Dear Cha-Wel-Dor-Sue:

Indonesia is "an ethnic mosaic of kaleidoscopic proportions and famed as the eagerly sought Spice Islands of the East". Indos is taken from the Greek word for "Indian" and Nesos means "Island".

The impressions Pat and I brought back from our first trip to Indonesia (Java and Bali) were those of people being literally everywhere, people of multi-ethnic backgrounds, a land of intensively developed agriculture, and one predominantly of both Muslim and Hindu groups. At that time, the highlights on Java were the visits to Borobudur, the largest Buddhist shrine in the world, and Parambanan, a beautiful Hindu temple, both within driving distance of Jogyakarta. We were also impressed by the beautiful batik textiles and by their creative works made of silver. On Bali, it was the shadow puppet shows, the dancing, and the story-telling that relate to the Indian epics of Ramayama. It is interesting that 95 percent of the people on Java are Muslim whereas 95 percent of the people on Bali are Hindu. The most lasting impression for me of Bali was our visit to the town of Mas, where some of the most beautiful wood carvings that I had ever seen had been made. In fact, our beautiful hand-carved teak table lamps in our living room at home came from the city of Mas.

On this trip to Indonesia, we elected to spend a couple of days prior to boarding our ship in Bali in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on the northwestern coast of Java. It is a large city on a perfectly flat terrain and with a population of close to 10 million people. It is teeming with people, all of whom seem to be moving, going and coming. Many were on small carts or motor scooters or even small motorized three wheel vehicles and the traffic congestion was horrendous. Java is the most densely populated area in the world, with over 115 million people living on this relatively small island, and Indonesia itself contains some 175 million people and is the fifth most populated nation in the entire world. Only China, India, USSR and the United States exceed it in terms of population. Indonesia, however, is self-supporting as far as foodstuffs are concerned and rice is its most important product. There are many beautifully terraced rice fields where "wet rice" is raised. Indonesia comprises approximately 13,600 islands, covers three time zones, and from its most easterly point to its most westerly point, encompasses a distance comparable to that of the entire width of the United States.

While we were in Jakarta, we visited the Monas Monument in the center of the city, built to commemorate Indonesia's independence from centuries of Dutch rule, and which was declared in 1945, only three days after Japan capitulated at the end of World War II. The Dutch occupied it at this time. The monument is the equivalent of our Washington Monument. We also visited the old Dutch Town Hall, the Stathuis, from which the Dutch ruled this nation for over two hundred years after displacing the Portuguese and successfully defending it against both French and British attacks. The Stathuis is situated near the docks in Old Batavia, the original Dutch name for Jakarta. The National Museum of Indonesia is among the best in southeast Asia. Above all, however, we shall remember Jakarta for our visit to Taman Mini, a miniature city representing the cultures of all 27 provinces of Indonesia. They have an overhead gondola from which one can look down on the entire complex, or one can take the circulating Monorail, or even the small narrow gauge railroad. It reminded me of our visit to the Polynesian Village in Hawaii and there is some resemblance to our Disney World. The emphasis here, however, is largely on education rather than on play or amusement and, in fact, they do have a "Fantasy Land" which is indeed devoted to a carnival and entertainment type of atmosphere.

Our home in Jakarta was the five star Mandarin Hotel and we saw the city in a "steady safety" rented car with a driver who unfortunately did not speak English. However, while we were at the Stathuis, we made the pleasant association with a Chinese student and he was with us for the rest of the day. He was well acquainted with the history of the local area and with that of Indonesia in general and we were most grateful for his guidance and enlightenment. He added that the Chinese in Indonesia are essentially nameless and stateless and are being discriminated against severely. He implied the intent of the Indonesians was to get rid of all the Chinese in this area.

While there are over 13,000 islands in this largest archipelago in the world and with some 27 different provinces, five islands make up the land mass of the country and they are Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi (Celebes), Kalmantan (Western Borneo) and Irian Jaya (Western New Guinea). Because Indonesia sits along the equator, the climate is tropical and it is a rich center for exotic bird life and marine fauna. Java itself has been inhabited for over a million years and it was here that the "Java-man" was discovered. It has known the stone, bronze, and iron ages, and was probably originally settled by Malays of Mongoloid extraction.

It was the search for the spices of the Moluccas that originally brought people to this area in the sixteenth century and these were Portuguese seamen. They were followed 60 years later by the Dutch, and later still by the French and the British.

The national policy of Indonesia, known as the Pancasila, consists of five principles: (1) belief in one God, (2) in a just and civilized humanity, including tolerance for all peoples, (3) in the unity of Indonesia, (4) in a democracy led by the wisdom of deliberations among representatives of the people, and (5) in social justice for all. The fact that they are discriminating against the Chinese is in violation of their own constitution but it is occurring nonetheless.

Indonesia is a land of endless diversity and variety, and is the land of "Krakatoa" with some 128 active volcanoes! It is a land of steaming jungles, towering mountains, tropical islands, and sandy beaches. Culturally, it is a potpourri of ethnic groups with a wide repertoire of dance and drama which draws its inspiration from Hindu epics, Moslem influences, and from the tales of ancient Javanese folk heroes.

The economy of the islands is largely agricultural with cash crops of rubber, copra, sugar, coffee, tea, and tobacco. Wet rice is grown using the "Sawah" method of terracing and gravity irrigation. Water buffaloes pull wooden plows and the planting, weeding, and harvesting of the rice is done by hand largely by women and children. Some ore is mined on Sumatra and Kalamantan and oil deposits are being discovered and developed. Tourism is developing rapidly and Garuda, the national airline, handles both international and domestic traffic. The air terminals at Jakarta and Denpasar are both modern in design and have many open areas for beautiful views and cooling ventilation.

It might interest you to know something of our flying time and route of travel. Our flight from home to Los Angeles was 5 hours and 15 minutes, following which we over-nighted in L.A. On the following day, we flew to Hawaii, which required 5 hours and 25 minutes, refueled in approximately 45 minutes, and then took off for Biak Island in Irian Jaya, requiring 9 hours and 5 minutes. After refueling once more, we took off for Denpasar, Bali, and this required 3 hours and 10 minutes. At this point, we changed planes and flew on to Jakarta, which required 1 hour and 25 minutes, for a total elapsed flying time of 24 hours and 5 minutes! It is indeed a long way! But then, the Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ocean in the world and occupies more than one-third of the earth's surface; in fact, it is larger than all of the world's land masses lumped together. The Pacific Ocean at the equator is 10,000 miles wide and its north-south distance is over 9300 miles! To cross it as Ted did in 19 days en route to Vietnam on a troop ship would not be to my liking.

Our first landing was on Komodo Island, famous for its Komodo Dragons, the largest lizards in the world, reaching a length of 10 feet and weighing several hundred pounds. The Blair Brothers in their documentary "Ring of Fire" photographed these animals in their native habitat and they are frightening to behold, with their long forked yellow tongue, their four legs with enormous claws, and their fast snake-like locomotion. They live on large animal carrion and today, in the interest of tourism, they are fed goats in order to get them out of the forest for viewing by the tourists. They are, however, an endangered species, although it is reported that there are over 5,000 Dragons on Komodo Island itself.

Our stop on Komodo Island for me will be memorable as we took our Zodiacs to a small beautiful beach to snorkel and I have never seen, even in textbooks, such a wide variety of coral of all colors, shapes and forms, as well as a tremendous variety of colorful reef fish. Our dive master said that so far in his experience, he certainly has not seen anything that surpassed this area for coral viewing.

Komodo Island is famous also for its bird life and on the second morning of our trip, I got up at 4:30 in the morning to accompany a group of "birders" ashore to "listen to the jungle come alive with bird life". The din really was not at all terrific, but the variety of exotic birds seen was sufficient to cause great excitement among these experienced bird watchers. I was the only one without a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope so I kept very close to the leader and was able to view some of these unusual birds through his scope.

Apparently, this particular Society expedition was designed primarily for "birders" and neither Pat nor I was aware of this particular fact. Many were members of a bird group from the west coast while the majority were members from the Massachusetts Audubon Society. After beating a path through the "jungle", we finally arrived at the "pit", where a large group of Komodo Dragons were resting, seemingly too tired to move. However, they came alive when a goat was sacrificed and then lowered down among them from a tree. They became vicious, lunging at the dead goat, tearing it apart with their huge claws, and fighting among themselves to get at the entrails. We were told that in attacking goats, deer, or small animals, they first eviscerate them and from what I saw, I can certainly believe this.

While Pat and I had visited native villages in Polynesia on past Society expeditions, none equaled the reception accorded to us by the Lewetobi people (East Flores). A holiday had been declared, the schools were closed and the children turned out in their finest school uniforms. The Chief and his elders met us at the shore with offerings of palm wine, betel nut paste, pepper leaves, and lime. Apparently, one mixes the last three ingredients and there is some mildly narcotic reaction. Most of us acknowledged their hospitality by merely touching the gourd containing the palm wine and the baskets which contained the betel nut ingredients. We then walked through a welcoming arch along a corridor formed by a group of people, probably constituting their "orchestra", who were playing bamboo flutes and using a local variety of drums. Many were wearing their ikats or locally woven cloths which they use to make their outer garments. Subsequently, we were entertained by a variety of local dances, all of which represented a message or an appeal to their gods to assist them in achieving their necessities of life. All of us were seated on benches made of bamboo and they had gone to a great deal of trouble to prepare themselves for this visit, as we were the first to see them in years. Apparently, the Society expedition's advance team had been there months ago and had secured their permission to visit the island and had arranged for this reception. All of the people seemed to be happy, smiled and shook our hands. It was interesting that their conversation was indeed brief and consisted of asking us our name and then telling us their name in good English and at this point, our conversations were over.

One of the most delightful features of sailing on either the "Small Red Ship", the Society Explorer, or the larger blue ship, the "Society Discoverer" is the open bridge policy which means the "Bridge" is always "Open" or accessible to the passengers, and the officers are always willing to answer any questions regarding the instrumentation on the bridge used in the ship's navigation. Radar was demonstrated when we were among groups of islands and with radar, one can determine not only the presence of islands or other objects but also their size and distance from the ship. There is also a wind indicator that indicates the force of the prevailing winds and devices to detect the force of the currents. Both of these factors which serve to deter a ship from its course are compensated by a gyroscopic compass which automatically keeps the ship on its assigned course. Sonar tells us the depths of the sea bottom in fathoms (a fathom is approximately six feet), and the "satellite" informs us of our actual position at the moment in terms of latitude and longitude in degrees, minutes, and seconds from Greenwich, England. Pat and I also had the pleasure of "shooting the sun" using a sextant. One uses this device by looking directly at the sun through a dark filter and then by manipulating the sextant, we lower the sun to the level of the horizon and, in this manner, one can determine its inclination or angle above the surface of the sea. Then by consulting the ship's clock, which is set to Greenwich Meridian Time and consulting a book, one can then determine one's actual position at sea within a fraction of a mile. There is a wheel, of course, which sets the rudder of the ship and which can be used for manual steering but like most jet commercial airlines, the course is handled largely by an automatic pilot, particularly when in the open sea. There are buttons to push for full speed, half speed, stop and reverse and various gradations of the same and these, in turn, send instructions to the engine room to control the operations in that area.

As we headed north through the Banda Sea, we anchored off a remote island called Gunung Api, which is indeed a dormant volcano which last erupted in 1964. The snorkeling was interesting and it was there that I saw my first sea snakes and sea cucumbers. As yet, I must say I am not comfortable in the water as I must constantly exert myself to stay afloat and I tire easily. Using fins, I am told, will be helpful in both providing locomotion and in enabling me to tread water. I am still a "lead weight" in water with little natural buoyancy and, in fact, I have a negative buoyancy.

One of our leaders, Jack Groves, a Marine Biologist, and one who has finished his Doctorate and his thesis on Marine Biology, was one of the most interesting lecturers on the ship. This morning, he talked to us about "Island Biogeography" or the science of ascertaining how each island acquires the specific and unique animal and plant forms that are found there. Wind and seas carry life forms and seeds, and if the conditions are favorable, such as fresh water and vegetation, the animals will survive, the seeds will germinate, and a colony will develop. Once the living forms are established, the environmental conditions shape the structural forms and behavioral characteristics of the animals and this process is called adaptation or natural selection. Darwin and Wallace together proposed our current theory of evolution or of the origin of species and the forces contributing to both their preservation and extinction. Some life forms are referred to as endemic which means, in zoological terms, that these areas are where these life forms breed and if these areas were destroyed, these life forms would become extinct. Some areas are referred to as indigenous for certain species and that means they are merely clustered there in large numbers. Many of these indigenous fauna, however, are migratory and cover vast areas of our earth.

At the moment, as I dictate this, we are proceeding northward along the west coast of Halmahera Island and this general area is called Wallacea, in memory of the great English naturalist, Alfred Russell Wallace, who lived from 1823 to 1913. He is really the father of the science of biogeography or the distribution of living organisms world-wide. He spent eight years in this area and covered some 14,000 miles and discovered many new species and new forms of living creatures. He also noted great differences in animal species between some of the islands that were literally next door to each other, and correctly anticipated our modern theories of plate tectonics and continental shift. Gonwanaland, it is assumed, was a large super-continent that existed perhaps a billion or more years ago and that ultimately broke up and separated. It is easy to visualize how Brazil and the Ivory Coast of Africa can be put together like a jigsaw puzzle. It is assumed that this super-continent gradually broke up over eons of time, taking with it similar flora and fauna. The similarity of animals and plants in southern Africa is quite comparable to those that are found in Patagonia or southern Argentina. Today, there is a clear-cut demarcation in Indonesia called "Wallace's Line" which separates species widely different in nature. It s eparates the Asian continent, called the Oriental Zone, from the Australian and New Zealand Zone. North and west of the line are the tigers, the apes, the deer, the elephants, whereas in contrast, south or east of this line, there are practically no native placental animals. It is here that such unusual marsupials as the kangaroo and the unusual koala bear are found.

We have known, from the mapping of our ocean beds, that there are two major zones of accretion, or zones of horizontal expansion on our planet, where the hot molten lava or magna rises to the surface from the interior of the earth. In so doing, it pushes aside or laterally the adjoining tectonic or continental plates. This process of accretion is extremely gradual and measures only a few centimeters a year. This fact apparently has been proven by the science of paleomagnetic studies and using a magnetometer for this purpose. In fact, the magnetic poles constantly shift on the surface of our earth. The liquid hot magna emerges through the crust or mantle and as it does, it is cooled by the water and at that time, takes on a specific magnetic polarity and bands are formed on the sea bed which enables us to determine its time period history. The two major accretion zones are the mid-Atlantic ridge in the Atlantic Ocean and the east-Pacific rise in the Pacific Ocean. As the continental plates push outward, they come into contact with the adjoining plates and something indeed must give. This process gives rise to: (1) the creation of mountains, such as the Himalayas, which result from the movement of the Asian against the Indian plate or (2) to the creation of deep troughs (Marianas), as one shelf slides under the other in a process called subduction. Faults, such as the Andreas Fault in southern California, are also similarly formed. Indonesia is one of the greatest areas of volcanism in the world and here, the hot magna reaches the surface in a vertical direction, creating a cone which ultimately becomes a volcano, Wherever two major plates are pushing against each other, volcanoes may rise, mountains may develop, and earthquakes are common.

One of our lecturers, an anthropologist, gave us a talk on "Cannibalism and Head-Hunting" and we will undoubtedly hear a great deal about these cultures as we get closer to New Guinea. Head-hunting and cannibalism are not synonymous, and the former apparently is more widespread and practiced more frequently than the latter, or cannibalism. Cannibalism is derived from the Spanish canibal, and means "savage" or "fierce" and was first used by Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean. It is a ritual indulged in: (1) to imbue the feasters with "mana" or spirit source, (2) to celebrate a great event such as the completion of a secret society clubhouse, (3) to punish the dead man as if he were an enemy, (4) to offer thanks and to celebrate a victory. Head-hunting, or, as it is said, "securing the head of an enemy", confers prestige and mana, and is required by some tribes before a boy can reach manhood. This recalls to mind the Masai of Africa who require the killing of a lion before a boy could satisfy his puberty initiation rites. The skulls of enemies killed in combat not only conferred additional life upon the living victorious warrior but also upon his whole village and therefore, head-hunting was considered a moral undertaking superior to all others. These primitive peoples also believed that their dead ancestors could only survive as long as their memory was preserved on earth and, therefore, the skulls of their ancestors were preserved and were both decorated and venerated.

Crossing the equator is an important event on most cruises and this experience is usually recognized by an appropriate ceremony. Since one's ship has entered the domain of King Neptune and has incurred his wrath or displeasure, certain rites or sacrifices are required to appease his anger. In our case, a colorful ceremony was produced by the staff, including the Captain, the Chief Engineer, the Tour Director, the Expedition Leader, as well as other members of the staff. The proper sacrifices were made and the sacrificial candidates ended up by being drenched with a hose of water or tossed in the pool. All of us who watched the ceremony were fortified by King Neptune's rum.

On one of the islands, we saw the magapodius brush turkey which builds nests consisting of a mound of dirt some six to eight feet high and some ten to fifteen feet wide and in which the eggs of the birds are deposited until they are hatched. It is a communal effort as several birds may use the same nest. The fascinating thing about this type of nesting is that neither the male nor the female needs to "sit" on the eggs. The male returns several times each day and ascertains the temperature of the "egg oven" and by adding to or removing from the compost heap on the top of the mound, he can maintain a constant temperature for the ideal maturation or hatching of the eggs. He does this with his beak which serves as a thermometer.

On the island of Ternate in the eastern part of Halmahera, we went on a nature walk and it was most interesting that in a distance of approximately 1,000 feet, we saw the ginger tree, banana trees, papaya trees, several varieties of ferns, clinging vines of pachysandra, unusual pine trees, passion fruit and flowers, and those particularly unusual plants called sensitive plants which, when you touch them, immediately contract and act almost as though it were an animal in nature. We also saw the golden body spider and tree snails. What was most important, however, was that the birders saw the Wallace Standard Wing Bird of Paradise and the huge cockatoo. Many of the people on this ship had come on this trip primarily to see this rare Bird of Paradise and the expedition was led by the great British ornithologist David Bishop. He is an enthusiastic and relatively young man whose recent contribution to the ornithological literature was his book on the birds of Colombia, South America. It is hard to imagine one with more enthusiasm than David Bishop and it exudes from him as he presents his talks in the lecture hall and shows us his slides. One of his research efforts was broadcast by the BBC and in it, there are the most beautiful films that have ever been taken of Wallace's rare Bird of Paradise. In order to do this, he had to climb a tree 150 feet high and position himself there during the night so that he would be in a position to photograph them the following morning when they came into activity at that site.

On the afternoon of this extensive bird walk, we also visited the town and island of Ternate and I was tremendously disappointed with the town itself. At one time, it was the center of the highly sought after spices of the Far East and today there is very little to remind one of this important chapter in the island's history. We visited Wallace's home, where he lived for some eight years, and there isn't a vestige of his former presence here at all. The house is literally falling down and though it is occupied by a family, they certainly have done little or nothing to maintain it. There isn't a sign that would ever indicate that such a renowned naturalist as Alfred Russell Wallace ever lived in this dwelling. We saw the Sultan's palace and at one time he was a very important figure in this area. Today, the building is a museum and the Sultan himself is represented in the Parliament in Jakarta as the people's elected representative. We visited the famed Spice Market and it turned out to be nothing more than a fruit and vegetable market. There were also two old Dutch forts that we visited but they were in ruins at this time.

We have been cruising along the coast of Halmahera Island and yesterday was an "Expedition Day" which means that we were going ashore to explore an island that hitherto had never been visited before by the Society Explorer. It is more than likely, too, that no other ship of any size had been there as the area was rather remote and off the sea lanes. In fact, the island that we visited was on no map except the map on the bridge of the ship. It is of interest that when we do come into remote areas of this kind, it is imperative for the Captain to procure a map from the local authorities and it is my understanding that these maps are not always reliable. On the island that we visited, and it was one of the Morotai groups, there were only 15 families with approximately 70 people living there in a most primitive existence. The "Elder" was in his 70's and during the War (WWII) was a "Coast Watcher" for the USA. The Japanese were all over the island and this area at that time and the "Watchers" reported their presence and activities to the American military group. Were they caught spying, they would have been either promptly shot or sent away to a labor camp. As the United States Forces fought their way westward, General MacArthur used the neighboring island of Morotai as his base of operations for several months.

As we visit a new island, an exploratory team goes ashore and endeavors to arrange with the local people for us to come ashore and see the island. Usually, the plan is to conduct a nature walk and Tobias Schneebaum, an anthropologist at New York University, would conduct the nature walk. He had lived in the Asmat, or in western New Guinea, or what is presently called Irian Jaya, for a period of four years some time ago and is an acknowledged authority on life in the Asmat. It was in this area that Michael Rockefeller disappeared when he was collecting artifacts for his Museum of Primitive Art in New York City. At the present time, there is space devoted to Indonesian and New Guinean Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it is known as the Michael Rockefeller Wing. Another task of the exploratory group is to determine where the best reefs are so that those of us who are inclined to snorkel or who choose to scuba dive will have the most favorable conditions. Usually, they look for a reef that is not too deeply submerged and which contains an abundance of coral and a great variety of reef fishes. If they can find a spot where the reef drops off into deep water, this is usually ideal for the scuba divers.

Today, our ninth day on our cruise, we experienced for the first time a denial on the part of a local community to accept us as visitors. The reasons were not made known to us but it is conceivable that the local chief did not want his society disrupted by a group of people from the ship. The Captain stated that this was the first time in his experience that his ship had ever been denied permission to land people anywhere in this area.

With so much to do each day, time passes very quickly and so, one day seems to meld into the next, and were it not for the printed program issued each day, one would soon forget not only the date of the month but also the name of the day of the week! Every evening at 9:30 and after usually a very delightful dinner, most of the people go to the lecture room to see a documentary video, or a routine movie, or some specially prepared slide presentations on the part of the staff. Last night, I witnessed a two hour production of "Birds Of All Seasons" and it was a most remarkable film. An ornithologist who is on this ship, and there are several, participated in the production of this remarkable film and his name is David Bishop, and it was he who found one of the established positions on an island in this area where one could view Wallace's Standard Wing Bird of Paradise.

The island of Waigeo, southeast of Halmahera, was the site of a zodiac trip up an estuary to the "Grottos and Lakes Area" affording a view of many islands composed of limestone from which luxuriant vegetation grew. Apparently, very little soil or humus is necessary for these huge trees and plants to survive. I tried snorkeling at the mouth of the estuary and though it was only 25 feet to the beautiful shallow coral, I was swept out to sea by the swift current of the receding tide. I frantically called for help, and the dive master, a powerful swimmer and diver, quickly made his way to me, and promptly pulled me close to the shore where there was a minimal current. They sent a Zodiac out to me, trailing a rope and a little life preserver, and I attached myself to it and was pulled safely back to the anchored snorkelers base. I was completely exhausted. Without fins and being a very poor swimmer, I was no match for the current and I will never try this again!

Native villages are to some extent alike in some respects. The basic construction of the house is usually similar with supporting pillars made of wood (sago palm), thatched roofs of pandamus leaves, and woven mats of grass serving as room partitions. Some villages are Muslim and most of the mosques we saw were dilapidated and literally falling apart, while the Christian villages had well cared for churches, supported, according to some, by mission donations from the Western countries. The only sign of westernization seen on some of the islands were the clothes the natives wore and plastic sandals. Dogs, usually small and scrawny, were everywhere, sleeping most of the time.

One of the fascinations of this trip, as on all our trips, is the lecture series, and specialists such as ornithologists, entomologists, and biologists, are provided who present detailed talks, slide shows, and conduct field trips. Not infrequently some additional remarks , from among the passengers themselves, add greatly to the general interest of the subject. It appears many of the people who come on these "Expeditions" are specialists themselves and constitute a broad spectrum of the "Sciences". Last night, after a squall had passed, an "Atmospheric Physicist" discussed cloud formation and how it differs in the temperate and tropical zones, and how important a knowledge of this subject was for planning for our invasions in these islands during World War II.

Today, the special relationships that exist between trees, fruits, insects and birds were explained by one of our lecturers, and the general subject is vastly more complicated than I had ever appreciated. Some trees, in order for their species to survive, grow large fruit with large seeds (stores a large amount of energy) which thus enables the fertilized seed to survive long periods of time, whereas other trees grow small seeds, rich in glucose, which provide cheap energy for many of the birds. Apparently, the "Birds of Paradise" are particularly fond of these small seeds as they provide a readily available source of food, and the ease with which they acquire their nourishment makes it possible for them to "play and to display".

Biak Island was the terminus of the first segment of our expedition "East of Bali" and it was here that 86 of our fellow passengers disembarked and left on their long flight home. Another group came on to take their places. Pat and I took a two hour tour of the island on a mini-bus and visited Bosnik, a small village where our forces landed in 1944 and where, with flamethrowers, the Japanese forces hiding in a natural caves were destroyed to the last man. There is a small museum containing both Allied and Japanese military artifacts, and nearby stands a simple and solemn Japanese memorial to their war dead with the dedication in English! There is nothing here to remind an American that our boys fought here, except some rusting landing craft lying just off-shore on a coral reef. Last year, we saw an American memorial to our lost ones at Tarawa, but it did not convey the sense of debt and gratitude that the beautiful Japanese edifice evokes in a visitor.

As we left Biak to cruise the Bismarck Sea, named by the Germans, who were active here for many years (1880-1914), we worked our way toward Wewak on the northwestern coast of Papua New Guinea. At this point, we are leaving Indonesia, whose people are largely of Malay stock, whose basic foodstuff is rice, and whose cultural history is dominated by the religions of Islam, Hinduism and to a lesser extent of Christianity. Entering Papua New Guinea, we are about to see an entirely different world, populated by the dark-skinned (blacker than black), coarse-featured, fuzzy-haired Melanesians. These people are also related to the so-called aboriginals of northern Australia, who migrated south to the continent when both Papua New Guinea and Australia were connected by a land bridge some 40 thousand years ago. The Papuans live largely on sago palm, taro root, cassava (tapioca), and a great variety of fish, fruits and vegetables. Pigs are to some extent their chief source of protein other than the products of the sea. Their social history is untainted by our formal religions, but is influenced by the primitive worship of animism or spirits and particularly their cults of ancestor worship. The ritual of head-hunting apparently was a driving force in the preservation of their villages and of their culture.

Several of our passengers are taking the extension trip to the Sepik River area and to the highlands to view the remote villages and to see their arts and crafts. Today, Douglas Newton, Curator of the Rockefeller Wing of Primitive Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, presented a slide show illustrating life in these areas, particularly noting their colorful war or hunting shields, their highly decorated ceremonial houses, and the initiation ceremonies to prepare a boy to become a head-hunter. It seems strange to me that these people have lived here for over 30 thousand years or more and their society, at least in terms of our western civilization, has shown little or no progress, if that is the right word.

Papua New Guinea is a mecca for anthropologists and art collectors, most of whom come to the Sepik River area to visit the many villages lined along its shores. This river is the longest river in Papua New Guinea. Each village has its own culture, language, and art forms and over 200 languages are spoken in this area, "Pidgin" being the linking language. Other tourists come to visit the highlands to see a different form of primitive living, peopled by humans who excel in self-decoration and who live in colorful houses with massive wood carvings. Deluxe accommodations for tourists are available here and transportation is provided by small planes. There is no way of crossing New Guinea other than by air or by means of the rivers. Some 13 species of the Birds of Paradise can be seen in the highlands and people come here from all over the world to see these remarkable birds. Madang, on the north coast, is a very pretty town and is the departure point for the Sepik River expeditions while Port Moresby is the starting point for the mountain areas.

Pat and I have been looking at some of the primitive art in some of the markets and I have made a minor purchase or two. Some of it is very beautiful and one can say undoubtedly that primitive art is functional; it is an art form of the soul. The shields, masks, and ancestor poles are magical objects that serve as "intercessors" against essentially the unknown threatening spirits. The fetishes were weapons to keep people from being ruled by spirits and to enable them to free themselves. They are a form of faith, a strange religion (animism). Today, primitive art exists honorably in museums all over the world, and is finally achieving prominent recognition of the importance these sculptures played in the lives of the primitive peoples in Oceania, and as they did in Africa ("Artnegre"), and among the Eskimos of our Arctic areas. Initially, primitive art was found only in museums of natural history, primarily for its ethnological interests rather than for its aesthetic qualities.

The Trobriands were perhaps the most colorful and interesting of the many Papuans we visited and they were out on the beach to greet us, inundating us with their art crafts, mostly beautifully carved woods. Their dancing was exciting, particularly the "Bird Dance", in which they simulated the activities of a bird in flight. It was terribly hot and humid and most of us returned to the ship with our clothes dripping as though we had been caught in a torrential rainstorm.

One of our "Expedition" stops was to the island of Litaba, a beautiful coral reef island perhaps 100 feet in diameter, and covered with palm trees. It was so isolated that it exists only on a detailed Marine map and in a dreamer's imagination. Three sides of this small island were abounded by coral reef and a long sandspit was on the other side, ideal for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving at the precipitous edge of the reef. Visibility was clear to a depth of over 100 feet and the reef had many colorful coral and reef fishes. An ideal uninhabited remote desert isle!

Margaret Mead, in her book "Growing Up In New Guinea", in which she relates her experiences in observing families and particularly children on the island of Manus in the Admiralty group of islands off the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea, states that these people's social behavior concerns itself with "physical proficiency, respect for property, and the observance of a few taboos or 'don'ts'." Children are firmly disciplined but accorded unflagging solicitude, and they do not believe that a child should be protected or sheltered nor should they be thrown into the waters of experience to either "sink or swim". The children are taught to observe and by observing, to learn how their elders behave and they learn by following their parents' example. It's interesting that a child's superior performance, either in or out of the water, is applauded. Minor errors or mistakes are simply ignored. Major errors or omissions, however, are punished! All superior performances are encouraged and rewarded. Clumsiness, physical uncertainty, and lack of poise is not to be seen among adults! There is truly survival of the fittest in these primitive people. No child appears to be cuddled when it slips or bumps its head nor does its mother "kiss his tears away". It is interesting that they have learned to survive without the written word, without books or formal schooling, and today without the radio, TV, or computers. They appear to be happy, well-adjusted, and contented, though I am sure there must be some mental illness among them. However, no mention of this problem has been made as of yet. There is great respect for private property and this is one of the reasons why 1 felt perfectly secure as I wandered around village after village with my wallet in my pocket. No individual, either a child or adult, touches anything that does not belong to them. No one asks for anything that is not his own. These are the most important items of ethical behavior demanded of children!

Papua New Guinea achieved its independence in 1974 and is now a member of the Third World Block in the United Nations. Virtually everywhere we have gone on this trip, we have only seen "a subsistence economy", people living on what they produce locally, and what they can sell in the way of indigenous artifacts to the rare tourist. Cash crops are being developed and expanded here in New Guinea (copra, coca, tea, rubber), but most of these are owned by expatriates who years ago developed large plantations (Germans, Britons, and Australians). The problem today is to encourage native Papuans to develop their natural resources without destroying their environment, and a government bank and environmental agency has been created to oversee its eight point program of development. They are aware that our current tropical forests are being destroyed at the rate of 50 acres every minute and less than a quarter will remain by the year 2000. This will entail the loss of considerable biological diversity (gene bank) and probably accelerate the species extinction rate.

Our barbecue was scheduled to be held on a small unnamed island (Picture Book Islet). There were, however, threatening storm clouds on the horizon and yet, on looking to the west, a beautiful sunset was in progress. Overhead, a half-moon could be clearly seen. The decision was made to "go for it" and to hold the barbecue ashore. The entire kitchen staff zodiaced to the beach, carrying all their food and equipment. Some of the staff had gathered some poles, driftwood, and palm leaves, some cut with machetes, and soon they had created an attractive buffet table adorned with lanterns. A bit of music was provided with a boom box, and some ukeleles were played by members of the able seamen staff. A pig and a large tuna fish and spare ribs had been roasted in the galley of the ship, and a full complement of various vegetables were kept warm with steam servers. A huge bonfire was built of driftwood and it served to create an eerie effect on this small isolated and uninhabited acre of palms and shrub vegetation situated all alone in this vast Pacific Ocean. It was a unique experience for most of the people aboard the Society Explorer.

The last village we visited prior to leaving for Wide Bay, New Britain, Papua New Guinea, was Ginetu Island. For many, it was too arduous a task to reach for it entailed a vertical climb of some 150 to 200 feet up the steep side of a limestone cliff. A wooden ladder helped for the first 20 feet and then, you were on your own, using both hands as purchase on the rough rock. The effort was all worthwhile as the village and its Yam houses were directly out of the Stone Age. A school was in the village and, as a result, many of the children understood and spoke English. The women were all bare-breasted and with their short grass skirts, appeared completely natural and at ease. None refused to have their photo taken and were, in fact, pleased that I made a request for their picture. A fourth grade bright student escorted me about and he and his cousin helped me descend the cliff. One said to me "Christ saved me and I will save you."

Rabaul was the terminus of our South Pacific expedition and was interesting in that it was the command post for all the Japanese troops in the Pacific in World War II. The place is a fortress but none of it is apparent. Lush vegetation abounds everywhere and only occasional bomb craters and wrecked Japanese planes are evidence of the fierce fighting that took place here. We actually went down into the bunker from which all communications were issued by the General Staff, and from which General Yamamoto departed to fly to Bougainville early in the war (1942), only to be shot down three days later. His death was concealed from the Japanese people until shortly before the war was over, so great would be the depressing effect upon his people. The city and adjacent area has 360 miles of tunnels and caves, some large enough to hide barges and submarines! We visited the beautiful Armed Forces Cemetery and noted most of the dead on the tombstones were from the Australian, New Zealand, and British units, and beside the tombstones were names engraved in beautiful bronze plaques of all of the dead whose bodies were never recovered or were lost at sea. The grounds are beautifully preserved and the floral decorations memorable. When Rabaul fell, the Allied forces had doomed the Japanese to the eventual loss of the war.

On our last night, we were driven to an isolated spot on the top of a mountain to see the Bainings (local tribe) do their "Fire Dance" and I have never seen anything like it! Those with video cameras were fortunate as still pictures cannot recreate the spectacular and weird nature of the proceedings. A small fire was initially built of thatch and then enlarged by women and children bringing more and more fuel until a blazing pyre resulted. Then from out of the darkness came one dancer after another, with huge head dresses and face masks unlike any other in the world. The steps of the dance were bizarre and vigorous and all of this was orchestrated by a band of musicians banging bamboo pipes and singing a monotonous but ominous series of sounds. They worked themselves up into a frenzy or orgy and walked through the fire, scattering the embers here and there. Their feet were bare, their bodies blackened and glistened, their arms streaked with white, and they wore a plaque in front of their genitalia and had a long tail. The dance is designed to "call out the spirits" and serves to introduce the dancers to their spirits. The dance is unique and does not exist anywhere else in the world. The effect created is greater than the voodoo effect that I had observed many years ago in Haiti.

Lastly, this Dad-O-Gram was dictated from time to time on our trip and may well appear completely disorganized and perhaps much too lengthy. It might better have been organized at home and edited carefully but I am resorting to this technique to see how well it works out.

With love to all,

Dad

CEJ/ngb

T11/25/89