PLUMES from Paradise This book is dedicated to the memory of the late Sir Serei Eri GCMG KStJ Poet, Writer, Broadcaster, Teacher, Defence Secretary, Diplomat, Museum Trustee and former Governor-General PLUMES from Paradise Trade cycles in outer Southeast Asia and their impact on New Guinea and nearby islands until 1920 PAMELA SWADLING With contributions by Roy Wagner and Billai Laba This edition published in 2019 by Sydney University Press First published in 1996 by the Papua New Guinea National Museum PO Box 5560 Boroko, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea in association with Robert Brown and Associates (Qld) Pty Ltd PO Box 1299 Coorparoo DC, Queensland 4151. Australia. © Pamela Swadling and contributors 2019 © Sydney University Press 2019 Reproduction and Communication for other purposes Except as permitted under the Act, no part of this edition may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or communicated in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All requests for reproduction or communication should be made to Sydney University Press at the address below: Sydney University Press Fisher Library F03 The University of Sydney NSW 2006 AUSTRALIA [email protected] sydney.edu.au/sup National Library of Australian Cataloguing-in-Publication data Creator: Swadling, Pamela, author. Title: Plumes from paradise : trade cycles in outer Southeast Asia and their impact on New Guinea and nearby islands until 1920 / Pamela Swadling ; with contributions by Roy Wagner and Billai Laba. ISBN: 9781743325445 (paperback) 9781743325469 (ebook: epub) 9781743325452 (ebook: PDF) 9781743325476 (ebook: mobi) Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Subjects: Feather industry–New Guinea. Feather industry–New Guinea–History. Birds–Conservation–New Guinea. Other Creators/ Wagner, Roy, author. Contributors: Laba, Billai, author. Cover design by Miguel Yamin Contents Conventions followed 6 Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 15 2. The rise and decline of the Spice Islands 21 3. The plume trade: the demands of Asian traders and the first birds of paradise to reach Europe 49 4. The plume trade: the demands of natural historians 73 5. The plume trade: the demands of fashion-conscious European women and the growth of the conservation movement 83 6. Sultans, suzerains and the colonial division of New Guinea 109 7. Collecting and trading in the Raja Empat Islands, the Bird’s Head and Cendrawasih Bay 121 8. The massoy, trepang and plume trade of Onin, Kowiai and Mimika (Southwest New Guinea) 133 9. Trade with the Aru Islands and Trans Fly Coast of New Guinea 153 10. Copra, birds and profits in the Merauke region 175 11. Bronzes and plume hunting in the Jayapura (Hollandia) region 205 12. Plumes fund economic development in Kaiser Wilhelmsland 219 13. Conservationists protect Papua’s birds 263 14. Trade cycles in outer Southeast Asia and their impact on New Guinea and nearby islands until 1920 269 Contribution 1: Roy Wagner Mysteries of origin: early traders and heroes in the Trans-Fly 285 Contribution 2: Billai Laba Oral traditions about early trade by Indonesians in southwest Papua New Guinea 299 Bibliography 308 Index 333 5 PLUMES FROM PARADISE Conventions followed The Malay Archipelago is the old geographic term for the Indonesian Archipelago. In order to avoid confusion between old and modern political boundaries, the term Indonesian, rather than Malay is used for current and historic residents of what is now the Indonesian Archipelago. Geographical place names as well as species have had variant spellings over the years. Where possible the current spelling is used. Turtle shell is used rather than the misleading trade name tortoiseshell for the shell of marine turtles such as the hawkbill turtle. The standardisation of monetary values has not been possible. British sterling equivalents are given for other currencies when they are known. Place names and their spellings have changed since written records began in eastern Indonesia. A question mark before a place name indicates that the location in brackets may be the one referred to in the cited text. Acknowledgements This book has taken over a decade to research and write. There were periods when the project became overwhelming and I was disheartened. To all those colleagues and friends who gave their time to provide encouragement and constructive comments I am truly grateful. I particularly wish to thank Jack Golson along with Chris Ballard, Mark Busse, Tim Curtin, Frederick Errington, Deborah Gewertz, Harry Jackman, Mary LeCroy, Robin Torrence and Peter J. White. I also wish to acknowledge the help of Father John J. Tschauder S.V.D. for locating and translating various German texts. Other German translations were made by Philip Holzknecht, Father Theo Aerts, Sylvia Ohnemus and Claire Smith. Dutch material was translated by Adri Govers, Tim Bruwer and Marsha Berman; Danish by Tim Bruwer and Indonesian by J.H. Siregar and Jack Zieck. For various forms of help, I also wish to thank: Bryant Allen, Wally Ainui, Clive Alexander, the late Arnold Ap, Peter Bellwood, Michele Bowe, Jennifer Broomhead, Geoffrey Bundu, Joe Chan, Ian Craven, Tony Crawford, Frances and Tony Deklin, 6 PLUMES FROM PARADISE Robert Depew, Tom Dutton, Soroi Marepo Eoe, the late Anthony Forge, K.W. Galis, Rick Giddings, Anton Gideon, Ian Glover, Mclaren Hiari, Stalin Jawa, Charlotte Kamaya, Stuart Kirsch, Navu Kwapena, Nancy Lutkehaus, Roy Mackay, Herman Mandui, Wilma Marakan, Mary Mennis, James Menzies, Bill Mitchell, Douglas Newton, Andrew Pawley, William S. Peckover, Philippe Peltier, Harry Persaud, Simon Poraituk, Dan Potts, Jan Pouwer, Judith Robertson, Peter Sack, J.W. Schoorl, Dirk Smidt, Dorota Starzecka, James Urry, Gabor Vargyas, Michael P. Walters, Paul Wanga, Virginia-Lee Webb and Jack Zieck. For photo archive and other library assistance I wish to thank the staffs of the American Museum of Natural History; Australian Museum Library, Sydney; Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Leiden; the British Reading Room and Newspaper Library of the British Library, London; Ethnographical Museum, Budapest; Frobenius- Instituut, Frankfurt (Main); Fotobureau, Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen, Amsterdam; the Linden Museum, Stuttgart; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Mitchell Library, Sydney; Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm; Photo Archives, Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden; Wildlife Conservation Society, New York; the PNG National Museum Library; the PNG National Archives; the New Guinea Collection and Interloan Department of the Michael Somare Library of the University of Papua New Guinea, and the New Guinea Collection and Interloan Department of the PNG National Library. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission, but this has not been possible in all cases. Any omissions brought to our attention will be remedied in any future editions. The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research in New York provided funds to purchase copies of this publication for Papua New Guinea’s universities and public libraries. New edition Our increased understanding of New Guinea’s prehistory has required some revisions to the text. The rest of the publication remains as first published. Pamela Swadling 2019 7 PLUMES FROM PARADISE Figures 1. The Moluccas were originally the five small clove producing islands of Ternate, Tidore, Moti, Makian and Bacan 20 2. Southeast Asia 22 3. The subjected territories of the Sultans of Ternate, Bacan, Tidore and Jailolo in the early sixteenth century 24 4. A korakora. Raiding korakora were crewed by 100–300 men 27 5. A Moluccan korakora 29 6. Seram, Banda and Seram Laut Islands 31 7. Sketch of the first Dutch trading post in the Banda Islands which was on Neira Island 38 8. The distribution of bird of paradise species 50 9. Distribution of stone mortars and pestles and stemmed obsidian artefacts in New Guinea and nearby islands 52 10. There was a simultaneous introduction in archaeological terms of metal and glass beads from Southeast Asia as far as New Guinea just before 2,000 years ago 54 11. The schematic distribution of early bronze kettledrums (Heger type I) from the Asian mainland to New Guinea 55 12. Feathers dominate the attire of the warriors and crew of boats depicted on Dong Son bronze kettle drums 56 13. One of the three ceremonial bronze axes from Roti Island in eastern Indonesia with Dong Son motifs showing a human figure wearing a feather headdress 58 14. Most of the feathers depicted on bronze drums in eastern Indonesia have more stylised versions of feather headdresses than those on the oldest Heger type I drums found on the Asian mainland 61 15. The geographic areas used in Table 3 66 16. The natural distribution of birds of paradise which became known to Europeans from trade skins by 1700 68 17. The natural distribution of birds of paradise which became known to Europeans from trade skins between 1700 to 1851 69 18. Feather imports into the United Kingdom from 1872 until they were prohibited in 1921 90 19. Feather imports into the United States from 1872 until they were prohibited in 1913 90 8 PLUMES FROM PARADISE 20. In the period 1924–1974 there was a change in the main species of birds of paradise exchanged in Wahgi bridewealth payments 100 21. The respective areas of New Guinea designated under Tidore by the Dutch in 1761 and by the English in 1814 108 22. The Raja Empat Islands 110 23. The respective areas of New Guinea designated under Tidore by the 1828 and 1848 treaties between the Dutch and Tidore 117 24. This scene of Doreri Bay in 1827 shows two activities. In the background a man is trading bird of paradise skins with a Frenchman. In the foreground two men are forging metal tools whilst another operates the bellows 122 25. The Bird’s Head 124 26. Cendrawasih Bay 125 27. The Banda Islands, eastern Seram, the Seram Laut Islands and Onin 134 28.
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