IDNO

LS.109306.TC1

Description

On Catalogue Card: "Mer, Murray Is.
Earth-ovens, or "AME".
5. Women removing sand fr. oven. (note mat placed over food).
6. Ditto, sand & mat removed.
7. and food displayed.
(3 slides)." [manuscript in ink]

A group gathered around an ame (Copper Maori or earth oven) showing the food tied up in packets.
From left to right are: "Suli [wife of] Gabi; Ikob [daughter of] Tibi; Wasan woman, daughter of Dedi; Depoma; Peter ?Mamilles; ?Diwadi of Kapilae; ?Paub of Darnley; Charlie, ?son; ?Deau wife of William, Mabuiag; Barsa; woman w. Tapau; ?Santiago; Biged [wife of] Barney; Damui of Darnley; Ginai, wife sailor of Darnley; [unnamed]; Mateletta; Nini Pasi." [JD 27/5/2011, updated with names, JD 29/07/2019]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Oceania Melanesia; Australia; Torres Strait; Mer [Murray Islands]

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Suli wife of Gabi; Ikob daughter of Tibi; Wasan; Dedi; Depoma; Peter ?Mamilles; ?Diwadi of Kapilae; ?Paub of Darnley; Charlie, ?son; Deau wife of William, Mabuiag; Barsa; woman w. Tapau; ?Santiago; Begio, wife of Barney; Damui of Darnley; Ginai, wife sailor of Darnley; [unnamed]; Mateletta; Nini Pasi

Photographer

Wilkin, Anthony

Collector / Expedition

Haddon, Alfred Cort

Date

circa August 1898

Collection Name

Teaching Slide CollectionHaddon Unmounted Collection

Source

Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Lantern Slide Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Related Archive: Haddon writes in his journal for 27th July 1898, "On Wednesday afternoon Ray, Wilkin & I went to a "Kaikai". This was a funeral feast for the son of Captain Cook of Darnley, the boy had died about a year before. There was kolap – or top spinning as amusement soon after, we came the 2 Copper Maories were opened – a ‘Copper Maori’ or ‘earth oven’ is a large hole in the ground in which stones are placed and a fire lighted, this makes the stones very hot. "Native food" of various kinds, yams, taro etc is wrapped up in banana leaves & put on the stones & pigs are put in whole – then the pile of food is covered over with leaves & mats and earth is heaped overall & it is left for an hour or two, why by which time the food is cooked to perfection. It is the best way of cooking most food as the juices & flavours are retained. The name "Copper Maori" or "Koppa Mauri" is now common all over the Pacific – tho! each language has its own name – here it is Ame but the introduced word is alone used. The name arose thus when the whalers in New Zealand used large coppers for boiling down the blubber & the native method of cooking came to be called Copper Maori – or the Maori Copper. We photographed the opening of the two Copper Maories, one of which had a pig in it. Then a mat was spread apart from the others to which we were invited along with the two Mamooses – Harry and Pasi. We had pig, yam, bananas & pumpkin & coconut for drink – the food was very good. Most of the men sat on each side of a row of mats – the food being placed down the middles & they ate from the baskets with their fingers & munched chunks of roast pig. They gave us knives & forks & plates but I preferred a banana leaf, native fashion, to a plate. The women & children had their food in various family groups. After all was over the women guests placed their baskets in 2 rows and the hosts filled each with a equal amount of raw native food. The party then broke up. Since then I attended a smaller, though similar, funeral feast." (pp.191 - 192) [JD 09/10/2018]

Related Archive: A loose paper in Haddon's Archive, OA2/16/19, entitled 'Another Copper Maori' appears to provide the names of the individuals shown. From left to right are: "Suli w. Gabi; Ikob d. Tibi; Wasan woman, daughter of Dedi; Depoma; Peter ?Mamilles; ?Diwadi of Kapilae; ?Paub of Darnley; Charlie, ?son; ?Deau wife of William, Mabuiag; Barsa; woman w. Tapau; ?Santiago; Begid w. Barney; Damui of Darnley; Ginai, wife sailor of Darnley; [unnamed]; Mateletta; Nini Pasi." [JD 29/07/2019]