Guide to the Papers of Nigel Oram, 1942-1994

Summary

Collection number:

MS 9436

Creator:

Nigel Oram and Oram, Nigel

Extent:

4.5 metres and (18 boxes, 2 cartons, 2 folio boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Nigel Oram, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The bulk of the collection comprises subject files created by Oram, containing mainly his handwritten and typescript notes. Some of these notes are in the Motu and Hula languages. There is only a small amount of correspondence in the collection, included within the relevant subject file.

Other papers in the collection include photocopies of journal articles; a bound volume of typescript notes on learning the Motu language; a bound volume of handwritten and typescript notes on Motu grammar and vocabulary; slides of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) landscape and people; copies of Hebou, the newsletter of the Linguistic Society of Papua New Guinea and several published works.

Included with the papers are seven boxes of microfilm. The films are copies of the 'Papua New Guinea Land Court Secretariat genealogies of some Central Province clans', which appear to date from the mid-1960s. Filmed in 1978, the microfilming was a project undertaken by the University of PNG Library.

The main focus of the collection is the fieldwork Oram carried out in the Port Moresby district, including interviews with Motu and Hula speaking Papuans. The interviews were often typed by Oram and appear not to be direct transcripts, but rather a paraphrasing of what was discussed. Much ethnographic data on the Motu and Hula groups is provided in the interviews, such as genealogical pedigrees, the grammar and syntax of their languages, land tenure, religion, marriage, trading, social customs and history.

Biographical Note:

Nigel Oram was an ethnologist and academic. In 1946, after military service in World War II, he read history at Oxford University. This was followed by a career in the British Colonial Service in East Africa and Uganda. In 1961, Oram helped set up the New Guinea Research Unit, Port Moresby, which was an offshoot of the Australian National University. His role was to undertake social research. To facilitate his information gathering, Oram learnt the Motu and Hula languages. In 1969, he was appointed a fellow at the University of Papua New Guinea, where he remained from 1969 to 1975. Oram returned to Australia where he taught pre history for nine years at La Trobe University and where, upon his retirement, he became an honorary senior research fellow.

Provenance:

The original consignments were donated to the Library by Oram in December 1996 and July 2001.

Arrangement:

The material in this collection has been listed and described by folder or item number. Folders 1-21 of the collection comprise subject files created by Oram. They have been listed with Oram's file title first, followed by the Library's description of the contents of the file.

Indexed terms

Names:

Oram, Nigel

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1929512).

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Nigel Oram, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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