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I 
I The spotless order and neatness of Tengano and Hutuna may well reflect the 
|SDA influences. I must see Niupanl now to learn If It now has the same 
latmosphere of simple beauty, by restraint to almost Puritanical neatness. I 
certainly do not recall such on my 1963 visit there. Grass is planted and cut, 
ithere is no litter, houses are well aligned and neat, and the church is 
'beautifully constructed and cared for, especially at Hutuna. Tengano is a bit 
ilmore free in layout and housing locations, but similarly neat and clean. 
jii 
1 Ever 3 Twhere we go on Rennell we encounter well-educated Rennellese at home 
I for holiday. Thus we have John Tlpalka from Lavangu who is Master (Captain) of 
lithe M.V. Elizabeth Ann for the Coral Sea Trading Company in Honiara with us. He 
!|is from Lavangu and visiting home for a few weeks. He no longer has a house in 
lithe village and is staying with "relatives". In Tengano we have met a young man 
!‘who drives a truck in Honiara for another company. He too is home for vacation. 
■'Both speak good English. 
] I 
At Tengano and Hutuna there are teachers from the SDA school. Two, one 
from each village, are local Rennellese, whereas the other two are from Malaita 
land Vallua. The teacher from Hutuna is a woman. 
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i 
*j Rennell Island, Lugugl Bay November 8, 1972 
! We have finished our work on Rennell without exploiting the possibilities 
j of our arrival on this wild coast sufficiently, but to push for more at this 
1 late stage of our adventure would be overdoing things. We have bled beyond our 
j available low temperature (-38®C) Revco storage space for clots and virus 
I isolation specimens and are holding all recently collected specimens at only 
|j“120c! We have X-ray films to develop and hematocrits and hemoglobins to do 
I in large numbers and over 100 further Rennell Island bleedings to separate off 
serum from clots. Our records are falling behind. Tonight was no time to push 
I for a further large chunk of work with the bush people of Western Rennell. As 
i it is we have seen, bled, studied hematologically , and collected throat cultures 
\ from some 48 of them today at Aboi, a coastal settlement of Tahanuka people 
ij whose main village is 1 1/2 - 2 hours walk into the interior along the Mitsui 
^'Company's mining road. Those who came down came from the interior specifically 
to meet us here at Abo’i on Lugugl Bay. 
Erik Saunga was quiet and withdrawn when I left today and puffy eyed and 
ji ashamed to be seen, so I finally went over to bid him goodbye. He had avoided 
j being ashamed by too much special attention from me at Tengano, had carried for 
us back to the coast, and had returned to Lavangu with us only to ask to stay 
I with us on our visit to West Rennell. So he boarded the ship again and sailed 
with Wilmot and two other Rennellese to Lugugi Bay. I don't like to see his 
' disappointment, for he was a bit overwhelmed by the kindness and lavish 
hospitality I gave him on the Alpha Helix and by the way I met his boyish 
, bravado of asking for my best towel as a gift which I gave to him. 
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