'Sorry we ate your forefathers'

By Rick Moran

What's next? Italy apologizing for crushing the Carthaginians? Spain apologizing for invading the Netherlands?

THE descendants of Papua New Guinea cannibals who killed and ate four Fijian missionaries in 1878 have apologised.

Fiji's High Commissioner to PNG, Ratu Isoa Tikoca accepted the apologies at a reconciliation ceremony near Rabaul in PNG's East New Britain Province yesterday in front of thousands of people.

"We at this juncture are deeply touched and wish you the greatest joy of forgiveness as we finally end this record disagreement," Ratu Tikoca said.

PNG's Governor-General Paulias Matane told the crowd he appreciated the work of the early Fijian missionaries in spreading Christianity in the islands region.

I'm all for reconciliation - when it isn't done simply to assuage guilt. The "crime" occurred 132 years ago for crying out loud! And the tribesmen were only carrying out longstanding practices with people they saw as enemies. To believe they had anything to apologize for means that you have to apply modern standards of morality to what occurred in the context of ordinary tribal life at the time. Moral relativism run rampant!

Perhaps we should be asking when the Turks are going to apologize for conquering the Middle East. Somebody's got to take responsibility for that mess and it may was well be the Ottomans.