This website documents collections held by the British Library and researched as part of the True Echoes project.
The collections include 253 audio recordings from 266 wax cylinders representing a wealth of music, songs, dances and stories shared between 1898 and 1924 from the Torres Strait Islands in Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Some of the collections were made in multiple locations by members of anthropological expeditions. Other collections were made in a single location by solo recordists who were longer-term visitors to the islands. The pages for each collection attempt to detail these recording events comprehensively and responsibly.
The research followed the timeline of the recordists, focussing on recording events, and documenting as much information as possible about the performers and knowledge bearers that they recorded.
Papua New Guinea, 1898
The Alfred Cort Haddon 1898 Expedition cylinder collection (C80) includes 39 wax cylinders recorded in British New Guinea as part of the 1898 Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to the Torres Strait. Sidney H Ray, an English school teacher who was an expert in linguistics, made the recordings, which are from the Central and Western districts of what is today Papua New Guinea, between 27 May and 29 September 1898.
Torres Strait, 1898
The Alfred Cort Haddon 1898 Expedition cylinder collection (C80) includes 99 wax cylinders recorded in the Torres Strait Islands as part of the 1898 Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to the Torres Strait. The cylinders were recorded by Charles S Myers, a physician who specialised in psychology and music, and linguist Sidney H Ray on Mer / Murray Island, Mabuiag / Jervis Island, Saibai Island and Iama / Yam Island between 22 April and 15 November 1898.
Papua New Guinea, 1904
The Daniels Ethnographical Expedition to British New Guinea Cylinder Collection (C62) consists of 40 wax cylinders recorded in British New Guinea between January and October 1904. Most of the cylinders were recorded by Charles G Seligmann, a British anthropologist, and Arthur H Dunning, the expedition’s photographer. The British colonial officer Francis R Barton probably assisted Dunning with three of the recordings. The recordings were made in today’s Central and Milne Bay Provinces.
Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea, 1915-1918
The Bronislaw Malinowski 1915-1918 Trobriand Islands, Territory of Papua Cylinder Collection (C46) comprises five wax cylinders recorded in the Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea. Malinowski, a Polish-born anthropologist, made the recordings at some point between July 1915 and October 1918.
Solomon Islands, 1908
The WHR Rivers and Arthur M Hocart 1908, New Georgia group, British Solomon Islands Protectorate Cylinder Collection (C108) comprises fourteen wax cylinders recorded by the British anthropologists Rivers and Hocart between May and December 1908. The recordings were made on the islands of Simbo and Vella Lavella in the New Georgia Group of the Solomon Islands.
Solomon Islands, 1909-1914
The Thomas Edge-Partington 1909-1914 British Solomon Islands Protectorate Cylinder Collection (C83) is a set of eleven wax cylinders recorded in the Solomon Islands. Edge-Partington was a British colonial officer in the Solomon Islands; he probably made these recordings when he was Resident Magistrate at Auki on Malaita between September 1909 and January 1915. The recordings are from Malaita, the Bougainville Straits and the New Georgia area. This collection is part of the larger C83 Royal Anthropological Institute Cylinder Collection.
Vanuatu, 1914-1915
The John Layard 1914–1915 Atchin, New Hebrides Cylinder Collection (C177) is a set of 32 brown wax cylinders that were recorded on the island of Atchin off the north coast of Malakula (Malekula) in Vanuatu, formerly known as the New Hebrides. The recordings were made by the British anthropologist Layard between September 1914 and October 1915.
Vanuatu, 1924
The Eric Raff 1924 Efate, New Hebrides Cylinder Collection (C83) is a set of twelve black wax cylinders recorded in 1924 at Port Vila on the island of Efate Vanuatu, formerly known as the New Hebrides. Raff was an Australian Presbyterian missionary who was stationed at Port Vila from 1917 to 1924. He made these recordings in early 1924, and they include songs from around Efate. This collection is part of the larger C83 Royal Anthropological Institute Cylinder Collection.
New Caledonia, 1914
The Paul Montague 1914 Gondé, New Caledonia Cylinder Collection (C671) comprises 11 brown wax cylinders. These were recorded in 1914 by Paul Montague, a zoology student from Cambridge, in Gondé, in today’s Houaïlou commune in the North Province of Grande Terre, New Caledonia.