Post #629119 by bigbrotiki on Sat, Mar 17, 2012 10:09 PM

Dang, Tom, I wish I could help you with the translation right now, since your dedication to this subject is without equal! - but unfortunately I have other Tiki deadlines to meet at the moment. I did get my copy of the "Mosaik" just yesterday, and read it last night, thank you.

Two interesting findings I want to mention are that Funk gave the Neubrandenburg Museum his collection of 250 Oceanic, mainly Samoan artifacts - of which only one third is still there, two thirds are mentioned as "lost", simply. It seems that some of the vintage photos in the article following ours are from the Dr. Funk collection, which contains 60 large prints, but none of the Oceanic artifacts are I.D.ed as his.

The other info I could glean from the article is that he was let go by the Godeffroy Co (for no grave reasons but too long to explain), opened his own practice, and indeed was, as I assumed earlier, the kind of individual who developed a love for the native culture (not only because he was married to a chief's daughter) that put him beyond and outside of all the different national European interests in the area. Apparently he had two traditional Samoan Fales constructed behind his house in which he lived sometimes, and where many festivities took place (his backyard Tiki Bar?).

His love for land and people was noted in the "Cyclopedia of Samoa" in 1907:
"There is no one among the Europeans who is more popular...the familiar sight of him walking the beach with cigar and cane...as capable doctor and reliable friend he is indispensable to this place..."

So it seems tragic that in early 1911, he had to leave Samoa for medical care in Berlin, where he passed away in April, and was buried in Neubrandenburg.

P.S.: Regarding the lack of "Schmiss" in the above portrait, I am assuming it is either covered up by his beard, or the photo was taken at his admittance to university, and he had not been in a duel yet.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2012-03-18 07:53 ]