FEATURE
THE ÖBERG COLLECTION
Shortly after his return to Sweden in 1909,
Öberg displayed his collection during the annual
“hometown summer festivities,” which surely
must have sparked great excitement, curiosity,
and pride for everyone, not in the least for
himself.36 Öberg had compiled his collection of
ethnographic objects slowly over time from the
places he visited or stayed, and whenever he returned
104
to Sweden he brought some of his objects
with him.
Öberg’s comments written in his diaries and
collection inventory about objects and collecting
are few but still interesting and are written with
during the many years he lived in New Ireland.
He acted as seller and intermediary for Edgar
Waite and A. C. Davis in 1918, both from the
South Australian Museum, Adelaide, and later,
in 1934, for the Danish Monsunen Expedition.39
Returning to the fi rst newspaper clipping,
Öberg is pictured surrounded by his collection
of New Ireland objects, which we now know
the story behind (fi gs. 9, 12, and 13). The 1930
publication date makes sense, considering his
donation the following year to the Hometown
Society Museum of Stora Skedvi. No one in that
town could deny the pride over one of the village’s
own having led such a different, exciting,
FIG. 23 (below left):
Display case with pan pipes,
likely of New Britain origin,
three Solomon Islands
fi shhooks, an Admiralty
Islands comb, a small
fi ne plaited bag, and two
postcards.
Photo © Bart van Bussel.
FIG. 24 (below right):
Display case with various
personal objects belonging
to Öberg. At top right,
letter and business card
from Jack London: “Dear
Mr. Öberg, In memory of
happy days spent in Tasman
Lagoon. Jack London.
Tasman, Oct. 6, 1908.”
Photo © Bart van Bussel.
a good sense of enthusiasm.37 In August of 1901
he writes “Great Malligan in the bush. Had a
look at it …”. It seems that he discovered this
piece by chance after it had been discarded in the
bush after its ritual use. A year later, he writes,
“Great Malligan at Bowak today,” and again in
October 1902, “Charles Östrom and Goma arrived
in the morning. Very hot and dry weather.
Wind S. Business ordinary. Bought 8 Malligans
from Charles for 80 Marks.” This was truly a
substantial acquisition and an increase to his
collection with an interesting reference.
Karl “Charles” Östrom, of Swedish-Finish descent,
was the owner of the Lakurafanga Plantation
near Kavieng in northern New Ireland.38
In addition to his successful plantation operation,
he was actively purchasing local art objects
Saturday, October 3, 1908. … Under power,
once near Tasman, we skirted her purling reef,
all strung with deep-green wooded islets ….
Out came Mr. Mc Nicoll, a small, hard-bitten
Scotsman. … He is here only temporarily, having
come to help the manager, Mr. Oberg, to suppress
an uprising of the natives as consequent upon a
scourge of dysentery introduced by Oberg‘s Black
Papuan boat crew. … Tuesday, October 6, 1908.
This morning we were under way about nine,
Mr. Oberg and his crew helping us break out the
anchor and hoist the canvas” (fi g. 24).35
This meeting was to be the last signifi cant experience
for Öberg in the Pacifi c. Half a year later,
in 1909, he left the South Seas for the fi nal
time, traveling back to Sweden.