He was a powerful and feared ramo (bounty hunter), and came from a line of prominent leaders, feastgivers, and warriors of the Gounaile clan.
In 1927 Basiana and two other ramo planned an attack on Bell as he made his annual tax collection rounds.
Others, aware of the strength of Europeans from their experience abroad or afraid from premonitions in a dream, tried to discourage the attack, but Basiana dismissed their concerns and was able to coerce others into following him.
In retaliation for this killing, the colonial authorities launched a punitive expedition to root out the plotters of the attack and bring them to justice.
Basiana's eldest son Anifelo, raised to be a ramo as well, went on to become a police drummer, evangelist, and anticolonial political leader.