Human Studies Film Archives

Guide to the Paul Wirz films, circa 1930

Summary

Collection ID:
HSFA.1976.06
Creators:
Wirz, Paul, 1892-1955
Dates:
circa 1930
Languages:
Moving image materials are silent; supplementary materials are in English.
Physical Description:
Film reels
3 hours 24 minutes
black-and-white silent; 4950 feet
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Outtakes shot during travels in the Humbolt Bay and Lake Sentani areas of Dutch New Guinea (Irian Jaya), Nias and Mentawei, Sumatra (Padang Highlands), Borneo, Bali, and India. People documented include the Papuan inhabitants of Lake Sentani and Humbolt Bay, Balinese, the Batak (Sumatra), and the Dayak, Banto, and Barito (Borneo). Documentation features: male dances, tapa (barkcloth) manufacture, pottery making, chewing betel, a fish drive with men in canoes, and a funeral service which includes consultation of the Korwar oracle (Lake Sentani, Irian Jaya); a Batak shamanic performance (Sumatra); funeral preparations and men working on looms (Benares, India); sequence of the warrior ceremony and bird dancers (Nias); various dance sequences (probably Irian Jaya); and rice planting, house and architectural structures, and aftermath of an earthquake (Bali).
Collection also includes notes and published articles.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or Anthropology Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.

Administration

Custodial History
Previously titled "Paul Wirz Research Footage of New Guinea and Indonesia ca. 1930."
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Received from Dadi Wirz in 1976.
Processing Information
Titles are supplied by the archivist for untitled films.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research. Please contact the archives for information on availability of access copies of audiovisual recordings. Original audiovisual material in the Human Studies Film Archives may not be played.
Preferred Citation
Paul Wirz films, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Related Materials
DVD copy of documentary film based on Paul Wirz' work in Papua New Guinea, "The White Savage: A Family Saga Without Ending" by Renatus Zurcher is in the Smithsonian Institution's Anthropology Library.

More Information

Local Number

Local Number
HSFA 1976.6.1


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
South Asia Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Southeast Asia Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indonesia Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Vārānasi (Uttar Pradesh, India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shamans Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dance Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Funeral rites and ceremonies Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weaving Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fishing Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
silent films Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Human Studies Film Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland 20746
hsfa@si.edu