624 



that there was formerly a trade route (never perhaps of great 

 importance) from Mullins Harbour to the head of Milne Bay, 

 and thence to the north coast in the neighbourhood of 

 Taupota." (59) And again: "Mailu canoes journey eastwards, 

 trading with a number of islands on the Massim." ^^o) 



The data collected by Prof. Seligman enable us to connect 

 the Mailu trading routes with those of the Massim. The 

 last quoted explicit statements bear directly upon our problems, 

 and, in fact, they indicate the two main approaches of the 

 Western Papuo-Melanesian world to the Massim culture area — 

 Mullins Harbour and the coast between Bonahona Island 

 (entrance to Mullins Harbour) and Siia' u . As far as I know, 

 the Mailu canoes seldom go beyond Suri'u even noM% and they 

 hardly ever went any further in the olden days, so that I do 

 not think it can be said that they used to trade with a number 

 of the Massim Islands. Had they done so, it would have been 

 undoubtedly the most important channel through which such 

 articles as greenstone blades, ebony carvings, fine basketry, and 

 other products of the Northern Massim and of the d'Entre- 

 casteaux group would have found their way into the Mailu 

 and other western districts. As matters stood, it seems that 

 a much greater amount of articles was traded via Mullins 

 Harbour. There seems to have been at least two, or even 

 more, overland routes to Mullins Harbour from the Massim 

 area. One is mentioned by Prof. Seligman in the statement 

 just quoted. It leads from the eastern shore of the deep 

 inlet to the head of Milne Bay, through an almost completely 

 flat country. This route passes exclusively through Massim 

 territory, and does not traverse any of the other tribes. But 

 although this was a very accessible way, the journey from 

 Mullins Harbour to Mailu Bay being said to be easy, it was 

 quite an unimportant route, as is correctly stated by Prof. 

 Seligman. There was, however, another trading route, start- 

 ing from the northern and north-western shores of Mullins 

 Inlet, as well as from the villages on the eastern shore of 

 Orangerie Bay, and going practically straight, northwards, to 

 the villages of Bartle Bay. These villages must have carried 

 on an extensive trade with the d'Entrecasteaux group, though 

 on this head I did not obtain much information. That con- 

 cerning the overland trading route seems fairly reliable, as 

 it was computed from data obtained independently at Mailu, 

 in the village of Dahiini, Mullins Harbour, in and near Fife 

 Bay (east of Mullins Harbour), and from two sets of inland 

 people — viz., several Ma no warn men, whom I examined in the 



(59) Op. cit., p. 535. 

 (mihid., p. 540 . 



