THE SISSANO COMMUNITY. EE 
Huon Gulf region in the extreme southeast of the colony, where he had 
enjoyed the advantage of association with well-informed missionaries 
who had devoted a decade to the study and improvement of the savage 
population. Elsewhere in the colony his exploration was hasty and 
there was lack of intelligent assistance. But in Sissano, as we shall 
see, he passed some weeks and had the aid of a German who had 
lived in trading relations with the people for several years. 
We are obliged at the outset to make a choice between Friederici 
and Neuhauss in the form of the name of the community and its 
speech. Neuhauss records it as Sissanu, Friederici. as Sissano, yet 
Neuhauss notes (page 27) that surrounding peoples call it Eissano. 
We have ample warrant for assuming Friederici the more accomplished 
linguist; I have had occasion to check up his sense of vocal sound in 
several parts of the Pacific and admire the accuracy of his ear. We 
shall therefore follow his usage and employ as standard the form 
Sissano.* 
The following are the note of Dr. Neuhauss on the place and people: 
At evening of August 8, 1909, the Siar anchored off Sissano, 45 kilometers 
west of Eitapé, for the purpose of setting me down in the midst of the wilder- 
ness. The population, the Waropu and Sissano, up to the present have been 
brought into contact with civilization principally through the fact that the 
government has found it necessary to inflict a slight punishment. The nearest 
Catholic mission station, then but recently established, lies at Maldl, 18 kilo- 
meters west of Hitapé. The possibility of living for any length of time in 
this wild society and of doing successful work lay in the circumstance that 
for several years, the world forsaken, the copra trader Schulz had made him- 
self at home and that he received me into his primitive hut. He came first 
to New Guinea as a sailor and had tried everywhere without making a success. 
It was not that he was lacking in industry; weeks and months on end he 
worked from morning to night, but in the end he was overcome by the irre- 
sistible impulse to spend his hard won money to the last penny on drink. 
During my six weeks stay in Sissano Schulz showed himself a good friend 
of mine whom I must always recall with gratitude; and when I learned that 
in the beginning of 1910 he had suddenly passed from life I mourned him in 
my inmost heart. 
Since there is always a heavy surf on that coast, landing is not without 
danger and scarcely does one ever come out of a boat without having made 
the acquaintance of a swamping wave. My luggage came through the 
experience in fair condition, and even the dozen large bottles of heavy export 
beer which the captain had given to Schulz were brought ashore intact. 
Their decapitation began at once and before midnight Schulz had drained 
the last bottle to its last drop. I found myself under the need of wondering 
what might be the outlook for my work. Yet Schulz reassured me when 
he rolled onto his bed and stammered ‘‘To-morrow you shall see a quite 
different Schulz.” The prophecy was fulfilled, the thirst of weeks was 
appeased, and where alcohol had ruled in full force for less than twenty-four 
hours the rest of the time there was only weak tea and coffee. The water 
*Certain few artifacts in the museum of the University of Pennsylvania, collected earlier 
than the visits of our authorities, are attributed to Zissano; this is added evidence in con- 
firmation of the final vowel adopted as standard. 
