The American Museum Journal 
Vou, VIII MARCH, 1908 No. 3 
THE BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO COLLECTION. 
HE Schréder Collection from the Bismarck Archipelago in the 
South Seas, the acquisition of which was announced in the Jan- 
uary JOURNAL, contains many objects which are becoming very 
searce, through intercourse of the natives with European and American 
traders. ‘The collection has already served as the basis of Professor 
Sehréder’s publications, but these are inaccessible to the general public, 
and our Members will be interested to learn something about the more 
noteworthy specimens and what they represent. 
The native inhabitants of the archipelago belong to the Papuan race 
and are cannibals. Cannibalism, however, like many other of the native 
customs is disappearing under the influence of the white men with whom 
the people have come into contact. Clothing is worn but little by the 
islanders; usually a band about the hips suffices, and even this is often 
dispensed with. Heavy ear-ornaments are in great vogue. Sometimes 
these are so large and weighty that they draw the lobe of the ear down 
to the shoulder. ‘The people have the custom too of piercing the septum 
of the nose to receive ornaments of bone and other substances. 
The Papuans are firm believers in departed spirits as active partici- 
pants in current events, and ghost, or “taboo,” houses are scattered 
through the islands. One of the houses is represented on page 38 from 
a photograph taken by Professor Schréder. The framework of the 
structure consists of posts and rafters of wooden or bamboo poles. ‘The 
roof and sides are thatched with grass, but one of the sides is only partly 
closed, so that the contents of the house are exposed to view. In sucha 
house are kept the “‘malagans” or idols. All these malagans represent 
various evil spirits or devils, and the propitiation of these constitutes 
the only native religion, if this may be called a religion, of these people. 
At stated times a ceremonial dance is performed about the ghost house 
in which women are seldom allowed to take part. Another mystic 
~I 
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