Richard Parkinson
Encyclopedia
Richard Parkinson full name Richard Heinrich Robert Parkinson (1844, in Augustenburg (Alsen
Island- 1909) was a Danish
explorer and Anthropologist
.
In 1875 he became a representative of the Hamburg
trading firm J. C Godeffroy & Sohn
in Samoa
. He was, in part, employed to collect ethnographic
material for the Godeffroy Museum
.He remained in Samoa until 1882, settling afterwards on the Gazelle Peninsula
, New Britain
. From there he undertook larger and smaller journeys to the Bismarck Archipelago
, then the Solomon Islands
and New Guinea
.
His masterwork Dreißig Jahre in der Südsee , Thirty years in the South Seas, appeared in several editions (first 1907 and 1911). It describes in detail the islands, Neulauenburg ( Duke of York Islands
) , Neumecklenburg
and New Hanover
, St. Matthias Islands
, the Admiralty Islands
, the German Solomon Islands
, their societies, masks and mask dances, legends and fairy tales as well as the languages.He also collected zoological specimens, especially insects.
Alsen
Alsen may refer to:Places:* Als Island, Denmark; called Alsen under Prussian/German administration * Alsen, North Dakota, United States* Alsen, South Dakota, United States...
Island- 1909) was a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
explorer and Anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
.
In 1875 he became a representative of the Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
trading firm J. C Godeffroy & Sohn
Johann Cesar VI. Godeffroy
Johann Cesar VI. Godeffroy was a German trader and Hanseat.He was the founder of Museum Godeffroy.-Family history and the trading company J.C. Godeffroy & Sohn:...
in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
. He was, in part, employed to collect ethnographic
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
material for the Godeffroy Museum
Museum Godeffroy
The Museum Godeffroy was a museum in Hamburg, Germany, which existed from 1861 to 1885.The collection was founded by Johann Cesar VI. Godeffroy, who became a wealthy shipping magnate a few years after the expansion of the his trade towards Australia and the South Seas. His expert collectors and...
.He remained in Samoa until 1882, settling afterwards on the Gazelle Peninsula
Gazelle Peninsula
Gazelle Peninsula is a large peninsula in northeastern New Britain, Papua New Guinea, at ....
, New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
. From there he undertook larger and smaller journeys to the Bismarck Archipelago
Bismarck Archipelago
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.-History:...
, then the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
.
His masterwork Dreißig Jahre in der Südsee , Thirty years in the South Seas, appeared in several editions (first 1907 and 1911). It describes in detail the islands, Neulauenburg ( Duke of York Islands
Duke of York Islands
The Duke of York Islands, , are a group of islands located in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. They are found in St George's Channel between New Britain and New Ireland islands and form part of Bismarck Archipelago...
) , Neumecklenburg
New Ireland (island)
New Ireland is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by...
and New Hanover
New Hanover Island
New Hanover Island, , also called Lavongai, is a large volcanic island in New Ireland Province, part of the Bismarck Archipelago of the New Guinea Islands region of Papua New Guinea, at...
, St. Matthias Islands
St. Matthias Islands
The St Matthias Islands are a small group of islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, that makes up part of Papua New Guinea. They are part of New Ireland Province.There are at least 10 islands...
, the Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
, the German Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, their societies, masks and mask dances, legends and fairy tales as well as the languages.He also collected zoological specimens, especially insects.
Works
- Im Bismarckarchipel. Leipzig: Brockhaus 1887 (Repr. 2006 im Verlag Fines Mundi, Saarbrücken)
- Dreißig Jahre in der Südsee. Land und Leute, Sitten und Gebräuche im Bismarckarchipel und auf den deutschen Salomoinseln. Herausgegeben von Dr. B. Ankermann, Direktorial-Assistent am königlichen Museum für Völkerkunde zu Berlin. Strecker & Schröder, Stuttgart 1907 (Neuausgabe ebd. 1911; 2. Auflage bearbeitet und herausgegeben von Prof. Dr. August Eichhorn, ebd. 1926)
- Aberglaube und Zauberwesen der Südseeinsulaner. Ensslin & Laiblin, Reutlingen [1932]