Headhunting and Colonialism: Anthropology and the Circulation of Human Skulls in the Portuguese Empire, 1870-1930

357 Pages·2010·2.71 MB·English

by  Ricardo Roque

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DECOLONIZINGINTERNATIONALHEALTH
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HEADHUNTINGANDCOLONIALISM
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1870–1930
MichaelSilvestri
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Headhunting and
Colonialism
Anthropology and the Circulation of Human
Skulls in the Portuguese Empire, 1870–1930
Ricardo Roque
ResearchFellow,InstituteofSocialSciences,UniversityofLisbon
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©RicardoNunoAfonsoRoque2010
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Contents
IllustrationsandMaps viii
Acknowledgements ix
Abbreviations xii
Glossary xiii
Introduction 1
Part I EncounterswithParasites
1 ParasitisminColonialInteractions 17
2 TheOrderofCeremonialGovernment 40
3 TheCirculatorySystemofColonialHeadhunting 70
Part II SkullsandHistories
4 TrajectoriesofHumanSkullsinMuseumCollections 103
5 HumanSkullsasAnthropologicalObjects 127
6 HistoriesandClassificationinTimoreseAnthropology 152
7 CollectingandtheDramasofColonialHostility 183
Conclusion 216
Notes 226
Bibliography 297
Index 323
vii
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Illustrations and Maps
Illustrations
1 Representationofheadhuntingasindigenoussavageryin
colonialwars,1930 28
2 JoséCelestinodaSilva.GovernorofTimor,1894–1908 29
3 PortuguesearmysergeantsinEastTimor,c.1895 30
4 EastTimoresewarrior,c.1900 32
5 PortuguesediplomagrantingtherankofColoneltoa
Timoreseruler,1895 57
6 Comandomilitar(militarypost),c.1900 61
7 PortugueseofficersandthearraiaisatBalibó,1895 73
8 Lorosa’echant,c.1910s 80
9 EnemyskullsinthestonewallsofaTimoresefortress,
c.1910s–30s 82
10 Portugueseofficers,Timoreseirregulars,andwarprisoners,
c.1900 86
11 ThearraialofMaubara,c.1900 89
12 ThearraialofLiquiçá,c.1900 90
13 ThearraialofLiquiçá,displayingtheseveredheadsof
enemies,c.1900 91
14 SkullswithoutwordsinthecataloguepreparedatMacao,1882 117
15 ThecollectionofcraniaattheCoimbraAnthropological
Museum 145
16 AclassofanthropologyatCoimbraUniversity,c.1895–96 147
17 Wallace’srepresentationofTimormenasPapuans 157
18 EduardoInáciodaCâmara,1894 185
19 TheburialoftheheadofcaptainCâmarainLisbon,1897 196
20 ‘Montanheses’(mountaininhabitants),c.1927 207
Maps
1 EastTimor 2
2 SoutheastAsia,Timor,andtheethnologicallines 155
3 TheWesternKingdomsandthejourneyofcaptainCâmara
andhismenin1895 188
viii
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Acknowledgements
This book has many origins. One of them may be set in Lisbon, in 1999,
when wandering through the streets I witnessed several public demonstra-
tions against the brutality of the militias and the Indonesian military, in
the aftermath of the referendum for the independence of East Timor. My
curiosityonthisoccasioninspiredmetotrytounderstandviolenceinTimor
and its historical connections with the Portuguese presence. In addition, a
remark by a former Portuguese colonial officer, a relative of the late gov-
ernor Celestino da Silva, at an early stage of my research was also a key
trigger for this project. He had read the manuscript reports of the 1895–96
campaigns,whichhecontinuestokeepcarefullyaspartoffamilyarchives:
‘Look,Doutor’,hesaidtome,‘ThePortugueseweresofew;theTimoreseso
many.Howcould“we”haveremainedinTimorsomanyyears?’Theques-
tion,andthepossibilityofsearchingforananswer,ignitedmyhistoricaland
anthropologicalimagination.
Thecentralmysteryofthisbook—thequestionoftheauthenticityofthe
skulls at Coimbra University—first grabbed my attention as I encountered
a lengthy paper of 1937. This put me on the track of this fascinating col-
lection and the interlaced histories of scientific collecting and indigenous
headhunting, in ways that I would not have predicted. The uncertainty of
thiscollection’sprovenanceandthemysterythatitfedonethnologicaldis-
cussion in the 1930s–40s became my own historical enigma and forms the
storylineofthisbook.In2003,thethemesofthepossessionandrepatriation
ofhistoricalhumanremainsinBritishmuseumstookcentrestageinpublic
debate.IfIhadnotbeenintheUnitedKingdominthisperiod,mypercep-
tion of the wider implications of skull collecting for world history, and of
the contemporary significance of historicizing the colonial past of human
remainscollections,wouldnothavecomeintobeing.
SeveralpeoplehelpedlaythefoundationsofthebookandIcanonlyhope
thatnoneofthemwillbeomittedhere.InCambridge,thisbookstartedas
a doctoral dissertation in history approved in 2007. I am indebted, first of
all,tomysupervisor,ChristopherBayly.Theexampleofhisscholarshiphas
been a constant inspiration, and without his unceasing and generous sup-
port, and his challenging comments and criticism, this study would never
have been completed. I also owe a great deal to Diogo Ramada Curto for
encouragementandadviceintheinitialstagesofthisproject.InCambridge,
Richard Drayton has offered precious guidance and enthusiastic support in
manyimportantwaysovertheyears.Forcommentsandconversationsthat
significantly shaped this work, I am grateful to Rosalind O’Hanlon, Simon
Schaffer,andMeganVaughan.Intheexaminationofthethesisfromwhich
ix
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