Bücher von Kal Muller

The Kamoro are an ethnolinguistic group of Papuans living along the north shore of the Arafura Sea and a short distance inland. Like other Papuan groups, they take advantage of the resources available to them. This book lists the Kamoros¿ natural resources with the emphasis on what they actually use from their ecosystems: the sea, the estuaries, the mangroves and the tropical rain forest. A study of the natural resources in four separate areas was undertaken by the author in the year 2000. The research was conducted in Iwaka, an inland village, Pigapu Village, an inland riverside settlement, the coastal village of Atuka, and Paopao, a semi-temporary agglomeration of related clans located on a rived they owned traditionally. The information was gathered in the Indonesian language, supplemented by the names in the local Kamoro dialects. The author and his Kamoro informants consulted together books illustrating various animal groups in order to obtain the names in English, Indonesian, Kamoro as well as the all-important universal binomial scientific designation. This research was a part of a wider study by the author on the risk assessment of the influence of the mining company Freeport Indonesia due to the tailings from processing of the mined ores. The tailings had a considerable effect on the lifestyles of the Kamoro who lived in the areas where they were deposited. The various chapters in the book concentrate on the vegetation (and especially that of the mangroves) with various chapters devoted to the most important animal groups used by the Kamoro for food and a variety of other purposes. These groups include birds, fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, reptiles, mammals and insects. An appendix groups different designations together, such as Latin name and Kamoro name, then Kamoro name followed by the Latin one. All the various animal groups are treated this way for convenient quick references. English names are also listed. The book ends with a bibliography of all the references consulted.

This book compares the two sides of New Guinea: the independent country of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the West New Guinea (WNG) that forms a part of the Republic of Indonesia. By sharing the same island there are many similarities that apply to both sides such as the ethnic makeup in the eastern and western halves of New Guinea. Yet differences exist: geologies and geographies underlie some basic difference: outward maritime trade routes in the west focus toward the Moluccas while those in the east look towards the South Pacific. The inland trade routes are similar in the highlands following the dictates of the rugged terrain. Stone blades for axes and adzes were among the most important trade items everywhere, along with salt from local saline pools. The island¿s Babel of over 1,100 languages has prevented any large-scale political entities. And while the art styles show some similarities, marked differences are found in the east and the west. The colonization process defines much of the current differences between the two sides. The west was colonized by the Dutch as part of their East Indies domain, now Indonesia. In the east, the British and the Germans were the first to take possession, with Australia taking over the entire west after 1914. Treatment of the Papuans differed considerably. In the west, it was almost complete neglect as the Dutch were mostly interested in the productive money generating parts of the East Indies, lacking in West New Guinea. In what became Papua New Guinea, working in plantations and gold mining depended on cheap Papuan labor, with their treatment showing considerable variation. World War II affected the two sides quite differently. The Japanese juggernaut rolled over the north coast of West New Guinea, then that of PNG before being stopped in the Solomon Islands. The expulsion of the Japanese took nearly three years on the PNG side but only a few months in WNG. This difference had profound effects, quite different on the two sides. The post war history in PNG headed for eventual independence in 1975 while WNG came to resemble an Indonesian colony with practically no political voice for the Papuans. Only a rebel movement contests Indonesian hegemony. The last chapter on mining shows the differences between the two sides on this most important element of their economies. Basic land ownership, individual and clan rights cause many problems in PNG while Indonesian control negated any difficulties for any mining approved by the central government in Jakarta.

Indonesia's easternmost landfall, is also its final hidden gemstone; from the depths of its oceans, to its rich mangroves, lowland and montane rainforests, alpine tundra and equatorial glaciers and its highest peak between the Himalayas and the Andes, few have had the chance to explore its secrets. Home to the world's richest coral reef, a par exemplar of terrestrial biodiversity, and a nexus of over 250 of the world's spoken languages, it awaits discovery.Landscapes formed by millions of years of biogeograhical evolution, thousands of species of exotic flora and fauna, and traditional peoples whose histories, cultures and traditions stretch back 50,000 years are all found in this paradise. Journey with Kal Muller through this Photo Album and see the faces and places of West New Guinea that have left indelible marks on his 20-year sojourn and memory of this unique corner of the world.

THE BOOKThis volume is one of four covering The North Coast which makes up the bulk of West New Guinea. The other three are Introduction to West New Guinea, The Highlands of West New Guinea, and The South Coast of West New Guinea. The main purpose of these books is to give a summary of the history and cultures of the western half of the island of New Guinea. West New Guineäs north coast saw sail-bys and a few landings by various European ships, starting in the 16th Century. Biak Island hosted the most important traditional Papuan sailors (read: trader-warriors) in pre-colonial times. The island¿s inhabitants continue to hold a leading role today, thanks to the widespread educational facilities that produce many top civil servants. For most of the colonial period, the town of Manokwari was by far the most important urban area on the north coast. Christianity was introduced to West New Guinea from there starting in 1855 and the town was the center of commerce and government. That changed drastically during WWII, when American military engineers constructed a huge and efficient infrastructure around Jayapura and Sentani. After the war, the returning Dutch government made Jayapura the capital of West New Guinea, and Indonesian officials followed this example after 1963. The North Coast of West New Guinea covers a number of basic social topics such as kinship, social structure, and marriage, along with languages and the areäs pre-contact material culture. Some aspects of the old cultures were still present until quite recently. Some of the major ethnic groups merit chapters of their own. However, this book is definitely not a complete volume about all the different Papuan groups in the area. Far more research needs to be done for a more complete picture, as many ancient traditions are fading from memory. THE SERIESThe aim is to provide a conduit for the publication of studies on the Island of New Guinea, with its two established political divisions, but will also include other associated patterns of islands.It will enable contributions from new knowledge workers¿with their dissertations¿and from established scholars. As there are numerous scholars who would like better coverage of the areas in which they have explored¿as a tribute to the people they have worked with¿as well as local scholars who understand the importance of their unique areas. It is felt that the approaches being trialed in the visual anthropology part of the series as area studies will bring a wider attention to the remarkable nature of the island.The first volumes will be on modes of communication: oral history and folklore, and the emergence of a local literature. While the representation of all disciplines is welcome, comparative and whole island studies would be of great interest as well. For this, collaborative works or edited volumes may be needed.It will allow for academic publications of a more preliminary kind¿rather than exhaustive monographs, which are becoming more and more impossible to produce.Where is the knowledge we have lost?