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Tape#1, Music Background and Life Experiences during World War II of Blasius Touna of Nodup Village
Side A & B: : Early Years and the Japanese during Occupation.
Blasius Touna is a Tolai musician and talks about his life story and how he composed and sang his many songs and style of music well known then around PNG in his time.
Blasius was born on 2/2/1922 at Paparatava Health Centre of Catholic Mission to parents from Toma area of the Gazelle Peninsula. The father was a Catholic catechist missionary stationed at the Catholic Mission at Paparatava. His mother died when he was 2 months old so was taken into foster care at Vunapope Catholic Mission Sisters so did not grow up in the village setting with his father. His exposure to music during early years was with the Sisters in church chorals with organs but forgotten that now in his later years.
He started school at Milmila Catholic Primary School in Duke of York Islands for 6 years till 1939 when they were told that the War (WW2) was coming so he returned to Vunapope Catholic Mission.
He was not exposed to guitars till his late teenage years as he was under the care of Catholic sisters who only use organs and pianos and church chorals.
He then returned to his father in 1940 who was now at Rapitok Catholic Mission and the war just came with the Japanese invasion to Rabaul and Gazelle Peninsula.There were many wartime experiences mainly atrocities of the Japanese with individuals, village people and any captured allied forces in camps and the town of Rabaul. His personal experiences was he was put in prison for trivial matter and was due to be executed by beheading as a practice of punishment. He was with an American pilot captured and put in prison but later escaped. The local guard employed was from Markham for NG Mainland in Morobe Province. He was also a fierce man and always mistreated him doing inhumane things in prison. Before the execution time, the American had escaped and Blasius was well aware of the plan and he held back not to go with him. When the day was up for execution for the two of them, the Japanese captain discovered the American was missing and became very angry so he asked Blasius what had happened. Having able to speak Japanese well enough, he replied that the local guard was was responsible for his escape as he opened the gate door in the night and they left him there but was well awake and saw they leave the prison. The captain was satisfied with his answer although a lie and released Blasius from execution and they now dealt with the local guard for punishment to not doing his job for an escapee under his guard.
Blasius was now free and still remained in the camp so he had a good feed then was given a bicycle to exercise along the road just outside the perimeters. He later saw the vehicle coming with the local guard in it with the executioner and Japanese guards with spades and shovels. They made the local guard dig his own grave so Blasius was curious to see what they were doing so he hid the bicycle in the bushes and climbed a tree at a distance and saw the whole ordeal. The local guard was blindfolded then sadly beheaded then was buried in the grave dug. Blasius witness everything and was shivering but keep his calm till he returned to the camp premises. He then saw the local guards directing village people away from the area saying that there were mines planted for enemy attack of Americans and Australians but infact was where the body of the Marhkam guard was in his shallow grave.
He later was transferred to Vuvu camp on the north coast of Gazelle Peninsula then put in jail again for another lie of a local guard saying be was a spy of Allied Forces in Americans or Australians. He was later released and the guard was again beheaded at Tunnel Hill prison site.
Blasius was eventually set free after the war was over and joined ANGAU unit hospital in Nonga then Namanula with the Australians under Territory of New Guinea administration in 1948. Due to new found relatives in Nodup and Matalau, he now adopted his name Touna after an elder in the village.
Blasius also had exposure to Japanese music with both traditional guitar instruments and normal guitars but only sang their own songs with their own melodies not other foreign songs. He learnt a few but forgotten their songs. He also observed their concerts playing these music.
With Blasius localised to nearby Nodup and Malatau villages due to working at Namanula hospital, he was able to partake in local social nights with stringband music. People had guitars and ukeleles then under the influence of the South Seas Missionaries. Blasius borrowed a guitar then from the villagers and started learning and composing songs, bought himself and ukelele and then started off as a musician from early experiences.
(Steven Gagau, January 2019)
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