SOURCES FOR THE CULTURE AND ETHNOLOGY OF

NETHERLANDS NEW GUINEA (IRIAN JAYA):

THE ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICE OF POPULATION AFFAIRS, HOLLANDIA, 1951-1962

National Archives of the Netherlands, The Hague

on microfiche

Background

The Kantoor voor bevolkings-zaken (Office of Population Affairs) was set up by the Dutch authorities in Hollandia (now Jayapura) on 10 February 1951 for the purpose of studying the ethnological, social-economic and linguistic situation of the indigenous population of Netherlands New Guinea, which was to remain in Dutch hands until the transfer of sovereignty to the Republic of Indonesia in 1962. During this period the office undertook many studies and assembled a great deal of material on a wide range of subjects, issuing many reports and other documents now held in the National Archives of the Netherlands in The Hague.

The archive

Most of the material is in Dutch, but there are also items in Indonesian and English. The majority of the reports cover the period in which the office was active (1951-1962), but there is also material from the 1930s and 1940s and earlier. To make its collection as complete as possible the Office also included copies of the Memories van overgave (Memoranda of conveyance) written by departing colonial administrators, placing them among the other reports and documents of the relevant districts. In order to respect the integrity of this archive and present as complete a body of research materials on Netherlands New Guinea as possible, the Memories have been included in this microfiche publication. Libraries that already hold the Memories van overgave in microform may, however, purchase the remaining materials at a discounted price. The collection is organized geographically by district with more general materials placed at the end. It is possible to purchase individual districts on request. The collection on microfiche comes with a printed guide and concordance that is cross-referenced by subject.

Subjects treated

1. Cultural and ethnological affairs

• Geography and ethnology in general
• Registration of the indigenous population
• Population statistics
• Urbanization; Urban Papuans
• Migration
• Language
• Health
• Nutrition
• Housing
• Social structure
• Kinship
• Marriage
• Adultery
• Kain Timur
• Death
• Infanticide
• Suicide
• Games, dance, feasts
• Social life
• Material culture
• Religion, popular beliefs, rituals, magic
• Cargo cults
• Wege movement
• Rock drawings
• Archaeological finds
• Indigenous art

2. Administrative affairs

• Administration in general
• Advisory bodies
• Indigenous authority
• Public relations, press, publications
• Regional development
• Economy
• Cooperatives
• Agriculture
• Soil science
• Cacao
• Forestry
• Various other crops
• Fisheries
• Mining
• Labor
• Education
• Social care