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

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Journal of Matthew Stirling
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August 16, 1926 : Head Camp (Lower & Upper) ; Rouffaer River


August 16

During the night the river again rose very high but the canoes were all hauled up safe. This morning the canoe transport left downstream for Motor Camp, leaving three canoes here in case the water drops enough to go to River "C". Van Leeuwen is still sick. I put in a busy day labelling and packing ethnological specimens. We have now collected more {p. 215} than 2000 specimens, representing what is probably the most primitive material culture existing anywhere. An interesting attempt is to be noted in a number of knives made from pieces of tin from the tin cans in the cache left by Hans and me from the plane.




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