Selfridge's exploration of the Isthmus of Darien by Rosey Chang
Comparing his prior ideas about the natives in addition to the instructions of the American Navy Department and the conclusions of his personal experiences on the islands displays a large contrast in attitude and knowledge. The instructions that the Navy department left him with were to show “a proper display of kindness [so that] they may be won over to consent to such explorations and surveys… may ultimately be persuaded to cooperate with you,” describing the native people of the Isthmus of Darien as people that could be won over and, put simply, manipulated into doing what was favorable for America’s trade, economics, and international relations. In the next sentence however, the department almost contradicts itself with a warning, stating that “the history of the past and [the natives] doubtful character should induce you to be at all times on your guard and prepared for any contingency” (3). The US Navy Department somehow describes the natives of the Isthmus of the Darien as kind, gullible people and simultaneously prone to resistance and unpredictable. From this, we can draw that the American ideas of the natives of the islands in the Pacific Ocean were various and full of belittlement, thinking that they are naive but quick to defy, insinuating uncivilized behavior.
As Selfridge begins his travels, he scopes out the different canals that conjoin the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. He observes the profitability and practicality of the canals by identifying the harbors, locks, and the overall prospect of success (11). His attention to detail is very much from an economic standpoint, even going so far as to call a canal useless because it was built with a large consideration of the mountains, and not the oceans, which is where the US intends to explore. He so far lacks personal experiences to draw an accurate picture of the natives of the Isthmus. He describes the Isthmus of Darien as an “unexplored wilderness,” and only knows that “for the purpose of canalization, there are therefore but three portions that admit of any necessity of exploration, to settle the question of its adaptability in view,” persisting to only view these canals, harbors, weather, and even people as monetary gains or losses (9). He almost justifies his ignorance and minimization by blaming the lack of collaboration and consideration on the jealous exclusion of foreigners that the San Blas or Darien Indians and the destruction that they brought to any missionaries built on their land. His mindset is to use them as an excuse to continue regarding the land and people as financial gains and losses shorten: “because of their “uncivilized” nature.
He also seems to not recognize or even ponder about whether the Pacific and the islands can be domains of cultural importance, or territory already belonging to other groups or countries. He only sees these ocean connecting canals as a means to improve “commercial welfare of the whole world” and reasons that "the Pacific is naturally our domain” because it will greatly assist their efficiency in their travelings for trade and international relations (6). As he starts to explore the Isthmus of Darien more thoroughly, he discovers the settlements of Chipogana, Phigana, Yavisa, Santa Maria, and the San Blas or Darien Indians, and he declares that the “broken nature of their mountain-homes, peculiarly fit them” (10). He is still unable to recognize that the inhabitants of the Isthmus as civilized people with an unique, but just as valid, culture as him, further commenting that they have ugly images and ridiculous relics that he cannot understand.
However, he slowly comes to realize through communicating with the Coast Indians that they try not to interact with or encourage foreigners to travel to the Mountain Indians, coming to the conclusion in his report that the tribes cannot all be grouped into one general community; they have their own complex relationships like how countries have with each other. He also learns that the Indians have strongly maintained their independence from the full control of Columbia, but later subtly undermines it by attributing their strength to the “rugged nature of their country” and describing them as “cowardly, but treacherous… dangerous in a work like ours” (11). The work he refers to is trade and treaty making. Both Indian tribes do not accept gifts from foreign governments to avoid favors, potential bribes, and power imbalances, so following the simple advice that the Navy Department gave him before his departure, he realizes, will not be effective in successfully communicating with the natives. Instead he starts to focus on making a genuine attempt at getting to know the people of the Isthmus of Darien. He starts to realize that the people are not as uncivilized, naive of the outside world, or uninviting as he thought. His accounts of the chief of one of the villages describe him as “one of the most intelligent and well-disposed that I have met ; indeed, the traders call him the ‘bueno hombre’” (14). Not only were the leaders more acute, but he also realized that some technology like hammocks were better crafted by the Indians than the American Navy crew he came with, describing those substitutions as more easily constructed, light, comfortable, not easily torn, and quickly drying, debunking his idea that the native Indians were uncivilized and unsophisticated in technology.
We see in the latter half of his reports, despite learning of the tribes’ cultures and meeting their people, Selfridge continues to provide qualitative and quantitative analysis to the Navy Department in reports about the practicality of establishing buildings and stations near the canals, although mostly not directly on the Indians’ territory. It seems that he has developed higher respect for the tribes but will not let that waver his resolve to serve the Navy Department and America’s trade system.
Few explorers before the 20th century were able to see the cultural beauty of Pacific beaches and islands. Although some could, they were ordered to destroy the native culture in order to spread their own “more civilized” cultures, and eventually forget the value of preserving native culture, which is reflected in the majority of Pacific history. Hau-ofa talks about the history of belittlement of Pacific islands and emphasizes the importance of treating the Pacific Islanders and their territories with equal respect and compassion in Our Sea of Islands. They can bring their own advantages to the table in equal trade and commercialization opportunities. He recognizes that there was some sincere concern for the welfare of the Pacific peoples, but the belittlement from the Europeans, Americans, and even the islanders themselves, it brought danger in being confined to mental and physical reservations and moral paralysis. He states, “in propagating a view of hopelessness, I was actively participating in our own belittlement” (151). Over the course of Pacific History, many of the Pacific native settlements began to accept their isolation and lack of power in the “modern” economic and political world. They saw their only way out was to get on the good side of the more powerful countries that wanted to, in reality, use them to exploit their resources and location instead of growing their economy.
Salesa also highlights the indigeneity, custom, tradition, culture as central parts of the Pacific Ocean in The Pacific in Indigenous Time. The system of trade of geographically and culturally unique items and the rise of indigenous literacy, lands, interest, stories, and relationships were integral parts of the education of indigenous culture in America. First hand reports of these parts acted as the proof of their validity and it combatted single stories from Pacific history. Salesa shows that both the Pacific islands and the explorers from capitalist countries gained new technology, resources, and culture from each other, but interactions brought influenza, smallpox, leprosy, tuberculosis, measles, rubella, and STDs to indigenous populations that were not prepared for this onslaught of disease. Relating to Selfridge's multiple accounts of new diseases and his crew’s surprising resistance to them, he does not document much of how their presence brought epidemics to the San Blas and Indians. He does, however, speak of their culture, however crudely or respectfully, and uncover information that the American government or its people may very well have not known.
Exploration slowly evolved with the many expeditions both in a negative and positive way. Negative aspects were that the discovery that the economics and industrial developments were not as strong as the larger countries, and the positives were that they discovered that the islanders’ culture, economics, and intellect were bigger than they assumed at first. Rejecting the natives' culture and customs out of fear of monetary loss instead of considering and accepting them was a largely repeating aspect of the history of the Pacific beaches and islands before the 20th century as Selfridge’s personal accounts in the 1870’s as well as Salesa’s indicate.
Sources:
Hau’ofa, E. 1994. Our Sea of Islands. The Contemporary Pacific 6 (1)
Salesa, D. I. (2023). An indigenous ocean: Pacific essays. Bridget Williams Books Ltd.
United States, Congress, House. Reports of explorations and surveys to ascertain the practicability of a ship canal between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by the way of the Isthmus of Darien by Thos. Oliver Selfridge, Commander, U.S. Navy. 42nd Congress, 3rd Session, H.Misc.Doc. 113, 1873. Readex: U.S. Congressional Serial Set Accessed 19 Feb. 2024.