"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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September 4, 1926 : Rouffaer River


Saturday
September 4
1926

The water dropped considerably during the night and we awoke to find ourselves high and dry. Just a few inches of water remained through the narrow passage we came thru last night to get to our bar. It was hard work to get the canoes out and all the Dyaks had to concentrate on one canoe and pull it over the mud to the stream several hundred yards away. We broke camp at seven but it was an hour before all the canoes were in the stream and we could depart. The low water enabled us to make good time. At nine we past [sic] a bivauc made by Hoffman and at ten thirty the first night[’]s camp of Posthumus and Matt on their trip up. So we are doing extremely well despite the fact we left three and a half hours later in the morning than they did when they left[;] we are only three hours behind them now. We stopped at noon opposite a Papuan house for lunch but they didn’t show themselves. Immediately after we had shoved off, however, and made a turn in the river[,] we ran into a large village (the largest we have seen) and hundreds of them shouted with all their vigor and savage ability. At the bend in the river we sighted a flock of ducks and Dick got out and shot one down. In the meantime the Papuans kept up a racket similar to that made when we surprised them on the unknown river. Only here there were many more of them and in plain sight. They jumped menacing[ly] up and down on the shore with their bows and arrows and as we came up they leaped into the dug out prows and came out to meet us. Most of them stood up in the canoes with their bows and arrows in readiness and the shouting and yelling from the shore by the hundreds of them there drowned out their own individual whops [sic] to a great extent. Three prows were loaded with these big {F3.68} husky brutes. They are the largest of the Papuans we have seen and they showed no signs of fear whatever. They were plainly excited and the situation looked ticklish as they advanced with their war cries ringing in our ears. The Dyaks poled along but kept their weather eyes peeled in their direction. They were coming straight out to meet us so the soldiers had their guns in readiness and Dick and I had out the forty fives in case they should take a notion to attack. It looked very much like that was what they were going to do. The shooting of the duck probably gave them the impression we were going to fight them also. We couldn’t tell but as they advanced we shouted saro and evidenced our intention of trading with them and they were all for it when they saw the knives and beads and cloth. We stopped a few minutes and traded. They were big brutes physically and not a bit afraid. We got bananas in addition to some good ornaments [–] all small stuff such as head dress, etc. for we are too heavily loaded to take on any more. We were in a swift current at the time and if [sic, = it] kept the Dyaks busy poling and paddling us along[,] so they would have been helpless in a fight at this point. This must be the same people that met Doc and Hans when they landed near Splitsings Camp in the plane. They acted just like he said that [sic, = they] did then. I have never seen so many Papuans before in one place and they are beyond any doubt better physical specimens than any we have seen. They were also somewhat cleaner than those below but that doesn’t mean much for those below certainly are dirty. Still[,] a little cleaner than the others is an improvement in the right direction. Their cry is saro also. They are iron hungry to the extreme. Matt and Leroux must have traded with them on the way up for it was hard to get anything without a knife. It was an interesting five minutes or more though before we knew their intentions or I suppose they knew ours. Dick remarked it would make a good cartoon using those famous {F3.69} words “Let[’]s go ashore now” in “Famous Last Words.” A little farther on we ran into another campung [sic] but not so many here. We stopped and traded here also for a few minutes. They were very excited but anxious to trade bananas for cloth[,] knives or what have you. We can see the foothills of the mountains and are getting into them now. This region is low and swampy and not a good place for a camp site. We were going to make Matt[’]s second night camp site tonight. We did. We soon came to river A and where the Rouffar [sic, = Rouffaer] enters into the mountain region. We poled along slowly for as we progressed the stream became very narrow and swift. Many rocks were all about us and it was a difficult task to propell [sic] the heavy laden canoes forward. It is easy to see that this is no place for an aeroplane to lane [sic] although Matt and Hans tried it even farther up where it must be worse. We arrived in camp just as it was getting dark but as the frame work was up all we needed to do was to cover it. The Dyaks have worked hard today to make this in the second day. Not [sic, = Now] we can make it in four days for it is only one day more now to lower Head Camp and a day from there to upper Head Camp. The water is always swift above and it is dangerous and impossible when it is high. We are pleased that it is low for it is swift enough now. I think I located the basin doorman spoke of just above the Splitsings camp [where] he was established. In the foothills the character of the vegetation changes and the birds become more numerous. It is pretty along here, and the mountain foothills in the distance are beautiful in the glaring red of the setting tropical sun.




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