by Australian Anthropologist

Before It Is Too Late!

Plea for Museum Collections From Pacific by Australian Anthropologist

following is a condensation of an article published in the September, 1946, issue of “Oceania.”' It was written by F. D. McCarthy, anthropologist of the Australian Museum, Sydney, and in it he urges the establishment of a National Museum of Anthropology, in Can berra, where ethnological material from Melanesia and other parts of the Pacific may be preserved.

As Mr. McCarthy points out, if collections are not made soon, before these countries of the South Seas be come fully Europeanised their material cultures will be lost for ever.

ALTHOUGH the literature of Melan esia includes numerous studies of material cultures, the area is a field of research in ethnography and pre history yet to be exploited, The pre history of man in Melanesia, with its prehistoric stone artefacts, pottery and stone structures await the spade of the archaeologist.

There are six State museums in Aus tralia, and the Australian Museum in Sydney can be said to possess the most comprehensive Melanesian collection (in cluding the Sir William Macgregor col lection from Papua) although this, too, falls far short of what it should be.

Polynesia, however, and other lands bordering the Pacific, are so poorly repre sented by collections in Australia, that no Australian institution could set out a

display adequate enough to illustrate the ethnology of any of them.

One reason for the restricted scope of collections is, of course, that the institu tions in question have always had inad equate staffs, buildings and funds and naturally their chief work has been con fined to the Australian mainland.

Now, apart from the State museums in Australia, it appears to me that great possibilities lie in the establishment, in Canberra, of a Commonwealth or nation al museum of anthropology. It was hoped at one time that the building con structed to house the collection of the late Sir Colin Mackenzie, would become a national museum of this kind—it was indeed the hope of Sir Colin himself; but the name was changed to the Insti tute of Anatomy, and it is now being developed as a research centre for the Department of Health.

One of the functions of a national museum of anthropology in Canberra would be to obtain through official chan nels a fully representative collection of ethnographical specimens from the Pac ific islands—New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Northern Solomons, and many other smaller groups—administered by Australia. The policy of collecting by Administration officers ‘was followed to a certain degree by the Government of Papua, in which area Sir William Mac- Gregor set a splendid example that was followed by some of the subsequent ad ministrators. Unfortunately, however, the establishment of small museums in Port Moresby and in Rabaul, and the

lack of a national museum in Canberra with a policy for systematic collecting, produced the present unsatisfactory sit uation in which the Commonwealth Government possesses only the Papuan Official Collection from the whole of New Guinea. Furthermore, none of the State museums in Australia has been able to finance an organised plan for systematic collecting in these territories.

There might be quoted as a contrast the magnificent progress made in the an thropological survey of Polynesia, now almost completed, by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Hawaii (Buck, 1945), with a positive policy and equipped with adequate funds.

Systematic collecting embraces the most trivial and unimportant things as well as those of outstanding cultural, technical or artistic value and apart from the actual collecting of specimens there are many people residing or working in the Pacific territories in a position to record and have published data about the manufac ture, use, trade of material culture of their district. Missionaries, Government officials and others able to win the confi dence ‘of the native inhabitants come within this category and some of them have done admirable work in the past.

Systematic collecting in the Territories could also be carried out by the Austra lian National Research Council, rE principal requirements of museums in Australia from the Pacific Ter ritories of New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago and BSI are, firstly, reresen tative collections from specific areas from which there are few or no specimens at present. This group includes the peoples of the mountains in Papua, and those of a greater part of the Mandated Terri tory of New Guinea, the cultures of the greater nart of the Bismarck Archipelago

(Melangan carvings being an exception), and of island groups such as Viti, New Hanover, and many others, and the in land areas of the Solomon Islands. It .is realized, of course, that not much old material can be obtained in some of these areas, and that other areas are being rapidly spoilt by contact with white civilisation.

Secondly, there are the large carvings, comprising the painted and carved posts and boards in and on club-houses and Dubu-platforms, and on canoes, chief's and burial houses; coffins; canoe-prows and boards; headdresses and masks.

These things represent the finest and most sacred art of the Melanesian natives, and their addition to the col lections of the museums in Australia is essential for a proper understanding of the art and religion of Melanesia. There are, in addition, numerous sacred ob jects of smaller kinds that might be added to this list of requirements.

Thirdly, the State museums .possess no pottery from many of the large manu facturing centres in New Guinea and the Melanesian islands, while models of houses, canoes and large hunting and fishing traps although of great im portance are poorly represented in Aus tralian museums.

It is obvious that there is no time to lose in organising such a programme of collecting. Now that all fighting has ceased in the Melanisian islands, not many years will elapse before it will be impossible to obtain specimens worthy of museum exhibition, even in compara tively remote areas. Prior to the war, the activities of missionaries, mining in dustries and other commercial enterprises destroyed native culture in many locali ties, and of this process the Bulolo Valley is a good example; there is no fully representative collection from this valley

in any Australian museum and the oppor tunity has now gone for ever!

The war, too, has had a shattering ef fect upon native life, especially the arts and crafts, and a great many villages containing old and valuable carvings have been completely obliterated. Ameri can servicemen paid enormous prices for native curios and many fine pieces were sent to the United States as a result.

These aquisitions, and the war, have stimulated immense interest in the Paci fic islands both among American people and their museums. In fact, several wealthy American museums are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to send out fully equipped expeditions to comb these islands for specimens to display in pro posed South Sea galleries, and recent an nouncements in the press have intimated that already a number of these scien tific expeditions are being planned.

It is probably true, too, that no institu tion can now hope to obtain much Poly nesian material even by visiting the islands, though on some of the more re mote islets a certain amount can still be gathered.

It is indeed unfortunate that Polyne sia is so badly represented in Australian museums but this deficiency gives point to the great need existing here and now that we must not waste time, but collect in Melanesia before it is too late.

Freeman Keyte, of Ba, who won the Fiji Scholarship for 1945, passed in five subjects in his first year’s examinations at the University of Sydney. He will sit again for a sixth subpect in March.

Re the Estate of CHRISTOPHER JOHN BRENNAN late of SYDNEY form erly of Edie Creek, New Guinea, contrac tor deceased. Letters of Administration granted by the Supreme Court of New South Wales on the 25th day of Septem ber, 1944. Pursuant to the Wills Pro bate and Administration Act, 1898-1940; Testator’s Family Maintenance and Guardianship of Infants Act, 1916-1938; and Trustee Act, 1925-1942; the Public Trustee the administrator of the estate of the said CHRISTOPHER JOHN BRENNAN who died on the 16th day of May, 1942, hereby gives notice that cre ditors and others having any claim against or to the Estate of the said de ceased, are required to send particulars of their claims to the said PUBLIC TRUSTEE at 19 O’Connell Street, Syd ney, on or before the 2nd day of May, 1947, at the expiration of which time the said Public Trustee will distribute the assets of the said deceased to the persons entitled having regard only to the claims of which he then has notice.

M. C. Nott

Public Trustee.