ABSTRACT

Pre-independence patrols through remote areas of Papua and New Guinea were concerned both with mapping land and with identifying and counting those who lived there. People do not always stay in place, however, as colonial authorities envisioned, and patrols seeking to render them legible took different paths, at different times, through the same land. Reports from patrols to the vicinity of the Burnett River, which flows westwards from the Muller Range to the upper Strickland, used many different names when referring to groups of people who lived in that area. By cross-referencing between available reports, and supplementing interpretations with some post-independence information, we reach an improved understanding of the pre-independence distribution of people of different language groups. We direct particular attention to the role of interpreters in shaping the knowledge produced by patrol officers.

摘要

在巴布亚和新几内亚的偏远地区进行独立前巡逻，既涉及土地测绘，也涉及确定和计数那里的居民。然而，人们并不总是像殖民地当局所设想的那样呆在原地，巡逻队试图使他们清晰可辨，并在不同的时间通过不同的道路穿越同一片土地。从巡逻到从穆勒山脉向西流到斯特里克兰上游的伯内特河附近的报告，提到了居住在该地区的人群时，使用了许多不同的名称。通过在可用报告之间进行交叉引用，并在解释后加上一些独立后的信息，我们可以更好地理解不同语言群体的人在独立前的分布。