GOING TO CHINA

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 2, 4 January 1937, Page 10

GOING TO CHINA

NO OPENING HERE N.Z. ANTHROPOLOGIST DR. FORTUNE'S WORK

Still another brilliant New Zealander with specialised qualifications for wfiich apparently there is limited scope in his own country is being lost to the Dominion through, recognition of his ability abroad. Dr. Reo F. Fortune, a young anthropologist, of Wellington, leaves by the Awatea tomorrow to take up a temporary position at Ling Nang University, Canton, where he has been engaged to establish a department of sociology. Since graduating M.A. with first-class honours at Victoria College in 1924 Dr. Fortune has had many valuable ex* periences in various parts of the world, but undoubtedly those of greatest interest are those associated with his visits to New Guinea, as a result of which he is now recognised as one of the leading authorities on that still mysterious and inhospitable land. After taking his degree at Victoria College, Dr. Fortune was awarded a Jacob Joseph scholarship in 1925, and then in 1926-27 he pursued his studies as a post-graduate travelling research scholar in arts (New Zealand University) and under a research grant of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He took his diploma in anthropology at Cambridge in 1927. In 1928-29 he made his first acquaintance with New Guinea as a member of the Australian National Research Council Expedition, accepted by him in preference to an Amazon River expedition which was subsequently joined by Mr. Peter Fleming. He had his American experience with a fellowship at Columbia University, New York, in 1929-30, and in the following year qualified there as Doctor of Philosophy. In 1931 he was offered a place with the Columbia University Expedition for the American Indian Field, did research on the Omaha tribe, and then took another opportunity to go to New Guinea with an expedition organised by the same university. He joined still another expedition to New Guinea in 1935, and on completion of his work on that occasion came back to New Zealand some months ago to visit his home at Paraparaumu, and to write an account of his last work. Naturally the greater part of Dr. Fortune's work has been in connection with the research field nearest his own heart, that ' of New Guinea, and his ■ publications include "Sorcerers of ■ Dobu," dealing with the social anthro-

pology of the Dobu islanders. "Manus Religion," dealing with a spiritualistic cult amongst the Admiralty Islanders, works on the languages of New Guinea (in the press or in process of being written), and experiences among the Puari tribe of the New Guinea interior. Dr. Fortune has studied, six primitive societies intensively, and speaks tha languages of four of these fluently and of the other two. (with shorter duration of residence) imperfectly. . These languages are highly involved in con» struction, having different noun forms of many declensions, and different verb conjugations, often more developed than in Latin. To be able to converse freely with natives, an essential to hi 3 study, the anthropologist must master these strange tongues in a very short time and if when this has to be dona he is in occasional danger of his lifa among hostile tribes, the task is mors difficult. On one occasion, ■ said Dr. Fortune, who was reluctant to speak of this phase of his-studies,-awar party of 800 had worn down their opponents to 40, and he was placed in rather an unenviable position when the 40, who were in process of being worn down for a few days before being, killed more easily, fell back on his camp. He was known to have three rifles there, and we\s asked to help tha minority, but. refused. The usual procedure of burning Off the. long grass to give the surrounded people no shelter was gone through, and he spent hours in dense smoke, but eventually, during the night, the 40 managed to escape. It was not his practice to go armed to weddings, but otherwise ha always did.