PAPUAN LIFE

Hokitika Guardian, 10 October 1931, Page 6

PAPUAN LIFE

STUDY OF ABORIGINALS. RESEARCH MISSION. NEW ZEALANDER AND WIFE. With the purpose of spending the next two years in anthropological research among the aboriginals of Papua, Dr, F. Fortune and Mrs Fortune (Dr. Margaret Mead), now of New York, left Wellington by the Ulimaroa for Sydney. Dr. Fortune will pursue his researches on behalf of the Columbia University Council lor Research in the Social Sciences, and Mrs Fortune on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History. Dr. Fortune is to investigate particularly the religious systems of education and family life generally. Dr. Fortune, who is a son of Air and Airs P. T. Fortune, Paraparaumu. attended Wellington College and graduated at Victoria College in arts in 1926. After a year at Cambridge be conducted anthropological researches under the auspices of the University of Sydney and the Australian National Research Council in 1927-29. In the latter year he was appointed to a University Fellowship at Columbia University (New York), where he completed his work for his Pli.D. Since June last year Dr. Fortune has been doing research work among the Omaha tribe of Indians in Nebraska for the Department of Anthropology of Columbia Uni. versitv. The result of that work was published by. the Columbia University Press in a volume entitled “Omaha Secret Societies.”

Native Black Magic. /

On his first year's work in New Guinea. in the Dolman tribe of Papua. Dr. Fortune worked particularly upon the native practices of black magic. His discoveries concerning native customs of sorcery have just been published in England under the title of “Sorcerers of Dobu.” On his evidence the Dolmans are a people of fear, and in their imaginations everything is fraught with nameless terror; such natural things as darkness, storms,' the possession of property, taking food from another’s hand, are all pregnant with danger. All is suspicion between man and man, and it is even worse between peopvb of opposite sexes. Actually every Dolman woman believes her husband to be a/sorcerer, and every married man believes his wife is a witch, said the doctor. Dr. Fortune lived many months with the Dubinins, spoke their language, was given a house site, the name of a dead man, and admitted to full membership of the tribe.

On his second visit to this strange part of the world, situated only a few days’ trip from Australia, Dr. Fortune studied the people of the Alarms tribe in the Admiralty Islands (part of the mandated territory of New Guinea). There, he found a most interesting tribe of primitive people p’ractising a completely spiritualistic religion. To that was allied a system of ethics, embodying a standard of morality most remarkable in such a simple, untutored people. Well-known Woman Doctor. Known to science in the United Stafc_ ea as Dr. Margaret Mead, All's Fortune has done valuable anthropological research work in Samoa in 1925-26, and she accompanied Dr. Fortune to the Admiralty Islands in 1928-29. At Samoa she studied the native adolescent girl, her investigations having been published under the* title “The Coming of Age in Samoa.” Her child studies in the Admiralty group were published two years ago, under the title. “Growing Up in New Guinea.”

“In New Guinea particularly there is distinct work for the man and the woman,” said Airs Fortune. “The natives of Papua are not as intelligent or as advanced as your Alaoris. In Papua every tribe is racially distinct; there is no inter-marriage between them, and .yet they live close together.” “There is work for tn e female anthropological investigator,” said Airs Fortune, “a.s there are always the strangest antagonisms between people of the opposite sexes. Afy husband could get nowhere with his investigations into home and family life, for the simple reason that he would not be admitted to a native home where there are women, but being a woman they would not object to mv presence, so we were able to investigate independently to our mutual benefit.” Rigid Puritanism.

Mrs Fortune referred to her experience of the Manus people in the Admiralty group. TJieir conception of social discipline was as loose as their standards of physical training were rigid. There the child was king. No one could gainsay him. Yet when those joyous spoiled children grew up they had to conform to a social code which recalled the most rigid Puritanism. They matured in an atmosphere of prudery and shame, which stifled and distorted their emotional life so that there was no preparation in the proper sense for the natural life they must lead.

Dawn was now breaking, and military and naval aeroplanes were on her track. Three naval pilots came up with her. After two had attacked without apparent success. Flight Sub-Lieutenant Pulling came up within 50ft. of the airship and fired two founds. He was h:m.;eif under fire from her machine-guns. At the second round his gun jammed, and he timid awey to clear the obstruction. Almost at once the L. 21 caught fire, and within a few seconds was, in the pilot’s word, “a fiery furnace.” The L. 21 fell into the sea about eight miles east of Lowestoft, and disappear'd, leaving only an oil patch to mark her passing.