Ivan Champion Describes New Lands

In Unmapped Papua

His Lake Kutubu May Become a Centre For Seaplanes

"PRESCRIBED by the Australian news papers as “one of the most fascina ting documents that ever came out of New Guinea,” the report of Mr. Ivan Champion on his recent expedition into unexplored northwest Papua was released in Canberra for publication early in April.

Mr. Champion, with Patrol-Officer C. T.

J. Adamson as second in command, and 12 native police and 30 prisoners from Port Moresby gaol as carriers, left Port Moresby on April 1, 1936 and, after being given up as lost (they were expected back in October), reported “all well” from the lower Parari River, in the Ki kori district, on December 29. They went from Port Moresby up the Fly and Strickland Rivers, and on May 3 they set off up the Wawoi River in canoes.

In the course of their patrol, they re cruited 65 carriers from the native popu lation.

They penetrated the unknown country lying southwest and west of the area ex plored by Hides and O’Malley in 1935, between the headwaters of the Bamu and Purari Rivers. After crossing the Leon ard MuVray Mountains, the Patu and Upper Kikori Rivers and finding Lake Kutubu, they went northwest, crossing part of the area penetrated by the Hides expedition (over Mount Giluwer and down the Kuikae valley) to the Purari River.

It is believed that Mr. Champion made the most accurate maps yet produced of this region of Papua. He carried a 3-valve short-wave receiver, with which time signals were obtained each evening from station NPG, San Francisco; and thus

longitude was determined with exacti tude.

The most outstanding achievements and adventures of the patrol were: 1. A more reliable and comprehensive estimate of the population, and of the character of the people. 2. Discovery and description of Lake Kutubu. 3. The crossing of a swift, deep river (called the Hegigio) in the limestone area, after efforts extending over 26 days. 4. The salvation of the party from being wiped out by disease, by the for tunate discovery of a fresh-food area.

Sickness Nearly Brings

Disaster

During May and early June the party moved slowly round the north-west slopes of a great mountain, likened to a giant octopus, with spurs like long arms, running for miles with terrible gullies between.

In July, sickness appeared— heri-'beri . the result of an insufficiency of fresh food. Progress became slower. By Aug ust, 25 per cent of the party were ill, and the position began to look very serious.

“If we do not find fresh food soon,” wrote Mr. Champion In August, “we are doomed. We cannot go forward and we cannot go back and take the sick men with us. There are not enough to carry them. The vegetable extract is getting low. Everyone has been issued with it weekly and the sick ones daily.”

A couple of days later, almost miracu lously, they came out upon a native (Continued on page 72)

garden of two acres, containing sweet potatoes and sugar-cane—the first they had seen. The inhabitants fled in terror out of the nearby village.

On August 17, the sick were fed on a decoction of boiled potato-leaves, with vegetable-extract, from among the stores carried; and this treatment, together with fresh food , soon restored the party to health.

Limestone Barrier

The party pushed on steadily during August and September, purchasing food from a very shy but not hostile popula tion; and then they encountered the notorious Limestone strip of terrible, broken country which runs roughly east and west, and which twice almost spelled the doom of the Hides

expedition.

“I knew we must meet it some time,” says Mr. Champion, “but now I felt a chill run down my spine.” The chill was justified. Within a short time (on Sep tember 11) the expedition was face to

K face with a river 80 yards wide, very deep, rushing along at 13 knots, with steep banks and great whirlpools.

When they reached the river, there was a very flimsy but possibly service able suspension bridge of vines. Next morning, they found that natives, in the night, had cut the bridge away. Then commenced a task which occupied nearly four weeks. First, Mr. Champion tried to swim across —but was hauled back from an impossible feat. They vainly tried, by utilising the current to get across on small tethered canoes. A native policeman, Ketue, tried to swim across, but his line broke and he was swept away to apparently certain death, but he got ashore by a miracle.

Attempt after attempt failed; stores were getting low; and the leader was in despair. That river had to be crossed — it was right in their path.

Finally, they built a canoe 30 feet long; the river began to fall; and they got across on October 7.

A Great New Inland Lake

Eleven days later, on October 18, they reached Lake Kutubu —never previously examined by Europeans, but seen from the air, during aerial reconnaissances, in 1936.

Mr. Champion found a very large, but generally friendly, population around this lake, and his description of the place and its people is intensely interesting. The climate is- good, and there is plenty of timber and garden land.

Mr. Champion says that he will never forget his first sight of this lake, which is some 12 miles long by two miles wide.

The view was breath-taking. The water is dark blue with shores of dark green.

A little later, the party was taken aboard the canoes of the natives, and slowly paddled towards a large, green island in the middle, taking soundings, and there was no bottom at 20 fathoms.

They landed in front of a long-house, where there were 50 men on the veran dah, which was decorated with hundreds of pigs’ jaws. Separated by a road 15 feet from the long-house was a row of 15 houses.

The women peeped out, wearing neck lets of cowrie shells, a string covering in front and a tapa cloth cloak over the shoulders. Standing away from the long house at each end were little houses like dove-cotes filled with skulls. The long house was 76 yards in length. On the side facing the women’s houses, it had windows, through which food probably was passed.

Mr. Champion showed the assembly of men some of the wonders of civilisation.

An electric torch impressed them. He poured out some methylated spirits and lighted it. The men looked thoughtful.

Certain of them, who had been demand ing an excessive price for their foodstuffs suddenly became more reasonable. A man. who could “make water burn” had better not be overcharged!

On October 22, the party was taken across the lake, to the northeast shore, in a fleet of 17 canoes, containing 90 men.

The expedition left the lake country on October 27, and moved off to the northeast, towards the region previously entered by Mr. Hides. They left the jungle, and entered a system of grass valleys, carrying a large population. In this country, they met men and women with “light brown” and “very light” skins, and “clear-cut features.” These, presumably, were of the type referred to by Mr. Hides as “light-skinned, good-looking people.”

There is, hereabouts, a very fascinating problem for anthropologists and ethnolegists.

Discussing this section of his exploration, Mr. Champion says: “There appears to be a general belief that the grass valley systems are rich agricultural areas, peopled by thousands upon thousands of natives. It is quite wrong. Looking down on any of the valleys from -a height, one gets the impression that there is a far larger population than actually exists. The manner in which these natives live in scattered houses surrounded by little gardens all tends to give this impression. I estimate the population at 25,000.

“The soil is poor, and the methods of agriculture are different from the ordinary Papuan, and approach the European style. Gardens are laid out in squares, and potatoes, the staple diet, are planted

in straight rows of raised circular beds to prevent erosion. The natives have had to cultivate every acre, so that the grass valleys are denuded of timber, except for the copses of casuarina trees planted by the natives. Even the little pockets of earth far up on the limestone ranges are cultivated, and I got the impression that hard work was necessary to get suffi cient food for their needs.

Question Of Control

“If the country is to be brought under Government control, I suggest that at the beginning Lake Kutubu would be the best position for the main camp. A sea plane can land on the lake, and it is impossible to maintain a camp except by aerial transport.

I saw no natural landing-grounds in the grass valleys, and only by a great deal of labour could any be made.

“Lake Kutubu has several advantages over the grasslands. It has a good clim ate, plenty of timber and garden ground.

The natives are friendly, so that a large police force is not necessary at the main camp, and should communication be cut off by air, there is a probable route to Kikori by way of the Mobi River.”

Mr. Champion’s relations with the nat ives even in the valley in which an at tack had been made on the Hides party, were uniformly good.

Throughout the expedition the terri tory traversed was prospected by Mr.

Adamson, but the only minerals of pos sible commercial value found were traces of coal and lignite, veins of which were found in gorges on the Upper Kikori River and between this river and Lake Kutubu, On one occasion about 20 natives came into the camp. They wore wigs of human hair brought low down at the sides. They had bachelors’ buttons mounted on pins of palmwood, which were worn in front of the wig with little yellow flowers like buttercups. Across the forehead was a band of snakeskin.

They also wore ear-rings and cowrie shell necklets. A netted sporran was worn from a cane girdle. A cassowary quill was thrust through the nose and they carried a cassowary bone dagger.

Opening Up New Country

Another patrol under Mr. Champion’s brother, Claude, has set off to confirm Ivan Champion’s belief that a trade route through the newly discovered area is practicable.

It will follow the Mobi, a tributary of the Kikori River, to Lake Kutubu. From there it will go to Tarifuro Valley.

It is unlikely that the new country will be opened up for development before the middle of next year.