The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-04-14
The Study of Papuan Daily Life by a
Russian Traveller.

NichoIaevitch misunderstanding, a Russian
savant and traveller, who, for twelve years,
has lived among the savages of Australasia,
recently returned to Russia, and in his lee
lures before the Imperial Geographical So
ciety of this city has related his Observa-
lions on the Papuan negroes. Mr.. Macklay
Is an enthusiastic naturalist and intrepid
traveller. He distrusted the
books on the Papuans, written by learned
anthropolOgists of Europe who have never
left their Libraries, and determined to see
them for himself, and TO visit places where
no white man had ever trod. His attention
was particularly directed TO the Island of
Pupua, or New Guinea, and some other al
most unknown lands. In 1870, after having
explained TO the Geographical Society the
programme of his future study, Mr.. AIaklay
started on his explorations, and now, after
twelve years, he has appeared before the
same society to relate his extraordinary eX-
p%erience.
After being left alone by the Russian
slOop-of-waT VitiaZ, on the northeastern
coast of Papua, Mr.. Maklay selected for his
abode a small headland about a mile from
two Papuan villages, and there built a hut
of some seven square feet. From the very
beginning he was surrounded by many al
most unsurmountable difficulties. He did
not know Il word of the Papuan tongue,
and there were no Interpreters and no die
tiOnary of the language. The natives were
suspicious, and at first unfriendly. He had
to take great pains To secure his daily bread,
and he suffered from q severe Intermittent
fever and erysipelas, the last-named disease
being epidemic there. Under these trying
circumstance Mr.. Maklay seems to nave
displayed perseverance, patience and discre-
ton which do him great credit.
At the first al pearance of the traveller in
one of the neighboring villages, the women
and children hid in the bushes, while the
men seized their arms, surrounded the in
truder and threatened to kill him. Mr..
Maklay tried to explain to them by signs
that he intended no harm, and then quietly
affnAH SI1ala NIGIfG ln N fnH CnXrDr
times with the same results. The Papuans
pointed to the sea, meaning that the in
truder must go beyond the sea whence he
came. In order to better impress upon him
their desire to get rid of him they OCCASION
ally shot arrows at him, which, however,
were not Intended to kill, but only to
frighten him, for he suffered only some
slight scratches. AS his visits disturbed the
Papuans and caused alarm among their
women and children, Mr.. Maklay thought
it would he best to warn them of his APP
prOach, and so, after his first few visits, he
gave a sharp whistle before entering the
village. Though the women and children
disappeared, as usual, yet the men looked
calm, and did not seize their bows and
lances. Thereafter Mr.. Maklay made it a
rule not to enter the village without a
warming. This seems to have pleased the
natives, for afterward the inhabitants of
the two neighboring villages, HOrendu and
Humbu, ceased to shun his company, thus
giving him the wished for opportunity to
| SluQN lliGlbJ liz WIVES anu bLNlA ldbS ~
"My utter helplessness seemed to be my
safeguard" said Mr.. Maklay. "The Papu-
ans knew they could kill me at any time
they liked, and therefore they did not kill
me-"
On having been guaranteed freedom OF
movement among the Papuan settlements,
Mr.. Maklay set himself in earnest at his
chief work, the study of the Papuan race.
On the northeastern coast of Papua, which
he called the Maklay coast, he lived during
1901 81 O-D 81 1O-R -~l 1O--
When he left them in 1872 the Papuans eX-
pressed great sorrow, and in 1876 they joy
fully greeted him on his return. He OBJ
tanned great influence over the natives, and
was able to prevent bloodshed, and his will
was fulfilled, at least while he stayed
among them. He obtained a rich collection
of arms, utensils, dresses, skulls, and so on,
and made a large number of drawings, pOr-
traits, and sketches illustrating the types of
the natives, their habitatiOns and customs.
He found the PapuanS to be on the lowest
stage of civilization. They did not know
the use of any metal, all their arms and i'm
plea. ents being made of wood, stone and
bone. They did not know how to obtain
fire, but they had preserved it from time
immemorial. Those whose fire is eXtin-
guished get it renewed by their ~neighbors,
or even go to ~neighbOring villages for fire.
The Russian naturalist taughtthem the use
of iron and the means of getting fire, and
also gave them many other practical ideas
from his experience in a civilized land.
MY Gapudn lGlelltlS, lie 6AcIalmeu,
"even now are no longer in the primitive
state in which l ound them. My presence
alone pushed them centuries ahead. But it
was my good fortune to know them in the
virgin state of barbarism.'
The Papuans leave their dead in their
huts. The body of the deceased person is
placed in a sitting posture, and surrounded
with palm leaves in the shape of Il basket.
The nearest relative - wife, mother, or
daughters-keeps up the fire near the body
for two or three weeks, till it is quite dried.
The bodies of infants are hung i'm a basket
under the roofs of the huts. The huls. with
the dead. are then deserted. In case the
dead leave no near relatives, they are buried
in the ground.
The natives of tn. Maklay coast present a
pure and unmiXed type which cannot be
found anywhere else even in the other parts
of Papua.
In 1873 the Russian naturalist visited the
coast of Papua. He said he
selected that place because he heard 1T was
inhabited by the most ferocious of the Pa
puans. This time he took along with him
sixteen Malays, among whom were two
Christians, 81 cook, and a hunter. They
settled on a little island near the coast. In
order to better observe the natives, Mr..
/ Maklay, with six men, went into the inte-
riOr of Papua, leaving ten men TO guard his
camp. On the mountains he discovered a
/ curious lake, out of which near the shore,
the tops of trees projected. He was told
that the lake is subject TO a sudden rise and
fall of its waters. Maklay explains this
phenomenon by the extraordinary showers
which occur there periodically.
While Mr.. Maklay was away, his house
was robbed and four women, two children
and an old man of his party were killed.
| The rest of his men escaped in their boat.
/ Maklay learned that the mountain Papu-
ans, over 200 in number, painted black and
Ornamented with the feathers of birds of
paradise, had attacked his little party and
/ poisoned the wells. The Malays demanded
to he allowed to return home, and it was
with great difficulty that he induced them
to stay. They moved to another little
island, where the naturalist studied the
birds and beasts of Papua. Among the ami
mails he discovered a kind of kangaroo that
cannot jump, but that climbs trees. Mr..
Maklay, desiring to punish the leader of
the robbers, pursue them to their canoes.
When his party came in sight of the Papu-
ans, Maklay went ahead, accompanied by
! one of his men, i'm q light boat. The Papu-