Like People You See in a Dream: First Contact in Six Papuan SocietiesThis book is at once a detailed ethnographic and historical analysis of one of the final modern-day experiences of first-culture contact, a classic example of historical geography, and an extraordinary tale of exploration, imperialist arrogance, blood-shed, suffering, courage, and near disaster. By the 1930's, the interior of the island of New Guinea, protected from outside penetration over the centuries by its rugged mountains and unruly rivers, remained one of the few places outsiders had never seen. In early January of 1935, the Papuan colonial administration dispatched patrol officers including 40 Papuan carriers and police, to explore the vast unknown country between the Strickland and Purari rivers. The expedition moved inland along the river systems by steam launch and canoe until, in mid-February, they abandoned their boats and proceeded on foot through the tropical forest and into the mountains. Along the way, the party encountered hitherto unsuspected populations - peoples of six tribes, numbering in the tens of thousands - who had never before seen white men and who were still using Stone Age tools. |
Contents
Colonial Papua and the Tradition of Exploration | 13 |
MAPS | 15 |
Starting Out | 44 |
The Great Papuan Plateau | 58 |
Etoro and Onabasulu people Caught in a dangerous situation Hides makes | 83 |
Across the Limestone Barrier to the Tari Furoro Area April | 90 |
To the Waga Furari April 29May 4 | 123 |
The Back Door to the Purari | 125 |
Across the Nembi Plateau | 168 |
Across the Nembi Plateau to the Erave River Valley May | 170 |
Through Kewa Country | 198 |
In the Land of the Kewa May 23June 4 | 200 |
Return to Kikori | 225 |
Over Mt Murray and Through the lehi Gorge to Kikori | 228 |
Major Exploratory Patrols of 193539 | 258 |
THE ORIGINS OF THE STORY OF WALALI | 295 |
Other editions - View all
Like People You See in a Dream: First Contact in Six Papuan Societies Edward L. Schieffelin,Robert Crittenden No preview available - 1991 |
Common terms and phrases
administration Agoti armed arrows attack Australian axes Bosavi bows camp carried carriers ceremonial ground Champion clans colonial Crittenden dama Dekadua encountered Erave Etoro expedition exploration fear fighting fired forest Fox brothers friendly gardens headwaters Hides and O'Malley Hides's Hubert Murray Huli Ivan Champion Jack Hides Kewa Kikori killed Koyamapu Lake Kutubu land later living longhouse lowland Mandated Territory Mendi Merut moved natives Nembi Plateau Onabasulu Papua Annual Report Papua New Guinea Papuan Plateau Papuan Service patrol officers Patrol Report pearlshell Pembi Photo pigs police population Port Moresby Purari Puya region ritual River Samberigi Samberigi Valley Semin-al Sezinda shoot shot situation social Southern Highlands spirits Staniforth Smith steel story Strickland Strickland River Strickland-Purari patrol sweet potato Tagari Tari Basin Telenge thought told track trade routes village Waga Valley Walali warriors Wola Wola and Nembi yodeling