'Kaart der Nederl. bezittingen op het eiland Nieuw-Guinea ten dienste der Utrechtsche Zending', 1863
Many places have been marked on this colored map of New Guinea, but it is not immediately clear where the missions of the Utrecht Missionary Society (UZV) are located. In addition to place-names, the infrastructure is also marked. A cartouche shows a native warrior, and was supposed to give an exotic touch to the whole. The map indicates that there are 30 ‘negerijen’ (villages) with ‘40,000 souls’.
The first missionary association in the Netherlands, the Nederlands Missionary Society (NZG) was founded in 1795, but around the middle of the 19th century a few split-offs took place due to theological and practical differences of opinion. The UZV was founded in 1857 and later had departments in several places. The UZV was only active in the Dutch East Indies. During this period the Netherlands had suzerainty over New Guinea; it was not until 1872 that full sovereignty was claimed. The UZV was very active in New Guinea between 1863 and 1951, also deploying ‘missionary workers’: they served missions but, unlike regular missionaries, had to make a living. The missionaries' work led to an independent church in New Guinea in 1956, the Gereja Kristen Injili di Tanah Papua, of which 30% of the population currently belongs.
The origin of the map is not clear, but appears to be the same as that of the Kaart van het eiland Bali ten dienste der Utrechtsche Zending.