IDNO

P.1068.ACH1

Description

On Catalogue Card: “Saibai pile dwellings.”

Three pile-houses constructed from thatch, probably palm, as seen from the sea. A flag, probably Australian, flies from the top of the flagpole. [JD 7/10/2008]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Torres Strait; Saibai

Cultural Affliation

Saibai Islander

Named Person

Photographer

?Haddon, Alfred Cort

Collector / Expedition

Haddon, Alfred Cort [Cambridge University Anthropological Expedition to the Torres Straits, 1898 - 1899]

Date

22 October 1898

Collection Name

Mounted Haddon CollectionTorres Strait Island Expedition

Source

Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Bibliographical Reference: Haddon writes in his 1898 journal of his visit to Saibai, noting on pp. 251-252:
“Sunday Oct 22nd. ... Before our midday dinner I had completed a genealogical census of the island, with the totem of every individual and as I walked through the village I entered the names of the residents of every house. I had not time to trace back the genealogies as far back as possible – as Rivers did for Murray I. – Mabuiag but still what I was able to accomplish will enable me to get a food insight into the social organisation of the people. Rivers did not enumerate the inhabitants of every house – in Murray & Mubuiag the clans are all mixed up – but as I had found that in Kiwai the houses were clan houses I thought the same might occur here more or less. I find that formerly this was the case and that the Snake [Tabu] and wild sweet potato (Daibau) clans lived on one side of the village – and the crocodile (Kodal) dog (Umai) and cassowary [Sam] lived on the other. This division of the village into clan groups was said to tend to clan fights (This is a point that will interest ?Gomme) and so the ministry tried to mix them up. As a matter of fact I find there are still distinct traces of clan groupings in the village.” [JD 10/10/2008]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Jocelyne Dudding 7/10/2008]