Sunday
October 24
1926

The newcomers were over early to the village and we saw several more who did not appear on the scene last night. There were about a dozen or more and one woman[;] they acted like the other fellows over all of the new stuff and the old timers were anxious for us to show them all of our stuff. Our star actor was proud of the fact that all of this [sic] people were his people and from his village. He told us proudly that he had sent for them to come and see the wonders we perform. Matt measured all of them this morning. There were several interesting types among them. Also they were rather small[,] one of them especially. We shot movies of them towards noon. The first scene showed two of them cracking and opening a large yellow fruit like [a] tangerine in appearance but hard as stone. They cracked it open with a large piece of tree and took out two nuts which they proceeded to eat. Next came a scene showing two of them illustrating the use of everything they carry in their net bags[:] tobacco, beads, ornaments and everything. It was splendid action and they got the idea of what we wanted and when they ran out of doing the things we had told them to do they traded bags and stone knives, etc. all on their own initiative. One of them was especially good and the other was our star which we have used before and who has proven to be smarter than the rest. The new {F4.56} chap though was even better than he. It should be a corker. Dick shot two hundred feet without stopping and there wasn’t a dull moment in it. He also got seventy five feet on another role [sic]. The pictures of last night (one film pack[,] we are out of developer) were all good. The Pygmies from the villarge [sic] of Goolalew (Ocabu is the river) are clean[,] healthy looking folks. One had a sliver in this eye and wanted it fixed up while another had a stone bruise which he exhibited for treatment. They have the idea that we can cure all ills, and seem immensely proud when we wrap up a finger or dab some iodine on a cut or a scratch. They wear the bandage as long as possible and then show up with it as a decoration around the head or arm. Our star actor found a piece of tin from one of the film boxes[,] a long narrow strip[,] and made himself a penis holding strap from it which he is very proud of although from a practical standpoint his woven bark string decorated with orchid yellow is much more attractive and does not cut into the skin as the tin strap shows plainly it does. The decorations and the general appearance of these new people is similar to those of Tombe and they seem to be very friendly with them. When they arrived in the village last night the folks of Tombe set up a big howl of Whoo up Whoo up Whoo Whoo Whoo and it wasn’t until they came over a short time afterwards that we knew what it was all about. Two Dyaks from Van Leeuwen’s transport returned shortly before noon and brought a note from Van Leeuwen in which he said that he had a glimpse of the snow mountains through the trees but that it wasn’t much and said that he didn’t think it would be worth while for Dick to go up and shot [sic] movies of it. He also said it wasn’t scientific work and Leroux could get stills which would cover the typographical [sic, = topographical] end of it. He also said that if Stirling would take the responsibility of the trip[,] he (Dick) could make it, but he thought it would be more scientific for Matt to take a trip {F4.57} across the river. That is impossible in many ways for one man and the length of time it would take to reach a village is uncertain for no one has been over in that direction. Leroux was the one who suggested Dick follow, but the army doesn’t want Dick and Leroux to be on a trip together and that’s that. It is their old game of using us against one another in their well known squabble [of] army vs. science which has been the cause of most of the trouble. If they would agree among themselves there wouldn’t be any unpleasantness for us and I’m sure we could get along with both of them without taking any side in their small petty fights. After lunch the new arrivals traded fast and vigorously, they had a good quantity of interesting material and our collection is now almost as large as the one we sent down. As I write[,] Matt sits and hands out beads and cowries for pipes, head ornaments, net bags, arm bracelets, stone knives, axes and what not. They are nice to trade with and not a bit obnoxious in their demands. Theydo [sic] not go off to one corner and scheme up things like our friends at Agentuwa did but make a straight business like deal of it. If they are not satisfied with what is offered they say no and if Matt gives them their point they do not take advantage of it later. What to do about the trip to take pictures of the snow mountains is undecided. It would be a good picture to have but not good enough to give them something to use as critisism [sic] against us in Java. We will see what the dope is when they get back[.] The pygmies spent the entire afternoon with us visiting the camp and getting a thrill out of everything. It is peculiar the little insignificant things that appeal to them. For instance I was going through my personal tin and they all gathered around to see what was inside of it. One spied my large red covered note book and asked to see it. I took it out and ran my thumb through the pages. They all jumped with surprise and when I turned it over for inspection they fingered it and admired the red cover and fingered the clean white {F4.58} pages[,] shaking their heads in amazement. Of course they played a tune on their penis cases. A great discussion took place. What it was all about of course was impossible to tell. I tore one of the sheets out (they are perforated) and then put it back in the book again[,] all of which gave them as much surprise as shooting a gun or watching the typewriter in operation. The tooth brush and tooth paste and cardboard containers were all admired in turn and the comb and bruch [sic] brought many offers of headdress net bags, stone knives and even their shell ornaments which they value highly. It rained during the late afternoon and they all gathered under our shelter. Matt was kept busy trading. The collection is growing. Two or three more brought small sticks all wrapped in a bundle and cut to the size of the matches with the request that we manufacture some more matches for them. Matt is the official match maker and to discourage the practice he informed them that they would have to wait over night for them to be made. We were also critical about the size and length of those offered the day before so they were made perfect today. It must take them an entire day of hard labor to fashion a small bundle with their stone knives. The stone implements they have, however, are very efficient. Igoone was among the missing most of the day[;] he was busy working down in the garden clearing trees so that more light came in on his potatoe [sic] patch. He is the only Papuan male we have seen do any manual labor of any kind. He used the large parange [sic] that Matt traded him when the expedition first arrived, perhaps it is because he likes to use it that he consents to work as he has been doing the last few days. He appeared late in the afternoon all decked out in a soldier[’]s straw hat and was proud as a peacock under the brim. He looked extremely amusing. The rest looked at him with envious eyes. The visitors had not seen a demonstration of rifle shooting and they requested Dick to show them how it worked. Dick put a small tin up on a stump a hundred and fifty feet away and knocked it down[;] they howled with enthusiasm and ran {F4.59} around camp howling their whoo up whoo up. After he had shot several times they had had enough and asked that he stop. They always do for some reason or other pointing at their heads. The first three times or so are all right and they get a kick out of it but after that they don’t seem to enjoy it. Perhaps it is too realistic. The holes the bullets make in the tins are examined and passed around with great talking back and forth. The Lieut. fired his carbine and the extra amount of noise over the twenty twos set them running around and yelling once more. While we were eating dinner the women folks, children and all of the men came and sat around watching us eat. They had something to trade and Matt was trading all during the meal. Even the pigs were visiting in camp in full force. The Pygmies are quick to see when the pigs get bothersome and chase them away with sticks and when that hasn’t the desired effect they put the children on their trail. One small porker was so persistent that a child had to carry him back to the village. He was soon back again. Igoone and the women folks brought some potatoes with them and we were pleased to get them after being without for several meals. In the group of new visitors are two old chaps[;] old men are not numerous in the tribes here or in the lake plain. It is impossible to learn how they dispose of their dead. They do not like to talk about that. There are no signs of graves and in only one instance at Agentuawa did we see a skull. It was stuck up on a stick outside of a Pygmy house evidently to bleach white in the sun. We got several good pictures of it. Dick developed a few test strips of the movies we took today and they turned out splendid. We have no developer, however, for the stills we took and don’t know how they will stand up until we get back. Have three or four packs undeveloped.