IT was 1920, on the North Sumatran island of Nias, and 13 fearsomelooking hoodlums were posing for a camera, dressed in sarongs, shirts and headcloths, casually carrying broad swords, sticks and rifles.

The caption of this photograph, taken anonymously, reveals the men were slave hunters operating on the island in the early 20th century. Their job was to catch locals and send those unfortunate men to Aceh, Padang and Bengkulu, where they would