The Opening of New Territories in Papua Author(s): E. W. Pearson Chinnery Source: The Geographical Journal, Vol. 55, No. 6 (Jun., 1920), pp. 439-454 Published by: geographicalj Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1780970 Accessed: 26-06-2016 23:14 UTC

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Mark Sykes. The work of those experts at the beginning was co-ordinated by a very able and distinguished officer, Colonel Clayton, now General Sir Gilbert Clayton. To this Arab Bureau we are indebted for those handbooks to which reference has been made. The Bureau did great work, and it added very largely to the success of all the political and military work in Arabia at a later date. It was to Commander Hogarth that the success of the bulk of that work is due. There are several of those experts here to-night, and I acknowledge with very great pleasure the valuable services they and the Arab Bureau as a whole rendered during the war. The President : Commander Hogarth gave us a very complete summary of the geographical work which has been done during the war in that little- known land of Arabia. It is a great contribution to geography. We wish he had not confined himself so rigorously to geography, but had given us a little of his own personal experiences during the war, but there -it is ; in that short space he gave us the main results of the work of many officers during the war. I hope that the good work which has been begun on a big scale during the war will be continued. One of the most lamentable things is very often that after a campaign?certainly it was so in the case of Tibet?we throw the whole country up again and do not follow up the work we have commenced. I hope that in the case of Arabia we shall keep constant touch with the people, go on to know more about them and their country, and have a continual flow of officers coming here and, giving us the results of their experiences. Especially do I think this question of longitude of such a very important place as Medina ought to be taken up. I ask you to give a most hearty vote of thanks to Commander Hogarth for his extremely valuable address.

THE OPENING OF NEW TERRITORIES IN PAPUA E. W. Pearson Chinnery, Lieut. Aust. Flying Corps Read at the Meeting of the Society\ i March 1920.

PAPUA, of the or island British of NewNew Guinea.Guinea, Itscomprises total area the is south-easternroughly 90,540 portion square miles, while its coast-line is estimated at 3664 statute miles. A series of mountain ranges, two of the peaks of which exceed 13,000 feet above sea-level, extend north-west and south-east through the centre of the mainland and form the watershed of an extensive system of rivers, many of which are navigable for small launches of shallow draught. Useful harbours lie dotted here and there along the coast-line, and it is in the vicinity of these that European plantations are generally located. As it is in the tropics, Papua is subject to the climatic conditions of such regions. But being just outside the hurricane belt it escapes the severe gales which have been so disastrous to some of its less fortunate neighbours. With respect to health conditions it differs little from other tropical possessions. Malaria is prevalent, but with ordinary precautions the white settler may preserve a fairly good standard of health. A great deal depends, however, on the nature of his occupation and the degree of exposure to heat and infection ; for a man engaged in pioneer work among

This content downloaded from 128.110.184.42 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 23:14:37 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 440 THE OPENING OF NEW TERRITORIES IN PAPUA the swamps and mountains on a diet of tinned food has infinitely more to fear than one who works in comfort in the European settlements on a diet of " fresh " food. Diet, indeed, largely regulates the condition of health, and it is essential to keep one's body well nourished. White settlers, however, readily adapt themselves to these needs, and the average death- rate is not high. The territory is administered by a Lieut.-Governor (Colonel J. H. P. Murray^ c.m.g.) and an executive council of five; three unofficial members are added to this number to form a Legislative Council. The laws of Queensland, with a set of local ordinances and regulations, are applied and administered by a judicial and magisterial staff, to a native popula- tion approximating half a million and a white population averaging fifteen hundred. The majority of the white settlers are centred round Port Moresby, Samarai, and Woodlark Islands, which are connected with Australia by wireless, and which are visited about once a month by steamers trading between late German and Sydney. The stores in these towns supply the needs of settlers, and the hotels before the war provided board and lodging for about ?8 per month to residents and visitors. Each town possesses a hospital and medical staff, and as most of the economic development is taking place within convenient distance of one or other of these three towns, they represent the centres of commercial interest. For purposes of administration the territory is divided into several large areas, each in charge of a Resident Magistrate or Assistant R.M. Detachments of native constabulary armed with carbines are stationed in the various divisions, with white (patrol) officers to assist the Resident Magistrate. The members of the constabulary and their non-commissioned officers are all natives of Papua, who have been trained at the Con? stabulary Headquarters in Port Moresby. They are an excellent body of men, and in many instances have performed work which, in a regular service, would merit high recognition. The Divisional Headquarters or Government station of each district is situated in the place most con? venient for the purpose of administration. In the terminology of the District Officer, districts are divided into three classes ; (i) Settled districts; (2) districts not under control; and (3) unknown districts. Settled districts are usually those places in which the Government is represented by a village constable chosen from amongst the people themselves, though in some parts an officer may regard as a " settled district" any place into which he can venture without being greeted by a shower of arrows. Districts not under control are those whose inhabitants have not accepted Government laws, though they may have been visited by Government officers. Unknown districts are those usually indicated by an expansive motion of the hand and a vague nod of the head. No one knows what is there. Wild rugged mountains, rivers, and gorges, tangled, almost impenetrable jungles, poisonous reptiles _but perhaps coal, oil, and other wealth?wild men and women.

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The policy of our Government iri opening districts other than those in which arrests have to be made may be termed one of peaceful penetration; that is to say, officers are required to enter new districts and endeavour by friendly means to win the inhabitants from such practices as head-hunting and cannibalism to the more sedate and cultured diversions of civilization. Offerings of beads, gaudy fabrics, steel and other useful implements, are made at the outset, to show the savage that the white man is indeed possessed of things useful to him, and while

MILES >* ^ SO 0 50 100 150 * '?'??' ' t | ^dn?^y 7* *o?^. %

^Woodlark

Samarai ^%/ CORAL SEA %^ r?42> &o

Sketch-map of Eastern Papua and German New Guinea

his mind is in this state of receptivity it is the business of the district officer to direct his energies into channels of progress and lead him gradually away from the practices which conflict with our standards. Force may be used as a last resource, but not until spears or arrows have been discharged by the hostile natives, and then only if the lives of the penetrating party are in danger. An officer is expected to report on the economic possibilities of country visited, and to make a rough sketch of his operations, for which purpose a prismatic compass is generally available. 2 H

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There are three powerful forces working towards the opening up of unknown New Guinea. The first is the responsibility of the officer for the good conduct of his district; the second is the subtle lure of the unknown; and the third is the Empire's need. The time has come when all potential assets of the Empire must be examined and developed. What little development there has been in New Guinea is of great promise. Gold, osmiridium, and valuable oils have been discovered in certain parts of the interior; in many of the mountain ravines there are great forests of pine; economic plants such as rubber are widely distributed ; the mangrove swamps of the western coast-line are rich in tannin; indigenous fibres abound in most places; and there can be little doubt that organized investigation would disclose other valuable assets. The expansion of plantations and other interests dependent upon the work of the native call for a large increase of native labour, to meet which need also unknown districts must be opened up, and the inhabitants induced to take a voluntary part in the development of the Empire and the march of progress. With such forces to stimulate them and the laws of the Administration to guide them, the district officers set out on their responsible missions into the unknown. What happens to them there would fill many volumes. The first duty is towards primitive man, who has to be found and taught to abandon those of his practices which conflict with Government standards. Rude institutions have to be studied and modified until they fall in line with the demands of progress; the energy that the native has devoted for generations to the welfare of his own small community must be directed into larger channels, so that not only his own but other communities may benefit by it. And generally a relationship of mutual trust and confidence has to be established between the inhabitants of hitherto unknown regions and the Government. When this has been achieved and not before, the district officer can be said to have brought his district under control.

The brief account which follows of some of the operations on which I was engaged is a fair sample of the work that is being performed by the district officers in Papua.

Mambare and Kumusi Divisions. Operations in the watershed of the during the years 1911-12 led to the pacification of the following mountain tribes of the Kumusi valley: Iwuadi, Misai, Efogi, Niguri, Logali, Akisi, Jioji and Jiwai-ia, and the following tribes of the Mamama (a tributary of the Kumusi), Miai, Oinji and Managulasi. Until my visit the people of the Kumusi valley and the Managulasi and Oinji of the Mamama valley were hostile both towards the Government and towards their neighbours of the lowlands?the Orokaiva, but my first expedition into their country was

This content downloaded from 128.110.184.42 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 23:14:37 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms THE OPENING OF NEW TERRITORIES IN PAPUA 443 attended with such good fortune that after frustrating two attempts on the lives of my party, I was able to establish a firm friendship with them; so that many of them returned with me of their own free will to the district station, Kokoda, and from that time forward the understanding between these communities and the Government has steadily advanced. Geographical data and vocabularies compiled during these and other expeditions in the Mambare and Kumusi divisions were collected and

Sketch-map to illustrate account of the Mambare and Kumusi Divisions

published by the late W. N. Beaver and myself (c Annual Report, Papua,' 1914-15, App. 2, 3, 13, pp. 158-169). It was found that a high range of mountains commences at a point in the Owen Stanley Range, south-east of Mount Nisbet, and trending north- easterly finally connects with the Hydrographers Range at the eastern extremity of Mount Lamington; this range is known to the natives of the Mamama valley as Guava. Its western slopes and the eastern slopes of Mount Nisbet form the watershed of the Kumusi; its northern and north- western slopes with the southern slopes of Mount Lamington form the watershed of the Mamama; and its southern slopes with the eastern

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slopes of the Owen Stanley Range south of the intersection of these ranges form the watershed of the Moni, a river which under the name of Musa eventually enters the sea a short distance north of Cape Nelson. Both the Kumusi and Mamama flow through precipitous gorges. Their beds are liberally strewn with huge volcanic boulders, and so great is the rainfall in their valleys that I have seen their waters rise several feet within half an hour. At any time progress along the river-beds is difficult and dangerous owing to the rapids which must be frequently crossed to avoid the precipitous sides of the gorges. The country itself is clad with dense jungle growth, which here and there has been cleared by the natives for the purpose of making gardens. The abundance of yams, sugar-cane and sweet potatoes growing in these clearings proves the wonderful fertility of the soil in the Mamama and Kumusi watersheds. The most remarkable ethnological feature observed in the Kumusi watershed is the skin colour of its short inhabitants, which varies from a dirty yellow to chocolate, thus suggesting a race mixture for which the traditions of the people offer no explanation. All food is cooked on hot stones, and fire is made by the flexible sawing-thong method, the rattan vine being twisted round the neck or arms of the people to dry and be ready for use. Their weapons consist chiefly of spears and wooden clubs.

Mount Obree. In June 1912 a village of the Kokila tribe on the western spur of Mount Obree was raided, and some of its inhabitants murdered by hitherto unknown people of the southern and eastern slopes of Mount Gbree. I came to Rigo (the Government station) shortly after this massacre, and was immediately despatched to Mount Obree to explore the district and capture the people responsible for the raid. On arriving in the district I found that the head-waters of the Ormond river comprised three streams, the Urokoru, Edeo, and Iabiuri, which drain the principal southerly spurs of Mount Obree, and that the valleys of these rivers were inhabited by fierce peoples who had not before seen a white man or any Government party. Their villages were built on the summits or pinnacles of razor-backed ridges, generally over 4000 feet above sea-level, and were protected by one or two lines of stockades. Our approach was detected in almost every case from look-out houses and platforms built on treetops within each village. When they learnt of our mission two or three hundred of the Urokoru and Edeo peoples attacked three of the police and myself with spears and large stones, and in the fighting which ensued six of the ringleaders of the Kokila massacre were shot. Frightened by the rifle- reports the remainder fled, but afterwards accepted our offers of friendship on condition that I went into the next valley, the Iabiuri, and pacified the people in order that further inter-tribal warfare might cease. This I did under their guidance, and, by good fortune, without further fighting. As a proof of their appreciation of Government intervention a good many of

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HOUSE IN MAMAMA VALLEY IN THE MISTS

MOUNT CHAPMAN: CORPSE STRUCTURE ON LEFT, AND CARRIERS' LOADS

NATIVES OF GOIEFU VALLEY, GOIEFU This content downloaded from 128.110.184.42 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 23:14:37 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms ' ''iJ^?1^*-

LOOKING EAST AT MOUNT YULE FROM UVAUMURI VILLAGE

KUNIMAIPA VALLEY LOOKING NORTH FROM GOIEFU: WARIA WATERSHED ON SKYLINE LEFT

LONG WOMEN'S HOUSE, KUNIMAIPA VALLEY This content downloaded from 128.110.184.42 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 23:14:37 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms THE OPENING OF NEW TERRITORIES IN PAPUA 445

them accompanied me to the station on my return, and for the first time in the history of their tribe saw the sea. Subsequently when my successor visited them, he found them peaceful and contented under the new conditions. The geographical discoveries made on this expedition are marked on the map, but it does not pretend to be anything more than an approximate sketch. On looking at the country on the headwaters of the Ormond system from the districts south of it one is impressed by a spectacle of densely timbered country hung with clouds. This is of course emphasized by the fact that the country south of the Ormond is covered with a rank grass known as " kura-kura." Both the Urokoru and Edeo flow easily over comparatively soft alluvial beds, but the Iabiuri is a succession of dangerous rapids and small waterfalls through precipitous gorges until it leaves the dense jungle lands and opens into the grass-covered valleys where it enters the wider alluvial bed of the Ormond. The agricultural activities of the inhabitants of the Edeo and Iabiuri valleys and the fertility of the soil in those regions are manifested by the large areas under cultivation. These natives are short sturdy mountaineers, their skin-colour varying between light and dark as in the case of the inhabitants of the Mamama valley. They used stone implements, and for weapons the spear and star- shaped stone-headed club. Each man carried a wooden shield about 5 feet in height. The elder men wore beards the hair of which hung in many plaits; the young men had their hair in long pig-tails bound with bark. All wore leg bands of plaited human hair. I saw no tobacco among them, but sweet potatoes, yams and sugar-cane. were extensively cultivated. The houses of each village face one another in two lines, and generally at each end is a large tree house with a huge platform on which are piled large stones and many short, thick long-pointed spears eminently adapted for an assault on any one breaking through the stockades. The population of the Iabiuri valley is evidently very large, possibly three thousand. The Iabiuri heads in one of the south-eastern valleys of Mount Obree and its course down the mountain-side for many hundred feet is marked by a very high but narrow waterfall, to which I notice that my successor has given my name. A variety of pine over 200 feet in height and about 4 feet in diameter, with a thick rough bark, occurs in clumps throughout this valley; it is not used by the people themselves, who say that it is too rough for their stone axes.

Delta Division. In 1916 the natives of Ututi, Irumuku and Mati?a district at that time not under control?raided and killed some people of an unknown group called Moreri. While they were eating the bodies in Mati village,

This content downloaded from 128.110.184.42 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 23:14:37 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 446 THE OPENING OF NEW TERRITORIES IN PAPUA which is built on a small creek a few miles north of the Government station of Kikori, Mr. R. D. Kirby, the Assistant Resident Magistrate of Kikori, arrived in the village with a detachment of native constabulary to arrest them. The natives attacked the Government party with arrows, wounding Mr. Kirby and two police. Mr. Kirby was immediately taken in a launch to Port Moresby for medical attention, but he died at sea the night before the launch reached Port Moresby. Extensive operations were then conducted against these people, and within four months the persons responsible for the raid on Moreri and the attack on the Government party were arrested and sentenced. While these operations were in progress the Moreri and another unknown group, the Marigi, by way of retaliation, fell upon and annihilated a large party of Irumuku people who were hiding from our patrols. It was therefore necessary, on completing the Mati-Ututi-Irumuku expedition to extend the influence of Government among the hitherto unvisited Moreri and Marigi. And while I was thus occupied another unknown tribe called Pepeha, in the western part of the division between the Turama and Paibuna rivers, sallied from their homes in the swamps and murdered a native of one of the Paibuna tribes, so that expeditions had to be sent into their country as soon as the Moreri-Marigi matters were adjusted. Before giving an abstract of each separate operation a few general remarks may serve to convey the atmosphere of this district. The whole country from the Turama to the is one gigantic network of water way s formed by the Turama, Paibuna, Omati, Kiko, Era and Purari estuaries. The people have been classified as Papuan, and all, excepting those under control, practise headhunting and cannibalism. Before a house can be occupied or a canoe launched it is the custom to sprinkle the building or vessel with human blood. As a result raids on other communities are constantly taking place. The heads of people slain are collected, dried in the sun, and placed on shrines before a human figure carved in wood, which represents the tutelary deity on whose grace the food-supply is believed to depend. Bodies are cut up, cooked in various ways, and eaten. Thus the Government in its work of civiliza- tion is faced at the outset with the formidable task of suppressing a practice of homicide which occupies a fundamental place in the social and religious fabric of the people. Chief among the other cultures which the people of these districts have in common are the long ceremonial house for men, the dug-out canoe cut off at the stern, and the bow and arrow. The principal diet is sago, and cultivation of the soil is not practised in all districts. During these expeditions considerable geo? graphical data were added to the map and attached to the reports of the expedition. With the exception of Aird Hill there is no high land between Kikori Government station and the sea, but just beyond Kikori outcrops of limestone and low ridges appear. Rivers have a most i nteresting way of disappearing in cavemous openings in these outcrops

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and just as suddenly reappearing some distance away. At low tide it is often possible to explore such underground rivers in a canoe or small launch, but great care must be taken to avoid contact with the stalactites and stalagmites of the walls and floors of the caves. The Kiko river has no bore, but the tidal influence is felt for some miles above the Government station. The tidal bore, however, occurs on the Omati, Paibuna and Turama, and its action floods a considerable area of country between the Turama and Paibuna, for I was caught by it when examining the district occupied by the Pepeha.

Sketch-map of the Delta Division, Papua

Owing to the elaborate system of inland waterways it is possible to proceed in launches of light draught from the Paibuna to the Purari with? out going out to sea. Of the indigenous plant-life in the district, those of known economic value are sago, mangrove (for tannin), pandanus (for fibre), rubber (both vine and tree), and various timbers. Gold occurs in the upper beds of the Kiko, and coal has been discovered in the Sirebi system. There is still an immense area of unknown country between the districts here discussed and the mountain regions examined by the Staniforth Smith expeditions some years ago.

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Mati-Ututi-Irumuku Expedition. The nature of the soil between the Kiko and Omati rivers is chiefly broken limestone, with here and there huge cavernous limestone boulders ; there are also extensive sago swamps, and an intricate system of subterranean waterways. After the murder of Mr. Kirby the Mati and Ututi people became dispersed "in small groups as far north-west as the head of the Omati. They fought desperately in the swamps or among the caves to which from time to time they were tracked; and so great was their panic when our parties suddenly entered their hiding-places that women discarded their netted bags containing the sacred bones and skulls of deceased relatives, and even in some instances their infants. On one occasion I had several of these tiny infants left on my hands, and was forced to nourish them with tinned milk until I was able to return with them to the Government station. When the leaders had been arrested and sentenced, the remaining people were induced to build a permanent settlement on the banks of the Kiko river, within view of the station, where their new life as "Government people" is to all appearances entirely successful. The Mati-Ututi-Irumuku are light-skinned natives, so light indeed that they suffered from sunburn when in gaol. In physical appearance and language they difFer from their coastal neighbours the Kerewa of Aird Delta. The older men wear beards. The men wear as a genital covering a perineal band of tapa cloth, the end of which hangs low in front ; to this is often added a bunch of shredded sago leaf behind, which gives the appearance of a bushy tail. The women wear a short fore-and-aft cover? ing of fringed cord made from fibre. The bamboo is used as a trumpet in place of the conch shell of the coastal regions. Bamboo beheading knives were frequently seen in the villages, and a bamboo jew-harp was also observed. In each village was a long house for men and a number of small family houses. A few coconuts are cultivated around the villages, but I saw no cultivated areca palms, though I believe that the bush varieties are chewed together with lime from the limestone caves. Small gardens of sweet potato, taro, sugar-cane, and bananas were seen on the Ututi Creek and , while in the vicinity of each village a short-leafed tobacco plant grew abundantly. Pigs and dogs are the domesticated animals. It was said that these people meet the Kerewa of the coast for the purposes of barter, and exchange tobacco for the coastal crabs. The peculiar method of attaching the bowstring is similar to that of the Kerewa people.* The arrows of the bush people are elaborately carved and barbed, the tips being sometimes made of cassowary toe or the small bones of the wallaby carefully splintered and ground to a point.

* The same attachment is found among the Gogodara (Kabiri or Girara). Cf. A. C. Haddon, Journ. Roy. Anth. Inst, 46, 1916, p. 342.

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On the outside wall of the men's house in Ututi village I saw a wooden carving in human form on which were hung the skeletons of small animals. On one or two occasions I found skulls and human bones in crevices of limestone boulders; these appeared to have been in the same position for some time, and it was suggested by a guide from the district that they were deposited there by the relatives of the dead man. During the operations we frequently came upon ladders leading to look-oiits built in high trees. A favourate method of delaying our movements was to fell large trees across the small creeks to prevent a passage by the launch.

Moreri-Marigi Expeditions. In October 1916 the villages of Moreri were visited for the first time. The people were living in one large house, which was entered by my party at dawn while the Moreri were eating the bodies of Irumuku natives they had killed. The flesh had been cooked in various ways; some had been roasted in fires, and some had been minced, and stewed with vegetables in bamboos. Skulls hung on pegs in the sun. Sago swamps occur throughout the Moreri country, but here and there are ridges composed of limestone with a thin covering of soil, and on these ridges the villages of the people are built. In physique and dress the Moreri resemble the Irumuku, and they understand the Irumuku dialect. I was informed that their numbers are not large, though their settlements extend through the bush to the Sirebi River district, with whose inhabitants they are friendly. They fought so desperately with my party that we only managed to capture four of them. Very often the Moreri were spoken of as the Anu-Kairi (Anu being a river in the locality, and Kairi a term used for bush people). A few days after the visit to Moreri, I searched the deltaic waterways north-east of Aird Hill for the Marigi (Aua-Boroma, as they are some? times called), and eventually chased several canoes of Marigi men returning from a fishing excursion. Our launch could not gain on them, but after some time they wearied of the race and ran their vessels ashore, whereupon we followed and captured seven men in the mangrove swamps. One of them informed me of the whereabouts of a chief who had headed the raid on the Irumuku, and just as night was falling my party surprised the village built on the roots in a mangrove swamp where he was in hiding. The chief nearly succeeded in killing one of the police and myself; but eventually we secured him, and some others with him. Women took part in the affray and tore the faces of my boys with their finger-nails, but the arrests were made without the use of rifles. After the Marigi had been for a short time in prison at the Govern? ment station two men came from the remainder of the tribe and offered a dog as a sign of peace. The dog was killed and eaten with due form, and the Marigi settled down near Aird Hill and eommenced in a new village their life as " Government people."

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Pepeha Expedition. The first expedition to this tribe was conducted by Messrs. Dudley and Murray, the Assistants at Kikori. The natives had cleared wide tracts round their village to guard against surprise, and the party was discovered and attacked with arrows as it approached. With great tact and patience the officers so manceuvred their men that they were able to secure two of the Pepeha people without loss of life. I returned to Pepeha with Mr. Dudley some days afterwards, but did not succeed in getting in touch with the people. The whole of this country although inland is under water at full tide, and the natives use canoes to travel from house to house. The village itself consists of a number of small houses built on tall piles. It is approached on logs supported on tall piles for hundreds of yards, but in places not so prepared one wades waist-deep in mud and water. Our patrol continued as far as Gibidai and Kibeni on small tributaries of the Paibuna; in both these districts sweet potatoes and sugar-cane are cultivated in small garden plots, as well as tobacco, which is known as sidoi; but as elsewhere sago appears to be the principal food. Mr. Cardew made a compass traverse of the Paibuna River some time ago, but unfortunately as this is not available at present, my geographical notes are only approximate and claim to indicate no more than the rela- tive positions of the various villages. A wood carving of an ancestor, known as Nauma, was attached to the front of the men's house at Kibeni, and was believed to guard the village; it was designed by an ancestor known as Mauki as the result of a dream. Canoes are similar to those used in other parts of the district, but the Gibidai canoes had racks of nipa stem to hold bows and arrows, and a small wooden baler * for removing water was seen in one. An old canoe bow with an elaborate design is kept in the village, and a copy of the design is carved inside the bow of new canoes. In physique and general cultures the Paibuna and Pepeha people resemble the other bush groups, and there appears to be a slight linguistic affinity between them as well, for a native of Mati could understand some of the Gibidai dialect.

Delta Division generally. I visited other parts of the Delta Division, including the tribes of Uramu islands, many of whose canoes came to Kikori, after my visit, in the course of which I had chosen some men to represent Government interests in the group. The known population of the Division has been estimated at 80,000. So far only a comparatively small area has been explored, but active operations are in progress with the object of opening up the remainder of this interesting locality. The natives are very * This is of pointed oval form with a rounded bottom and a handle stretching from side to side halfway down the interior ; it is cut out of one piece of wood.

This content downloaded from 128.110.184.42 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 23:14:37 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms THE OPENING OF NEW TERRITORIES IN PAPUA 451 hostile and treacherous, and the progress so far made among them has been achieved at great cost. Messrs. Chalmers and Tomkins of the London Missionary Society, Mr. R. D. Kirby of the Government Service, and valuable native lives have been sacrificed in the attempts to lay the foundation of Empire in this network of waterways; but the seed is beginning to bear fruit, and in many parts of the division to-day can be seen loyal native subjects who but a few years ago were engaged in inter- tribal warfare.

Mount Chapman and late German Boundary. In 1907 Monckton followed the main branch of the to its head, and crossing the Owen Stanley Range west of Mount Chapman descended into a branch of Lakekamu {Geog. your., Sept. 1908, p. 270). Unfortunately none of Monckton's data is available. An earlier visit to the Mount Chapman district had been made by Strong in, I think, 1906. He crossed the Kunimaipa branch of the Lakekamu, and succeeded in establishing friendly relationship with a people known as Amenofu, who live on the southern slopes of a prominent southerly spur on Mount Chapman. A visit was paid to the same district by Muscatt in 1915. Both expeditions gave information of the existence of tribes higher up the Kunimaipa. In 1914 Captain Detzner of the German service conducted a topographical survey of the watershed of the Waria river in German New Guinea north of Mount Chapman. Detzner encountered severe opposition from hostile tribes, and I learned that his original escort was increased by the German Goverment to considerably over one hundred native soldiers. Detzner's operations were interrupted by the war when he had reached the headwaters of the . In 1917 I was given instructions in Port Moresby to examine un- explored districts north of Mount Yule, and extend the influence of the Government beyond Amenofu, the farthest point reached by Strong and Muscatt, and if possible to link up with the scene of Detzner's operations on the north side of Mount Chapman. Two patrol officers of armed constabulary, Messrs. Storey and Cranwell, with a force of thirteen native constables, were attached to me for duty, and the expedition left Port Moresby on February 14 for the starting-place, Yule Island. From February 17 to March 18 we operated on the headwaters of the Biaru river and in'the Goiefu (Kuefu) valley west of Mount Yule. On March 18 my two assistants were despatched to settled districts for special duty, and I proceeded with ten police to examine the headwaters of the Kunimaipa (Lakekamu) river. The headwaters of the river were located and Mount Chapman was crossed at 10,800 feet above sea-level. At this point we discovered a small lake known as Wawaru, which is the source of the Kau branch of the Waria river (late German New Guinea). Up to this point friendly relations with the natives had been prevented by their hostility. No less than four attacks were made

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on us, and two of my carriers were wounded with arrows, while on their side Inawai, a notorious fighting chief, was shot dead by my party in self- defence. On April 8 we found ourselves among the Sini tribe in country which had been visited by Detzner, so having reached the limits of unexplored country I returned to the Kunimaipa valley on the 9th to try and establish friendly relations with the people who had fought with us. Some of the Sini natives of Waria (Kau) river with whom we had made friends returned with me to Mizhani (Kunimaila headwaters), with the people of which they were acquainted. Mainly through their efforts our return journey was successful. The people brought us food and received presents in exchange. On April 14 I returned to a village within view of Goiefu, discharged my Goiefu carriers and prepared to return to the coast by way of a valley at the head of the St. Joseph River, which I was informed had not been visited. Mr. Cranwell rejoined me, and we crossed a range between Mount St. Mary and Mount Yule at about 10,800 feet above sea-level and descended into the watershed of the Loloipa River to a village of the Gaizhiri people, by whom we were greeted amicably. Unfortunately while ascending the divide I had fallen down a precipice, and my shin-bone had been pierced by a projecting piece of rock. Owing to a shortage of carriers I was forced to walk until April 21, when my leg became septic and I collapsed in the village of Pole. On the 24th the natives agreed to carry me on a pole, and thus l proceeded from village to village to the coast. At Yule Island I embarked in a whaleboat and entered Port Moresby hospital on May 9.

General Remarks.

The full report of this expedition has already been published (' Annual Report, Papua,' 1916-17, pp. 50-67), but for the convenience of readers I shall summarize it, with relation to the sketch-map, on which will be found the geographical data collected (see p. 443). The westerly and northerly spurs of Mount Yule divide the waters of the Kunimaipa river from those of the Biaru and Loloipa (St. Joseph). South of the divide in the watershed of the Biaru and Loloipa the country is covered with dense jungle growth ; limestone caves occur in the valleys; boulders of basalt and lava conglomerates fill the river-beds; and the streams themselves tumble violently through precipitous gorges. But in the country north of the divide there is no such jungle growth; the slopes of the Kunimaipa valleys are covered with tall grass. The soil is com- posed of schists, and here and there it is constantly slipping; in places exposed by these landslips I saw layers of slates and shales. The gorges are not as steep as those south of the divide, and the rivers run with less speed. Large outcrops of granite occur in the slopes of Mount Minarua, and boulders of this material are seen in the river-beds. In crossing the

This content downloaded from 128.110.184.42 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 23:14:37 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms THE OPENING OF NEW TERRITORIES IN PAPUA 453 divide between the Kunimaipa and Waria systems I found the grass country finished at 9000 feet above sea-level. A tangled forest of bamboo was then entered, and this became mingled with a light scrub with aerial roots. One no longer walked on ground, but sprang from root to root. A thick covering of moss lay over the roots like a carpet; it became impossible at last to distinguish the roots beneath the moss, and one was constantly sinking through, falling at times for several feet unless caught by the roots; in such places the whole surface quakes at every step. The moss-covered roots and moss-hung vines, from which cold water is constantly dripping, disappeared at 10,000 feet (Mount Chapman), and cycas, tussock grass, daisies, buttercups, heather, violets (without perfume), and bulrushes then appeared on the elevated plateau. In the Kunimaipa valley I noticed that the surface of certain pools that we passed was covered with an oil-like scum, but I had no oppor- tunity of collecting this to be tested. In the same valley I found two running streams of mineral water with a most delicious flavour. My own natives would not drink it, but I found that the inhabitants of the valley used it for drinking. In the valley of the Kau (Waria system) the country is similar to that of the Kunimaipa; that is to say, the slopes are grass-covered. But in this valley outcrops of quartz and large seams of quartz were seen on the mountain-sides. In the smaller ravines near the bed of the river, at about 5000 feet above sea-level, I noticed forests of pine trees. In the report of this expedition I pointed out two routes by which Yule Island could be connected with the late German outpost at Morobe, in Huon Gulf; two routes by which Nepa (Lakekamu goldfield) could be connected with Morobe, and a route %i& the Loloipa and Aiwara rivers by which Yule Island could be connected with Ioma, Mambare Division. The total native population of the Kunimaipa, Kau, and Loloipa valleys is approximately 10,000. The language spoken at Mount Yule is understood throughout the whole of the country visited. The chief discoveries of ethnological interest were terraced irrigation, a round ceremonial house, preservation and wearing of limbs of deceased relatives and amputation of fingers in mourning, a long house for women, initiation enclosures and the use of the bullroarer and sacred flutes, the making of pottery by men, the cultivation of tobacco and a method of smoking not before seen by me, and the cultivation of a pandanus tree with edible fruits. The population of the Kunimaipa valley greatly exceeds that of the Kau and Loloipa districts. That I was able to examine these densely populated valleys with only ten armed men was due partly to the fact that the communities were all fighting among themselves and therefore could not unite to oppose us, and partly to the fact that both the police and myself were experienced in this work and used care and patience rather than force when in contact with them. What the people themselves

This content downloaded from 128.110.184.42 on Sun, 26 Jun 2016 23:14:37 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 454 THE OPENING OF Nfew TERRITORIES IN PAPUA learnt from our visit was, that only those who attempted to kill us failed to derive some personal benefit from contact with us. Those who made friends with us invited us most earnestly to " come again soon," and promised to approach in a friendly way any of the white race who should afterwards enter the valley. The sincerity of their good intentions was proved later when through their influence I was able to make friends among the wild people of the Loloipa valley, and induce them to carry me from village to village until I reached the controlled districts of Mount Yule. District officers are continually extending Government influence amongst backward peoples in all parts of Papua. Savage practices are being modified to conform with the standard s of the Government, and where necessary other processes are being substituted to effect a new social and religious structure worthy of the now advancing subject. During these early transitions the savage draws constantly on his district officer for stimulus, but soon he becomes familiar with the new conditions and advances accordingly. Then comes to the now controlled district the employer in search for labour to carry on the work of development, and our late cannibal and head-hunter learns of a new outlet for his energy and of the reward which comes to those who take an active part in the march of progress. Naturally his conception of the white race is based on the impression made by his district officer, so, with every confidence in the future, he volunteers for work in a district perhaps far from his own. All his village interests are left in the hands of friends, he signs the contract of service, and takes his plunge into the unknown. Then he finds himself in a strange land among stranger people; he eats food which perhaps he has not seen before; and, for the first time in his life, he realizes that his activities and his hours of rest are regulated by others. It is surely possible to appreciate the profound mental experience of a savage thus struggling to reconcile the ideals which sent him forth with the complex conditions in which he finds himself. He is in deep water, and naturally enough clings to his employer for stimulus just as formerly he clung to his district officer. And so the burden of responsi- bility is placed on the employer, for on the proper training of that very native depends the progress of the community to which he belongs?a community which perhaps has but recently come under control. Thus it is that a trust is imposed on all who take part in the develop? ment of this lonely outpost of Empire. To the district officer is given the task of converting the cannibals and head-hunters of the jungle into loyal and useful subjects, and to the employer into whose hands they afterwards pass for service, the obligation of returning them to their homes, to share with the friends and relatives who have been anxiously awaiting them not only the trade goods which represent the fruits of their labour, but faith and confidence in the British Empire?the seeds of progress which are sown by a policy of sympathy, patience, understanding, and justice.

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