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

Interpretive Essays

Browse Photos and Film

Expedition Source Material

About this Project

expedition source material

Journal of Stanley Hedberg
Select a Date:
Select a location/subject:
Current Date and Location/Subject:  

September 2, 1926 : Rouffaer River ; Motor Camp


Thursday
September 2nd
1926

Saw the snow mountains today for the first time since we came back from our trip. The view was the best we have ever had and we saw more snow than we had on the other few instances when it was clear enough to see the farthest ranges. The view lasted for ten minutes at seven this morning and then the mist set in and obscured all of the mountains for the entire day. At ten[,] fifteen or more of our Papuan friends came to come with quantities of sugar cane and bananas. [sic] Many new faces were in today[’]s group and both Dick and I thought that some of the new faces of today were familiar. It might be that some of them had been up the unknown river that [sic, = where] Matt, Leroux, Dick and I had such an interesting trip. They were not quite so shy although it was considerable time before they could be induced to come to the edge of camp in a group. Dick shot more movies and a great many stills. The water dropped again last night and is the lowest we have seen it in motor camp. Large sand bars are visible both up and down stream now. The Dyaks completed the bath float late in the afternoon and as I write everybody in camp is trying it out. The transport has not yet returned from Head Camp and we can’t help but wonder what is detaining them. They are now more than five days overdue. We were kidding Oompah last evening and asked him if he knew about Hell and Heaven. It came about when Dick told him to answer that the tea was as hot as hell. I then asked him to explain hell – if he knew where dead people went and he laughed and asked how dead people {F3.64} could go anywhere. He then answered they went into the ground. It is not quite as funny relating it in English as it was in the conversation we held in Malay. But he couldn’t understand that good people went to Heaven so he isn’t so dumb after all. The Papuans walked a long distance for we could see them on the sand bar. They must be living in the temporary houses above. We are going out to see if we can visit some of them tomorrow. It has been cloudy all day but no rain. The Papuans have not been decorated with mud since the first day’s visit. One was a perfect New York Jewish type. At five o’clock in the afternoon when we were trying out the new bath float[,] five canoes with 14 Dyaks returned from Head Camp. They brought good news from above. Matt wrote from the upper Head Camp that on the twenty ninth of August he and Leroux were leaving for exploratuers camp and the Pygmies and we were to leave immediately and come up to upper Head Camp. The usual day of rest for the Dyaks (due to their being used on the trail overland) has been eliminated and we have but a short time to pack. Dick wrote a note to Prince about sending the film back for he will not be able to go to Albatros Camp as he had planned with the film. He also instructed Prince to come up on the first transport with additional film for it looks like action from now on and we will need it. The boat on which the expidition [sic] will return has been ordered for December 15th[,] Matt wrote. So we leave early tomorrow morning. It is a four days trip. Hoffman who made the trip up on the last transport reported that the Papuans above prowled around the camp during the night stops this side of Head Camp in the moonlight. Matt wrote for us to keep our eyes open for it is in that vicinity that one has been killed and another severely wounded. We will have four soldiers who will stand guard during the night. Dick and I will have a prow each for our baggage. It is the first time that we have been so honored so we will be able to take all of our food with us this time. They {F3.65} are beginning to treat us better. It is too bad, however, that the food was not here when Matt left for he had to go without anything but the regular rice and deng deng, and has been existing on that ever since. It will be impossible to get much baggage inside because the land line is going to require a great many carriers. It is about a four or five days trip to the Pygmies from upper Head Camp. Anji Ipoei[,] who made the trip three or four days into the mountains with Matt and Leroux and Captain Posthumus[,] reports that they could see their villages and signs of many people about. It is good that Matt is along to get the first contact with these strange people who are isolated by the huge mountains from the even [more] primitive people of the Rouffauer and Manbramo [sic] river[s] who are still using stone axes. What we will find in there will without a doubt be the most interesting discovery made among peoples for some time to come for there isn’t [sic] many places left in the world where people are unknown to white man. {F3.66}




CreditsPermissionsMore Expeditions & Voyages