"By Aeroplane to Pygmyland" Accounts of the 1926 Smithsonian-Dutch Expedition to New Guinea

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Journal of Stanley Hedberg
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November 4, 1926 : Explorators Camp/Tombe Village


Thursday
Nov 4
1926

The transport arrived at eight thirty. Prince was not with them {F4.86} and anote [sic] from him said he had decided to remain at Head Camp because he feared complications might result in his coming up and he wasn't so strong for coming anyway. We will leave here the day after tomorrow. Leroux and Jordans will leave tomorrow for a trip to the top to join Saleh and when they return everyone will go down and E.C. will be deserted. It looks like the beginning of the end. It is another cloudy sunless day altho no rain as yet. Matt spent most of the morning sorting the ethnological collection which is already large in size, for the third time since we arrived. They were as much interested as the other new folks we had seen and all got the same thrills in practically the same manner. Just as darkness set in[,] four or five of our friends who had left to go to Goulaloo returned last night but so far this morning we have seen nothing of them. They are probably discussing their trades. One of the Dyaks has been sick for the last several days with the fever and is still confined to his bed. We learned from Jordans that the transport from M.C. to Head Camp is two days late despite the fact that the water is low. It may be that they are having more trouble with the natives at Splitingscamp. When the natives here learned we were leaving they informed us a pig was coming and they will kill it for us before we left. We shall see. They have been saying that all along so we put little stock in it now. Igoone will be rather pleased to see us go I believe for we have been hard on his potatoe [sic] gardens and also he has been host to more people than he ever has been before who come here to see what we look like. He has been very nice though through it all (Note kid has finger cut when mother dies, add to marriage dope) – Fifteen of the hard boiled natives from Agentuwa arrived with bows[,] arrows, net bags, stone axes and everything else to trade. They came strong enough this time and were extra large. They kept their bows and arrows in readiness while they traded. They had one woman with them {F4.87} who carried their bag of potatoes for food and most of the trade material. Igoone and his tribe did not like to see them but despite the fact that there was [a] strained feeling in the air everything was all right. They traded with Matt all afternoon. Many new folks were in the crowd. They tried to get us to go back with them but we refused. One tall fellow who looked like old Skin Flint and acted like him in many respects asked to see some shooting. He had heard of it evidently. Dick got out the twenty-two and shot at a tin on a tree. The fellow trembled all over and you could see his heart beating express speed under his hide. He was literally scared to death and when Dick shot again and he witnessed it again he trembled all over. The tin was brought up and his eyes opened in amazement when he saw the bullet holes through it. Shaking his head that he didn’t want to see any more of it. He had been rather hardboiled but was somewhat subdued thereafter. Matt measured the woman and the new men. When he got out a bolt of red cheese cloth they all went wild and offered everything they had left. They all kept from trading their bows and arrows in case they might need them, but even these were offered for a small bit of the red cheese cloth. They left at about four. They don’t dare stay so they run in, do their trading, and beat it again. Igoone doesn’t like them and they evidently don’t like Igoone’s tribe. Leroux and Jordans are leaving tomorrow. We leave the day after.




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