A review of the ethnological investigations in the Dutch Indian archipelago / by J.C. van Eerde.

  • Johan van Eerde
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: A review of the ethnological investigations in the Dutch Indian archipelago / by J.C. van Eerde. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Mr. VAX Missel was appointed temporary official for the study of Indian languages spoken on the coast of Dutch New Guinea and for the collection of ethnographical data in that region; he explored the Onim peninsula in 1904. In 1902 a government post was established at Merauke in Southern New Guinea and a military garrison was stationed there but was again removed in 1905. These troops did considerable exploration work in the intervening years, although the policy of abstention, which was still followed, caused exploration to be regarded as a subsidiary matter. With the appearance of Assistant Nesident IIellavig (20 Jan. 1906) a period began, however, in which larger expeditions were made. In accordance with the proposals of the Government Commissioner CoLiJx it was decided in 1907 to explore New Guinea systematically. The chief aim of this exploration was to obtain a good survey map of the Dutch territory. This however did not prevent our knowledge of the popu¬ lation being considerable increased during the systematic work, as is evident from the Verslag van de Militaire exploratie van Nederlandsch Nieinv Guinea 1907 — 15”, which appeared in 1920. A portion of the collected material was published at an earlier date in the.daily press, in books and in periodicals. Thus there appeared regularly in the ‘'Tijdschr. K.N. Aardr. Genootsch.” excerpts from the reports of the leaders of the exploring detachments, and these excerpts also contain numerous details concerning the population. Moreover, various military officers and civil officials wrote papers on special ethnographical su])jects (Gooszen, Gjelleeue, Heldring, Snell, Mangeler, Doorman.) Without underrating the great merits of the scientific expeditions, sent to New Guinea in the last twenty years, we may neverthelesb- say that it was military exploration, which in the end opened up the interior of this extensive island and made known the remarkable tribes wdiich live there. After the first military exploration detachment had arrived at Merauke on 11^’^ July 1907, the survey work in Southern New Guinea was con¬ tinued uninterruptedly under the orders of Gooszen, Weber, Schaeffer., le Cocq d’Armandville, Weijerman and Opperman. Western New Guinea was explored in preliminary fashion by the detachment stationed there in 1906 for the maintenance of authority. In 1910 this detachment was organised for survey purposes in the same way as the one in Southern New Guinea (Koch and Helb). After Northern New Guinea had been reconnoitred in 1909, a detachment was stationed there under Captain Sachse. His successors ten Klooster and Schulz continued the exploration until 1913, when the participants were transferred to the detachment in the Mamberamo territory, whither was sent the so-called Mamljeramo Expedition (Nov. 1909 to April 1910) under the command of Captain Eranssen Herderschee.