Pidgin Belong You

Robert Salau of the Seventh Day Adventist Church arrived in New York City last week for his first look at a strange land; Pastor Salau is a missionary among his own people of the Solomon Islands. Above his grave, calm face his hair stood straight up in a shock of black fuzz; he was dressed in a blue tweed jacket and blue woolen skirt with red belt, black oxfords and black, knee-length stockings. He was not prepared for the reporters and photographers who found him aboard the liner Mauretania, on a trip that is taking him around the world. The newsmen persuaded him to take off his jacket and western shirt, and pose for an hour with the hardwood spear, stone ax and Bible that he had brought with him.

Then he was rushed off the ship to begin a hectic churning through Manhattan's radio and television studios (he appeared on ten shows in eight days). Missionary Salau (rhymes with allow) is a feature writer's dream. His father was a headhunter, he wears odd clothes, he obligingly describes the wonders of Western civilization in pidgin English. Said he of an elevator ride: "Time me go inside one fella room. Missus he sock 'im one fella button. This bockis him get up. Belly belong me like come up."

Island Pastor. But Pastor Salau is also a Christian minister on a mission, armed with a quiet dignity that enabled him to cope equally well with wise-guy radio hucksters and gushing females. His mission: a three-month Seventh Day Adventist-sponsored tour of the U.S. to encourage his fellow Adventists in their aggressive foreign missions work. The 86-year-oLd sect could scarcely have picked a better man for the job.

Robert Salau was born about 42 years ago on densely wooded Vella Lavella, some 200 miles northwest of Guadalcanal in the Solomons group. His mother had been captured by his father's head-hunting tribe in a raid on another island. ("My people heathen, you know--killing one another.") When the Adventists set up a school in the beach village, young Salau ran away from home to join, and eventually became a pastor. Now, he estimates he has had a hand, in converting some 2,000 natives in the Pacific islands. Says Salau:

"First thing is Ten Commandments of God. This thing we put in their mind--we repeat it, repeat it, repeat it. After that, they believe it. After that, we tell them aboui Jesus, who love us and come down to save the world. We tell them this love --so everyone no fighting, must love one another."

Island Prayer. Among the many dialects of the islands, pastors and teachers mainly use pidgin English to preach the Gospel. Even Western Christians may find their own familiar words and phrases spring to new life in pidgin's sharp-cut images. Pastor Salau demonstrated with the Lord's Prayer:

Papa belong me fella, stop on top; name belong You he tabu;

Pidgin belong you he come down along ground all same on top.

Give me fella kai-kai enough along

'today;

Forget 'im sin belong me fella, all same me fella forget sin belong all together.

No let 'im me fella long something no good, but help 'im me fella long something good.

Pidgin belong you, Big Fella Strong belong You, Light belong You altogether day. Amen.

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