The story of Ali: Seeing history from another perspective

Two images of Ali. To the left, he is about 22 when his photo was taken in Singapore in 1862 (Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London). On the right is a depiction by artist Kelly Cleary of an imagined

A life we can only imagine 

Ali (we don’t know his full name) evolved into a reliable camp manager and preparer of bird skins. He was also an expert bird collector and, by some accounts, was responsible for shooting some 5,000 of the 8,050 bird specimens Wallace collected. 

Wallace wrote that Ali was his “head man” and “faithful companion” and we can speculate that Wallace would not have been as successful as he was without Ali’s support. 

And here are the suppositions and mysteries, which fascinate me more than the facts: What did teenage Ali think of this tall, strange European man who swooned over a new beetle, cuddled a baby orangutan he had orphaned and lived rough in the forest? Did Ali giggle each time he heard Wallace speak in strongly accented Malay? If Wallace had asked, would Ali have returned to England with him? What did Wallace teach Ali? What did Ali teach Wallace? Where did Ali go after Wallace left, and what memories stayed with him? Can we find Ali’s descendants to spur a conservation movement? Could I speak with Ali’s spirit through a medium? 

                                    These questions have sparked my interest for some 50 years.

What one correspondent learned by writing an “enhanced biography” of a little-known 19th-century teenager from Borneo.

Consider the lives of great men and women who explored the curious corners of the world, who made momentous discoveries in science and technology, who created important works of art. We can safely say that such exceptional individuals were assisted by people who quietly helped them achieve greatness. 

Now consider your own life. Has there been someone who has quietly aided you along the way but hasn’t received adequate recognition or thanks? For more than 50 years I’ve been following the trail of Alfred Russel Wallace, one of history’s greatest naturalists, thinkers and social commentators. To summarize his eventful and productive life: 

Wallace was born in 1823 in Usk, Wales just across the border from England. He left school at the age of 14, became interested in natural history (and the paranormal) and, in 1844 with his friend Henry Walter Bates, said: Hey, let’s go to the Amazon.