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Image Not Available for Ethnographic study of New Guinea, 1926 owned by Oskar Speck
Ethnographic study of New Guinea, 1926 owned by Oskar Speck
Image Not Available for Ethnographic study of New Guinea, 1926 owned by Oskar Speck

Ethnographic study of New Guinea, 1926 owned by Oskar Speck

Subject or historical figure (1907 - 1993)
Date1926
Object number00040166
NameBook
MediumInk on paper
Dimensions270 x 205 x 5 mm
ClassificationsBooks and journals
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from John Ferguson
DescriptionThis ethnographic study of New Guinea, 1936 was owned by Oskar Speck. It is entitled "Die Ethnographie der Nor-Papua (Murik-Kaup-Karau) bei Dallmannhofen, Nue-Guinea" and was written by P Joseph Schmidt, S.V.D.HistoryOskar Speck (1905 - 1995) was a German adventurer who, in the 1930s, paddled his kayak SUNNSCHIEN (SUNSHINE) from Europe to Australia. He departed from Ulm in Germany on 18 June 1932, paddling down the Danube at the start of a 50,000km voyage to Australia. His voyage of seven years and four months saw him stopping at ports in Germany, Austria, Hungary, former Yugoslavia, former Macedonia, Greece, Cyprus, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran Jaya, Papua New Guinea and Australia (Saibai Island). He arrived on Saibai Island near Papua New Guinea in the Northern Torres Strait on 20 September 1939. Speck arrived with a swastika on the bow of his 5.3 metre German built Folbot kayak a few days after Australia declared war with Germany. Speck was travelling on a German passport and was promptly arrested as an enemy alien on his arrival on Thursday Island. Speck was detained at the Tatura and Loveday internment camps for the duration of the war.SignificanceThis collection documents a significant feat of sportsmanship as well as a 1930s travel-adventure and what became a World War II internment and migration story.