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

Interpretive Essays

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Expedition Source Material

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expedition source material

Annotations to the Journal of Stanley Hedberg

Date of Note/View Entry Keyword(s) Note

May 29, 1926 ratan

Spelled rotan in Malay, it is one of a number of species of climbing palms with tough, pliable stems (such as Calamus) used in wickerwork, furniture, or, in this case, as a whip for punishment. Hedberg uses two spellings (both found in English dictionaries): “ratan” and “rattan.”

 

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