Jack Gordon Hides (24 June 1906 – 19 June 1938) was an explorer of the then-Australian-controlled territories of
Papua and
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
, now modern
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
. He served as a Patrol Officer from 1931 to 1936, and led several expeditions in the early 1930s.
Life
He was born in
Port Moresby
(; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...
, the son of the head gaoler of the Port Moresby Gaol. He received a limited education at schools in Port Moresby and
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
. He was a good swimmer, sprinter, and amateur boxer. In 1932 he married in Australia and later became the father of two children.
His first work in the Papuan public service was in July 1925, and in May 1926 he transferred to a cadet patrol officer. In February 1928 he became a Patrol Officer, and in 1934 became Assistant Resident Magistrate, 2nd grade, serving at various bases until 1936. His work in 1931–1932 leading patrols from
Kerema
Kerema is the capital of Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea. It is located on the coast of Gulf of Papua. The Gulf region is aptly named for its concave coastline with large deltas. The Gulf area is a riparian region where many rivers from the south ...
into the partially unexplored
Kukukuku
The Angu or Änga people, also called Kukukuku (pronounced "cookah-cookah") are a small and previously violent and cannibal group speaking a number of related languagesEthnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth Edition, M. Paul Lewis, editor ...
country demonstrated considerable leadership skills. In temperament he was bold and courageous, although he has received criticism that some of the loss of life during his missions could have been avoided by more careful planning or caution.
He also began to write books about his explorations, mainly based on his diaries, which were successful.
1935 expedition
In 1935 he was chosen by Lieutenant-Governor
Hubert Murray
Sir John Hubert Plunkett Murray (29 December 1861 – 27 February 1940) was a judge and Lieutenant-Governor of Papua from 1908 until his death at Samarai.
Early life
Murray was born in Sydney, the son of Irish-born Terence Aubrey Murray ( ...
to lead an expedition into the unexplored
Great Papuan Plateau
The Great Papuan Plateau is a karst plateau in the Southern Highlands, Hela and Western Provinces of Papua New Guinea. It is bordered the upper stretches of the Kikori River and the Strickland River on the east and west, respectively, and the ...
between the
Strickland and
Purari Rivers, with
Louis James O'Malley as his second-in-command, along with 10 police and 28 carriers. It was the last major exploratory mission in the territory without radio or aerial support. They left
Daru
Daru is the capital of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea and a former Catholic bishopric. Daru town falls under the jurisdiction of Daru Urban LLG.
The township is entirely located on an island that goes by the same name, which is loc ...
, on the south coast, by water on 1 January, followed the Strickland River and then its tributary the
Rentoul River by
canoe
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the ter ...
, leaving their boats about five miles below the confluence of the eastern and western branches of the river. From there they continued by foot along the south side of the river, travelling several days without seeing any people or signs of habitation. Then they camped at the confluence of the Sioa and Rentoul river, in view of three
longhouse
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America.
Many were built from timber and often rep ...
s on the opposite side of the valley, and their inhabitants, who seemed to take no notice of the explorers. The next morning, Hides was threatened by a party of natives who had crossed the river in the night.
He was able to escape, but continued to meet unfriendly natives, and was forced to fight in total at least nine skirmishes during the patrol, and shot at least 32 tribesmen – often in defence, sometimes due to misinterpretations (see below). He received some criticism for the bloodshed, especially after another patrol was launched in the same area the next year (led by
Ivan Champion and
C.J. Adamson) with no resulting deaths, but he nonetheless was praised by Hubert Murray, who called his patrol "the most difficult and dangerous" ever carried out in Papua.
When he appeared in Sydney in August, he proved himself an articulate speaker and received considerable attention.
The violence which marked his expedition has been attributed to several causes. Hides' group suffered from severe food shortages, and indigenous communities he encountered were often unwilling or unable to trade. Hides had bargained on trading steel tools for food, but found people who were not interested in steel. In addition, the
Nembi people were suffering from acute food shortages themselves, and had none to spare. It has been suggested that the
Etoro
eToro is an Israeli social trading and multi-asset investment company that focuses on providing financial and copy trading services. Its headquarters are located in Central Israel, and the company has registered offices in Cyprus, the Unite ...
and
Onabasulu people "did not sell food to the patrol because they feared it and wanted it to go away". By necessity, Hides' expedition resorted to stealing food, which led to violence. Another factor was Hides' ignorance of these uncontacted peoples' "fragmented political organisation", and of the "social and political implications of the patrol's movement"; he often appeared, from Papuans' perspectives, to be coming from enemy territory, making people instantly wary. Some Papuan peoples greeted the patrol hospitably, however. Among these were the
Kewa. By the time the expedition reached Kewa territory, Hides was severely ill, exhausted and famished. "His by now exaggerated expectations of native treachery and attack and the desperate condition of the patrol led him to misperceive the Kewa's intent and allowed his patrol to open fire on them on two occasions, resulting in seven or eight Kewa deaths."
[Schieffelin, Edward and Crittenden, Robert, "Remembering First Contact: Realities and Romance", ''in'', Borofsky, Robert (ed.), ''Remembrance of Pacific Pasts: An Invitation to Remake History'', Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, , pp.135–141.]
Final expedition and death
He had discovered some gold in the upper reaches of the Strickland River, and in 1936 he resigned from the Papuan public service to lead a private
gold prospecting
Gold prospecting is the act of searching for new gold deposits. Methods used vary with the type of deposit sought and the resources of the prospector. Although traditionally a commercial activity, in some developed countries placer gold prospe ...
expedition up the river in February 1937, with the backing of investors in Sydney. His companion David Lyall became seriously ill on the journey, and they were forced to retreat to the coast, where Lyall died in September. He also lost a number of carriers from
beriberi
Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The two main types in adults are wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system, ...
. Depressed by the experience, he returned to Sydney, where he died the following year from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
.
Writings
Books
* ''Through Wildest Papua''. London: Blackie and Son, 1935
* ''Papuan Wonderland''. London: Blackie and Son, 1936
* ''Savage Patrol''. New York: National Travel Club, 1936
* ''Savages in Serge''. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1938
* ''Beyond the Kubea'' Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1939
Magazines
* ''Pacific Islands Monthly'' 4:10, 1934 (cover photograph)
* "A Great Feast at Evesi." ''The Papuan Villager'' 6:1, 1934
* "A Papuan Patrol." ''
The Australian Geographer'' 2:8, 1935
* "They Collect Heads!" ''Pacific Islands Monthly'' 6:7, 1936 (cover photograph)
Notes
References
Biographical entryat Bright Sparcs
at the Australian Dictionary of Biography
Further reading
* Lett, L., ''Knights Errant of Papua'', London, 1935.
* James Patrick Sinclair. ''The outside man: Jack Hides of Papua''. London, Angus & Robertson, 1969.
* Karl J. Franklin (1989). "Jack Hides' visit to the Kewa area." ''
Journal of Pacific History
A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to:
*Bullet journal, a method of personal organization
*Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period
*Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...
'' 24: 99–105.
* Schieffelin, Edward and Crittenden, Robert, "Remembering First Contact: Realities and Romance", ''in'', Borofsky, Robert (ed.), ''Remembrance of Pacific Pasts: An Invitation to Remake History'', Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, , pp. 135–141.
External links
Photographfrom National Library of Australia, of hydroelectric patrol including Jack Hides
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hides, Jack
1906 births
1938 deaths
People from the National Capital District (Papua New Guinea)
Explorers of Papua New Guinea
Australian explorers
20th-century explorers
Australian expatriates in Papua New Guinea