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Mirko Seljan (April 5, 1871 - 191(2,3)(?) and Stjepan Seljan (August 19, 1875 - June 7, 1936) were brothers born in Karlovac, Croatia. After basic education there, they started to travel across the Europe to gain the experiance as well the confidence with the new discoveries in their young minds. Older Mirko was allready in 1898 known as Champion of Globetrotter due to the fact that he walked the distance between Paris, France and Saint Petersburg in Russia.It is belived that they started the journey impressed by the books or lectures by another Croatian explorer Dragutin Lerman who was in Africa as one of leaders of Henry Morton Stanleys team. Theory of influence, support and encouragement of the Russian government interested in Africa can not be denied.
They started in January 1899 leaving Karlovac for Trieste,Italy. Aftere Alexandria and Cairo, they walked along the river Nile for Sudan. Upon the return to Cairo, their direction was Port Said, Djibouti and Aden reaching Bab el Mandeb. After Obock thy were back in back in Djibouti and finally in Harar and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. On recommencation of several influening people from Europe, emperor Menelik the II provided them with escort of 300 people to continue expedition to south. Mirko became the governor of provinces while older brother Stjepan being his leutenant. For three years they were setting the lines between Ethiopia and Kenya, bringing the tribes under unified and central government in Adis Abbeba. Near the lake of Turkana - Rudolfovo jezero, their expedition and military camps was named Seljenville.
The greatest benefit of the journey was the fact that they expanded soverenity of Ethiopia to the right side of the river Omo. The lines between the states of Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya around lake Turkana are the same as drafted by them at that time. In 1902 due to the political tension thay left just to be back after war between the England and France.
In April of 1903 the two brothers left for Rio de Janeiro in Brasil with the intention to enter until that time unknown areas, to do establish travelling and trade routs and permanent posts. The government of Brasil was interested to enhance trading and developemen in east to west direction. They made contacts with the Guarani Indian tribe around the Aguapehu river and were intensively mapping the area. With the end of 1903 thay were on the way from Salta Grande to Asunción in Paraguay, ending their journey on Parana river in Argentina. The expedition is described in the book El Salto del Guayra, published in 1905 in Buenos Aires. Earlier in 1903, in Brasil, they established the Croatian Scientific Mission - (Mision Cientifica Croata). In 1905 they left for the waterfalls of Iguaçu and later conducted the resaerch of the state of Santa Catarina.
With the beginning of 1905, after crossing the Andes by feet and mules from Argentina, Seljans were in Chile. In Valparaíso as well inSantiago they were planning new expedition approaching the area of the Amazon river from the south side. Here, they met the immigrants from old country and established Sociedad Slava Esplatadora de Mato Grosso or Sociaty for exploration of Mato Grosso, which supposed to work on public relation and support expedition. In May of the same year, they left for Montevideo in Uruguay with new friend and new explorer Franjo Pommer. Since longer period of time was needed to be properly ready for the journey, they actually started rather late, in 1908 focusing on Rio Branco and Rio Maraca rivers in tha Amazon delta. Being exhausted and discourged by delays in obtaining the permits from the government of, they decided not to waste time but proceede, back to Chile hoping to see Peru and Bolivia. The 1911 past exploring the Atacama desert and area
of Tarapaca. In that year, for the first time they entered Peru. They established Hrvatsko dionicarsko drustvo, (Croatian Brokerage Society) with the purpose to help the government of Peru to plan, project, finance and build roads connecting two part of the country. One gravitating to Andes to that one of the Amazon basin.
Brothers for the first time took different ways in October 1912 with Stjepan heading toward the USA to initiate new business contracts, while Mirko supposed to continue the research starting the new expedition. Since his group did not meet another group of explorers to continue with, Mirko decided to preceed deeper into rainforest around Huayabamba river, on his own, not to be seen again. In the aftermath,umerous theories, stating murder, loss, even canibalism came around as a possible scenarios, but none of them was ever proven and rightly so. After older brother disappearance, Stjepan kept moving, searching for mineral deposits in south and central America until in1917 he decided to settle and made his home in Ouro Preto, Brasil where he past away in 1936.
It is obvious today, that the journeys of the two explorers were partly influence or disrupted by world politics, and by new industrialized society. During their travels they conducted numerous observations and provided documentation later used for works in geomorphology, climatology and ethnography. Their initial intention was to enrich their lives and the world of with new knowledges and understanding of the world. In their diaries, they described the areas thay passed trough, Indian tribes they met and of course, left numerous scatches, photographs, maps, data, memories regarding the nature and cultures thay so much enjoyed to meet.
They were highly regarded by the emperor Menalik the II. and received abuncance of gifts of which some are today in the possesion of their families, while some are on display today at Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb. Ethiopia
South America
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