CARL WILHELM ÖBERG
105
FIG. 25 (below):
Display case with “Shell
money from New Ireland,
New Hanover, New Britain,
Admiralty Islands, Squally
Island, and St. Matthias
Islands.” The long, narrow
bone object is likely
identical to what Öberg
refers to as a “Motherof
pearl knife, used for
tattooing.”
Photo © Bart van Bussel.
FIG. 26 (below):
Detail of the small fi ne
New Ireland kap kap neck
ornament.
Photo © Bart van Bussel.
and rich life in such exotic climes, all the more
so since it brought an international perspective
of opportunity, experience, and possibly wealth.
Öberg’s decision to donate his collection was
certainly the result of considerable refl ection, especially
given his personal relationship with the
objects, the memory of which must have imbued
them with deeper meaning. With this in mind, it
seems clear that having a short piece published
served as an update for his former friends and
colleagues from the Bismarck Archipelago, who
he knew kept themselves updated through German
newspapers (fi g. 1).
Local historian Berndt Hage knew Öberg well
and actively worked to draw attention to his story.
He may well have been the initiator of the
newspaper articles. They must have had many
FIG. 27 (right): Drum and
stone-headed club, both
from New Britain.
Photo © Bart van Bussel.
talks together over the years, discussing not only
Öberg’s life story but also the future of the collection,
leading to the donation.
On Sunday, 26 July 1931, the collection
opened in connection with the “hometown
summer festivities” in the civic center of Stora
Skedvi. It was titled An Exhibition of Cult
and Cultural Objects from the South Seas (fi g.
14),40 and approximately 1,500 people attended
the annual celebration. Hage made a speech
in which he introduced the offi cial donation
and opening.41 In connection with the donation,
Öberg and Hage created an inventory list for all
the objects, with sixty-seven descriptions, some
of which cover several objects. The collection
also contained a number of seashells, turtle
shells, a bird of paradise, and some personal
objects of Öberg’s. Everything was put on
display in the museum’s tiny building (fi g.
5).
Lectures by Hage and Öberg were subsequently
held in several places around the
county, and a number of mainly local newspaper
articles appeared telling about the donation.
Recently an interesting story surfaced from
some of the older people in the local community.
Apparently Öberg used to pay for his medical
visits to his local doctor with some of the objects
he had acquired. It turns out that the late
Dr. Noach Palmquist had his medical practice
in Dalarna County near Stora Skedvi, and he
treated Öberg several times between 1890 and
1902.42
Altogether, Dr. Palmquist received forty-fi ve
objects from Öberg, and in 1932 his widow
handed them all over to the Gothenburg Museum.
We don’t know if she was aware of the
recent 1931 donation to the Hometown Society
Museum and simply made her decision with or
without previous agreement with her late husband).
43 This collection consisted of slings, bags,
arrows, bows, spears, mats, and bracelets from
New Britain, New Ireland, Bougainville, and
Buka. There were also fourteen malangan carvings,
including one complete horizontal frieze
with a bird motif (fi g. 33).
Unfortunately, none of these objects is accompanied
by information from Öberg, and
Palmquist apparently thought of the objects