EARLY START TO VISIT BUSH KANAKAS--A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY--
GOVERNOR’S CLASSIFICATION OF ARCHIPELAGO PEOPLES--DENSE
BUSH--NATIVE VILLAGES--METHOD OF CATCHING FLYING FOXES
One fine morning having breakfasted I stood on my verandah listening
for the sound of wheels. Punctually at 5.45 his Excellency appeared
in a little, low, pony carriage belonging to his wife. Light gigs are
generally used, but as Dr Hahl kindly considered my comfort, for the
drive was long and the way uphill, he had given the preference to
this vehicle.
Our destination was the police and telephone station of Thomá, over
1000 feet above sea-level, situated twelve miles inland, at the
extreme limit of German settled territory inland. Energetic, alert,
and emphatic, the Governor talked as he strode along beside the
horse where the road was rough and steep.
Ascending in a south-westerly direction, “far from gay cities and
the ways of men,” for the most part between the plantations of the
New Guinea Company and those of the firm of Forsyth, occasionally
passing a manager’s house, a beautiful view of Blanche Bay, with the
volcano opposite, flanked on the east by the majestic contour of the
mountains of New Ireland, was afforded us. On its gleaming waters,
shallow over the reefs but of great depth where the passage for the
mail steamers is indicated, a small steam launch belonging to one of
the firms was busily hurrying to Matupi; nearer to the shore, like
tiny dots on the surface, natives in their canoes were fishing. A
small steamer lay off the landing-sheds of the Catholic Mission;
probably it had brought a load of timber from the station of St Paul
in the Baining country, the Governor thought, then referring to the
able and successful Bishop Coppée, he declared that as statesman,
as settler, and as missionary, the prelate’s gifts were of the
first order. Their politics, naturally antagonistic, had at times
brought them into collision with each other, but that in no way had
prejudiced him against the ecclesiastic, who was in duty bound to
work for the extension of his Church.
When we were not very far distant from Thomá, a settler’s house
was pointed out as the scene of a terrible tragedy, in 1902, when
the inhabitants of those native settlements we were about to visit
had been severely punished. I had heard of this in the hotel, and
indeed had met the husband at dinner one night whose wife and child
had been murdered. It appeared that Frau Wolf with her little boy
and Miss Parkinson, who was staying with them, was holding a market
upon the verandah in the front of her house, when a body of natives
entering unseen from the back, passed through the central living room
and brained the poor lady to death, also killing the boy. The other
lady was hidden in an outhouse by a friendly native, from which she
eventually, by crawling through the bush, reached Herbertshöhe.
The reason for this outrage seemed to be that the lady’s husband
had disturbed for agricultural purposes, some old burying-grounds
belonging to their _gunans_.
His Excellency went on to explain that although the natives were
treacherous and cruel and only understood fighting as ambushing their
foe, yet he had found them uniformly loyal to blood relationships.
He proceeded to discuss the Archipelago races from an ethnographical
point of view, so far as he had as yet made their acquaintance in his
frequent expeditions. The following is an outline of their racial
affinities.
In New Britain the coast natives of the Gazelle Peninsula, the
inhabitants of the Duke of York Islands, and the coastals of the
south of New Ireland possess affinities in language, customs, and
physique, although they speak in many dialects. This demarcation
includes the islanders from Massava on the north to Löndup on the
east coast with those living on the islands of Massikunabuka,
Massava, Urar, Watom, and Matupi, and stretches inland as far as the
Varczin. In New Ireland it includes all living on the coasts south of
Gardner Island, taking in St John’s, Caens Island and Gerrit Denys.
The Taulils living south-west of the Varczin, though few in number,
are to be regarded as a complete race. They resemble their neighbours
in the Gazelle Peninsula, but have a different grammatical language.
The Bainings living in the mountains to the west of the peninsula
differ in appearance, customs, and speech, from any people living in
the Archipelago.
The Sulkas living round Cape Orford are apparently a distinct race
in language, customs, and appearance. These people by artificially
binding the temples in infancy, cause the region of the occiput
to protrude, and the peculiarity has earned for them the name of
“Spitzköpfe.” Its apparent isolation is curious. New Hanoverians
and the natives living north of New Ireland, including Sandwich,
Fischer, and Gardner Islands, differ from the first people
described--less in appearance than in customs and speech--but
notwithstanding the various dialects are nearly related to each other.
Buka and Bougainville are inhabited by almost black Solomon
islanders, different in speech and appearance to the others.
The Carteret and Sir Charles Hardy Groups are the meeting-places of
the lighter-coloured New Irelanders with the dark Buka.
The Admiralty islanders are different to any others in appearance and
language. The Papuan frizzy hair is to be seen here as well as the
Polynesian curl.
The natives of St Matthias, Storm and Hunter Islands, resemble those
of New Hanover.
The fast-disappearing inhabitants of the Hermits, the Anchorites and
the Exchequer Islands, show very mixed traits; whilst those of Matty
and Douro point to Malay or Mongol origin.
Having arrived at Thomá, we left the carriage and ascending a hill
obtained a splendid view of the district and of the mountains to
the west. Then our way led along a wide road which eventually would
join Thomá to Simpsonhafen. Here we met several natives, who seemed
to have plenty to say to the Governor concerning the making of this
road, which is the condition upon which they hold their reservations.
Compared with the tigerish aspect of the Admiralty natives, these
bush kanakas looked almost imbecile. As bush natives they are
different from the coastals. The chief was pointed out. His scanty
goat-like beard and general bearing were by no means impressive.
When Dr Hahl explained that we were going to visit their villages,
several immediately offered to escort us. Soon we plunged into bush
shoulder-high, and followed our guides on a well-beaten but very
narrow, tortuous track. I do not recollect how long we were before
we came, walking always in single file (_gänsemarseh_) to a clearing
where bananas and cocoanut-palms, with taro, were cultivated; but
in that heat, for it was nearly ten o’clock, it seemed a very long
distance. A circuitous path then led to the entrance of the palisaded
hillock, chosen by this family group doubtless for its possibilities
of defence. A thick fence, made of closely-staked, split, bamboo
poles, from five to six feet high, securely fastened to each other
by ratang grass, enclosed a space not exceeding half an acre. Here
some seven or eight low, oval-shaped huts, thatched with dried palm
and banana leaves, clustered at the extreme opposite to the entrance.
My surprise was great at the cleanliness of the ground, which was
indeed swept and garnished, not in anticipation of our visit, but
on account of the ingrained fear which these people have of magic;
for if an enemy possessed himself of some _débris_, like crushed
cocoanut, or of personal matter, such as hair, nails, he would, by
his incantations, weave a spell against the possessor, who probably
would die in consequence. I learnt that everything was collected most
carefully and safely buried. On my inquiry as to where were their
women, they replied that they were away at market, but they pointed
out a girl, who was sick, lying on a mat of woven palm inside a hut.
We were invited to enter a dwelling about twelve feet long and five
or six broad. It was necessary to stoop to get inside, nor could one
stand upright when there. Excepting for native mats on the ground,
the place was bare! No pottery! No household utensils! A compartment
at the further end served as sleeping accommodation for the unmarried
daughter. Water was brought us to drink from a hollow bamboo cane.
In one hut I espied the embers still hot where a fire for cooking
purposes had been kindled on the floor. We sat upon the curved trunk
of a palm-tree and assuaged our thirst with the contents of the
chief’s cocoanuts. The latter showed us the proper way to enjoy this
beverage, pouring the liquid down his throat without swallowing it.
We tried to imitate him, but failed ignominiously. Not far from where
we sat the chief’s hut was situated, and immediately in front of it,
on a spot of recently turned soil, three crotons were planted, the
centre was allowed to grow much higher than its neighbours. The three
were laced together by twigs. At the roots some cocoanuts which had
dropped from the trees were stacked. This betokened that they were
_tabu_ or sacred to the chief. I saw in several other places in the
settlement this curious sign, denoting that property thus placed was
not for the common herd. After a short time we were then conducted
to another fenced enclosure, always through bush. Here there was but
one long hut, which belonged to the unmarried men of the village, who
were away also.
[Illustration: AN ATTRACTIVE BACHELOR]
We were again invited by our guides to enter, which we did, but it
was impossible to stand upright. Suddenly I started, for a black
object suspended from the roof hit my nose. The Governor laughed, cut
it down and, with the native’s consent, presented it to me. It was
not an inviting object, on nearer inspection being nothing less than
a dried bat! It was explained that the bachelors preserved them to
present to their prospective brides. Since returning to Europe it
was interesting to read in a publication issued by an Australasian
scientific society, in a paper describing the folk-lore of the
aboriginals of New South Wales, the following statement: “Over a
very wide area of the Australian continent, the bat is held in great
reverence.” The writer then went on to say: “In most tribes with
which I am acquainted, the _bat_ is considered sacred to man, and
figures frequently in their legendary lore.” Gazing around, I noted
that the men who had brought us here were deep in conversation with
each other, and from their glances I guessed they were remarking upon
my personal appearance. I asked Dr Hahl what they were saying about
me. He was much amused as he listened to them, and it was evident
they were interrogating him as to my presence in their midst. Then he
smilingly explained that I had made a great impression upon them, and
that they had asked if I were not a queen, or a very important person
in my own country.
“I suppose the reason is that you are piloting me round?” was my
questioning remark.
“Not at all,” replied he, “it is because they have never seen a woman
as big as yourself!”
I asked him then to find out if these bush kanakas venerated any
special animal. He talked a little with them and then said: “They
hold no totem in respect. They say they are not like the coast
people, who come of pigeons or of fish, they came from the hills, and
can take wives where they choose.”
A long walk to a distant settlement led again through dense bush, but
at one place there were some very tall trees. Here we saw a snare
set to catch flying foxes, always considered by the natives as a
delicacy. A tree was selected for its great height, a long bamboo
pole was fixed, slanting outwards to the trunk as near the top as
possible. From the end of this a string with an ingenious contrivance
of meshes was fixed, the other end being fastened to a stake driven
firmly into the ground. When the fox alighted upon the bamboo, it
was suddenly enmeshed in the string.
In the next village we watched natives catch a chicken. One man
squatted on the ground with one end of his twine in his hand, the
other being fastened to a stake about ten paces away. The string
between, lay loosely on the ground in an oblong loop held in place by
tiny twigs stuck in the sandy earth. Another native scattered scraped
cocoanut around and called to the chicken.
When the latter began to peck within the loop thus made, the string
was drawn instantaneously and the fowl was thus caught by the leg by
the man squatting some paces off on the ground.
On our return to Thomá, the natives led us by what we were given to
understand was to be a short cut, but it proved to be a very long
and fatiguing walk. One struggled up steep cliffs to descend them by
clinging on to shrubs and trees.
The Governor accelerated the pace, which was fairly smart before;
the heat was tremendous, for it was approaching noon.
He explained when at last we had Thomá in sight, that he had
foolishly left his revolver at home!