Carl Emil Pettersson, a Lucky Swedish Sailor Who Survived a Shipwreck in 1904 Became King of Tabar Island

Carl Emil Pettersson (October 4 or 23, 1875 – May 12, 1937) was a Swedish sailor who became king of Tabar Island in Papua New Guinea after he was shipwrecked in 1904.

Pettersson was one of the six children of Carl Wilhelm and Johanna Pettersson. His father left the family, and Carl went to sea around 1892, at about the age of 17. Later, around 1898, he ended up in the Bismarck Archipelago of German New Guinea, where he worked for the German trading house, Neuguinea-Compagnie, headquartered in Kokopo.

On a recruiting trip in the Pacific, Pettersson’s vessel, the Herzog Johan Albrecht (Duke Johan Albrecht) sank on Christmas Day 1904, off Tabar Island in New Ireland Province. He was washed ashore near a village and landed in a hibiscus hedge, where he was immediately surrounded by islanders. Cannibalism was not uncommon in those times and although Pettersson was uncommonly strong, he would not have been a match for them. The islanders carried him to their king, and the king’s daughter fell in love with him. In 1907 he married Princess Singdo, the daughter of the local king, Lamy.

He got a start in the copra trade and managed to create his own coconut plantation that he called Teripax. He became king after the death of his father in law. His nickname among the locals was “Strong Charley,” and he was indeed famed for his physical strength. Swedish newspapers printed a series of stories about Pettersson and his adventures.

Business went well and he increased his estate with two plantations, first Maragon on Simberi Island and later Londolovit on Lihir Group islands. Pettersson was respectful of local customs and showed concern for his employees, which was unusual at the time. He was therefore very popular with the locals. His marriage with Singdo produced a family of nine children, one of whom died in infancy. His wife died in 1921 of puerperal fever.

In 1922, Pettersson traveled to Sweden, partly to look for a new wife who could look after his children. There, he also visited his old friend Birger Mörner whom he had met in the South Pacific. He then met Anglo-Swedish Jessie Louisa Simpson; together they returned to Tabar Island, where they married in 1923. In Pettersson's absence the plantation had declined, and he was now close to bankruptcy. Additionally, he and his wife both suffered from malaria. He painstakingly rebuilt his plantation, but bad investments and the failing market conditions made it difficult to recover.

Pettersson did however find a gold deposit on Simberi Island which he kept secret for years. Today, the Tabar Group of islands has one of the world’s largest gold deposits. His fortunes having changed, he decided to leave the island. His wife Jessie traveled ahead to Australia for medical treatment and then returned to Sweden. She died in Stockholm from malaria and cancer on May 19, 1935. Pettersson’s health also deteriorated.

Pettersson left Tabar in 1935 but never returned to Sweden. He died of a heart attack in Sydney on May 12, 1937.

Today his family’s residing in Australia. One of his daughter’s name Melissa Chan Hoerler married to an Australian with her family in Brisbane and still upholds the Tabar, New Ireland side of life in them.

Tribe Meets White Man for the First Time, 1993

Released in 1993, this charming documentary portrayed Papua New Guinean tribes members meeting a white man. The tribe, named the Toulambi, believes those who have died can sometimes come back to haunt the living world as white people.

In fact, this is a film by Belgian filmmaker Jean-Pierre Dutilleux. The white man you see in the video is Dutilleux. The Papua New Guinea natives are members of the Toulambi tribe. This fake “first encounter” between the natives and a white skinned visitor was filmed around 1993. Before then, these excellent “actors” had already met with at least three ethnologists: Pierre Lemonnier in 1985, Jadran Mimica in 1979 and Pascale Bonnemère in 1987.

Anthropologist Pierre Lemonnier who denounced this documentary as fraud in an article for the French newspaper Liberation, studied the Papuans of the district of Marawaka for over a decade and says that the supposedly “unknown tribe” lives less then four days away by foot from an administrative center with teachers, a landing strip, a radio, nurses and of course a preacher (it’s important for the natives to know that they’re going to hell). They also use the Vailala River to travel to the coast to exchange handmade tableware made out of tree back for modern tools.

In an article that Lemonnier gave to the French magazine Terrain published in 1999, he explained that a male nurse from the administrative center spread rumors about a new undiscovered tribe. That he send a Papua guide ahead of the camera crew to “coach” the tribe on how to act. They were also told to hide their metal tools, plastic goods and “regular clothes” (jeans and T-shirts).

Why did the nurse do it? Well the tribe lived in malaria stricken zone and the nurse got six months worth of quinine tablets and various other medicines for his troubles. Sadly, the lead actor of the “skit” told Lemonnier that he felt so much shame from having to pretend to be afraid of his own reflection, tasting matches and spiting out rice that it drove him to tears.

Beautiful Photos Capture Everyday Life of Papua New Guinea in the Early 1970s

Papua New Guinea is a country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia (a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia). Its capital, located along its southeastern coast, is Port Moresby. The country is the world’s third largest island country with an area of 462,840 km2 (178,700 sq mi).

Papua New Guinea is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. There are 851 known languages in the country, of which 11 now have no known speakers. As of 2019, it is also the most rural, as only 13.25% of its people live in urban centers. Most of the population of more than 8,000,000 people live in customary communities. The country is believed to be the home of many undocumented species of plants and animals.

Papua New Guinea has been an observer state in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1976, and has filed its application for full membership status. It is a full member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Pacific Community, and the Pacific Islands Forum.

These beautiful photos were taken by American Lutheran missionary Leon Philippi that documented everyday life of Papua New Guinea in the early 1970s.

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35 Amazing Portrait Photos of Papua New Guineans in the 1970s

Papua New Guinea is a country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia (a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia). Its capital, located along its southeastern coast, is Port Moresby. The country is the world's third largest island country with an area of 462,840 km2 (178,700 sq mi).

Papua New Guinea established its sovereignty in 1975. It is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. There are 851 known languages in the country, of which 11 now have no known speakers. It is known to have numerous groups of uncontacted peoples, and researchers believe there are many undiscovered species of plants and animals in the interior.

These amazing photos were taken by lindsaybridge that show portraits of Papua New Guineans in the 1970s.

Ford Fairlane at Service Station at Boroko ready for the trip, 1975

Ford Futura 1971 model on the Rigo Road, near Port Moresby, 1974

Aki and Kewa on the 1971 model Ford Futura, Port Moresby, 1974

Group near Port Moresby, 1974

1971 Ford Futura, Boroko near Port Moresby, 1975

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