Neiv Guinea Technique. 59 



The Dutch Expedition to New Guinea in 1903 under Dr. Arthur Wichmann, 

 adds to our information considerably, and I shall quote from the volume on the 

 Ethnographic results by Dr. G. A. J. Van der Sande (1907): — 



"The preparation of bark is in Papua Talandjang a very common work, as 

 here the bark forms almost exclusively the dress of the married women. Like everj^- 

 where, this preparation is done hy the women. At Ase a piece of a sapling of i 2 m. 

 in length and 12-14 cm. in diameter, cut off transversely at both ends, probabl}' 

 brought b}' the women themselves from the forest or the garden in a boat, was lying 

 on the ground. Evidently- it had been taken entirely out of the stem part, for I saw 

 no traces of newl}' cut-off branches, and knots were very rare. With a shell {Cvrena)^ 

 obtained, it was said from Humboldt Bay, the top layer of gre3'ish green bark was 

 scraped off. A previous heating or even a slight superficial charring of the stem, as 

 described by Schellong^" of Finsch Harbour, had not taken place here. After the 

 scraping, the tree as it was l3^ing, was beaten on the outside with a short piece of wood, 

 here called y^7/^c?, always taking care to beat neither transversely, nor lengthways, but 

 in an angle of dr 45°- Small drops of moisture were issuing from the bark at each 

 blow, and graduall}- this was beginning to lie looseh' round the stem, as it became too 

 wide for it. Near and round the knots, the connection between the wood and the bark 

 here so much closer, was relieved by slight blows. Constantly turning the tree over, 

 the whole surface was so treated, and after this the spot where most knots occurred in 

 the same longitudinal line was carefully selected for cutting the bark open length- 

 ways, in order to obtain a minimum of holes in the middle of the piece. The bark then 

 dropped easily from the stem, except where, with a few knots the connection had still 

 to be severed with a knife. From the inside of the flatly outstretched bark, a thin, 

 but tough, white fleece was now removed b}- lengthwise scraping with the shell, and 

 after this the beating proper began. 



" By this beating the bark obtains a darker colour. All the time one or more 

 large, flat, round stones, designated as gabbro, were lying under the spots where the 

 beating occurred. As long as the bark was still hard, it was lying extended, after it 

 had become more pliable under the beating, care was taken that the bark bj^ a trans- 

 verse folding was 13'ing all the time in a four fold layer on the stone, carefull}' avoid- 

 ing to beat on the folds themselves, by which the fibres might break transversely. 

 During this preparation the bark lost plenty of moisture, it became thinner, broader 

 and a little shorter, but also looser; the fibres were here and there so much parted 

 from each other in a transverse direction, that it became possible to look through the 

 piece. After this, the article was placed for a longer or shorter period in the water, 



■"■Ueber die Ilerstellung eiiiiger Elhnographica der Gegeiid Finsclihafen's (Kaiser WilhcmB-L,and ). Intern. 

 Arch. f. Ethnogr. I.eiden, vol. i, 221. (1888.) 



