Did Alfred Russel Wallace's Chief Assistant from His Expedition to the Malay Archipelago Really Name Himself Ali Wallace?

In 1907, Thomas Barbour met Alfred Russel Wallace’s former chief assistant Ali on Ternate Island, Indonesia. Ali apparently told him that he had adopted “Wallace” as his second name. This claim has been questioned by historian John van Wyhe and anthropologist Gerrell Drawhorn, probably because it appeared unprecedented. However, this was not an isolated example; in 1872, John Thomas Cockerell recorded that a man from the Aru Islands, Indonesia, employed by Wallace in 1857, along with his eldest son, had similarly adopted “Wallace” as part of their personal names.

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2025-03-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15075538
Primary Topic
Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Did Alfred Russel Wallace's Chief Assistant from His Expedition to the Malay Archipelago Really Name Himself Ali Wallace?

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
article

Did Alfred Russel Wallace's Chief Assistant from His Expedition to the Malay Archipelago Really Name Himself Ali Wallace?

article en

Abstract

In 1907, Thomas Barbour met Alfred Russel Wallace’s former chief assistant Ali on Ternate Island, Indonesia. Ali apparently told him that he had adopted “Wallace” as his second name. This claim has been questioned by historian John van Wyhe and anthropologist Gerrell Drawhorn, probably because it appeared unprecedented. However, this was not an isolated example; in 1872, John Thomas Cockerell recorded that a man from the Aru Islands, Indonesia, employed by Wallace in 1857, along with his eldest son, had similarly adopted “Wallace” as part of their personal names.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Openalex Percentile: Top 36%
Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity
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Did Alfred Russel Wallace's Chief Assistant from His Expedition to the Malay Archipelago Really Name Himself Ali Wallace? · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS