1934 White Indians of Darien Richard Oglesby Marsh Panama Henry Ford History
_____________________________________
White Indians of Darien
by Richard Oglesby Marsh
Published by GP Putnam's Sons, NY (1934)
Condition:
Excellent 1st Edition Hardcover Book! The binding is tight and all 276 pages within are bright white with no writing, underlining, high-lighting, rips, tears, bends, or folds with the exception of a previous owners name on the inside front cover and documentation of purchase on the first blank page (both shown in photos). The covers look excellent although a spine tear has been professionally repaired, as can be seen in my photos. You will be happy with this one! Always handled carefully and packaged securely! Buy with confidence from a seller who takes the time to show you the details and not use just stock photos. Please check out all my pictures and email with any questions! Thanks for looking!
About the Book:
This is a rare 1934 edition of White Indians of Darien by Richard Oglesby Marsh. The book is illustrated with rare photographs of the White Indians of Darien as well as the last known picture of explorer Professor John L. Baer, anthropologist and ethnologist of the Smithsonian Institution, Wash, DC. Prof. Baer perished in the jungle and was buried in a grave dug with the author's and last two remaining survivors' tin eating plates.
Both front and rear endpapers are decorated with an antique map of Panama. Richard Oglesby Marsh (1883–1953) was an engineer, American diplomat and ethnologist who participated in several engineering and ethnological expeditions to Panama. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and Human Rights of the Tule People of San Blas and the Darien.
The Marsh Darien Expedition of 1924-1925 was sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution together with the American Museum of Natural History, the University of Rochester, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, the Military Intelligence Division of the U.S. Army, the Canal Zone administration, and the government of Panama. Expedition members included Richard Oglesby Marsh, John L. Baer (Smithsonian Institution ethnologist), Paul Benton (Rochester Times-Union reporter), Charles M. Breder, Jr. (New York Aquarium biologist), Raoul Brin (botanist), Charles Charlton (Pathé News cinematographer), Herman L. Fairchild (University of Rochester emeritus geologist), Harry Johnson (taxadermist) Omer Malsbury (Canal Zone Administration), Lieut. Glen Townsend (U.S. Army) and Francisco Pinzón, the expedition cook.
Through the years, pirates, gold miners, rebels, and political schemers all gravitated to Darien. Scotland failed miserably in its attempt to establish a colony. An American Navy expedition wandered lost in its jungle for two months with seven men dying, and countries fought to control the region's traffic and trade. Yet today, Darien is best known as a roadless backwater, home to native communities, Colombian guerrillas, and the descendants of black slaves and Spanish colonists. The White Indians of Darien, Panama are they Descendants of the Pre-Inca? Myans? Other? Over many centuries rumors of White Indian's have existed in Panama, Columbia, Brazil, Mexico, America, and other countries in the Western Hemisphere.
This book focus's on the Darien, Panama stories. Back in the early 1920's we find one Robert O. Marsh searching for good land for use as Rubber Tree Farming, or existing tree's in order to help offset the English & Brazilian Monopoly on the market at the time. Thus he was sent by Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone to look for suitable rubber lands. Having explored the region between the Canal and Costa Rica they being too irregular for large-scale rubber growing, the only other chance available would be the almost unexplored sections of Darien south to the Columbia boarder.This is how Mr. Marsh came to be in this part of the world, and by fate or accident stumbled upon a myth, the things of legends of his time, the White Indians of Darien.
About the author, Richard Oglesby Marsh:
Richard Oglesby Marsh (1883-1953) was an American engineer, explorer, diplomat, and ethnologist. He participated in engineering and ethnological expeditions to Panama and he is known for his participation in the Guna Revolution in 1925 on the side of the Kuna Indians.
In the early 1920s, Richard Marsh was sent by Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone to look for suitable rubber lands. He unsuccessfully explored the region between the Canal and Costa Rica as the land was irregular for large-scale rubber growing. In consequence, he explored the Darien region that remained unexplored in that years. Marsh sought some "white-Indians'' in the region and come back to the United States to organize a scientific expedition in the Darien.
Richard Marsh tried to convince Ford and Firestone of financing a wide exploration in Darien, not just for rubber lands. However, they weren't interested in ethnological research. Marsh lost interest in rubber and refused to go to the Philippines or Liberia.[2]
Marsh got funds from an industrialist that was his friend for a new venture in Darien. A team of scientists was designated by the University of Rochester, the American Museum of Natural History of New York, and the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, D. C. joined the expedition. Marsh also counted with the support of Panamanian President Belisario Porras and the Canal Zone administration. The expedition lasted between 1924-1925 and was called the Marsh Darien Expedition.
During this trip he stumbled upon the Kuna and quickly found them to be likeable people. He also began to learn of the cultural attacks that were being implemented by the Panamanian government in this area and on the Kuna people. In order to raise awareness to this issue, he brought a legion of Kuna across to North America, which gained the attention of both Canada and the United States. Marsh soon returned to Panama and became a spokesman for the Kuna people despite his original intentions of his journey being in search of wealth.
Marsh helped Kuna rebel leaders organize the rebellion in 1925 which attacked the Panamanian government. He also assisted in writing their declaration of independence which declared a new Kuna Republic.
Copyright © 2018-2021 TDM Inc. The photos and text in this listing are copyrighted. I spend lots of time writing up my descriptions and despise it when un-original losers cut and paste my descriptions in as their own. It is against ebay policy and if you are caught, you will be reported to ebay and could be sued for copyright infringement and damages.