Untitled - Stichting Papua Erfgoed

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Iedere armband had een naam en een geschiedenis Men vertelde elkander de
historie der armbanden, hoe deze door het naburige Skow als oorlogsschatting
was betaald, hoe gene door Nafri was opgebracht, enz Wellicht werden ZIJ
voor het loskopen van krijgsgevangenen gebruikt, zoals zij ook dienst deden
bij het aankopen van sago-dusuns, van voedsel in tijd van schaarste, bij het
betalen van boete voor gedode vijanden, als deel van de huwelijksgift van
notabele families, als talisman op reis, enz. 1 )
Waar komen deze ringen vandaan? De bevolking meent dat zij uit het binnenland
komen, Van der Sande vermoedt Chinese afkomst en import langs
handelswegen, nog voor Nieuw Guinea door Indonesische handelaars was
bezocht. Hij neemt hetzelfde aan voor de Molukken waar de ringen eveneens
werden aangetroffen en in even grote reuk van magische kracht stonden als te
Tabati en omgeving.
Hier mogen enkele aanhalingen uit Van der Sande's boek nopens deze glasnngen,
driehoekig in doorsnee met een scherpe buitenrand en platte binnenrand
volgen 2 ): ,,Rumphius (omstreeks 1690 op Amboina wonende G ) and Valentijn
(circa 1710 predikant te Ambon. G. ), in their ample information about
maraacurs (d.w.z. de voornoemde glazen ringen. G. ), mention these rings from
Ceram, the Am-, Kei- and Timorlaut Islands, etc and they indicate the green
rings as the most precious ones At that time traders ordered green, glass rings
to be manufactured in the Netherlands, in order to deal in them in Netherl.
India, this, however, entirely failed, the natives but too well distinguishing the
ancient ones from the modern ones. Very striking is the narrative by Rumphius
„In the year 1655 the Praesident Simon Cos, afterwards Governor of Amboina,
was obliged to take away such a mamacur in the village of Noccobay, on the
north coast of Ceram, because the neighbouring village waged war for it, but
the chief Hulong, who was the administrator of this country and generally on
our side, was very displeased at this, saying, that such a ring was worth 100
slaves, even a whole „negorij " (village), but they did not get it back, because
it was lost Quite conformable to the fact, that the ring of lobadi is under the
protection of the chief of the village, is the old information about the mamacur,
of its only being found in the possession of the kings, and moreover of its
being considered a holy object, an oracle, an amulet, the stripes and bubbles of
the mass being of great significance. As places of origin the natives mentioned
different localities, still the real mamacur was said to have issued from the sea
or from the mountains (vgl. de kralen oorsprong volgens de Humboldt baaiers
G.). while imitations came from Babber Island Remarkable is Rumphius'
information, that the Papuans decidedly preferred the green sort of rings, and
that they believed in the Chinese origin of the others.
„Bickmore (± 1865. G. ) saw some six of these rings, in the possession of
the prince of Assilulu on Ambon, coming from Ceram and having issued from
the heads of snakes and wild boars and which were worshipped as most
extraordinary objects Bickmore gelooft aan Chinese origine aangezien hij in
China juist zulke ringen had gezien.
„Riedel (± 1880. G. ) found them still used as ornaments for the arm on
Ceram, which Valentijn also mentions, and he explains the belief of the natives,
who accept their originating from the soil, as having arisen from the accidental
1 ) 28; p. 322 en 46; p. 169 en 69; p. 167.
2 ) 59; p. 224, 225.