1
Ga ekeepe s, Assis an s, In o man s, and Ama eu E hnog aphe s
in he Camb idge An h opological Expedi<on o To es S ai s
(1898-1899)
A u o Al a ez-Roldan (aal a ez@ug .es)
Depa men o Social An h opology, Uni e si y o G anada, Spain
Pape p esen ed a he Online Con e ence Explo ing he E hnog aphic A chi e: Ea ly
E hnog aphe s in he Long Nine een h Cen u y, 5–6 Decembe 2024.
In oduc*on
The an h opological expediRon o he To es S ai , led by Al ed C. Haddon and o ganized by
he Uni e si y o Camb idge in 1898, was an inno aR e p ojec aimed a ho oughly s udying
he cul u es o his egion be o e colonial expansion ans o med hem i e e sibly. AYe his
fi s isi in 1888-89, Haddon had ga he ed p elimina y in o maRon abou he island naR es
bu wished o e u n o conduc a b oade and mo e ambiRous an h opological s udy.
Haddon assembled a mulRdisciplina y eam ha included an expe imen al
psychologis , W.H.R. Ri e s, and wo o his s uden s, C.S. Mye s and William McDougall, a
specialis in local languages, Sidney H. Ray, ano he s uden wi h pho og aphic expe Rse,
An hony Wilkin, and a pa hologis , C.G. Seligmann.
Haddon's main objecR e was o classi y and compa e he island naR es wi h he
inhabi an s o neighbo ing egions, Aus alia and New Guinea, iewing he To es S ai as a
key poin o s udying he mig aRon and blending o cul u es.
The expediRon was concei ed and desc ibed by Haddon himsel in a epo he
published upon his e u n in Na u e, as a collabo aR e endea o , hough led by scienRfic
expe s. Howe e , upon eading he jou nal Haddon kep du ing he esea ch, and e iewing
he subsequen wo k o d aY and publish he findings, i becomes clea ha many o he
ac o s played an acR e ole: ga ekeepe s, assis an s, local in o man s, and e en some
ama eu e hnog aphe s. In his p esen aRon, we aim o show how, om i s o igins in XIX
cen u y, e hnog aphic esea ch has been a collabo aR e en e p ise in which naR es and
o he people p esen in he field played a c ucial ole in accessing, e i ying, desc ibing, and
explaining he cul u al and sociological da a.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17285625
2
Field esea ch bases
Ten yea s p io o he Camb idge expediRon, Haddon had es ablished pe sonal elaRonships
wi h bo h seble s and naR es in he To es S ai , which g ea ly acili a ed he fieldwo k. To
conduc he esea ch, he eam se up wo bases: one on Me Island and ano he on
Mabuiag.
The p ocess o secng up on each island was simila . Upon a i ing on Me , he eam
was welcomed by A ei, he island's ibal chie , by Pasi, an old iend o Haddon's and now
he chie o nea by Daua , and by Jack B uce, he island’s school eache and magis a e. In
Mabuiag, hey we e ecei ed by Nomoa, he ibal chie appoin ed by Go e no John
Douglas, and by Wa ia, a iend and he island's he edi a y chie . They also me John
Cowling, an old iend who managed Mabuiag’s pea l-di ing company and local ade.
On bo h islands, he esea che s se up hei camps in mission aciliRes and we e
welcomed wi h gene ous ood offe ings om he naR es. In each place, Haddon hi ed a
couple o locals o assis he expediRon's cook and help wi h camp duRes.
This suppo and in as uc u e allowed he expediRon o conduc de ailed and
effecR e fieldwo k in bo h locaRons.
Fieldwo k in Mu ay Islands
Haddon, Ri e s, Ray, and Seligmann a i ed on Me Island on May 6, 1898. Mye s,
McDougall, and Wilkin joined hem ou days la e , and oge he hey se up hei fi s base
camp.
Du ing hei s ay on Me , he eam ocused on documenRng and analyzing a ious
aspec s o island li e, including i uals, cus oms, genealogies, une a y p acRces, and sys ems
o social and spi i ual o ganizaRon. They dedica ed conside able Rme o s udying he Malu
cul , a se o sec e and sac ed i uals, as well as o he eligious elemen s such as di inaRon
and iniRaRon ce emonies.
Jack B uce, who hos ed and acili a ed much o he logisRcs, was essenRal o he
esea ch. His knowledge o adiRonal cus oms, combined wi h his posiRon wi hin he
communi y, allowed him o ac as bo h in o man and in e media y, helping he esea che s
gain access o o he key in o man s. B uce, in ac , ac ed as a de ac o e hnog aphe ,
p o iding con ex ual in o maRon and conducRng in esRgaRons o his own.
3
Haddon and his colleagues collabo a ed wi h a ious naR e in o man s, mainly elde s
and local au ho iRes who held knowledge o adiRonal p acRces. Thei ne wo k o
in o man s was ex ensi e. Pasi was one o Haddon's closes collabo a o s on Me . E e y
mo ning, he came o he camp wi h A ei o assis Ray in s udying he local language. Bo h
Pasi and A ei we e ibal leade s and played acR e oles in excu sions o sac ed si es,
acili aRng access o s o ies, i uals, and legends ha he esea che s sough o unde s and.
Sho ly aYe a i ing on Me , Haddon hi ed wo locals, Jimmy Rice and Debe Wali o
help wi h daily camp asks .Bo h we e membe s o he local communi y, helping he eam
s eng hen elaRonships wi h he island’s esiden s and offe ing an inRma e pe specR e on
local cus oms and p acRces.
Gadodo, Pasi's cousin, hos ed Haddon in he illage o Las, whe e he eam s udied
ancien iniRaRon ce emonies. His ole was pi o al in helping Haddon unde s and cul u al
p acRces in Las, as he sha ed s o ies and insigh s on he Malu ce emonies. Enocha and
Wano, wo local elde s,helped econs uc ce emonies, such as he Malu-Bomai i ual, in
which sac ed masks a e p esen ed o iniRa es, and hey alida ed in o maRon on o he
ancien i es. A Haddon’s eques , hey made models o he masks in pain ed ca dboa d,
used in a pe o mance o he ce emony ha he filmed sho ly be o e lea ing he island.
Haddon alued hese pe o mances, conside ing hem he closes app oximaRon o eal-li e
si uaRons, and he encou aged his in o man s o execu e hem.
Haddon and B uce independen ly in esRga ed he ain-making i ual on he island,
elying on a ious local in o man s: Gasu, Ulai, and Enocha. Haddon was able o obse e and
documen independen demons aRons o he i ual by Enocha and Wano on one side, and
by Gasu on he o he .
O he in o man s on Me whom Haddon menRons in his dia y included police
office s Ba on and Mamai, as well as Se gean Jimmy Dei, all o whom Haddon al eady knew
om his p e ious isi and conside ed old iends.
Fieldwo k in Mabuiag
The esea ch eam a i ed in Mabuiag on Sep embe 17, and s ayed he e o jus o e a
mon h. Cowling, helped he eam seble in and p o ided hem wi h supplies. He also se ed
as an in e media y wi h some o he local people and accompanied he eam on isi s o
sac ed and ce emonial si es on he nea by island o Pulu.
4
Fieldwo k on Mabuiag ocused on eco ding he inhabi an s’ cul u al p acRces,
eligious belie s, social o ganizaRon, and cus oms. The island elied hea ily on pea l di ing,
which made i difficul o ec ui local pa Rcipan s as in o man s, so Haddon hi ed se e al
men o assis wi h he esea ch.
Among hem was Wa ia, an old acquain ance o Haddon's. He desc ibed Wa ia as "a
e y accomplished pe son". His knowledge o English acili a ed in e iews, allowing he
esea che s o ga he p ecise in o maRon abou local p acRces and belie s, especially
ega ding he clan sys em and island i uals. Wa ia was also ins umen al in documenRng
iniRaRon ce emonies and he island’s poliRcal o ganizaRon. He u he collabo a ed wi h
Ri e s on genealogical s udies and assis ed Ray in his esea ch on he local language. E en
aYe he expediRon, Wa ia conRnued o espond o Haddon’s inqui ies h ough
co espondence ia Cowling. Among Haddon’s pape s p ese ed in Camb idge is a 300-page
manusc ip w iben in he Mabuiag language ha Wa ia sen o Haddon and ha Ray used
o s udy he language.
Ano he naR e whom Haddon hi ed as an assis an was Gizu, whom he desc ibed as
"a g ea au ho i y on he old cus oms and belie s and legends”. His ole was especially
aluable in econs ucRng local legends, such as ha o he my hical he o Kwoiam, a ound
whom ce emonies combining o emism and he o wo ship we e pe o med.
The in o man s g oup on Mabuiag was comple ed by Paipi and Noboa. Bo h played
an impo an ole in field acR iRes, accompanying he eam on excu sions o sac ed si es
and helping o explain and demons a e a ious cul u al p acRces.
A he end o hei s ay in Mabuiag, Ri e s and Wilkin e u ned o England. The
emaining membe s o he expediRon emba ked on an explo a o y jou ney h ough Saibai,
Tudu, Yam, Thu sday Island, Some se , and Hammond Island. Along he way, Haddon
euni ed wi h his old iend Maino, he chie o Tudu and Yam.
Maino joined Haddon and o he eam membe s in hei explo aRon o sac ed si es
on Yam Island and o he significan locaRons, g anRng access o i ual a eas and p o iding
explanaRons o he ce emonies o he island's augud ( o ems). By compa ing he symbolism
o hese p acRces wi h hose o o he islands, Haddon belie ed he had ound links be ween
o emism and he o-wo ship ha he had al eady obse ed in Mabuiag, as well as insigh s
in o how ce ain p acRces e ol ed in o mo e elabo a e o ms o de oRon.
5
Howe e , Haddon no ed in his jou nal ha upon eaching Thu sday Island, Maino's
collabo aRon diminished, highlighRng he complexi y and ins abili y o elaRonships wi h
in o man s du ing fieldwo k.
Jack B uce: An Acciden al E hnog aphe
Jack B uce’s ole in he esea ch ex ended a beyond logisRcal assis ance, opening doo s,
mediaRng wi h local people, o p o iding occasional da a. He effecR ely ac ed as an ea ly
e hnog aphe , despi e lacking o mal academic aining. B uce’s con ibuRons o he
e hnog aphy o Me a e bes seen in his ex ensi e co espondence wi h Haddon. He
esponded o nume ous quesRons om Haddon, Ri e s, Mye s, and MacDougall. B uce
p o ided de ailed field no es on kinship, mou ning i uals, pube y cus oms, une a y and
eligious ce emonies, and genealogies o Ri e s. He also epo ed on local cou cases and
communi y e en s. In some ins ances, B uce included d awings and ske ches o illus a e his
obse aRons and e en sen e hnog aphic objec s and egional plan s, along wi h commen s
on hei significance.
Du ing his exchange, Haddon occasionally sen B uce pho os aken du ing he
expediRon o eques de ails abou he scenes depic ed. He oYen asked B uce o cla i y,
co ec , o confi m e sions o legends, song ly ics, and o he ex s hey had collec ed.
Haddon e en eques ed B uce’s c iRque o he a Rcle “E hnog aphical No es on he Mu ay
Islands” by Re e end Hun , published in he Jou nal o he An h opological Ins6 u e.
The demanding collabo aRon kep B uce e y busy, as he wo ked o e i y ha all
in o maRon h ough mulRple in o man s. On se e al occasions, he asked Haddon o s op
sending addiRonal quesRons, bu his did no de e Haddon’s inqui ies no B uce’s eplies.
Thus, B uce’s fieldwo k p o ed undamen al in shaping Volume VI o he Repo s, which
ocused on he e hnog aphy o he eas e n islande s.
Conclusion
The Camb idge An h opological ExpediRon o he To es S ai s, led by Haddon, exemplifies
how e hnog aphy has been a collabo aR e en e p ise be ween local people and academic
expe s om i s e y o igins. Pe sonal elaRonships and mu ual us we e essenRal o
gaining access o i uals and adiRonal knowledge. The expediRon’s wide ne wo k o naR e
assis an s and in o man s played a c ucial ole in he fieldwo k; wi hou hem, he
6
expediRon membe s would no ha e been able o conduc hei esea ch. This unde sco es
he impo ance o local pa Rcipan s in he p oducRon o an h opological knowledge. The
fieldwo k conduc ed by Jack B uce, bo h du ing and aYe he expediRon, was compa able o
he wo k o he o he expediRon membe s and la e p o essional e hnog aphe s in he 20 h
cen u y, es ablishing him as an ea ly e hnog aphe in his own igh .
1
Ga ekeepe s, Assis an s, In o man s, and Ama eu
E hnog aphe s in he Camb idge An h opological
Expedi ion o To es S ai s (1898-99)
A u o Al a ez-Roldan
Explo ing he E hnog aphic A chi e:
Ea ly E hnog aphe s in he Long Nine een h Cen u y
Decembe 5-6, 2024
2
In oduc ion: The To es S ai An h opological
Expedi ion (1898-99)
•Objec i es:
•S udy na i e cul u es o he To es
S ai be o e colonial
ans o ma ion
•Compa e island cul u es wi h
Aus alia & New Guinea
•Documen cul u al mig a ion and
blending
•Mul idisciplina y Expe s Team
:
•An h opologis
•Psychologis s
•Language specialis
•Pho og aphe
•Pa hologis
3
In oduc ion: The To es S ai An h opological
Expedi ion (1898-99)
•Collabo a i e E o :
•Local in o man s
•Assis an s
•Ama eu e hnog aphe s
•Signi icance
:
Highligh s
collabo a ion as essen ial in
e hnog aphic ieldwo k
Expedi ion membe s wi h hei assis an s:F om le o igh
a e:Sea ed -Jimmy Rice, Debe Wali.Fi s ow:Al ed
Haddon, Cha lie On ong, An hony Wilkin.Second ow:
William Ri e s, Sidney Ray.Thi d ow:William McDougall,
Cha les Mye s, Cha les Seligman.Me , May 1898,. MAA
N.22900.ACH2
10
Fieldwo k on Yam
•Jou ney h ough Saibai, Tudu, Yam, Thu sday Island, Some se ,
and Hammond Island.
•Conduc ed wi h Maino, chie o Tudu and Yam.
•Mapping o Yam Island Ri ual A eas: Explo ed sh ines and
ce emonial si es ied o o emism and he o wo ship.
Uba au Zogo consis ing o a s one igu e wi h clea ly delinea ed eyes and
head su ounded by umpe and clam shells. The Zogo is si ua ed beside
wo la ge elled ee unks in he unde g ow h. Yam, Oc obe 1898. MAA
N.23057.ACH2
Maino, he Mamoose (Chie ) o Tud and Yam, si ing behind he
Table s one a Damu. Pho o by Ka hleen Haddon. Yam, Sep embe
1914. MAA N.23060.KH
11
Jack B uce: An Acciden al E hnog aphe
•Beyond Logis ical Suppo :
•Mo e han a media o o occasional da a p o ide
•Ac ed as an ea ly e hnog aphe wi hou o mal aining
•Key Con ibu ions:
•Ex ensi e co espondence wi h Haddon, Ri e s, Mye s, and
MacDougall.
•Supplied ounda ional da a o Volume VI o he Expedi ion
Repo s (Sociology, Magic, and Religion o he Eas e n Islande s)
•No ebooks p ese ed in Camb idge e lec his signi ican inpu .
•E hnog aphic Wo k:
•De ailed ield no es on kinship, i uals, ce emonies, and cus oms.
•Supplemen ed epo s wi h d awings and objec s
•Ve i ied legends, songs, and ex s h ough mul iple in o man s
•Cla i ied expedi ion pho os
•C i iqued published e hnog aphic a icles like Re . Hun ’s
E hnog aphical No es
12
Conclusions
•The expedi ion was a pionee ing example o collabo a i e
e hnog aphy.
•Success hinged on pe sonal ela ionships and mu ual us wi h
locals.
•Indigenous in o man s we e in eg al o da a collec ion and analysis.
•Thei e o s highligh he collabo a i e na u e o an h opological
esea ch.
•Jack B uce’s ieldwo k du ing and a e he expedi ion was
compa able o ha o p o essional e hnog aphe s o he 20 h
cen u y.
•B uce’s con ibu ions emphasize he impo ance o acknowledging
non-academic e hnog aphe s in an h opological his o y.
•The expedi ion demons a es ha an h opology elies on
eamwo k, no soli a y expe ise.
13
Thanks o you a en ion
aal a ez@ug .es
@al old
Depa men o Social An h opology
Uni e si y o G anada, Spain
