Nigel D. Oram

Nigel Denis Oram (25 December 1919 – 15 September 2003), was a British born public servant, academic, ethnologist and anthropologist specialising in the Pacific and New Guinea and was an acknowledged specialist in Papuan oral history. He has influenced a number of later researchers in the field of Papuan and New Guinean anthropology and history and along with Vanderwal, he also established the Prehistory department at La Trobe University in 1976 and the chair in Prehistory in 1980.

Early life Oram was born at Maida Vale, London, Middlesex, England, and lived in Buckinghamshire, Sydenham, and North Yorkshire. Oram's research assisted in developing understanding of the issues which would face New Guinea as a sovereign state when it ultimately obtained its independence from Australia. In particular he examined the problems of establishing land tenure, and leasehold administration.

Oram was consultant on urban local government to the South Pacific Commission in 1964, chairman of the Port Moresby Town Council Advisory Committee and in 1971 was elected to the first Port Moresby City Council,

In 1969 he was appointed a fellow at the University of Papua New Guinea, where he remained until 1975, reaching the level of associate professor. His focus was the Hula people, who were located about 80 kilometres east of Port Moresby, and some of whom had migrated to a fringe settlement of Port Moresby. He learnt the Motu and Hula languages to assist his information gathering. and undertook his field work along the coast in a 35-foot long lakatoi canoe.

Select publications Oram, N. D. (Nigel Denis) Colonial town to Melanesian city : Port Moresby, 1884–1974. University of Papua New Guinea, [S.l.], 2012. Langmore, John, Oram, N. D. (Nigel Denis), 1919–2003 and Australian National University. New Guinea Research Unit Port Moresby urban development. New Guinea Research Unit, Australian National University, Canberra, 1970. Oram, N. D. (Nigel Denis) Taurama : oral sources for a study of recent Motuan pre-history. New Guinea Research Unit, Australian National University, Canberra, 1968 Oram, N. D. (Nigel Denis) & Australian National University. New Guinea Research Unit & Seminar on urbanisation in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea (1966?) (Canberra) (1966). Economic development and migration among the Hula. New Guinea Research Unit, Australian National University, [Canberra Oram, N. D. (Nigel Denis) & Australian National University. Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (1998). The mystery of Guise conflict between missionaries, colonial administrators and foreign traders during the British New Guinea Protectorate : a biography of Reginald Edward Guise.