ART ON VIEW
FIG. 8 (above): Display with
the Öberg Collection at the
Hometown Museum.
Photo © Bart van Bussel.
At the end of the table display case is
Öberg’s sea chest with its decorated
lid open. Above the window are
displayed bows and arrows from
Bougainville, Solomon Islands, near a
“Parade-sword from New Hannover”
on the wall. A “woman’s skirt from
British New Guinea, made of fi ber
and colored with shrub juice” and
two “paddles from Neu Hannover
(Lavongai). Made from the Kajula
tree, rarely seen. Used by the canoe
steer mate, and also for benches in
the German Reichstag, Berlin.”
FIG. 9 (right):
Display with the malangan
pole seen in the newspaper
clipping in fi g. 1.
Height, from left to right: 220, 235,
and 230 cm.
Photo © Bart van Bussel.
“Malanganer from Kap Su. Belonged
to an ancient family of dancers and
prophets. Acquired in 1886 for sek
150. It stood leaning at a palm under
a roof outside the hut of a chief”.
The pole was later cut into three
pieces to make it easier for transport
to Sweden. The handwritten
sign on the wall reads: “Totem
Poles. Pedigree” (“Totempåla.
Släktstavala”).
FIG. 10 (above right):
Detail of the face at the top
part of the malangan pole
acquired in 1886 at Kapsu.
Photo © Bart van Bussel.
98
that even in 1891, the chiefs at Fiji retained their
characteristic coiffures, surpassing each other in
the art of coloring and arranging their hair, but
tattooing was no longer common.9
From Sydney he also made his fi rst trips northward
to Papua New Guinea, likely in the early
1880s, though no precise date is mentioned.
From then on, Öberg gradually developed his
future in the Bismarck Archipelago.
IN THE BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO
Reading Öberg’s diaries, local Swedish newspaper
articles, and the few other comments made
about him provides an image of a modest man,
who worked hard as a diligent sailor, was willing
to participate in the various jobs and opportunities
that presented themselves, and ultimately
was trying to make a living and save a little.
During his time in the Bismarck Archipelago,
he expanded his diary entries with notes about
cargo, events, people he met, and his own living
situation. He characterizes the South Seas as a
paradise and a place he would like to live—on
an island of his own, if possible.10 While that
dream never materialized, with his entry into the
South Seas, and particular the Bismarck Archipelago,
Öberg’s life was forever altered, and for
more than twenty years he lived through many
signifi cant events and worked among people
who today are better remembered than he.
The term Bismarck Archipelago describes the
geography east and southeast of Papua New
Guinea. This is a multiplicity of islands, of which
the major ones are New Britain (Neu-Pommern)
and New Ireland (Neu-Mecklenburg) (fi g. 3).