Post #627158 by TikiTomD on Thu, Mar 1, 2012 10:40 AM

Sven, I followed the Palm Springs Modernism Week thread with great interest... it’s events like that that make me wish Florida and California weren’t so far apart. Looking forward to seeing you soon at Hukilau in Fort Lauderdale.

In that second photo, who’s the predator and who’s the prey? Beautiful shot!

There’s definitely more to share on Dr. Funk, and I look forward to posting as time permits.

One thing that’s readily apparent from this research: the 19th and early 20th centuries were fascinating times in Oceania with an oft-times incendiary intersection of colonial powers and interests in competition and conflict with each other and with indigenous populations. I’m confounded by the many connections among historic characters, events and places, considering the large distances and correspondingly great times of transit involved in this huge region. I wouldn’t have thought the probabilities that high absent commercial air travel, the internet and cell phones. And we don’t know but a fraction of it, given that records were spotty to begin with or did not survive to our times. But we are fortunate that the Germans and the missionaries were methodical in cataloging, preserving and publishing their explorations, experiences and administrative dealings. New Zealand and Australian colonial and newspaper records also serve nicely to fill in the gaps.

Here’s a photo of Dr. Augustin Krämer, Navy Surgeon and naturalist, from Sven Mönter’s thesis cited in an earlier post of this thread...

-Tom