I had to look up the word Fischerstechen. It's the only comment under a photo that shows a person with a spear on Würmsee or Starnberger See (Lake Starnberg) just outside Munich. My grandfather took the picture in 1928.
My grandfather Paul Oeser and my mother Elisabeth, age 6 on Würmsee, 1928.
Fischerstechen is the German word for water jousting; a sport practiced principally in France, Germany, and Switzerland back in the day. The opponent has a similar rig. The point? To knock the opponent into the water using the spear, of course.
Starnberger See has been a favorite destination for my family for almost 100 years. My father went there with his girlfriend (my mother) in 1945 after the war ended. My grandmother took me there in 1972 for some coffee and kuchen. We rode the S-Bahn train from Munich's downtown. And, I took Fabienne there in 2018 for some coffee and kuchen. It rained, but it was still charming.
The photo caught my attention for another reason. The person with the spear is wearing what looks to be a grass skirt. That reminded me of the opening scene of the German mini-series streaming on Netflix called "Oktoberfest: Beer and Blood" or, as one reviewer called it, "The Hops of Wrath." It's a fascinating look at the origins of the modern Oktoberfest in Munich, more or less based on actual events (names have been changed). In that opening scene, you see a tribe of south Pacific islanders fishing along a river. As the camera pulls back, you discover that the campsite is along the Isar River that flows through Munich from the Alps.
What the what?
It was the first I heard of German Samoa, a German protectorate from 1900 to 1914. Just as England showed off Native Americans to the public, the Germans brought a few Samoans to Germany as "human ethnological displays" or Volkerschauen. According to the book "From Samoa with Love," published in 2014, "the Samoans — many of high social status — traveled to Germany to take part in "Volkerschauen” because it was an opportunity for them to establish political ties with the colonial power.” In other words, the book implies they wanted to be there.
What this has to do with a photo taken in 1928? Not sure. Maybe my Starnberger See followers can tell me.
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