement of Gorendu. He lived with them for over a year, and came back two more times, in 1876–77 and 1883. He was an excellent illustrator, and his drawings give us vivid pictures of life in New Guinea 150 years ago.
Not much later, northeast New Guinea was annexed as a German colony, and a Lutheran mission was established at Bongu. The missionary, Fr. August Hanke, was a well-trained grammarian, and he documented the grammar, vocabulary, and stories of the Bongu people in a book published in 1909.
Not much later, northeast New Guinea was annexed as a German colony, and a Lutheran mission was established at Bongu. The missionary, Fr. August Hanke, was a well-trained grammarian, and he documented the grammar, vocabulary, and stories of the Bongu people in a book published in 1909.
After that, there wasn’t much research activity for about 100 years. Then in 2016, my wife and I started doing fieldwork with the community. We recorded and transcribed two hours of spoken Bongu, plus an extra half hour that we didn’t transcribe. We also recorded over six hours of elicitation.
Today, Bongu is spoken by around 1,000 people. It’s even being learned by some children, although from what we could tell, most children can only understand the language.
The video below is of Asel Tui, the descendant of Tui, who was Maclay’s closest friend among the Bongu. Asel is standing by the Maclay memorial, talking about the history of his village, and especially about the German colonial administration.
Today, Bongu is spoken by around 1,000 people. It’s even being learned by some children, although from what we could tell, most children can only understand the language.
The video below is of Asel Tui, the descendant of Tui, who was Maclay’s closest friend among the Bongu. Asel is standing by the Maclay memorial, talking about the history of his village, and especially about the German colonial administration.