American Richard Archbold, scouting his third expedition to New Guinea,
was the first outsider to lay eyes on the magnificent Grand Valley of
the Baliem. As he peered out of the window of his sea plane on June 23,
1938 the terrace green fields of the valley appeared from among the
rocky peaks like a mirage. The 14-month highland expedition was
Archbold's third in New Guinea (the
other two were in eastern New Guinea), all under the auspices of the
American Museum of Natural History. Archbold is a mammalogist and
explorer as well as millionaire. At first, the bureaucrats in Batavia
(now Jakarta) were reluctant to produce the needed permits, but then the
Dutch colonial government decided to co-sponsor the trip. Soon, dozen
of men and tons of material were heading for Hollandia (now Jayapura),
the population of which at the time were barely 200: government
personnel, their servant Indonesian artisan and Chinese traders. The
area chosen for exploration was the northern face of the snow
Mountain-range-the largest remaining blank on the map of New Guinea at
the time. Previous expedition had explored the southern slope of this
impressive range, returning with important biological collections. And
though 1921-1922 Kremer expedition had succeeded in reaching the North
Slope of the Snow Mountains, Kremer had to abandon his precious
collections to the jungle on the exhausting trek back to the coast.
The Guba
The key to the Archbold expedition's success was a huge Catalina flying
boat called the Guba. The craft was a consolidate PBY 2, the standard
US long-range patrol bomber, that had been specially modified by Howard
Hughes for Salmon fishing expeditions to Alaska and then subsequently
sold. Expert considered it the most air- and seaworthy aircraft in
existence at the time. Lift was provided by a 31,7 meter wing, which
supported a 20,4 meter fuselage. The plane was powered by two 1,000 HP
Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp engines fed from a 1,750 gallon fuel cell
and holding 110 gallons of oil in the crankcases. The Guba could lift
three tons at sea level and cruise for a distance of 800 kilometers, but
when taking off 3,225-meter-high Lake Habbema, the payload had to be
restricted to just one ton of cargo and a standard crew of four men.
It was during one of the exploratory flights of the Guba that Archold
first sighted the Baliem Valley. Immediately, he realized the importance
of his discovery. He was looking at the largest highland valley in New
Guinea, as well as the most densely populated. Of course, he did not
suspect that the Dani inhabitants were also the highland's most feared
warriors. Archold saw the Dani's watchtowers, but did not guess that
their purpose was to keep an eye out for enemy ambush parties.
Getting Underway
Archold and the Dutch military members of the expedition decided to set
up two campsin the interior of Irian : a high one on Lake Habbemaat
3,225 meters and a low one in the Meervlakte (the "Lakes Plains" region
north of the mountains), 50 meters above sea level. The area to be
studied was bounded by mount Wilhelmina (now Gunung Trikora) on the
south and the Idenburg River (now Taritatu) on the north. The military
arm of the expedition, under the command of Captain Teerink and
Lieutenant Van Areken, consisted of 56 officers and men. The porters
included 73 Dayaks (the mountainous terrain of their homeland Borneo
equipped them well for Irian's rugged landscape) and 30 convicts.
The Dutch authorities did not want to lose American lives, and the
military men ordered that precautions be taken. Foremost in their minds
was an emergency retreat route, should the Guba for some reason be
unable to pick up the party at Lake Habbema. So men, equipment and
supplies were flown up to the Idenburg River, which offered relatively
easy river access to Irian's north coast. Aerial reconnaissance was
crucial in determining the best route (about 100 kilometers in a
straight line) between Lake Habbema and the Idenburg camp. The military
patrols were to leave from each of the two staging areas and meet up in
the Baliem Valley. Shortly after Lt. Van Areken"s patrol cut upward from
the Idenburg River, the group experienced a pleasant surprise: a large,
heavily populated valley and, best of all, a lake, immediately dubbed
"Lake Archbold". Located about one kilometer from the Habifluri River
(which flows into the the Vande meters, at an altitude of 700 meters.
Once the Dayak chopped down some trees for the approach, the Guba could
land on the lake to bring in supplies. From Lake Archbold, the going
really got tough-steep climbing through forest, and no trails.
Once the party began to approach the Baliem Valley, the local
highlanders becomes numerous and friendly. To friendly, in fact. In
several villages, Lt. Van Areken was welcomed with food, but the
tribesmen did not want to leave the party. Only the "utmost
determination" kept the group moving, according to the expedition
journal. One day after a friendly reception, the party found their path
blocked by a barricade of warriors with spears. The journal laconically
states "Here occurred the one incident where more than a show of force
was necessary".
Foto; Chicago Tribune 15 June 1945
