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THE

NATIVE RACES

THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO.

•PAPUANS

BY GEORGE WINDSOR EARL M.R.A.S.

AUTHOR OF THE "ZASTEEN SEAS," &C.

WITH i'lVJsl COLOTJBED PLATES AND TWO MAPS.

"Mirantur hominea altitudmea montium, ingentes fluctua marls, altissimos lapsus
fluminum et oceani ambitum et gyros siderum — et relinquunt seipsos, nee mirantur." —
St. Acgustin.

LONDON
HIPPOLYTE BAILLIERE 219 REGENT STREET,

AND 290 BEOADWAY NEW YORK U.S.

PARIS J. B. BAILLIERE RUE HAUTEFEUILLE.

MADRID BAILLY BAILLIERE CALLE DEL PRINCIPE.

1853.

^Sj?

LONDON:

Printed by Schulze and Co., 13, Poland Street.

PREFACE.

The study of the Human Race^ in its various phases,
has become greatly extended since the late Dr. Prichard,
the father of Ethnographical Science in this country,
commenced his researches into the physical history of
mankind. The iaaugural essay of the young physician
in the year 1808, was expanded into a large volume in
1813, and further researches, prosecuted without inter-
mission during a long and active professional hfe, ex-
tended the work until it became one of the most valuable
contributions to modern scientific literature of which
anv nation can boast. The importance of the science
which the learned physiologist has the merit of intro-
ducing to this country, is daily becoming more appre-
ciated. The archaeologist finds in it a clue to mysteries
connected ^vith extinct nations, such as those which have
been buried for ages under the sands of Egypt, Persia, or
Central America ; the philanthropist feels his sjTnpathies
enlarged as the habits and characteristics of untutored
races become developed to his view ; and even the states-
man considers it necessaiy to refer to the pages of the
ethnographer, that he may learn how collisions with the

IV PREFACE.

native races of distant possessions, which but too often
lead to desolating and expensive wars, may be best
avoided; — and although it is not intended at present
to enter very deeply into the subject of philology,
students of that important branch of Ethnographical
Science may tind their labours materially lightened by
the issue of a series, to which they can refer for in-
formation respecting the geographical position, and social
peculiarities, of tribes whose dialects may be under
examination.

AUGUST 25, 1853.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.

Peculiarity of the Hair — Features — Stature and Proportions — Modes of
Personal Disfigurement — Physical and Mental Capacity — Character
and Disposition — Results of Foreign Intercourse on the ^VlId
Tribes ....... 1

CHAPTER II.

>'EW GUINEA. SOUTH COAST.

Papuan Character of the New Guinea Tribes — Geogi-aphical Sketch of
the Island — Visits of Early Voyagers — Dutch Expedition of 1S2S —
Interview with Natives of Dourga Strait — Hostile Encounter — Cha-
racteristics of the Dourga Tribe — Weapons and Ornaments — Agility
in Chmbing Trees — Mangrove Thickets — Habitations — Papuans and
Australians — Expedition of Lieutenant Kool to Dourga Strait in
1835 — Interview with a large tribe of Frederick-Henry Island . 8

VI CONTEXTS.

CHAPTER III.

NEW GUINEA. SOUTH-WEST COAST.

Captain Cook's Interview with the Papuans in 1770 — Lieutenant KolfF's
Visit to the same spot in 1828 — His Interview with the Natives —
Ichthyosis — Singular Practice of Ejecting a Sraoke-like Material
from Bamboo Tubes — Lieutenant Modera's Accoiint of the Practice
— Dr. Muller's Explanation — Local Character of the Practice — Pro-
gress of the Dutch Expedition of 1838 along the Coast — Meet a
Papuan Flotilla — Practice of Standing while PaddHng their Prahus
— Inteniew with the Natives — Friendly Intercourse Established —
Trading Propensities of the Papuans — Ceremonial Visit of the
Papuan Chief Abrauw — Affection of the Natives towards their Chief
— Aristocratic Coolness of the Natives — Friendly Conduct towards
the Dutch — Characteristics of the Outanatas — Ichthyosis — Boring
the Septum of the Nose, and Pointing the Teeth — Dress and Orna-
ments — Characteristics of the Females — A Mother and Child — Dis-
position and Character of the Outanatas — Arms and Implements —
Canoes — HaT)itations — Domestic Animals — Food — Fruits and Vese-
tables — Doubts as to whether the Outanatas are a Coast or Inland
Tribe — Papuan Flotillas — Expedition proceeds towards Triton Bay —
A Papuan Paradise — The Settlement Founded — Mohammedan In-
fluences on the Natives — Their General Characteristics — Foreign
Intercourse — Marauders of Onin — The Slave-Trade — Commerce —
General View of the Natives of the West Coast of New Guinea — The
Alfoeren, or Mountaineers— Origin of the term " Arafuras" . 30

CHAPTER IV.

NEW GUINEA, NORTH COAST.

Early Voyagers to the North Coast of New Guinea— Dutch Expedition of
1850— Characteristics of the Don,' Papuans — Dress — Scarifications

CONTENTS. Vll

of the Body — Ornaments — Occupations — Food and Luxuries —
Habitations and Household Gear— Arts and Agriculture — Arms and
Implements — Na\-igation and Commerce— Character and Disposition
— Government and Laws — Customs, Social and Religious — The
" Hongi," or Tidore Flotilla — Natives of Run, in the Great Bay —
Visit to a Papuan Family — Kurudu — A Deserted Village — The
Ambermo River — Dutch Settlement at Humboldt Bay . 64

CHAPTER V.

THE A R R U ISLANDS.

General Description of the Group — Foreign Intsrcourse — Mixed Race of
the Western Islands — Dutch Connection with the Islands Renewe<l
in 1824 — Lieutenant KolflTs Description of the Islanders — Peculiar
Complexion of the Arruans — The Kabroor Islanders — Agriculture —
Trepang and Pearl Fisheries — Native Vessels — Elephants' Tusks and
Porcelain Dishes — Social Condition of the Natives of Vorkay — Mar-
riage Customs — Mode of Settling Differences — Funereal Customs and
Ceremonies — Introduction of Christianity and Mohammedanism —
Importance of farther Details respecting the Arruans . 93

CHAPTER VI.

CERAM AND THE MOLUCCAS.

Mountain Papuans — Mixed Race on the Islands lying hetween Ceram
and New Guinea — Remnants of the Papuan Race in Ceram — Con-
dition in the time of Valentyn — The Waringin or Banyan-Tree of
the Far East — Its Connection with the Early Historj' of the Native
Races — Hopeless Condition of the Papuans in the Interior of Ceram
— Former Power of the Maritime Papuans — Their Expeditions in
the Neighbouring Seas — Adventure of a Papuan Rajah at Ter-
nate . . . , . . .112

Viil CONTEXTS.

CHAPTER VII.

AHETAS, OR NEGRITOS OF THE PHILIPPINES.

Distribution of the Ahetas in the Philippines — Accounts of Early
Voyagers — Nature of the Country — Physical Characteristics of the
Ahetas — Food — Habits — Singular Practice — Nostalgia or Home-
Sickness — Individuals Residing with the Foreign Settlers — M. de
la Gironiere's Visit to a Mountain Tribe — First Introduction —
Personal Appeai-ance — Habits — ^Yorship — Customs on the Death of
one of their Tribe — Mode of Courtship— Respect for Old Age — Style
of Language — Poisoned Arrows — Agility of the Ahetas . 121

CHAPTER YIII.

MINDORO, NEGROS, MINDANAO, SULU AND BORNEO.

Mindoro; Varieties of Race — The Bangans — Friendly Relations with the
Brown Tribes — Negi-os ; Habits of the Woolly-Haired Tribes —
Mindanao — Sulu ; The Island formerly occupied exclusively by
Papuans — Descent of the Reigning Family from a Papuan Chief —
Present Condition — Borneo ; Supposed Non-Existence of Papuan
Tribes in the Interior — Woolly-Haired Tribe in the ^Mountains of the
East Coast — Mr. Dalton's Description of a Wild Race — Dutch
Authorities on the Existence of Papuans in Borneo . . 13 7

CHAPTER IX.

THE SEMANGS OF THE MALAY PENINSULA.

Wild Tribes of the Malay Peninsula — Mr. Anderson's Account of the
Semangs— Distinction of Tribes — Habits — Food — Skill in the Chase
— Elephant and Rhinoceros Hunting — Mode of Bestowing Names on

CONTENTS. IX

Children — Characteristics of a Semang brought to Pinang — The
Pangan Tribes of Tringanu — Domestication of a Semang Family in
Pro\-ince Wellesly — Supposed Woolly-Haired Tribes in Anam or
Cochin-Chiua — Traditions of the Chinese and Budhists of Hin-
doostan ....... 150

CHAPTER X.

THE A N D A M A X S.

British Settlements on the Great Andaman Island — Ferocious Character
of the Inhabitants Fatal to the Crews of Shipwrecked Vessels —
"Wreck of the • Briton' in 1844 — Mr. Colebrooke's Description of
the Natives — Appearance and Character — Mode of Attacking
Strangers — Mode of Procuring Food — Songs and Dances — Habita-
tions—Canoes — Arms — Hunting and Fishing Implements — Charge
of Cannibalism — Anecdote of two Young Women — Severe Privations
— Progress towards Friendly Intercourse with Strangers — Want of
Vegetable Diet — Causes of their Present Degraded State — The
Cocoa-nut — Comparison with the Natives of the Nicobars — Planting
Fruit Trees the first Great Step out of Barbarism . . 161

CHAPTER XI.

THE SUN DA CHAIN.

Relics of an Ancient Race in Java— Papuans of Flores — Solor, Pantar,
Lomblen and Ombai — Maritime Pursuits of the Coast Tribes of Solor
— Varieties of Character among Natives of Timor — Tribes near
Coepang — Locality in which Papuans are found — Papuan of Timor
at Singapore— Mode of Carrying on Trade with the Natives of the
South Coast— Traces of Papuans in other Islands of the Archi-
pelago . . . . • • .1/0

X CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XII.

MELVILLE ISLAND AND NORTH AUSTRALIA.

Papuan Character of the Aboriginal Tasnianians — No ^Yoolly-Hai^ed
Tribes in Australia — Doubtful Character of the Melville Islanders —
Captain King's Sursey — Interview -with the Natives — Traits and
Characteristics — Establishment formed on Melville Island — Lieu-
tenant Roe's Account of the Natives — Malayan Youth — Indian
Islanders thrown upon the Coast — ^lajor Campbell's Description of
the Melville Islanders — Personal Characteristics — Habits and Dis-
position — Character of Intercourse with the Garrison — Native
Dread of Capture — Reasons for Supposing that the Slave-Trade once
Existed — Females — ^Yeapons — Utensils — Domestic Habits — Habita-
tions — Food — Dialects — Burial Places — Slave-Trade — Practice of
Throwing Spears from the Trees — Tribes of Port Essington and
Carpentaria — Hill Tribes of North Australia — The Islanders of
Torres Strait — Concludine Note. .... 188

EXPLANATION' TO THE PLATES.

PAGE

PLATE

1 . Native of Dourga Strait, :\'ew Guinea. The original draw-
ing was taken on the spot by !Mr. Yan Oort, one of the
artists attached to the Dutch Expedition of 1S28. The
natural features of the face are distorted into an expres-
sion of hatred or defiance, but in other respects the Plate
eives an accurate representation of one of the finer
specimens of the tribe in his native state. The hair is
coloured by the process described at page 5. The spear
is pointed with a claw of the Cassowary, or Emu, which
is often used for the pnrpose. The tree in the back-
ground is an indifferent representation of the mangrove,
often aUuded to in the text Frontispiece.

2. Map of Xew Guinea, compiled from the latest infor-
mation, by the author of this work .... 8

3. Interview with natives of Dourga Strait, Xevr Guinea.
The original was taken on the spot by the Dutch artist,
;Mr. Yan Oort. This inter^'iew is described at pages
20 and 28. The natives paddling the boat ai'e Javanese,
a number of whom are supplied to the Dutch sliips of
wai' in India, for boat service during the heat of the

day 20

i. Otttanata, of the south-west coast of New Guinea. From
a portrait by 'Mi. Yan Raalteu, one of the artists
attached to the Dutch Expedition. In this Plate the
head is slightly more elongated than is represented in

XU EXPLANATION TO THE PLATES.

PLATE PAGE

the original, but in every other respect it must be con-
sidered as an accurate representation of a full-grovrn
male Outanata. The instrument in his right hand is a
heavy two-handed club, and that held over the head is
one of the bamboo tubes from which the natives eject
the smoke-like material which astonished Captain Cook
and his companions. The practice is noticed at pages
33 to 40 47

5. Aheta, or Negrito, of the Philippines, from a Plate in
M. Mallat's " Philippines," &c. The Mountain Papuans
of the Moluccas are much more slightly built than the
Ahetas are here represented. See the portrait in Sir
S. Raffles' '' History of Java," and in Mr. Crawfurd's
"History of the Indian Archipelago." In the year
1S32, the author of this work was a feUow-vojager with
a Papuan youth from the interior of Gilolo, who was an
exact counterpart of the figure given by Raffles and
Crawfurd 121

6. Heads of Papuans and North Australians. Figs. I, 2,
3, 4, 10, 11, and 12, are from portraits by Messrs.
A'an Oort and Van Raalten, the artists to the Dutch
Expedition. The others are selected from profiles talvcn
by the author of this work, wliich the artist has very
accurately transferred to the Plate.— Pigs. 1, 2, and 3,
are profiles of Outanatas. The arched nose of Pig. 3 is
by no means an exaggerated feature, although the more
common form is that shown in Pig. 2. In Figs. 1 and 2,
the cd(p, as well as the septum of the nose, are bored, a
custom which has not been observed in any other tribe of
Papuans. — Fig. 4, is a portrait of a native of the interior
in the neighbourhood of Triton Bay. If the original re-
presented the general characteristics of the tribe, and was
not selected on account of a peculiarity in his features
and appearance. Dr. MiiUer certainly has grounds for his
opinion that the inland natives differ from those of the
coast. — Fig. 5, is a profile of a native of Karas, on the

EXPLAXATIOX TO THE PLATES. XUl

PLATZ PAGE

west coast of New Guinea, who was about nineteen
years of age at the time it was taken. He is now re-
siding at Singapore, and has lost much of the heavy
appearance which is shown in the profile. — Fig. 6, Alka-
nara, a man of the Jalakuru tribe, between forty and
fifty years of age, was well known at Port Essington, as
he constantly resided near the settlement, and brought
in almost daily supplies of fish and crabs, which he was
very expert in taking. — lig. 7, Olomiri, a native of
Croker Island, was about forty years of age when his
profile was taken. — fig. S, Xeinmaal, a native of the
south coast of the Cobourg Peninsula, about seventeen
years of age, was for several years a domestic servant
of the Storekeeper's assistant, and was remarkable for
his attention to his duties, and for his fluency in the
English language. He was exceedingly iutelUgeut and
well-conducted. Xeiumaal was subsequently killed by
his own tribe :— it is supposed from jealousy of the high
estimation in which he was held by the Europeans. —
rig. 9, Manjerijo, commonly called "Bob," was a youth
of the Port Essington tribe, also of great iuteUigence,
but somewhat conceited. Captaiu the Hon. H. Keppel,
in his interesting " Voyage of the ' Mseander,' " alludes
to him as being remarkable for his skill in the English
language, which he spoke without a foreign accent. —
Eigs. 10, 11, and 12, are women of Triton Bay, in New
Guinea. — Eig. 13, Mynder, a woman of the Port Essing-
ton tribe, about twenty-five years of age. — Eig. 14,
Eniologi, daughter of Olomiri (Eig. 7), a young woman
of Croker Island. — Eigs. 15 and 16, Ahnanaja and
Mayapein, two young women of the south part of the
Cobourg Peninsula. — ^Eigs. 17 and IS, Manjawi and
Monia, two children of the Port Essington tribe . . 188
7. Map of the Indian Archipelago, showing the spots occu-
pied by Papuan tribes 1

XIV EXPLANATION TO THE WOOD ENGRAVINGS

WOOD ENGEAYIKGS.

PAGE

1. Native of the north coast of New Gainea, hunting "Wild
Hogs. From a sketch in Captain Forrest's "New
Guinea." The hunter is here represented as throwing
the spear with his left hand, which is not incorrect, for
although the right hand is generally used for the pur-
pose when on shore, the narrow and ticklish character of
the canoes, which renders it difficult for the hunter to
turn round without losing his balance, obliges him to
use either hand in drawing the bow, or throwing the
spear. Owing to the dense nature of the underwood,
the wild hogs are driven from the islets by dogs, and
killed in tlie water while swimming towards the main

land 72

2. Papuan habitation at Dory. The vessel in the fore-
ground is intended for a Tidore Kora-Kora . . 74

SPECDIENS or PAPUAN]

MEAT. The four dialects of New Guinea are extracted from the vocabulariesj
" Laud-en- Volkeukunde" of the official account of the Expedition. As i]
that "oe" is pronounced like "oo" in poor, mood, ^x. The ^yords in ii
the dialects of the Aitu Islands, is from a small vocabulary collected'
vocabulary by Lieutenant Colebrooke, in vol. iv of the " Asiatic Resear'
a resident at Port Essington and the neighbourhood, and some trouble ^^
of each tribe whose dialect is represented.

Outanata
(New Guinea).

Triton Bay
(NewGixinea).

Inland Tribe,
near Triton Bay
(New Guinea)'

Onin or Woni
(New Guinea).

Arm Island

One .

• ...

Samosi .

Tangauw .

Sa . . .

Itu .

IVo .

Roeeti .

Aniooi

Noewa

Rua. .

Three

TouMToe

Karia

Teni

Lasi

Four .

Faat .

Aai .

Faat . . j

Five .

Riiui .

Iworo

Nima . . 1

Lima .

Six .

...

Rim-samosi .

Iworamooi ?

Nem

Dubu .

Seven

Rim-roeeti .

Iworkaria ?

Tarassa .

Dubem

Eight

Rim-touwroe

Iworaai? .

Taranoewa

Kama .

Nine .

Rim-faat

Neeiwora

Sapoeti

Teri

Ten .

Woetsja

Werowamooi .

Poesoea .

L'rfafahia"

Sun .

Djauw

Orah .

Ongoeroe

Rera

Larat .

Moon

Oeran

Foeran .

Foeran

Poenono .

Fulan .

Star .

Koma-koma .

Wani-wani

Apatin nofarere

Tawar . J

! Sky .

... J

Earth

Tin . ■■■ .

Ena '" .

Gengena .

Gai . .

Fafa . 1

1 Water

AVarari

Walar .

Wata

Weari

Wava . 1

1 Sea .

.«•

• A

Fire .

Oeta

Lawi .

Iworo

Api .

! Wind

Lowri

Lowie .

Woreei . \

Gtriko

\ Rain .

Koma

Komah

Jamo

Oeuano .

j Mountain "
1 orHiU i

Pamogo .

Foekar .

Tiernawera

Terio

1 Stone

•••

Langera

Tree .

Pah .

Kayo akar .

Njoenabara

River

Warari-napetiki

Walarnabetik

Weraboean

A Man

ilarowana

Marowaua .

lohanouw

Lesi

A Woman .

Kocrani .

Ma^xina

Eweei

Matapais

Kodar .

A Child .

Moetoeki .

Tamanetto .

Janijani .

Saboban .

. • .

Head

Oepauw .

Mon(jngo

Nangoewoe

Oninipatin

Fuku .

Nose .

Birimhoe .

SikaioDgo

Nauibi

Wirin

Juri . ,

I Eves .

Mameh

Matatougo .

Namboetoe

Matapatin

Mata .

iiouth

Irie .

Orieiigo

Naros

Socman .

Fafahi .

Ears .

lanie

Tringango .

Newirana

Taiiigan .

T;ihari .

: Teeth

Titi .

Roewotongo .

Sika

Nifan

...

Hand

Mareh

Nimangooeta

Okorwita

Lima .

Foot .

Mouw

Nimiu . .

Ebahi .

: Lee .

Imirie

Karingo

Okora " .

Belly

Iwouw

Kanbonago .

Ncwoeroe

Pitoean

1 Fingers

...

Nimangosoro

Amooi

Toes .

Thumb

. . .

...

Hair.

1 Oeri

Monongfoero

Nangoekatoe .

Ampoewa

...

Beard

Minoora

A Fish

Erika

Donde .

Koeratoe .

Sairi " .

A Bird

Manok .

Manu .

A Dog

Woerie .

Kuwoena

Antsing .

Foh

A Kangaroo

...

A Snake .

Large

Napiteke .

Nabetik

Nanieerkai

Aboeani .

Small

^Mem^ti .

Netoe .

Wonso-wonso .

Koykoyto

To Eat

Nanioeka

Koeko .

Mewa

Anioea-nanae .

To Drink .

Namoeka

Makicno

Nitiiaara

Ninoen .

To Walk .

Djaga

Octangi

Osoh

Tabana

To Sleep .

Ete .

Kokenaf

Tetewi .

Marawa .

To Speak .

Iwari

Iwar .

Asoerat .

To Swim .

Iron .

Poeroeti .

Wocroesesi .

Woersasi .

...

\USTKALIAN DULECTS.

:.fficers of the Dutch Expedition of ] S28, which are inserted in the vohime on
>raphy has been strictly preserved, it will be necessary to inform the reader
layan, and were probably introduced by foreigners. The specimen of one of
this work, when there in 1S4L The dialect of the Andamans is from a
:h xiustrahan vocabularies were collected by tlie author of this work while
i- them as correct as possible, by going through them with several individuals

Port Essington
(N. Australia).

Popliam Bay
(N. Australia).

Croker Island

(^'. Australia).

Van Diem en Gulf

(X. Australia;.

Mountnorris Bay

(N. Australia).

rad . . . j Motu

argarik . . ■ Luwitbari

argarikelerad . I La\vitbari-motu
arErariknarsrarik

[owan
Hi

rgadba
rpalk
nak .
bait .
nganiala
jalH .
lailo .
r'almat

|nbLrik

Variat

jam .

ndadbiggi
,.valu .
'• ■■ 'onionio
wanj

iijiiimul

.:k

iaulbU

Jjark

-Jullal

:nj;-bal
[irka .

!Hp .

lakalak

..lurvDiKloin
•igoridjban
ronniaridban
orit .

ngarauingan
reran
illemuru .

Move
i Orana
j Wilari
I Aloudji .
I Ilbanda .

Oba .
I Oridji .
j Ojena
; PorowTi .

Ainbu

Olono

j Ojena

I JIarudji .

I Koala

I Ohi .

I Eupeddo .

Iwadi

Euua

Jara

Jainida

Jalaniari .

Yatadljjdji

Jiniilakodg

Janga

Ekoro

Yeteni

AUo.

Alio .

Yalanamulya

Jimara

Araka

Ija^n^

Pidpi
, Alii .
I Madbi .
I Pandi
; Jinnramira

Langalla .

Ai-apori .
I Ai'apora nupa
I Aralukajelya
I "VN'irongo .'
I
i Arejinga .

Koka

Orialk

Oiialkeraroka

Muri

Orana

Ularit

Aijal

Orad

Obaitj

Ungurgal

Kgolan

Maiungaia

Rawau

Murde-ejit

Aiain
Jona
ilai-iye
Eloin

Alalk *■' .

W^ari

leni

Bala

Lamaliala

Lomar

Yeyen

ManaNvevi

Elod ' .

Tala .

Wanorgi .

Mauawertai

AVilt:d .

Inbirikagad

Weya

Lariiulmul

Alnieju .

Bijitj

Alait

Wenjoitj

Meroitj .

"Widawok .

Yeyeko .

Ararakondoin

Murkaiawulan
Orongot .

Tarweip .

Warat
iXargarik
Jt'argilwarat
!Nargariknargarik

Manitj

Koran a

Argadba

Kono .

Konak

Obaitj

Morgalal

Kaijalli

Mangadji

Walmat

Anbirik

Kaain .

Larolk

K'dadbiggi

Poli .

Urnin .

Oroitj .

i'ogal .

Jilmul

Ira

Aruarigbii'ij

Kalajah

Jigi

Adbirjalk

Aruaroli

Wenjelk

Aroaralla

Rujut .

Kaiuakat

Kamar

ilbal .

^lainjaug

Yap .

Lakalak

Xaggi .

Eljjugi

Onjaranioli

Burudburan

Aroitj

Arara .

Arunda

larnarang

X'oritj .

Araruaraniba

Araran

"W'illemuru

Warat.
Xargarik.
Xargarawarat.
Xargai-iknai-jcarik.

5Io\van.

Orana.

Aranmt.

Wono.

Onak.

Obait.

Morala.

Ojelli.

Mailo.

Walmat.

fWariat.

t Anbirik.
AVariat.
Maniun.
Andadbiggi.

Ailbawal.
Oroljilmul.

Aiuaramba.

Alajah.

Maniiliri.
j Adbiljaik.

Aruaroli.
I Wenjelk.

Aronijak.

Rujut.

Angbal.
: Mainjan«

Xaggi.
Alpugi.
Ambit.

Arara.
Arunda.
langauarang.
Xurit.

WiUemuru.

PAPUANS.

CHAPTER I.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS.

PECULIARITY OP THE HAIR FEATURES — STATURE AN'D PROPORTIONS

MODES OF PERSONAL DISFIGUREMENT PHYSICAL AXD MENTAL

CAPACITY CHARACTER AND DISPOSITION RESULTS OF FOREIGN

INTERCOURSE ON THE WILD TRIBES.

Small tribes of the Papuan race, or, as they are some-
times called, Oriental Negroes, are very widely distributed
among the islands of the Indian Archipelago; and New
Guinea, the easternmost of the group, is supposed to be
exclusively occupied by them. The Papuans have very
few characteristics in common with the browm-coloured
races of the Indian Islands, but their most striking
pecuharity consists in their frizzled or woolly hair,
which does not spread over the surface of the head,
as is usual with the negroes of Africa, but grows in

HAIR.

small tufts, each of which keeps separate from the rest ;
and the hah-s, if allowed to grow, twist rouud each other,
and form spiral ringlets. Many of the tribes, more
especially the mountaineers who hold intercourse with
more civilized races, from whom they can procure cutting
instruments, keep the hair closely cropped. The tufts
then assume the form of little knobs, about the size of
large peas, which give the head a singular but not
altogether unpleasing appearance ; for the regularity of
these little knobs is so great, that the first idea which
strikes a stranger is that they have been produced by
means of a stamp ; and the writer has every reason to
believe that the hair of some tribes is naturally short,
this knob-like appearance arising without the superfluous
hair being cropped. Among the coast tribes of New
Guinea, however, the spiral ringlets sometimes grow to
the length of a foot, when they are either cut off close
to the head, and made into wigs, by inserting the ends
into skull-caps formed of matting ; or the ringlets are
opened out by the hand, and kept spread by the constant
use of a sort of comb of bamboo with four or five long
prongs. The hair then assumes a capacious, bushy
appearance, which has caused the people who adopt the
latter practice to be called " mop-headed Papuans.''^
Some of the less known tribes plait the ringlets over the
crown of the head, where they form a thick ridge.

All these practices seem to be adopted for the one
purpose of obviating the inconvenience that must result
from the ringlets falling over the face while hunting or
fishing, without entailing the necessity of parting alto-
gether with a personal adornment in which they take great

FEATURES. 6

pride. ' The hair of the beard and whiskers, with which
the Papuans are usually well supplied, also grows in little
tufts similar to those of the head ; and the same pecu-
liarity is found in the hair with which the breasts and
shoulders of the men are sometimes covered, but here
the tufts are much farther apart than on the head or
chin. This description of woolly or twisted hair is
peculiar to the full-blooded Papuans. A comparatively
slight mixture with the brown race removes the pecu-
liarity, at least has done so in all cases that have come
under the writer^s observation. The hair of people of
the mixed race, although thick and curly, covers the
surface of the head like that of Europeans. The Malayan
term for crisped or woolly hair is '^^rambut pua-pua.^^
Hence the term " pua-pua,^' or ^^ papua" (crisped), has
come to be applied to the entire race ; and certainly it
deserves to be retained, as expressing their most striking
peculiarity.

The features of the Papuans have a decided negro
character : broad noses, thick and prominent lips,
receding foreheads and chins, and that turbid colour of
what should be the white of the eye, which is apt to give
the countenance a sinister expression. Their natural
complexion is almost universally a chocolate colour,
sometimes closely approaching to black, but certainly
some shades lighter than the deep black which is often
met with among the negro tribes of Africa.

With regard to stature, a great difference is found to
exist between distinct tribes, even in New Guinea, which
has led to some confusion in the descriptions given by
different travellers, who may each have seen only a single

B 2

4 STATURE AND PROPORTIOXS.

tribe. On the south-west coast of New Guinea, within
the space of a hundred miles, are to be found tribes
whose general stature is at least equal to that of the finer
races of Europeans, and others whose proportions are so
small as almost to entitle them to the appellation of
pygmies, while customs and characteristics generally so
exactly coiTcspond, as to preclude the supposition that
these peculiarities can be other than accidental. It is
difficult to account for this ; but as the stout and stalwart
Papuans are met with only among tribes who have
maintained their independence, and v.bo at the same
time possess many of the agricultural and mechanical
arts, while the pygmies are found only among the tribes
that have been driven to the mountain fastnesses, or have
fallen under the influence of more powerful races, we may
conclude that their mode of life has much to do with this
difference in point of stature.

The various tribes also differ much in their appear-
ance. The more diminutive Papuans, who chiefly come
under the notice of Europeans as slaves in the Moluccan
settlements, are unprepossessing enough while in their
native state, but when under good masters, the regu-
larity and wholesome nature of their diet, coupled with
their apparent utter forget fulness of home and rela-
tives, produce a roundness in their neat clean limbs,
and a sprightliness of action, which is rarely met with
among their more civilized neighbours of the brown race.
On the other hand, the larger Papuans are more remark-
able for strength than symmetry. They have broad
shoulders and deep chests, but a deficiency is generally
found about the lower extremities, splay feet and curved

PERSONAL DISFIGUREMEXT. O

shins being at least as common as among the negroes
of Africa.

A singular custom of raising the skin in cicatrices,
especially on the shoulders, breast, and thighs, prevails
very generally among the Papuans. These cicatrices are
formed by cutting the skin through with some sharp
instrument in longitudinal stripes, and if on the shoulder
or breast, white clay, or some other earthy substance, is
rubbed into the wound, which causes the flesh below to
rise, and the scarifications, when allowed to heal, assume
the form of embossed cicatrices, often as large as the
finger. The process by which the flesh is raised is perfectly
inexplicable to an European, who would be thrown into
fever by any one of the wounds which these strange
people bear, two or three at a time, without complaining,
but certainly not without suff"ering. The practice of
boring the septum of the nose has also been generally
observed among the wilder Papuans. In the first
instance they wear a roll of plantain-leaf in the orifice,
which, by its elasticity, enlarges the hole so much as to
admit the thigh-bone of a large bird or some other
ornament, which is worn extending across the face on
all great occasions. The coast tribes of New Guinea,
and of the islands lying immediately to the east, have a
practice of filing or grinding the front teeth to points;
and another singular custom is prevalent with some of
the coast tribes of Papuans, that of destroying the colour
of the hair, which is naturally black, by applications of
burnt coral mixed with sea-water, and by preparations of
wood-ashes in some instances, which gives the hair a
light red or flaxen tinge. As the practice of pointing

6 MENTAL AND PHYSICAL CAPACITY.

the front teeth is also common among the natives of the
Pagi Islands on the west coast of Sumatra, and the
custom of discolouring the hair prevails among the
natives of Timor-laut, Baba, and Sermattan, who are
essentially members of the brown race in their general
characteristics, some doubts may reasonably be entertained
as to whether these are purely Papuan customs.

The Papuans, when placed in circumstances favourable
for the development of their powers, are physically
superior to the races of South-eastern Asia. Some of
the New Guinea tribes would bear a comparison, in
point of stature and proportions, with the races of
Europe, were it not for the deficiency about the lower
extremities which has been already noticed. Even the
more diminutive mountain tribes are remarkable for
energy and agility — qualities which have led to their
being in great demand as slaves among their more
civilized neighbours. AVith regard to mental capacity,
also, they are certainly not inferior to the bro^Nii races ;
but their impatience of control while in an independent
state utterly precludes that organization which would
enable them to stand their ground against encroach-
ment ; and they invariably fall under the influence of the
Malayans whenever the two races are brought into
contact.

This want of organization renders it extremely unsafe
for strangers to visit independent tribes, for although the
majority may be peacefully inclined, some individuals
anions: them are nearlv certain to be turbulent, and
inclined for mischief, if not restrained by their com-
panions. The struggles that take place on these occa-

CONDUCT TOWARDS STRANGERS. 7

sions have come to be looked upon by their visitors as
rather a favourable sign, from their indicating that no
treachery is contemplated, which is sometimes the case
when the natives are unanimous. The wilder tribes
generally avoid all intercourse with strangers, if the
party that appears among them is sufficiently great to
cause alarm ; but if it be small or unarmed, and the
Papuans, as is too often the case, have had cause to
regard strangers with hostile feelings, they assume a
friendly appearance until an* opportunity occurs, and
then make a sudden and ferocious attack.

But the social characteristic which distinguishes them
most from the brown races consists in the inextinguish-
able hatred they bear towards those who attempt to
settle in their territory, and which is sometimes con-
tinued as long as a man of the tribe remains at large.
This apparently untameable nature, when in an inde-
pendent state, seems to have been the chief cause which
has led to their utter extermination in all those islands of
the Indian Archipelago that did not possess mountain
fastnesses to which they could retire and lead a life
similar to that of the Boschman of South Africa. This
ferocity of character disappears, in a great measure, when
individuals are removed to other countries, for the
Papuan slaves, who are found in considerable numbers
among the bro^Ti races of the Archipelago, are remark-
able for a cheerful and obedient disposition, although
they sometimes display an irritability of temper which
requires careful management.

8 . NEW GUINEA.

CHAPTER II.

NEW GUINEA. SOUTH COAST.

PAPUAN CHARACTER OF THE NEW GUINEA TRIBES — GEOGRAPHICAL
SKETCH OF THE ISLAND — TISITS OF EARLY TOYAGERS DUTCH EX-
PEDITION OF 1828 INTERVIEW WITH NATIVES OF DOURGA STRAIT

HOSTILE ENCOUNTER CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DOURGA TRIBE

WEAPONS AND ORNAMENTS — AGILITY IN CLIMBING TREES MAN-

GR0\':E THICKETS HABITATIONS — PAPUANS AND AUSTRALIANS —

EXPEDITION OF LIEUTENANT KOOL TO DOURGA STRAIT IN 1835

INTERVIEW WITH A LARGE TRIBE OF FREDERICK-HENRY ISLAND.

New Guinea, the great seat of the Papuan race, is
1,400 miles in extreme length, or nearly double that of
Borneo; but its supei-ficial area is probably less than
that of the latter island (200,000 square geographical
miles), as there is every reason to believe that the south
coast of New Guinea, immediately opposite to the Gulf of
Carpentaria in Australia, forms a deep indentation similar
to the Great Bay on the north coast, there being a space
of two degrees and a half of longitude in which the land
has not yet been seen.*

* Of this unexplored space, 118 miles, or four-fiftlis of the
whole, were taken possession of by proclamation, in the name of the

imjj era nVci 1

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1853.

G. W. K.

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1853.

C. W. K.

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DOURGA STRAIT. 9

The names by which the island is known to Europeans
and Asiatics, New Guinea and Tanna Papua, both dis-
tinctly refer to the leading peculiarity of the race by
which the coasts are inhabited. The interior is still a
terra incognita, but as a large proportion of the slaves
who are exported to the Moluccas have been obtained
by stealth or barter from the villages of the interior, and
these are invariably pure Papuans in general character--
istics, there is at present no reasonable prospect of any
other race being found there. This point, however, so
deeply interesting to the student of ethnography, must
remain an open question until some traveller has pene-
trated the interior, an enterprise which, in the ordinary
course of events, must be attempted before many years
elapse.

The western peninsula of New Guinea consists of
masses of elevated land, penetrated by deep salt-water
inlets, and affording evidence of having been intensely
disturbed by recent volcanic action. The most striking
geographical feature of the great eastern peninsula con-
sists in a back-bone of lofty mountains, which apparently
extends throughout its lensrth. Three remarkable table-
topped mountains near the centre of the island, in the

King of Holland, in the year 1S28. As the commanders of Her
Majesty's ships employed in the surveyuig service are said to have
general instructions not to interfere with coasts claimed by foreign
powers, unless the interests of navigation absolutely require it, this
in some degree accounts for the fact that so large a space of coast,
within 600 miles of an European settlement that has been estab-
hshed more than three centuries, remains stiU unkaown to ci^Tlized
nations.

B 3

10 XEW GUINEA.

meridian of 138^ E.^ were estimated by tlie officers of
the Dutch corvette 'Triton^ in 1828 to be upwards of
20,000 feet in elevation, and appeared to be covered with
snow. And as the range has also been seen from the
north coast of the island, at a point more than 200
miles distant from that of the ' Triton^s' observations,
their height cannot have been much over-estimated. All
parts of the island hitherto visited are overspread by a
gigantic vegetation, affording food and shelter to animals
of singular development, of which the Babi-rusa, or many-
tusked hog, the Tree-Kangaroo, the Bird-of-Paradise, and
the gigantic Crowned-Pigeon, are only a few of the many
varieties. Some marked peculiarities in the development
of the human inhabitants may reasonably be expected
under these circumstances, and certainly every succeeding
voyager brings to light new and striking particulars
concerning this singular race, which materially enhance
the interest that civilized nations naturally take in the
habits and characteristics of their savage brethren.

The coast tribes of the western peninsula of New
Guinea have held commercial intercourse with Moham-
medan inhabitants of the Moluccas for several centuries
past ; indeed, the Sultan of Tidore claims a sort of
suzerainty over the trading ports of the coast, a claim
which seems to be recognized by the Papuans, many of
whom have become Mohammedans. And as several
Malayan customs may have been introduced at the same
time, the inhabitants of the western peninsula cannot
be brought forward as exhibiting the Papuan race in its
aboriginal condition. Indeed, the entire north coast of
New Guinea seems to have been subjected to similar

DOURGA STRAIT. 11

influences in a certain degree^ probably from its lying
near the supposed course of the great Malayu-Polynesian
migration. But the south and south-west coasts have been
very rarely intruded on by \dsitors, European or Asiatic.

The early Dutch navigators, who followed the south-west
coast on their way to explore the Great South Land, have
left traces of their intercourse, which appears never to
have been friendly, in the names they have given to the
two principal rivers of the south-west coast, "Moor-
denaar,^^ or murderer, and " Doodslaager,^^ or slaughterer ;
and the experiences of Captain Cook, who touched on
this coast in the ' Endeavour,' were only a little less unfa-
vourable. Indeed, no record exists of friendly intercourse
having been held by Europeans with natives of the south
and south-west coasts until the year 1828, when the
Dutch government, during one of those spurts of
colonial activity which seem to attack western nations
periodically, dispatched a large corvette, the 'Triton,^ to
this pai-t of the coast, with a party of natm-alists and
draughtsmen to make observations, and a body of troops
to form the garrison of a settlement. The strait which
separates the south-west extreme of New Guinea from the
main land was the first spot visited, and as the secluded
tribe they met with on the shores of the strait had pro-
bably never before held intercourse with a strange people,
I propose making some extracts from a narrative of the
expedition by Lieutenant Modera,* one of those intelli-

* "Yerhaal van eene Reize naar de Zuid-west Kust van
Niew-Guinea, door J. Modera, Lieutenant ter Zee." Haarlem,
1S30.

12 NEW GUINEA.

gent officers of whom the Dutch royal navy has latterly
presented so many favourable examples. And it should
be mentioned that the information furnished by the
Dutch expeditions is particularly valuable^ as they are
always provided ^A^th interpreters well experienced in
intercourse with the Papuans ; and although they may
sometimes be unable to hold a conversation with tribes
hitherto unacquainted with strangers, still their general
knowledge of Papuan customs prevents voyagers from
falling into those errors which the most careful are liable
to, if brought into communication with strange tribes
without the assistance of persons acquainted with their
general habits.

The ' Triton^ entered the Dourga Strait, which lies in
lat. 7° 28' S., and long. 138^ 58' E., on the 21st of
May, 1828 ; and after examining a creek without meeting
with any other traces of people than foot-marks on the
muddy banks, they were preparing to leave the spot, and
proceed farther up the strait, when the natives made
their appearance. But I prefer giving Mr. Modera^s own
account of the interview. " Scarcely, however, had we
commenced getting up the anchor, when seven men were
seen on the shore, who ran out into the water as far as
they could, shouting loudly, and making all sorts of droll
and uncouth gestures. Weighing anchor was deferred,
and it was arranged that the Commissioner Van Delden
should proceed towards the shore, sending the native
interpreter in advance in a small canoe to open a commu-
nication with the natives. The Lieutenant Modera (the
narrator) was ordered away with an armed boat to cover

DOURGA STRAIT. 13

them in case of need^ and as the canoe could not be got
ready speedily, the whole party, consisting of Mr. Van
Delden and the native interpreter, Messrs. Macklot,Hugen-
holtz, Boers, and Van Raalten, embarked in his boat. All
the gentlemen, as well as the boat^s crew, were armed,
and the muskets were loaded as the boat was proceeding
towards the shore. "When the boat had reached to within
a musket-shot distance from them, the natives, who were
armed with bows, an'ows, and lances, commenced making
singular gestures with their arms and legs. The native
interpreter called out to them in a language partly com-
posed of Ceramese, and partly of a dialect spoken by a
Papuan tribe dwelling a little farther to the north, but
his words were evidently quite unintelligible to them, as
they only answered with loud and wild yells. We
endeavoured, for a long time without success, to induce
them to lay aside their weapons; but at length one of
them was prevailed on to do so, and the others followed
his example, on which we also laid down our arras,
keeping them, however, at hand. "We now slowly
approached each other, and the interpreter, dipping
his hand into the sea, sprinkled some of the water over
the crown of the head, as a sign of peaceful intentions.*
This they seemed to understand, for two of them imme-
diately did the same, on which the interpreter jumped
into the shallow water, and approached them with some
looking-glasses and strings of beads, which were received
with loud laughter and yells. They now began dancing

* Tliis custom seems to be general among aU the Papuan tribes,
and iu most cases their peaceful intentions may be depended upon
after having entered into this silent compact. — G. W. E.

14 NEW GUINEA.

in the water, making the interpreter join, and the party
was soon increased by other natives from the woods, who
were attracted by the presents. Mr. Hugenholtz also jumped
into the shallow water, and joined in the dance, and they
soon became so friendly as to come close around the
boat, indeed some of them were even induced to get
in.

* Hs * *

" Their confidence rapidly increased ; and they inspected
and admired the European weapons, crying out repeatedly
'kakka,^ 'kakka/ They bartered their weapons and
ornaments with us for beads, looking-glasses, &c., and lat-
terly, for pieces of cloth. Each present was received with
dancing and yelling, which last was echoed from the woods
by shouts in which women^s voices were evidently
mingled. The looking-glasses, which are generally so
much admired by uncivilized people, were closely looked
into at first, but subsequently were received with indif-
ference. Pieces of cloth were the great objects of their
desires. We repeatedly tried to persuade them to come
on board, but they gave us to understand that they were
afraid we should cut oflf their heads. When they asked
us shortly afterwards for water to drink, we made signs
to them that it was to be obtained on board ; but they
did not seem to have any inclination to go there to
fetch it.

" One of our people, wishing to dress a native with a
waistcoat, neckcloth, and a handkerchief for the head, he
submitted to the process very willingly ; and when his

DOURGA STRAIT. 15

toilet was completed, he drew the attention of his coun-
trymen to the improvement in his appearance, which
seemed to give very general satisfaction. They appeared
to be more curious than thievishly-inclined. Everything
was looked at and admired, but nothing was appropriated ;
nevertheless, we thought it best to keep a watchful eye
over them. When one of them took up Lieutenant
Modera's loaded pistol to examine it, the latter took it
from him with a serious countenance, and laid it down
again, exclaiming, ' taboo' (the South Sea Island term for
'prohibited'), and he did not attempt to take it up
again.

'' While all this was going on, they kept drawing the
boat — unperceived as they thought — towards the beach,
which determined us to return, as our stock of presents
was exhausted, and there seemed no probability of our
inducing any of them to go on board with us. Shortly
before this Mr. Boers had ornamented a Papuan with a
string of beads, who, upon receiving it, joined two of his
countrymen that were standing a little distance off, with
the arms that had been laid aside, and which they had
been gradually getting together again ; a proceeding we
had observed, but trusting in the mutual confidence that
had been established, we did not much heed it. At the
moment in which we were setting off the boat to return
on board, this man fixed an arrow in his bow, and took
aim at Mr. Boers, who was sitting in the fore part of the
boat, on which the latter turned aside to take up his gun,
but before he could do so, he received the arrow in his
left thigh, which knocked him over, shouting 'Fire!
fire! I am hit!' as he fell. The order was scarcely

16 NEW GUINEA.

given before every one had hold of his arms (which, as
ah'eady stated, were kept at hand), and a general dis-
charge put the natives to flight, swimming and diving
like ducks. Before they took to flight, however, they
discharged several more arrows at our people, one of
which struck Mr. Hugenholtz in the right knee, another
hit a sailor in the leg, while a third pierced a sailoi-^s
hat, and remained sticking in it ; and, lastly, a Javanese
had the handkerchief shot ofi" his head, but without
receiving any personal injury. Four of the natives, in
whom we had inspired so much confidence that they had
come into the boat, sprang overboard in the greatest
haste as soon as the attack commenced, before any of our
people thought of securing them. The people of the
' Iris' (the tender to the *" Triton') saw the natives, after
the departure of the boat, drag three of their companions
out of the water, so that they vv'ere probably killed, or
severely wounded.

"After the natives had taken flight, the interpreter
got out of the boat again to pick up the arrows and
darts that had been thrown at us, at which we were
not altogether pleased, for we wished to return without
giving cause for farther hostilities, as the commander
of the ' Triton' had given orders that ' we m ere not
to use the arms except in case of the most urgent
necessity ;' but more especially on account of the
wounded, as it was feared that the arrows might be
poisoned.* Fortunately our fears were groundless ;

* The use of poison to give greater effect to missiles does not
seem to be known to the Papuans of New Guinea and the neigh-
bouring islands, at least I have never heard a well-authenticated

DOURGA STRAIT. 17

nevertheless Mr. Hugenholtz suffered severely on account
of his wound.^^*

This was a very unfortunate affair, which may lead to
future bloodshed, as the relatives or descendants of the
slain will think it necessarj^ for their own character to
make a disturbance, should they ever again have inter-
course with strangers, although the bulk of the tribe
may be peacefully inclined. From Mr. Modera^s clear
account of the transaction, it e\'idently arose from a
misunderstanding on the part of the natives, who, seeing
the boat shoving off with some of their companions still
on board, naturally supposed that it was intended to
carry them off. Nearly ever\' uncivilized tribe of the
Archipelago must some time or other have lost members
of its small community, either by force or treacheiy, to
support the detestable traffic in human flesh introduced
by Mohammedans, and, until very recently, fostered by
Christians ; and the little experience these Papuans had
of intercourse with strangers, scarcely enabled them to
see the difference between civilized Europeans and the
traders from Ceram and the ^loluccas, who, it is to be
feared, but too often complete their cargoes with the
unfortunates they may capture, or entice on board, during
their voyages along the Papuan coasts.

Mr. Modera's account of the personal characteristics of

account of their employiag it. The practice seems to be confined to
those aborigiaal tribes who use, or have used the sumpitan, or blow-
pipe ; the Httle darts projected from this instrument being incapable
of effecting the destruction of any animal larger than a sparrow
without the aid of a powerful poison. — G. W. E.
* Modera, "Reize," &c., pp. 23—29.

18 NEW GUINEA.

this tribe is very full and complete. " Their stature is of
the middle size, and they are not particularly strongly
built. The colour of their skin is a light black, vdih a
blueish tinge. The lips are tolerably thick, and the
nose rather flat. Their appearance is generally sinister
and always repulsive, which is not a little increased by
the greasiness of their bodies, and by the ugly and dirty
practice of besmearing the forehead, and the face under
the nose and round the chin, with red clay or mud.
Their features bear a considerable resemblance to those
of the Arabians {Arabieren) .^ Nearly all of them had
the lobe of the ear bored, and the slit was generally half
a finger long. AYhether this hole is enlarged by the
weight of the ring, which I shall have to notice presently,
or is cut to this size in the first instance, I did not
ascertain.

''The hair of the head is crisp {kort gekroesd) like
that of African negroes, and pitch-black in colour ; one of
the men wore it plaited as a tail, like those of the Chinese,
and hanging down from the back of the head in the same
manner. Some of them wore the hair in a small tress or
braid at the crown of the head ; while others again wore
rushes round about the occiput, which were plaited firmly
into the hair. They allow the hair of the beard and
whiskers to grow ; the former is crisp like that of the
head.

'' The men went entirely naked, with the exception of

* The term " Arabicreu" is commonly used by the Dutch to
indicate negroes, and it has been probably appHed in this sense on
the present occasion. — G. W. E.

DOURGA STRAIT. 19

the lower part of tlie stomach, round wliicli tliey wore a
girdle or band five or six inches broad ; some of these
girdles were provided with a large shell so placed as to
cover the centre of the stomach. This girdle is made of
plaited rushes,* which fastens behind, and the ends hang
down about a foot below the girdle. Eveiy male wore
this article of costume ; but as regards ornaments, each
one differed from his neighbour. Suffice to say that
some wore arm bands or bracelets of plaited rattan,
which were so tightly fixed round the muscle of the arm
above the elbow, that to take them off it was necessary to
smear the arm with mud, and to have the assistance of
another person, to pull them off. Others had necklaces
made of cord very neatly twisted: while others wore
fringes over the breast made of the same material, the
ends of which were provided with small oval pieces of
wood. Many had ear-rings of plaited rattan, which some
wore in the right and others in the left ear.

" From the above description we may picture to our-
selves this race of people, -^-ith an offensive manner, theii'
skins be-spattered with mud and of very ill savour, their
bodies often covered with sores or sheets of scales ; and it
is not surprising that the general impression was that
they were an ugly and repulsive people, especially when
we also take into account their alternate shrill laugh and

* These girdles, as weU as the sort of net which covers the
occiput, are probably made from the leaf of the Pandaniis, the
cabbage-tree of the Australian colonists, an exceedingly durable
material in general use among the Papuans for making mats and
baskets. The latter are sometimes so closely woven as to hold
liquids. — G. "W. E.

20 NEW GUINEA,

piercing yell^ which jarred on the ear like bad notes in
music.

"Arrows, bows, and lances, or throwing-spears, were
the only weapons we saw amongst them, and some of
these we obtained from them by barter. The arrows and
lances were of reed, with points of pinang-wood hardened
in the fire.

" On the afternoon of the day in which the encounter
took place, the Naturalists, well armed, returned to the
creek at high water, and saw a spectacle which was also
witnessed by those on board with the aid of telescopes ;
namely, the trees full of natives of both sexes, who, with
weapons on their backs, sprang from branch to branch
like monkeys, making the same gestures as in the
morning, and shouting and laughing in like manner,
without our people being able to tempt them out of the
trees by throwing presents towards them, so that they
returaed on board again.*

"On the morning of the 23rd, several well-armed
natives made their appearance on the beach, dancing,
shouting, and making the same gestures as on the pre-
ceding: dav. After them came a number of women and
children, carrpng in their hands branches of trees and,
as we supposed, fruit also. They shouted to us as loud
as they could, probably to im4te us on shore ; but we did
not comply with their wishes, as we weighed towards
noon, and beat up the strait to another anchorage.^t

* See note at the end of the chapter.
t Modera, "Reize," &c., pp. 29—32.

3k- v.;.

''^'^%

^. ^- -^ :•

DOURGA STRAIT. 2]

Mr. Modera's account of the monkey-like gambols in
the trees may probably excite a smile of incredulity in the
reader. Nevertheless^ the fact of the Papuans being able
to proceed with wonderful rapidity through the man-
grove thickets which line the sea-shores, is well authenti-
cated, and has been long known to those acquainted with
the habits of the wilder tribes; but no British tra-
veller, with the fate of Abyssinian Bruce before his eves,
would have ventured to promulgate such a statement,
unless he could bring forward incontestible e'v'idence to
support it. The sea coasts of alluvial districts in tropical
regions are invariably lined by belts of mangroves, which
sometimes extend into the sea for miles beyond the level
of high water ; and in New Guinea, as well as on the
northern coasts of Australia, the mangroves assume the
character of forest trees about the upper parts, while the
lower consist of a network of strong fibrous roots,
which is absolutely impenetrable without the aid of an
axe ; and even then it is impossible to proceed unless
the mud has sufficient consistency to support the weight of
the body, which is rarely the case except at dead low- water.
As the coast tribes, who derive their chief subsistence
from the sea, have to cross this belt almost daily, they
naturally prefer scrambling through the upper branches,
which are strong enough to afford secure footing, while,
at the same time, they intertwine with each other in so
peculiar a manner, that, vriih a little practice, this sin-
gular mode of travelling can even be adopted by Eu-
ropeans. Indeed, the writer, on more than one occasion,
has seen a file of Marines, with muskets on their shoul-
ders, steadily making their way over mangrove swamps in

23 NEW GUINEA.

this manner, althougli they certainly did not display the
monkey-like agility that Mr. Modera has so graphically
described.

Perhaps the pride of man may be wounded on finding
how closely his species may approximate to that of the
quadruraanes ; but a little consideration will induce him
to regard with admiration the wonderful adaptation of
God^s creatures to any circumstances under which they
may be placed. It is a singular fact that, on the south-
west coast of New Guinea, the kangaroo, apparently the
least suited of all animals for the process of chmbing,
has adapted himself to the half- drowned nature of the
country by becoming an inhabitant of the trees.*

The habitations of this strange people, which were
probably situated on the firm land within the belt of
mangroves that lined the shore, were not seen by their
visitors ; indeed, the only indication of fixed residences
met with on the shores of the strait consisted in the ruins
of two thatched sheds, which were found near the beach,
about fifteen miles from the spot at which the interview took
place, but which appeared to have been long abandoned.
The remains of an old canoe, thirty feet long and two and
a half feet wide, were discovered, half-buried in the mud,
near the same spot, together ^^ith a quantity of oyster
shells and cocoa-nut husks ; but whether this had been
a summer residence of the natives, or the encampment of
a stray party of pearl-fishers from the more westerly
islands, could not be ascertained.

* I saw a living specimen of this singular animal a few days ago
iu the gardens of the Royal Zoological Society of London. —
G.W.E.

DOURGA STRAIT. 23

It seems probable that the natives themselves are only
periodical \dsitors to the coast, perhaps during the season
best suited for fishings for Lieutenant Kolff, who disco-
vered the strait two' years before, saw no traces of inha-
bitants on its shores ; indeed, the only people met with in
the immediate neighbourhood were seen on the outer
coast near Cape Yalsche, where, as Mr. Kolff states,
" while the boats were rowing as usual along the mud-
bank, smoke was seen to arise from the shore, and on
nearing the spot, a number of people were seen climbing
up in the trees, who fled into the forest as the boats
approached/^*

Those who are acquainted with the characteristics of
the aboriginal Australians, especially of those of the
north coast, will at once perceive how closely Mr.
Modera^'s description of these Papuans and their imple-
ments would apply to many Australian tribes, excepting
only the bows (not the arrows, for they are pure Austra-
lian darts,) and the crisp hair ; but, indeed, the latter
feature is not uncommon among the tribes of Moreton
Bay and the north-east coast. As Mr. Modera had never
seen and perhaps heard little of the Australians before
his voyage to New Guinea, and he is perfectly innocent
of all ethnological theories, his evidence must be con-
sidered incontestible. These circumstances, coupled with
the fact of his account having been published imme-
diately after the return of the New Guinea expedition,
have led me to prefer Mr. Modera^s plain narrative to
the more scientific pages of Temminck and Miiller m

* " Voyage of the ' Doiirga' to New Guinea and the "Moluccas,"
p. 321, Loudon, ISiO, — Translation.

24 NEW GUINEA.

the Government Report of the Expedition. Those
ethnologists who have been actively employed abroad
in collecting materials^ are very apt to adopt some
particular race, with which they happen to be best
acquainted, as a standard with which to compare all others
that they meet with ; and I feel that my long and inti-
mate acquaintance with the aboriginal Australians has not
left me altogether free from a similar influence. I shall,
therefore, in the course of this work, insert the descrip-
tions of intelligent travellers whose authenticity can be
depended upon in preference to my own observations,
whenever the personal characteristics of the native tribes
are under review ; as it fortunately happens that I have
abundant materials at my disposal v/hich will be as new
to the English reader as my own contributions could be.

This strait was revisited in 1835 by Lieutenant Kool,
with two schooners under his command, who was the first
to pass through it. He named it the Prinses Marianne
Strait, after a member of the Royal Family of the Nether-
lands ; but as it had long been known by the name con-
ferred upon it by Lieutenant KolflP, the first discoverer,
that of Dourga (the name of his vessel), the latter has
been generally retained in the charts of these parts. An
abstract of Lieutenant Kool's report is given by Dr.
Miiller, and as it contains some important information
concerning the natives, who were found to be in possession
of numbers of canoes, it will be necessary to extract it in
order to give all the information extant concerning the
south-western tribes of New Guinea. No record exists
of the strait having been visited by an European vessel
since the voyage of Lieutenant Kool.

DOURGA STRAIT. 25

'^During tlie tliree days in which Lieutenant Kool lay
at anchor under the south point of the northern entrance
of the strait, no natives were observed, although smoke
was seen to arise here and there in the forest. On the
1st of May both vessels entered the strait, and anchored
towards evening under a point of land on the north shore,
a good distance within the strait. On the following morn-
ing the cable of the ' Sireen' parted, and the strong tide
having set her upon the bank at low water, the remainder
of the day was spent in getting her afloat and in recovering
the lost anchor. While they were thus busily employed,
four natives made their appearance on the adjacent point,
but no sooner was an attempt made to approach them in
a boat, than they took flight into the forest. Shortly after-
wards, two canoes with twenty-five to thirty men in them,
were seen near the opposite coast, and Lieutenants Kool
and Banse crossed over tow^ards them ; but as the boat
approached, the savages retired, and landing on the shore,
they stood, with their bows strung and arrows prepared,
in a posture of defiance. Mr. Kool placed some knives
and some basins filled with tobacco on the beach, which
were eagerly caught up with loud shouts as soon as the
boat had retired. An attempt was again made to approach
them, but they retired as before, and all the attempts of
the officers to obtain a close communication with them
were unsuccessful ; their object being rendered the more
difficult by the inability of the Ceramese interpreter to
understand the language of these wild bushmen. Li the
afternoon, a canoe with five natives approached close to
the ^ Postillion,^ and the commander showed them cloth

26 NEW GUINEA.

and other presents in order to induce them to come on
board. "\Mien it was found that they were not to be
attracted by these means, a boat was sent towards them,
but as soon as they observed its approach they paddled
with all speed to the shore. On the morning of the 3rd
of May, about twenty-five canoes, each manned with from
six to ten natives, approached from the opposite shore
of the strait, and directed their course towards the boats,
which were then engaged in raising the lost anchor, and
an armed boat was sent for their protection, as the
savages, with their bows and arrows, were not to be
trusted. Their appearance was all the less favourable from
the party-coloured painting of their faces and bodies, for
which red, yellow, and even black colours were employed ;
and from the large lappets of the ears, some of which
hung down upon the shoulders, and were provided with
all sorts of ornaments, as shells, wood, &c., and some of
them had even the teeth of animals stuck through them.
Some presents were distributed among them, for which
they gave cocoa-nuts in exchange. Although they showed
no signs of enmity, yet by way of precaution, a blank
shot (eene los schot) was fired from time to time in order
to intimidate them, and to withhold them as much as pos-
sible from improper conduct. They took a great deal of
trouble in endeavouring to entice the crew of the boats on
shore, but appeared by no means anxious to visit the vessels.
AVhen the anchor was raised, and the boats retm'ned
on board, the canoes all paddled to the shore, where they
again collected together. The commanders of the two
vessels, hoping to obtain some information concerning the

DOURGA STRAIT. 27

country, followed them with two armed boats, and as soon
as the latter approached the shore, a number of natives
ran to meet them, and seizing the sides of the boats
attempted to drag them up the beach, which the boats^
crew, by signs, endeavoured to prevent. At the same
moment, one of the savages drew Lieutenant Ban>e's
sword from the scabbard, while another seized fast hold
of the butt of a musket. These freedoms awakened dis-
trust in the officers, and warned them to take measures of
resistance in time. The muskets were presented at the
savages, the result of which was that they let go the boats
and every other object they had seized, and retreated with
precipitation. The officers also retired to their vessels.
In the afternoon, when "the vessels got under weigh,
the canoes all recrossed the strait, and followed the vessels
along the coast. They were soon afterwards joined by
others, so that altogether the number of the natives must
have amounted to five hundred. They made all sorts of
gestures, while now and then a canoe separated from the
others and approached the vessels to reconnoitre. For
this reason, and also on account of the great number of
the savages, the precaution was taken of loading some of
the guns wdth grape-shot, in order to be prepared against
the possibility of any attack during the night. They did
not venture to do so, however, and on the following morn-
ing all the savages had disappeared, and no natives were
subsequently seen from either of the vessels. During the
remainder of the passage through the strait to the southern
entrance, no more smoke was seen rising above the forest.
A few ruined huts here and there, as miserable in appear-
ance as the people themselves^ was all that was observed

c 2

28 NEW GUINEA.

subsequently. Neither women nor children v>'ere seen
by the officers.'^*

Note. — The following account of the interview with the natives
in the trees, described at page 20, is extracted from Dr. S. Miiller's
"Bijdragen tot de Kennis van Nieuw Guinea," which forms part
of the great national work entitled " Yerhandeling over de
Natuurlijke Geschiedenis der Nederlansch Overzeesche Bezittin-
gen," which was published during the years 1839 — 1844, by
order of the King of the Netherlands :

" Until four o'clock in the afternoon we saw nothing more of the
savages. At that hour, however, we thought we perceived an agi-
tation in the high forest, and shortly afterwards we actually saw
several men clambering about in the tops of the trees, and peeping
out through the leaves and branches, now here, and now there. It
was just high water, and as far as we could perceive the surface of
the ground was entirely submerged. Excited by curiosity, and
anxious to know what impression the encounter of the morning had
made upon the natives, Messrs, Macklot, Van Delden, Van Oort,
and I, went towards them in a boat. As we approached the shore,
we observed that the trees were fidl of natives. They made a
terrible disturbance, sprang about, beckoned, nodded, and gave us
to understand by a hundx'ed other motions and gestures that they
wished us to land. Oiu' Ceramese interpreter, on his part, was
equally active and noisy in inviting them to come to us, for which
purpose he showed them white calico, strings of beads, and similar
presents. Several of them clambered down from the trees, and
advanced beyond the forest -with green branches in their hands, the
water reaching to their armpits, and sometimes even to their necks.
The beckoning and waving of the branches, and the loud yelping
cries of 'kaka, kaka,' ' djcwa, djewa,' 'njicuba, njieuba,' &c., were
without end. They all yelled in a different key, and strove to
outvie each other in the shrillness of their voices, and extravagance
of their gestures. Their party-coloured countenances and bewildered

* "Bijdragen tot de Kennis van Nieuw Guinea," p. 42.

DOURGA STRAIT. 29

hair were displayed very distinctly. The shallo^v^less of the water
preventing us from approacliing close up to the shore, we were
oblit'ed to be satisfied mth an inspection from a short distance.
Mr. Van Oort profited by this opportunity of making a sketch of
the singular scene, of which we have given a life-like representation
(eene aanschouwelijke voorstelling) in Plate iv. [Plate iii of this
work is a veiy accurate copy.] After tarrying for about half an
hour, we proceeded westward towards the mouth of the creek, the
savages following us, clambering through the upper branches of the
trees, and over the roots of the mangrove trunks, even like great
monkeys, with their naked and dark-coloured bodies. The fall of
night obliged us, whether willing or unwilling, to return on board."
— " Bijdragen tot de Kennis van Nieuw Guinea," p. 41.

30 NEW GUINEA.

CHAPTER III.

NEW GUINEA. SOUTH-WEST COAST.

CAPTAIX cook's interview with the PAPUANS IN 1770 — LIEUTENANT

KOLFf's visit to the SAME SPOT IN 1828 HIS INTERVIEW^ WITH

THE NATIVES ICHTHYOSIS SINGULAR PRACTICE OF EJECTING A

SMOKE-LIKE MATERIAL FROM BAMBOO TUBES LIEUTENANT MO-

DERa's ACCOUNT OF THE PRACTICE DR. MULLEr's EXPLANATION

LOCAL CHARACTER OF THE PRACTICE PROGRESS OF THE DUTCH

EXPEDITION OF 1838 ALONG THE COAST MEET A PAPUAN FLOTILLA

PRACTICE OF STANDING WHILE PADDLING THEIR PRAHUS INTER-
VIEW WITH THE NATIVES — FRIENDLY INTERCOURSE ESTABLISHED

TRADING PROPENSITIES OF THE PAPUANS CEREMONIAL VISIT OF

THE PAPUAN CHIEF ABRAUW AFFECTION OF THE NATIVES TOWARDS

THEIR CHIEF ARISTOCRATIC COOLNESS OF THE NATIVES FRIENDLY

CONDUCT TOWARDS THE DUTCH CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OUTA-

NATAS ICHTHYOSIS BORING THE SEPTUM OF THE NOSE, AND

POINTING THE TEETH — DRESS AND ORNAMENTS — CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE FEMALES A MOTHER AND CHILD DISPOSITION AND CHA-
RACTER OF THE OUTANATAS ARMS AND IMPLEMENTS — CANOES

HABITATIONS DOMESTIC ANIMALS FOOD FRUITS AND VEGETA-
BLES — DOUBTS AS TO WHETHER THE OUTANATAS ARE A COAST OR
INLAND TRIBE PAPUAN FLOTILLAS EXPEDITION PROCEEDS TO-
WARDS TRITON BAY A PAPUAN PARADISE — THE SETTLEMENT

SOUTH-WEST COAST. 31

FOUNDED MOHAMMEDAX INFLUEXCES ON THE NATIVES THEIR

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS FOREIGN INTERCOURSE MARAUDERS

OF ONIN THE SLATE-TRADE COMMERCE GENERAL VIEW OF THE

NATIVES OF THE WEST COaST OF NEW GUINEA THE ALFOEREN, OR

MOUNTAINEERS ORIGIN OF THE TERM " ARAFURAS."

The tribes noticed in the preceding chapter are the
most uncouth in appearance of any that have yet been
encountered by Europeans in New Guinea. The cir-
cumstances under which Lieutenant Modera^s interview
took placCj with well-grounded cause for suspicion on
both sideSj were certainly unfavourable to the develop-
ment of any pleasing characteristics on the part of the
natives, which a more unrestrained intercourse might have
brought to light ; and it must also be taken into con-
sideration that they were met with away from their homes,
apparently on a hunting or fishing excursion. The belt
of mangrove-trees must be crossed, and their habitations
on the firm land visited, before a judgment can be pro-
nounced as to their social condition. The fact of their
protecting, and perhaps planting the cocoa-nut-tree, shows
that they have made the first great step out of the savage
state, so that upon this point they are incomparably in
advance of the Australian aborigines.

The spot vdsited in 1770 by Captain Cook, who was
the sole authority respecting the natives of the south-west
coast of Xew Guinea until the publication of Lieutenant
Kolfi^s naiTative in 1828, is apparently the permanent
residence of a tribe, as a village was found by the latter
officer near the same spot more than fifty years afterwards.
The striking peculiarities in the customs of the native
tribe described by our ablest of navigators, have excited

32 NEW GUINEA.

SO much curiosity, that the portion of his narrative which
treats of his inteniew with them is given below in a
note.* The village lies about sixty miles to the north of
the entrance of Dourga Strait^ in lat. 6° 15' S.

* " On the 3rd of September, 1770, at daybreak we saw the land
extending from N. by E. to S. E., at about four leagues distance,
and we then kept standing in for it with a fresh gale at E.S.E. and
E. by S. tiU nine o'clock, when being within three or four miles of
it, and in tlu-ee fathom water, we brought to. The pinnace being
hoisted out, I set off from the ship with the boat's crew, accom-
panied by 'Mi. Banks, who also took his servant, and Dr. Solander,
being in aU twelve persons well armed ; we rowed directly towards
the shore, but the water was so shallow that we could not reach it
by about two hundred yards. "We waded, however, the rest of the
way, having left two of the seamen to take care of the boat.

" Hitherto we had seen no sign of inhabitants at this place, but
as soon as we got ashore we discovered the prints of human feet,
which could not long have been impressed upon the mud, as they
were below high water mark ; we therefore concluded that the
people were at no great distance, and as a thick wood came down
within a hundred yards of the water, we thought it necessary to
proceed with caution, lest we should faU into an ambuscade, and our
retreat to the boat be cut off. We walked along the skirts of the
wood, and at the distance of about two hundred yards from the place
where we landed, we came to a grove of cocoa-nut-trees, which stood
upon the banks of a Httle brook of brackish water. The trees were
of a small gro-^-th, but well hung with fruit ; and near them was a
shed, or hut, which had been covered with their leaves, though most
of them were now fallen off ; about the hut lay a great number of
the shells of the fruit, some of which appeared to be just fresh fi-om
the tree. We looked at the fruit very wistfully, but not thinking it
safe to climb, we were obliged to leave it without tasting a single
nut.

" At a little distance from this place we found plantains, and a
bread-fruit -ti'ee, but it had nothing upon it ; and having now ad-

SOUTH-WEST COAST. 33

Lieutenant Kolff was equally unsuccessful with Captain
Cook in opening a friendly intercoui'se with the inhabi-

vanced about a quarter of a mile from tbe boat, three Indians
rashed out of the wood with a hideous shout, at about the distance
of a hundred yards ; and as they ran towards us, the foremost
threw something out of his hand, which flew on one side of him,
and burnt exactly like gunpowder, but made no report : the other
two instantly thi-ew their lances at us, and as no time was now to be
lost we discharged our pieces, which were loaded with small shot.
It is probable that they did not feel the shot, for though they
halted a moment they did not retreat, and a third dart was thrown
at us. As we thought their farther approach might be prevented
with less risk of life, than it would cost to defend ourselves against
their attack if they should come nearer, we loaded our pieces with
ball and fired a second time. By this discharge it is probable that
some of them were wounded, yet we had the satisfaction to see that
thev all ran awav with great agihtv.

" As I was not disposed forcibly to invade this country, either to
gratify our appetites or our curiosity, and perceived that nothing
was to be done upon friendly terms, we improved this interval, in
which the destruction of the natives was no longer necessary to our
own defence, and with all expedition returned towards our boat.
As we were advancing along the shore, we perceived that the two
men on board made signals that more Indians were coming down,
and before we got into the water we saw several of them coming
round a point at a distance of about five hundred yards. It is
probable that they had met with the three who first attacked us,
for as soon as they saw us they halted, and seemed to wait till
their main body should come up. "We entered the water, and
waded towards the boat, and they remained at their station without
giving us any intemiption.

" As soon as we were aboard we rowed abreast of them, and their
number then appeared to be between sixty and a hundied. V^ e
took a view of them at our leisure; they made much the same
appearance as the Xew Hollanders, being nearly of the same stature.

34 NEW GUINEA.

tants of this village. The narrative of his voyage through
the Moluccan Archipelago and along the south-west coast
of New Guinea, which appeared in 1828, was translated
by the writer during the passage from England of Her
Majesty^s ships ' Alligator ' and ' Britomart' to form the

and having their hair short-cropped ; hke them also they were all
stark naked, but we thought the colour of their skm was not quite
so dark ; tliis, however, might perhaps be merely the effect of their
not being quite so dirty. All this while they were shouting
•defiance, and letting off theh fires by four or five at a time. T\Tiat
these fires were, or for what purpose intended, we could not
unagine; those who discharged them had in their hands a short
piece of stick — possibly a hollow cane — ^which tliey swung sideways
from them, and we immediately saw fire and smoke, exactly re-
sembhng those of a musket, and of no longer duration. This
wonderful phenomenon was observed from the ship, and the de-
ception was so great that the people on board thought they had
fire-arms ; and in the boat, if we had not been so near as that we
must have heard the report, we should have thought they had been
firing volleys.

"After we had looked at them attentively some time, without
taking any notice of their flashing and vociferation, we fired some
muskets over their heads ; upon hearmg the balls rattle among the
trees they walked leisurely away, and we retui-ned to the ship.
Upon examining the weapons they had thrown at us we found them
to be hght darts, about four feet long, very ill-made, of a reed or
bamboo-cane, and pointed with hard wood, in which there were
many barbs. These were discharged with great force, for though
we were at sixty yards distance they went beyond us, but in what
manner we could not exactly see ; possibly they might be shot with
a bow, but we saw no bows among them when we sun^eyed
them from the boat, and we were in general of opinion that
they were tlirown with a stick, in the mamier practised by the
New Hollanders." — "Captain Cook's First Voyage," book iii,
chapter vii.

SOUTH-WEST COAST. 35

settlement at Port Essington, and was published in this
countn^ in 1 840 ; but as its circulation has not been very
extensive, and no subsequent nsit to this spot has been
recorded, Lieutenant Kolff's account of his interview with
this un-named tribe may be new to the reader.

" On the 13th (May, 1826), being between the paral-
lels of 6^ and 6^ 30' S., we were enabled to near the
land; and seeing smoke arise to the northward of us, we
stood towards it, and shortly perceived a number of small
houses on the sandy beach, off which we came to anchor
in three fathoms, about four miles distant from the shore.
A number of men were i-unning to and fro on the beach,
and I lowered one of the boats down for the purpose of
communicating with them. Several small prahus, con-
taininsr seven or eisht men each, now came towards the
vessel, and ha^-ing approached to within musket-shot,
turned back towards the shore. With a view to give
them confidence, I sent the crew dov^ii below, and caused
the pilots and interpreters to call out to them : but their
answers were unintelligible. Seeing that they were afraid
to come on board, I sent one of the interpreters with six
native seamen in the boat, unarmed, with a view to
conciliate them by presents of tobacco, &c., which were
shown to them and then launched towards them on a
plank.

" Our endeavours, however, were unsuccessful, for they
were as much afraid of the boat as of the brig, and re-
treated on its approach. I therefore called the boat on
board again, on which the natives remained quiet for
some time, until the number of their prahus increased to
twelve, when they suddenly rowed towards the brig with

36 NEW GUINEA.

a loud shoutj stopping, however, wlien still at a little
distance. I again showed them the presents, and called
to them in the Papuan language, but with the same
result as before. I then again sent the boat towards them,
without the interpreter being able to get near ; and it
had no sooner commenced returning than the natives
followed with loud cries, taking up their bows and arrows,
but stopping short when the people in the boat ceased
rowing. This mode of proceeding continued for some
time, and at length, seeing that the natives had their
bows strung ready for attack, I fired a blank cartridge
towards them, on which they all threw themselves flat on
their faces for a few moments, and then paddled away for
the shore with all their might.

"These people appeared to be of large stature, with jet-
black skins, and curled hair. They went entirely naked,
and no scarifj'ing of the skin, or other mode of orna-
menting, was visible on their persons. In two of the
prahus I remarked several men whose skins were of a
whitish colour. They appeared to be chiefly young men,
not one among them being advanced in years. Two of
the oldest-looking wore the skins of animals.

"While the prahus were pulling towards shore, a man
stood up in one of them, with a thick bamboo in his hand,
out of which he threw something that appeared to me to be
ashes. When the boat approached them they also threw
water up in the air, and showed their teeth like enraged
dogs. ]\Iy interpreter assured me that these people were
so inhuman as to devour their prisoners taken in war,
which appeared probable enough, if we may judge from
the above grimaces.

SOUTH-WEST COAST. 37

" The huts of these negroes, which are scattered along
the beach, are low and open on all sides : the soil around
the village was white sand, on which numbers of large
trees grew, many casuarinas being among them. A siliall
river ran into a bay immediately opposite to our an-
chorage. On going on shore we were as unsuccessful as
on the water, in our attempts to communicate with these
shy people, as they always fled on our approach, and
climbed into the trees at a distance. To judge from
the number of houses and men that we saw, the coast
hereabouts must be very populous. We saw at a distance
some other houses, which appeared to be much larger
than those on the beach. Some bones, probably those of
buflfaloes, were met with, but not the least trace of agri-
culture, arts, or civilization. I was sorry, nevertheless, at
not being able to communicate with the natives, and the
next morning I continued my voyage, it being tolerably
certaia that all endeavours to make friends with them
would be fruitless.'"*

The people described by Mr. Kolff as having
^' w4iitish" skins, were probably afflicted with ichthyosis,
a disease which gives the skin a leprous, scaly appearance,
and is very prevalent among all the coast tribes of the
Archipelago ; but it is more striking among the Papuans,
owing to the little clothing they w^ar, and the contrast
which the diseased parts present to the natural dark
colour of the skin. Mr. Kolff also notices the practice
which attracted the attention of Captain Cook and his
companions, and led them at first to suppose that the

* " Voyage of the ' Dourga,' " &c., p. 323 et seq.

38 NEW GUINEA.

natives of this part of New Guinea were in possession of
fire-arms. As the curiosity excited by Captain Cook^s
account of his short visit to this neighbourhood has never
yet' been satisfied^ it will be necessary to extract at length
the evidence given by the Dutch voyagers respecting this
practice. It was first observed by the officers of the
' Triton^ on a part of the coast about eighty miles to the
north-west of the village seen by Captain Cook and
Lieutenant KolflP, where the natives were very numerous ;
bat so shy^ that after many attempts it was found impos-
sible to open a communication with them. Mr. Modera^s
account of the practice is as follows :

'* Several men were seen standing on the beach,
waving a short piece of bamboo, out of which there
issued each time something like smoke, but without fire
being observed. The interpreter said (and it subse-
quently proved to be the case on our having opportunities
of handling them) that they had a mixture of lime, ashes,
and sand, which they threw out above them in order to
show where they were {om zich te doen verkennen.'^)^

Dr. Miiller^s account is more full, but scarcely more
satisfactory. After noticing Captain Cook^s narrative of
his interview with the natives, and Captain Hunter's
suggestions as to the material used, he says : " We
observed this practice among the coast inhabitants, met
with between the meridians of 136° and 137° E. ; and
Captain Cook as well as Lieutenant Kolff witnessed it a
degree and a half further to the eastward. However, we
never observed it in use among the natives of Prinses-

* " Reize," (Src, p. 51.

SOUTH-WEST COAST. 39

Marianne (Dourga) Strait^ nor among the inhabitants of
Lobo (the district in which Triton Bay is situated), and
the neighbourhood. It was the opinion of our inter-
preters that the custom was adopted chiefly for purposes
of mutual recognition between parties at a distance from
each other [om zich onderling op eenigen af stand te doen
verkennen). It should also be noticed that, according to
the best of our observation^ it was used when they met
strangers with friendly intentions, as well as when .they
wished to show open enmity, or when they took to flight
from mistrust. The interpreter, Patty Barombang, was
under the impression that a sidelong or horizontal pro-
jection of the composition showed pacific intentions ; but
that when thrown upwards in the air it indicated a chal-
lenge, or an intention to resist. It also appeared to us
by no means improbable that this tube may be used as a
sort of weapon for throwing a pain-creating dust into the
eyes of enemies.^^*

The interpreter's suggestion, as to a sidelong projection
indicating pacific iotentions, does not agree with Captain
Cook^s experience. The custom itself is evidently of a
local character, as it has never been observed elsewhere
in New Guinea. Possibly it may have originated in a
rude attempt of a peculiarly imitative people, to produce
something resembling the discharges of jnusketiy from
which they had sufi'ered at the hands of the earher Euro-
pean navigators.

The south-west coast of New Guinea, between the
Dourga Strait and the Outanata River, must be well-

* "Bijdi'agen tot de Kennis van Nieuw Guinea," p. 55.

40 XEW GUINEA.

peopled^ for during the progress of the ' Triton ' numbers
of the natives were seen either running to and fro on the
beach, making demonstrations with their bamboo tubes,
or paddling about in canoes : but always keeping at too
great a distance from the ship, or from the boats that
were sent to meet them, to permit of close intercourse ;
every attempt to get near them, being followed by imme-
diate flight on the part of the Papuans, whose curiosity,
however, prompted them to return towards the vessels
the moment that pursuit was discontinued. It was not
until the Expedition approached the Outanata River,
which lies 250 miles to the north-west of Dourga Strait,
that a closer intercourse was established ; and then the
natives came alongside the ' Triton^ with a boldness and
confidence that presented a remarkable contrast to the
timid shyness of their predecessors. But we must
quote Mr. Modera's own description of this interesting
event : —

" At break of day on the 9th of June, we saw a num-
ber of prahus following the schooner, each of which
contained from five to twelve natives, who paddled stand-
ing,* like those we had seen on the 6th. Lieutenant
TuUekens went towards them with an armed boat, in

* The practice of standing up to paddle their canoes is repeatedly
noticed by Lieutenants Kolff and Modera, and it seems to he general
throughout the coasts of New Guinea. The brown-coloured natives
of the Archipelago all sit, or "squat," while paddling their canoes,
excepting the Badju Laut, or Sea Gypsies, who stand, like the
Papuans, and give as a reason for this proceediug, the superior
facilities it affords them of seeing turtle, and of chasmg them when
discovered. — G. W. E.

OUTAXATA RIVER. 41

which Mr. Van Delden and an interpreter were also
embarked^ in order to open a communication ; on which
the natives advanced to meet the boat, and immediately
afterwards two of their prahus came alongside the
' Triton/ and put a couple of natives on board, who
came up the ship^s side with great confidence, making
signs that they wanted some cloth, a few pieces of which
were given to them. The boat which had been dis-
patched to meet the prahus, returned to the ship soon
afterwards, with four of the natives sitting veiy com-
fortably in it, and the prahus following; but all of a
sudden, and without any apparent cause, the two prahus
that were alongside started away from the ship, and the
four natives in the boat jumped overboard, and swam to
their prahus, which then pulled towards the schooner, the
latter vessel being at some distance from the 'Triton,'
and out of reach of her guns. The commander of the
' Triton' thinking that a plan had been formed to cut off
the schooner, sent Lieutenants Tjassens and Modera with
the barge and pinnace, fully manned and armed, to her
assistance : but fortunately this was not required, for the
prahus kept at a distance behind the schooner; and
although the natives were armed, and far exceeded in
numbers the united crews of the schooner and the two
boats, they appeared to have no hostile intentions. At
length one of the prahus rowed slowly and cautiously
alongside the 'Triton,' and at the same time several
others approached the schooner, and commenced bar-
tering away their weapons to the crew. A breeze
springing up soon afterwards, enabled the ' Iris' to make
sail and join the 'Triton.' Both vessels now proceeded

42 NEW GUINEA.

together, accompanied by the prahus, which visited each
vessel alternately/^*

A friendly intercourse was now established, which
continued uninterrupted during the twelve days^ stay of
the Expedition in this neighbourhood, and afforded the
officers a very favourable opportunity of acquiring in-
formation concerning one of the most powerful tribes
yet encountered on the coasts of New Guinea, whether
as regards numbers or individual proportions. Mr.
Modera^s account of this tribe will be read with the
greatest interest by the philanthropist as well as by the
scientific ethnographer, as it will enable them to realise
the statements of Yalentyn, and other old historians,
respecting the former power of the Papuans. The flotilla
of light prahus met with on this occasion, many miles
distant from the spot inhabited by the tribe, was e^-i-
dently fitted out for some warlike purpose — possibly to
decide a dispute with some neighbouring village ; but
the natives were evidently well-disposed towards the
European strangers; and the decks of the vessels are
described by Mr. Modera as having been like a fair
during the latter part of the day on which they were first
met with, owing to the brisk trade that was carried on :
the natives exchanging their bows, arrows, spears, war-
clubs, paddles, and personal ornaments, for pieces of
cloth, knives, empty bottles, looking-glasses and beads ;
the two latter articles, however, being in no crreat
demand.

Soon after sunset, the ship and the schooner anchored

* " Reize naar de zuid-west Kust van Nieuw Guinea," p. 61.

OUTANATA RIVER. 43

for the night off the coast, being still thirty miles short
of the Outanata River, which the commander of the
Expedition had now determined to visit. Soon after
sunset, all the natives left the vessels, and pulled towards
the shore ; but on the following moniing they returned,
brinsinir the head chief with them, who, however, had
probably been present during the previous interview, but
had thought fit to preserve his incognito, until an oppor-
tunity occurred for consultation with the other chiefs
respecting future proceedings.

In the following description of the tribe, which was
first made knowTi to the world through the medium of
Lieutenant ]\Iodera^s publication^ his clear narrative will
be quoted at length where the information connected
with the natives is unmixed with hydrographical details,
to which, as one of the surveying officers of the Expedi-
tion, his attention appears to have been more especially
directed. The first extract describes the inter\'iew which
took place on the occasion of the ceremonial visit of the
Papuan chief, and which seems to have led the Dutch
authorities to determine on fixing their new settlement
within his territories, in the event of a convenient port
being met with.

" On the morning of the 10th of June, a number of
canoes again visited the schooner; and soon afterwards
the commander, Mr, Bastiaanse, repaired on board the
' Triton,^ bringing with him a Papuan, clad in a Malayan
kahaya, or loose coat*, and with a handkerchief tied round
the head, from the folds of which he produced a written
paper, and submitted it to Captain Steenboon for
perusal. It proved to be nothing more than a charm

44 NEW GUINEA.

(perhaps a sentence from the Koran), written in the
Malayan character, and which had probably been given
him by a Mohammedan priest from Ceram ; for according
to the account of the native interpreter who trans-
lated it, the people of Ceram carry on a trade with the
Outanata Kiver, a fact which was afterwards confirmed by
our being shown the houses in which the traders reside
during their stay upon the coast. Our new friend called
himself Abrauw [anglice, Abraham), and was well ac-
quainted with our native interpreter, as was evident
from the joy he displayed on recognising him. The
interpreter had often spoken of an 'Abrauw' and a
' Makaai' as chiefs of the Outanata, and the latter we
became acquainted with subsequently.

" Abrauw, according to his own account, was the chief
of all the Papuans who had visited us on the preceding
day. The Commander and the Commissioner took him
into the cabin to hold a conference, and they were able
to get on very well, for although the native interpreter
was only slightly acquainted with the Papuan language,
Abrauw, from having personally visited Ceram, and held
long intercourse with the traders, was well acquainted
with the Ceram dialect, the mother tongue of the inter-
preter.* During the audience, which lasted for some
time, his people jhowed great uneasiness, shouting re-
peatedly '^ Abrauw!' as loud as they could, so that his
sable Majesty was obliged now and then to show himself

* The dialects of Ceram differ materially from the Malayan, but
the interpreters are also acquainted with the latter language, which,
as the Lingua Franca of the Archipelago, is acquired by all Euro-
peans who become residents there. — G. W. E.

OUTAXATA RIVER. 45

at the stern windows to his naked, but apparently faith-
ful, subjects.

'^ On his departure, he left five of his people with us
to point out the mouth of the river, and promised to
return in the afternoon with refreshments. He left us
with his hands full of presents, which he had received
right and left, and all his people followed, with the excep-
tion of the five pilots above-mentioned. The latter were
also well suj^plied with presents, and we were enabled to
hold full communication with them by means of the
native interpreter. The effect of fire-arms was not alto-
gether unkno\\Ti to them, for wlien we informed them
that we were going to fire, but that they must not be
afraid, they willingly consented, and showed by signs
that when the Ceramese fired from theii* prahus, they
were in the habit of diving under water. However, a
blank cartridge, fired from a musket, startled them a
little, but they afterwards burst out into a shout of
lau^hter.^^*

The natives were also astonished by a display of
European skill in breaking bottles suspended under the
yard-arm with musket-shots, by the ticking of a watch,
and other modes in which Europeans delight in showing
their superiority over their savage friends; but ^Ir.
Modera rather naively expresses his own surprise at the
imperturbable coolness of Abrauw and two minor chiefs
who came on board in the afternoon, and who seem to
have rivalled more civilized aristocrats in their determina-
tion not to be astonished at anything that they saw or
heard.

* ^'Reize," <S:c., p. G3.

46 NEW GUINEA.

" Nothing excited our -svonder more than that they
should have shown so little curiosity or surprise at the
^ things they saw on board, which were perfectly new to
them, not the least of which must have been the white
faces of the Europeans. One would suppose from this
that they had seen European ships before ; but during
our stay here we could not discover the slightest grounds
for such a supposition.^^*

The Expedition remained ten days off the mouth of
the Outanata River, takmg on board fresh water and
firewood (in which they were cordially assisted by the
inhabitants), and in examining the banks of the river
with a view to the formation of a settlement. The river
proved to be a noble stream, with depth of water in its
bed sufficient to float the largest ship ; but unfortunately
a bar of sand extended across the mouth, which even
small vessels would find difficulty in passing at all sea-
sons. Had the case been otherwise, the settlement which
it was the object of the Expedition to form, would pro-
bably have become permanent, for the desire of the native
chief to see such an establishment made in his territory
could not be doubted, and he evidently had sufficient
control over his people to restrain those fitful outbreaks
of individuals that have hitherto proved fatal to every
European settlement formed among the Papuans. The
river afforded easy access to the interior, and the natural
productions of its banks would alone have been sufficient
to support a foreign commerce. But we must return to
Mr. Modera^s description of this interesting tribe, which

* "Reize,"<S:c., p. 67.

XtOL " r:^PphlC - " Vrl .]

Plate lY.

. H)': f?tt»itfJ^ att ruii ft','

i._i.\, vi -^c^./tinrnS'SCr-ana..

U T A N A T A . N t vV GUINEA

OUTANATA RIVER. 47

is so full of valuable information as to satisfy every
inquiry as to personal characteristics :

" They are generally above the middle stature ; indeed,
many among them must be considered as large-sized
men. They are all well made and muscular. Their
colour is dai'k brown [donker -bruin) , over which some-
times lies a \A\iQ\%\i ^os^ {blaauwachtige gloed).^ Some
of them have an ugly-looking disease of the skin, by
means of which the entire surface of the body and limbs
is rendered scaly. They had all a most agreeable smell
about them, which, however, was much deteriorated by
the loathsome habit of plastering the body with sand
and mud. Their hair is crisp and woolly [kort gekruld
en luollig), and they wear it very cleverly plaited from
the forehead over the crown of the head to the occiput.
They have small and dark-coloured eyes, and long and
drooping [nederhangenden] noses, the septum of which
was almost invariably pierced to carry an ornament con-
sisting of pieces of stick, bone, or hog's tusks. The
mouth is large, and provided with lily-white [spierwitte)
teeth, which are sometimes sharpened to points. The
lips are tolerably thick. Their features bear a general
resemblance to those of Arabian s,t a peculiarity which

* This pecuHarity is often noticed in descriptions of Papuans,
more especially those of the Pacific, and I have therefore made it a
subject of close inquiry. As it is never met with among the
Papuan slaves of the Archipelago, I had been led to attribute it to
some artificial process, and the result of every inquiry has left no
doubt on my mind that it is produced by the appHcation of a de-
coction of the bark of a tree, possibly the " rosamala" of commerce
or some other closely aUied to it. — G. W. E.

t The term used by IMr. Modera is "Arabieren," which, as

48 NEW GUINEA.

they have in common with the Dourga tribe^ although
they are by no means as wild and repulsive as the
latter. The greater portion go entirely naked^ but
some of them wear a piece of bark, or a strip of a
coarse kind of cloth made of the husk of the cocoa-nut,
or with a piece of bamboo. They ornament the neck,
arms, and waist with hog^s teeth, and some wear brace-
lets and bangles (or leglets) of twisted rattans, also a
neck ornament of a sort of net-work of rushes, very
cleverly woven. A couple of plaited peaked caps were
obtained from them by barter, but we never saw them
wear them, except on one occasion, when two of them,
at our request, put them on while they were being
sketched by Messrs. Van Oort and Van Raalten. Each
of the Outanatas seemed desirous of ornamenting himself
in some way different from his neighbour. Some had
small scarifications [likteekens) on the body, more espe-
cially on the arms, breast, and stomach ; and which, they
informed us, were made by cutting the skin and flesh
with sharp stones, and afterwards burning the part, which
caused the flesh, when the wound healed, to rise above
the general sm'face of the skin to the thickness of a
finger.

" The women are of the middle stature, and are gene-
rally somewhat darker in complexion than the men. "VVe

already stated, is commonly employed by the Dutch to designate
"negroes." It is well known that the true Arab has Caucasian
features, but so many negro slaves have been introduced into
Arabia from the east coast of Africa, that they probably outnumber
their importers, as is said to be the case also in the Brazils.-^
G. ^\. E.

OUTANATA RIVER, 49

only saw two among them that Were good-looking ; the
remamder were by no means attractive. They carry their
children on their backs suspended in a clout or flap made
of the leaves or bark of trees. They anoint their bodies
with the same odoriferous ointment that has been already
mentioned as in use among the males. We found the
women to be much more modest than the men, as we did
not see one entirely naked, although their entire clothing
consisted of a patch of coarse cloth about six inches
square, which seemed to us to be woven from the
fibre of cocoa-nut husk. On one occasion, when several
of the gentlemen were on a visit to the shore, we saw a
particularly small child, which appeared to have been
recently born, lying in the hot sand with the burning sun
shining upon it. This child attracted our attention, and
we remained standing before it, on which the woman who
sat near, and was probably the mother, dragged it towards
her, and sprinkled some sand over its eyes and ears, and
then over its entire body, after which she concealed it
from our sight by covering it with leaves.

'^ The general disposition of the Outanatas appeared to
us to be good-natured. Abrauw and Makaai assured us
that nothing is ever stolen among them, and in the event
of such a case occurring, the culprit would be assuredly
killed. Indeed we had not the slightest occasion to
complain of dishonesty ; on the contrary, they even
brought to us articles which had been left on shore from
forgetfulness, and although these happened to be of no
great value, still it was a proof of their honesty. They
asked a large price, however, for the fruit they brought
us. We could not discover the slightest trace of religion

50 NEW GUINEA.

among them, although it is by no means improbable that
the Ceramese, who came here occasionally, may have con-
verted some of them to Mohammedanism, as is the case
with several of the tribes lying a little further to the east-
ward, of whom we shall have to speak presently.

*' The weapons of the Outanatas consist of bows,
arrows, lances, or throwing-speai*s, and very neatly carved
clubs. The bows and arrows, like those of the Dourga
tribe, were made, the first of bamboo or betel-wood about
ffve feet long, with a string of bamboo or twisted rattan,
and the aiTOws of cane or bamboo, with points of betel-
wood hardened in the fire. Some of the points were
shaped smooth, but others were hacked with barbs, or
armed with fish-bones, the claws of cassowaries feet, or
with the horns of saw-fishes. They had also a sort of
axe, composed of a single stick, to which a large sharp
pebble was fixed by a lashing of rattan, and with which, as
our native interpreter informed us, they could cut do^vn
the largest trees ; but we had no opportunity of witnessing
their skill.

" Their canoes or prahus consist of a single tree hol-
lowed out by means of fire. The largest that we saw was
sixty feet, and the smallest thirty-one feet long. They
are veiy narrow, and both ends are flat and broad above.
Many are very handsomely carved, and two of them were
ornamented at one end with festoon-work very skilfully
performed, and covered with white plaster. They stand
up to row, on which account their paddles are very
long in the handle, with oval blades somewhat hollowed
out.

^'The habitation of the Outanatas, which was erected

OUTANATA RIVER. 51

on a spit of sand extending into tlie river, consisted of a
frame of bamboos, covered on the roof and sides with
mats made of leaves. From without it appeared to be a
number of small houses standing close together, but on
entering it was found to be a single building about a
hundred feet long, sLx feet wide, and four-and-a-half to
five feet high. It had nineteen doors, which could only
be entered by stooping. The floor was covered with
white sand, and mats were given us to sit down upon.
Several families appeared to reside in this building, each
of which had its own door, and near to it was the family
cookiog-place, at which plantains, fish, and turtle-eggs
were roasted for food. As there was no escape for the
smoke except by these doors, which serve also for windows,
we were soon obliged to leave our host, Makaai, who had
invited us to enter. We met with neither pots nor pans,
nor with anything else in the shape of household furni-
ture. Their weapons hung under the voof> or were placed
standing against the outside of the house, while their
fishing-net was spread over the roof to diy. This house
had been erected since the arrival of the Expedition, the
work having been entirely performed by the women and
girls. Immediately behind was another house, much
larger, and erected upon piles, which we were informed
belonged to the Ceram traders, who resided there during
their annual visit.

" We saw a number of half- starved, ugly-looking dogs,
but soon found that little else was to be looked for in
the way of domestic animals. Some pigs were seen, and
the natives appeared to have a number of them, but we
were unable to purchase any ; for on one occasion, when

D 2

OZ NEW GUINEA.

Mr. Bastiaanse succeeded in obtaining one in exchange
for some cloth, they appeared to repent so of their bar-
gain, and commenced such a howling when he wanted to
take it awaj-, that he was obliged to return it. Sago, fish
and shell-fish, and turtle-eggs, are the chief food of the
Outanatas. They brought us some bananas, cocoa-nuts,
papayas, nutmegs, bread-fruit, and very large oranges,
which were bartered for all sorts of cloth, so that we are
in a position to state that the former are grown here. Mr.
Zippelius (the botanist to the Expedition) found, among
other known and unknown plants, the Tacca-pinnatifida,
a root which, when dried in the sun and afterwards
baked, has some resemblance to our potato, and is used
as a substitute for that root in the South-Sea Islands.
A couple of turtle-shells hanging to the trees, and a
number of turtle-eggs which we saw in the possession
of the natives, showed that these animals existed, but we
did not meet with any. The river yields many excellent
fish, some of which were new varieties.^^*

The circumstances under which the village at the mouth
of the Outanata was erected, subsequent to the arrival
of the Expedition, show that this spot is only occupied
occasionally by the tribe, probably during the season in
which the Ceram traders visit the coast. The plantations,
which, in addition to the articles mentioned by Mr.
Modera, produce yams, sugar-cane, and Chili-pepper,t
are situated towards the upper parts of the river, where
the more permanent habitations of the natives may also

* Modera, " Reize," &c., pp. 7^ et seq.
t Dr. Miiller, "Bijdragcn/' (S:c., p. 50.

OUTANATA RIVER. 53

be found. The boats of the Expedition seera to have
been too busily employed in wooding and watering to
admit of an exploration of the river towards its sources.
Had the case been otherwise, the speculations as to the
interior of New Guinea being occupied by a dififerent
people from the coast tribes, which are supported to a
certain extent by Dr. Miiller, would have been determined
one way or the other, at least as far as regards the south-
western part of the island. The information collected by
the Dutch Expedition leaves it a matter of doubt whether
the Outanatas are an inland or a coast tribe, although the
weight of the evidence is certainly in favour of the
former position. In that case, the tiotilla met with on
the coast at a distance of more than thirty miles from the
mouth of the river, may resemble in its character the
" bala^' of the inland inhabitants of Borneo, which oc-
casionally descend the rivers of that island to sweep the
adjacent coasts. This matter assumes an ethnographical
importance when viewed in conjunction with the fact, that
the habitations of the Papuans of Dori, on the north
coast of New Guinea {vide post) ; those of the south coast
seen by Captain Blackwood, R.N., of H.M.S. ^ Fly/ and
also those of the inland parts of the south-west coast,*
(according to the information of the natives) ; consist of
single large houses, erected on posts or piles, each being
occupied by several families, indeed, sometimes by an
entire tribe.

The flotillas which formerly issued from the rivers and
inlets of the west coast of New Guinea, receiving an

* Dr. Miiller, "Bijdragen tot de Keniiis van Nieuw Guinea,"
p. 34.

54 NEW GUINEA.

accession of force from the neigbbouring islands, appear
to bave been of a very formidable cbaracter. Yalentyn,
a bigb authority, speaks of it as a system of piracy,
with established receptacles for the sale of plunder, Kke
that of the modern Lanuns of Mindanao and Sulu;*
and we shall have occasion to quote Fon-est's account
of the last formidable Papuan flotilla which invaded
Moluccan waters, when treating of the natives of My sol.
Indeed, according to Lieutenant Kolff, probably the
best modern authority on piracy in these seas, the
Papuans of the Gulf of Ouin, or MacCluer^s Inlet, still
send out occasional expeditions of a predatoiy character.f
And, according to the writer^s own experience, these
expeditions are \4ewed with considerable dread by the
native traders ; for, although their own vessels are rarely,
if ever, attacked, yet the news of the Onin flotilla being
" out, " drives the coast natives of the neighbourhood to
their strongholds, and all hopes of trade dm-ing the
season are put an end to. It will also be seen from Mr.
Modera^s account of the natives of Triton Bay, which we
shall have to quote presently, that the warriors of Onin
are as formidable in the eyes of their more peaceably
disposed neighboui*s, as were the Norse Pii-ates of old in
those of the coast inhabitants of Britain.

The region we are now about to enter, which comprises
the southern portion of the Western Peninsula of New
Guinea, has been subjected to the influence, and, in a
partial degree, to the rule, of the Mohammedans of Ceram

* Yalentyn, " Bcschrijving vau Amboina/' pp. 53, 54, and 57.
"Ambonsche Zaakeu," p. 190.
t Kolff, '' Voyage of the ' Dourga,' " p. 299.

WEST COAST. 00

and the Moluccas, during several centuries. This part of the
coast was scarcely known to Europeans until within the
last twenty-five years, for although some of the more
prominent points had been laid down by passing navi-
gators, no record exists of an actual visit to the coast
until 1826, when Lieutenant Kolfi" touched at Lakahya,
an islet near the head of the bight which separates the
peninsulas to the south : but meeting with a hostile recep-
tion, he left without ascertaining any important particulars
concerning the inhabitants.* The Expedition of 1828
was more successful, for when the vessels had advanced
about a hundred miles to the westward of the Outanata
River, they were visited by several small Papuan prahus ;
the crews of which came alongside the ships with great
confidence, and conducted them to a snug cove in an
island near the main land. On the shores of the cove was
found a little Papuan paradise, consisting of a valley over-
grown with cocoa-nut- trees, under the shade of which was
a neat little house, constructed after the ^lalayan fashion,
that had once been the residence of the Ceramese priest
who had converted the neighbouring population to Mo-
hammedanism. The settlement, which it was the chief
object of the Dutch Expedition to form, was at length
established on the shores of a deep inlet of the main-land,
distant a few miles from this cove. The swampy nature
of the land on which the fortified \dllage was erected, and
the oppressive nature of the atmosphere, owing to the
inlet being impervious to the sea-breeze, seem to have
foreboded the fate of the Dutch settlement even before the

* Kolff, " Yovage of the ' Dourga,' " chap. xx.

56 NEW GUINEA.

garrison had been landed. It was abandoned ten years
afterwards (1838), when the garrison v/as removed to
Wahaai, a small port on the north coast of Ceram_, which
was much resorted to by English and American whale-
ships about that time. The following particulars respect-
ing the natives in the neighbourhood of the settlement
at Triton Bay are extracted from Lieutenant Modera's
narrative :

'^ The inhabitants of Aiduma, Dramaai, Lobo, and the
neighbouring islands (the tribes around the new settle-
ment), are of the same complexion with the Outanatas,
are afflicted with the same cutaneous disease, and have
also crisp hair, but they do not plait it like the Outanatas,
although this practice is adopted by some of the 'Al-
foeren,' or mountaineers. Neither do they bore the
septum of the nose, their ornaments consisting of bracelets
and bangles of rattan and swine's-teeth, and sometimes
of strings of glass beads, which are also worn about the
neck. A band of cocoa-nut cloth is worn round the
waist and between the legs, which gives them a more
decent appearance than the Outanatas and Dourgas.
This want of clothing makes them also anxious to
obtain sarongs, haudker chiefs, kabayas and any other
articles that serve to cover the body. They are by no
means so handsome and well-formed a race as the Outa-
natas : on the contrary, therc are many small and badly-
proportioned men among them, and, upon the whole, they
cannot be considered as more than a middle-sized race,
yet many of the ' Alfoeren,^ or mountaineei's, are of large
stature. Neither are their countenances so open and
prepossessing as those of the Outanatas^, but they have

TRITON BAY. 57

this in common^ that both are great admirers of tobacco
and strong liquors, and their weapons are absolutely
identical/^

The chiefs were all clad in the Malayan fashion, the
materials being obtained from the Ceram traders. Their
canoes are also provided with outriggers like those of the
Moluccas, and the larger prahus are covered with roofs of
atap, or marsh flags, under which entire families are
occasionally housed. Their habitations on shore, also,
like those of the Malays, are erected on wooden piles, and
constmcted of bamboos and atap. The general effect of
this intercourse on the character of the Papuans in this
neio-hbourhood must be told in Mr. ^lodera^s own im-

pressive words :

"It has been already mentioned that the people of
Ceram carry on a trade with the Papuans, more espe-
cially with those who reside hereabouts. This intercourse
is carried on with the greatest precaution on the part of
the Papuans, as they are constantly liable to the trea-
cherous attacks of the people of Onin,* who rob them of
their wives and children, for the purpose of selling them to
the Ceramese, Chinese, and Macassar traders : — a system
of plunder in which the Ceramese themselves are also
said to indulge, and which naturally gives rise to a
general feeling of distrust among the Papuans. We
attributed the circumstance of our seeing so few women
at Triton^s Bay to this want of confidence in strangers.
The inhabitants of an island called Karas, in the neigh-
bourhood of Ouin, also attack them occasionally. They

* A Papuan tribe inhabiting tlie shores of MacCluer's Inlet. —
G. W. E.

D 3

58 NEW GUINEA.

come in prahus, sometimes a hundred in number, with the
sole object of robbery and murder. Not long before our
arrival; the village Warangara, on the shores of Triton^s
Bay, was surprised by one of these expeditions, and
almost entirely destroyed. The women who fell into
their hands were carried away into captivity, and the men
were murdered. The Papuans of this neighbourhood are
not entii'ely guiltless themselves, as they sell the slaves
brought here fi'om the Bay of Ai'goeni, and which have
probably been stolen or carried away by \dolence, to the
Ceramese.^^

The Ceramese traders remain upon the coast four or
five months on the occasion of each ^dsit, as the produce
is brought in veiy slowly by the mountaineers, who are
the chief collectors. The principal articles obtained from
the interior are the odoriferous bark of the Massoi,
Belishary, and Rosamala, which are extensively used
among the islands of the Archipelago, more especially
Java and Bali, as cosmetics, and, it is said, as medicine ;
also dye-woods, nutmegs, the skins of birds of paradise,
edible birds^ nests, li\e cockatoos, lories, and crowned
pigeons : many of the tliree last eventually reaching
China, Hindostan, and even Europe, by way of our
settlement at Singapore.

The extract from Lieutenant Kolff^s " Voyage of the
^ Dourga^ " given below, conveys a general view of the
natives of the west coast of New Guinea, which the
writer has been able to confirm by the testimony of
several well-informed and trustworthy native traders of
Goram and Ceram-Laut, except on the points regarding
the comparative power of the coast and inland tribes, and

ONIN. 59

their asserted practice of cannibalism, which last is dis-
tinctly denied by many of the better-informed native
traders. All the authentic information obtained by the
writer, concurred in representing the most numerous and
powerful tribes as dwelling near the head waters of
streams which were inaccessible to the prahus of the
traders, although navigable by their own light vessels.
The people of Onin, who have been considered from time
immemorial as the most numerous and best organised of
the New Guinea tribes, aod whose country has never yet
been visited either by Europeans or by native traders, are
said to occupy an elevated table-land, of an open cha-
racter, which is penetrated by MacCluer's Inlet. They
hold intercourse with two or three traders from Ceram-
Laut, with whom they have established an intimacy, and
from whom they expect an annual visit at certain spots
on the shores of the inlet, which have been fixed upon as
trading-stations ; and where houses are erected, as at the
Outanata, for the accommodation of traders during their
stay. Their occasional outbreaks on the neighbouring
waters are said to be the result of a spirit of restlessness,
which finds vent whenever a young chief desires to sig-
nalise himself by making a raid on his neighbours. Their
conduct towards the traders with whom they are well
acquainted, is described by the latter as being very exem-
plary ; and their testimony upon this point does them the
greater credit, as their interests would lead them to re-
present the Papuans of Onin in an unfavourable light,
with the view of deterring others from interfering with
the lucrative traffic which they now engross. Among the
articles taken to Onin by the traders from Ceram-Laut

60 NEW GUINEA.

are some of great value. In fact^ tlie goods adapted for
the consumption of Onin are nearly identical with those
required for the trade with the Arru islanders, which will
be detailed in a subsequent chapter. It will suffice, at
present, to state, that elephants^ tusks and' large porcelain
dishes, on which the natives place an enormous artificial
value, are among the number.

" The people of Papua-Oni (Onin) and of Amalas, two
places on the coast of New Guinea, directly east from
Ceram-Laut, send out, every year, from a hundred to a
hundred and twenty small vessels on piratical excursions,
which proceed to a considerable distance from their homes.
Their mode of warfare is rude in the extreme — their
weapons consisting only of bows, arrows, and spears. I
have been assured that they devour the prisoners they
take during these excursions. They entertain considerable
dread of the Ceramese, and carefully avoid doing them or
theirs any injury. According to the information I re-
ceived from some inhabitants of Ceram-Laut, the natives
of New Guinea are divided into two tribes (races ?),
mountaineers and dwellers on the coast, who are con-
tinually waging war with each other. The people occu-
pying the sea-coast form by far the' smaller portion, but,
from their warlike habits, they find no difficulty in main-
taining a superiority. The captives taken by the latter
from the inferior tribes are sold to the foreign traders, by
whom they are held in high esteem, so much so that
their price is higher even than that given for slaves of
Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa. The women from Koby,
Ay and Karas, are considered the most attractive, and
arc often kept as inferior wives by the Ceramese — the

■WEST COAST. 61

Raja of Kilwari; among others^ having a wife born at the
Papuan nllage of Atti-Atti. The price given for a slave
on the coast is usually two pieces of white calico, valued at
from eight to ten Spanish dollars ; — from sixty to seventy
rupees (five to six pounds sterling) being obtained by the
traders for them at Bali, and other places in that direc-
tion/'*

Mr. !Modera gives some interesting details concerning
the customs of the mountaineers, (AJfoeren of Bt^rg-
bewonersj in the neighbourhood of Triton's Bay ; but at
the same time candidly states that the information
obtained, as being derived from the chiefs of the coast
tribes, was by no means satisfactory. Indeed the inhabi-
tants of the coasts, especially if corrupted by Mohamme-
danism, are interested in making the inland inhabitants
appear in the worst possible light, partly \N-ith the view of
deterring Europeans from holding intercourse with them,
which might seriously impair their own influence, and
partly to enhance the value of their own semi-civilization
in the estimation of their visitors. One important ethno-
graphical fact was, however, ascertained by the officers of
this Expedition ; namely, that the inhabitants of the
interior, of whom they saw several specimens, did not
differ in any essential particular from those of the coast.
Until within the last few years, it was considered by
ethnographers that the Alfoeren, Alfours, or Arafuras,
were a distinct race of people, inhabiting the interior
of New Guinea, Ceram, and all the larger islands in the
south-eastern part of the Indian Archipelago ; and I was

* Kolff, " Voyage of the ' Dourga,' " p. 299.

62 XE^y guixea.

led to form the same opinion by the information I
obtained during a visit to the western parts of the
Archipelago in 1832-33-34 from the native traders,
who at that time^ as in the days of Ptolemy the Alexan-
drian^ were the chief sources of information respecting
New Guinea and the remote eastern islands.

The inquiries that I was subsequently enabled to make
on the spot, while attached to the Port Essington settle-
ment, led me to ascertain that Alfoeren, &c., was not a
generic tei-m for a particular race of people ; but was
generally applied to the inland inhabitants of these
islands, to distinguish them from the coast tribes, and
that it was in common use amono: those who were ac-
quainted with the Moluccan dialect of the Malayan
language. I was also led to suspect that the term would
prove to be of Portuguese origin, as is the case with
many other words in that language, and this opinion
was confirmed by a learned and experienced Portuguese
gentleman, (the Comendador dWlmeida, Consul-General
of Portugal at Singapore, and one of the earlier pioneers
of that settlement,) whom I had an opportunity of con-
sulting in 1845, aud who informed me that the terra
"Alfores,'^ or '' Alforias,^^ was formerly applied in the
same sense by the Portuguese in India ; precisely as the
Spaniards called the aborigiues of America " Indios,^^ or
Indians, and the Mohammedan inhctbitants of Sulu and
IMindano "Moros," or Moors. The Portuguese term
" Alforias " signifies " freed-men,^^ or '' manumitted
slaves ;" but the root ^' fora " means '' o\x{," or " out-
side,^^ and therefore the term " Alfores^' became naturally
applied to the independent tribes who dwelt beyond the

WEST COAST. 63

influence of their coast settlements. I communicated
these particulars to the late Dr. Prichard^ the father of
ethnographical science in this country, soon after my
arrival in England, in 1845, and have every reason to
believe that he considered the explanation as satisfactory.*
It should be mentioned that I am individually interested
in maintaining the name, as I have frequently alluded to
the " Arafuras '^ in my earlier writings, and it was at my
suggestion that the Hydrographer of the Admiralty
applied the name to the sea enclosed by Ceram and the
adjacent coasts of Australia and New Guinea, in a chart
and sailing directions published by that department in
the year 1837.

* See Prichard, "Researches iato the Physical History of
Mankind," vol. v, p. 256.

64 NEW GUINEA,

CHAPTER IV.

N'EW GUINEA. NORTH COAST.

EARLY VOYAGERS TO THE NORTH COAST OF NEW GUINEA — DUTCH

EXPEDITION OF 1850 — CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DORY PAPUANS

DRESS SCARIFICATIONS OF THE BODY ORNAMENTS OCCUPATIONS

FOOD AND LUXURIES HABITATIONS AND HOUSEHOLD GEAR

ARTS AND AGRICULTURE ARMS AND IMPLEMENTS NAVIGATION

AND COMMERCE CHARACTER AND DISPOSITION GOVERNMENT AND

LAWS CUSTOMS, SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS THE " HONGI," OR

TIDORE FLOTILLA NATIVES OF RUN, IN THE GREAT BAY VISIT TO

A PAPUAN FAMILY KURUDU A DESERTED VILLAGE THE AMBERMO

RIVER DUTCH SETTLEMENT AT HUMBOLDT BAY.

The inhabitants of the north coast of New Guinea
have been known to Europeans from the earliest period of
their intercourse with the Indian Archipelago. In the
year 1511, DMbreu and Serranno, who had been chs-
patched to the Spice Islands by Albuquerque, the con-
queror of Malacca, brought back accounts of their having
met with individuals of a race totally diflferent from the
Malayans; and in 1527, Alvaro de Saavedra made the
first recorded visit to the island, which was then named
" Nova Guinea,^^ from a resemblance that the inhabitants
were thouirht to bear to those of the coast of Guinea in

NORTH COAST. 65

Africa. During the seventeentli and eighteenth centuries,
the northern coasts were repeatedly visited by Dutch and
English navigators. In 1774, Captain Thomas Forrest,
who had been dispatched by the English East India
Company to search for districts producing spices, resided
for some months at Port Dory, on the north coast of New
Guinea, during which period he held constant friendly
intercourse with the inhabitants. But in those days the
characteristics of the native races were scarcely noticed,
except as regarded their " importance^^ to the trading
companies which had fitted out the expeditions. This
dearth of information has been severely felt by historians
of the Indian Archipelago.

During the present century, however, the spread of
knowledge and civilization in Europe and America has
given rise to an interest in the less fortunate races of
mankind, which eveiy scientific voyager feels bound to
acknowledge, by making their characteiistics a leading
subject of inquiry ; and the French navigators who have
visited the north coast of New Guinea during the present
century have furnished particulars respecting the native
inhabitants, which have served, in a great degree, to dispel
the mystery that had hitherto enveloped this interesting
race. More recently, an expedition sent from the Moluccas
by the Netherlands Government, to annex the north
coast of this island to its possessions in the East, has
added many important particulars to our knowledge of
the Papuans. The Expedition, which consisted of the war-
schooner 'Circe,' Lieutenant Brutel de la Riviere, and a
small fleet of kora-koras, or war-prahus, belonging to the

66 NEW GUINEA.

Sultan of Tidore, left Ternate in March, 1850, and pro-
ceeded in the fii'st instance to Port Dory, touching at
Geby, or Gibby, an island well known to mariners using
the eastern passages to China, on the route. The com-
mand of the Expedition was intrusted to Mr. Van Den
Dungen Gronovius, a gentleman of great colonial expe-
rience, who had been for several years the government
resident of the Dutch possessions in Timor; and a
quantity of presents for the native chiefs, together with a
number of iron plates, displaying the Netherlands^ arms,
which were intended to be set up on the parts of the
coast Wsited by the Expedition, formed part of the
schooner's lading. The Commissioner was also invested
with some kind of authority by the Sultan of Tidore, a
tributary, or rather pensioner, of the Dutch Governmeut,
who had long claimed a sort of " suzerainty^^ over the
northern and eastern coast of New Guinea, and which he
had been in the habit of enforcing by the periodical dis-
patch of a flotilla of kora-koras, similar to that which
attended the war-schooner on the present occasion. A
very interestiug narrative of the voyage of the ' Circe,'
by Lieutenant Bruijn Kops, one of the officers, was
published in the " Natuurkundige Tijdschrift voor
Nederlandsch Indie" for 1S51, a periodical conducted
by the Baron Mehille van Carnbee, himself a valuable
contributor to the ethnography of the Indian Archipelago.
Lieutenant Bruijn Kops' narrative gives veiy copious
details of the habits and characteristics of the tribes
inhabiting the shores of the Great Bay which separates
the western from the eastern peninsula of New Guinea ;

PORT DORY. 67

and his information is the more valuable^ from the oppor-
tunities afforded him, through the medium of the native
interpreters attached to the Expedition, for obtaining
correct particulars, and from the humane and considerate
feeling which he has evidently brought to the task.*
This officer had also the assistance of Mr. C. F. A.
Schneider, the surgeon to the Expedition, the value
of whose contributions are gratefully acknowledged by
him.

The north-western peninsula of New Guinea is said to
be well peopled towards the interior, but the coasts ap-
pear to be quite deserted, except at a few points where
small trading stations have become established; for one
of the leading characteristics of Papuans generally, and
of those of New Guinea in particular, consists in their
ardent desire to obtain the manufactures of foreign
countiies, however great may be the risks they undergo
in gratifying this propensity. Port Doiy, near the
north-eastern extreme of this tract, has been its chief
trading port from time immemorial ; and although the
native inhabitants cannot be brought forward as a type
of Papuans, yet, on account of their present condition,
they are exceedingly well calculated to display the result
of intercourse with more civilized races. Several voyagers
of high authority have suspected that the Dorians are of
a mixed race^ but those who peruse Mr. Bruijn Kops'

* A full translation of Lieutenant Brujjn Kops narrative will
be found in the "Journal of the Indian Ai-chipelago," for June,
1S52.

68 NEW GUINEA.

narrative with attention will find grounds for a contrary
opinion.

People of the mixed race are to be found in numbers
on every inhabited island of the Moluccan Seas, but very
rarely in New Guinea itself, a fact which is readily ex-
plained by the circumstance of Papuan slaves, to the
annual amount of hundreds and even thousands, having
been exported from New Guinea to the westward for ages
past ; while scarcely an instance can be brought forward
of a member of the brown race becoming even a tem-
porary resident in New Guinea beyond the limits of the
trading season, except in the case of the Mohammedan
priests, who take up their abode there occasionally for
years together. And in entertaining speculations on
these points, it must always be taken into consideration
that the Papuans are beyond all comparison superior in
vigour, both mental and physical, to those tribes of the
brown race with whom they are brought in contact. It will
only be necessary farther to state that Mr. Bruijn Kops
appears to be perfectly free from all ethnological theories ;
and therefore the following description of the personal cha-
racteristics of the natives of Dory, must be looked upon as
a piece of unbiassed testimony. The translation here given
is as close as the spirit of the two languages will admit.

" The population of New Guinea divides itself into Pa-
poeers and Alfoeren. The first inhabit the shores, and the
latter the mountains and interior lands (binnenlanden.)
Both these head-classes are divided into different tribes,
who are generally in a state of hostility towards each
other. The Papoeers of Dory are of the caste ^ Myfory,^

PORT DORY. 69

having their origin in the island of that name (called
Long Island in the English charts), which lies about ten
(forty English) miles to the east of Doiy. In general they
are small in stature [klein van gestaalte), mostly five and
a quarter, and only a few as much as five and a half feet
in height. "With the exception of a hunchback {een
gebogchelden), we saw no deformed people, nor any parti-
cularly stout or lean men. Their colour is dark brown,
that of some people inclining to black. I saw here two
Albino children (of the same mother) with white skins,
approaching to yellow, with some brown spots on the
back, and with white crisp hair, and blue or green eyes.
The natives are generally afi'ected with diseases of the
skin ; ^-ith some of them the skin looks as if it was
covered with scales (ichthyosis). The hair is black and
crisp. Some of them have it tinted red at the outer ends,
which, I think, must be attributed to its being dried by
the intense heat. They usually wear the hair at the full
length to which it is inclined to grow, which makes the
head, when seen from a distance, appear to be nearly
twice its real size. In general they bestow little care
upon it, whereby it has a disorderly appearance, and gives
them a wild aspect. There are some, however, whose
hair, either by art or nature, is smooth and even as if it
had been clipped. The men wear in their hair a comb,
consisting of a stick of bamboo, one end of which is
split into three or four long points, like a fork, while
the other end is shaped ofi" to a point, and is gene-
rally car^-ed. This comb is stuck obliquely into the
hair of the head, and a strip of coloured calico is
fastened to the upper end, which hangs from it Hke a

70 NEW GUINEA.

flag.* The women do not wear this ornament. The
beard is strongly crisped^ but short. I believe the hair of
the beard is sometimes plucked out. Most of the Papuans
have a high but narrow forehead {een hoog, dock smal
voorhoofd) ; large, dark brown or black eyes ; flat, broad
noses, large mouths, with thick lips, and good teeth.
Many of them, however, have narrow, arched igebogen)
noses, and thin lips, which gives them an European cast
of countenance. They pierce the ears, and insert in the
orifice, ornaments, or segars of tobacco rolled in pan-
dan-\e2iij of which they are great consumers. The
expression of the Papoeers is dull and stupid ; most of
them are veiy ugly ; only a few of them have regular
features and a lively aspect/'f

The occurrence of European or Caucasian features
among the Papuans of New Guinea and the neighbouring
islands has been frequently noticed by visitors, and the
same peculiarity is often met with among the com-
paratively fair tribes of Timor-Laut and the eastern
islands of the Serwatty group, between whom and the
Papuans so remarkable an affinity exists on nearly
every other particular excepting complexion, that a close
investigation is necessar}^ before any satisfactory con-
clusion can be arrived at respecting the origin of these
races. But no tribe has yet been met with in. these
eastern countries in which the Caucasian features prevail,
so that they must be considered as individual peculiarities.

* This singular fasliion is well represented in the plate of the
Papuan in Dr. Prichard's " Natural History of Man."

t Bruijn Kops, " Natuurkmidige Tijdschrift, &c., 2de Jaargang,"
bl. 175.

PORT DORY. 71

Costume and Ornaments. — The dresses of the chiefs
among the natives of Dory consist of the saluer, or short
drawers of the Malays, and the kahya, or loose coat of
calico, with a handkerchief tied round the head. The
common men, and the chiefs themselves when not in the
presence of strangers, wear only a chaivat, or waist-cloth
of the bark of the fig, or of the paper-mulberry-tree,
beaten out like the bark-cloth of the Polynesians. The
women wear a short petticoat of blue calico, or short, loose
drawers, and very rarely any other clothing. The ears
of both sexes are bored, but the septum of the nose
is never mutilated. Neither do they adopt the practice
of raising the flesh of their limbs and bodies by scarifi-
cations, as is common among the natives of the south and
south-west coasts of New Guinea ; this practice having
apparently been superseded among the Dory natives by
the Polynesian custom of tattooing, which is adopted both
by males and females, the operation being performed by
young girls, with the aid of sharp fish-bones and soot.
Mr. Bruijn Kops observed that the skins of many of the
natives were marked with scars, which have been pro-
duced by applications of fire; and from the number of
these marks which he saw on single individuals, some-
times as many as ten, he was led to suppose that they
had ^^been made from some particular motive, probably
as a mode of cure, or perhaps as omaments.^^"^

Actual cautery is in common use among the more
savage tribes of this part of the world as a cure for many
diseases, more especially rheumatism, to which they are

•* Bruijn Kops, "Tijdschrift," p. 177.

NEW GUINEA.

very liable from constant exposure to tlie weather ; and
among the Australians, burning the skin with lighted
sticks is a common mode of displaying grief on the
death of a chief or relative. From a number of inqui-
ries the writer has made among Papuans who were
marked with the raised cicatrices, he has been led to the
conclusion that those on the arm and breast, which are
the largest and most prominent, were made in order to
qualify them for admission to the privileges of manhood,
by showing their capability of bearing pain.

In addition to the tattooed figures of crossed swords
and kriss-blades with which the skins of the men are
marked, the chief ornaments of the Dory natives consist
in armlets of fish-bone, strings of shells, copper or silver
wire, and sometimes of rattan or pandanus-leaf plaited into
bands about two inches wide. A similar band is also
worn to protect the wrist from the recoil of the bow-
string, which might otherwise inflict considerable injury.

HUNTING WILD HOGS.

PORT DORY. 73

Occupations. — Hunting and fishing are the chief out-
of-door occupations of the men. When at home, they
employ themselves in making canoes, building houses, or
shaping weapons. The plantations, which lie on the
uplands, are cultivated chiefly by the women and chil-
dren, who, during the planting or cropping season, go to
the plantations in a body, under the protection of two or
three of the men, leaving home early in the morning
and returning in the evening. The women also perform
all the domestic work, carrj'ing wood and water, and
husking the rice and millet. They also make earthen
pots, and weave mats for household use. Natives of
both sexes and all ages are expert in the management of
the canoes, and they learn to swim and dive at a very
early age. "War is also an occasional occupation, and is
carried on in the desultory manner usual with unci\-ilized
people, each party retiring to rejoice over its success
whenever it has succeeded in killing or capturing an
enemy. Unfortunately, the" capture of slaves is some-
times the chief object of war excursions, and then whole
villages are sometimes surprised, and the women and
children criTied away into captivity.

Food and Luxuries. — The Dory people subsist chiefly
on millet, yams, maize, or Indian corn, a little rice
obtained from the traders, fish, pork, and fruit of several
varieties, including cocoa-nuts, plantains, and papayas.
Sago is not much used, and salt is considered unneces-
sary as a condiment. Chewing the siri, or betel-leaf, is
very generally practised; and when not otherwise em-
ployed, they are incessantly smoking small segars, made

NEW GUINEA.

of tobacco rolled up in a piece of pandan-leaf. This
herb is grown in the mountains, and is of very good
quality, and so cheap, that a roll of several pounds'
weight can be obtained in exchange for a knife, a few
strings of beads, or an earthenware cup.

Disease. — They appear to be rarely afflicted by severe
sickness. Cases of disease of the organs of respiration,
dysentery, shght fever, elephantiasis, and several other
cutaneous diseases, more especially ichthyosis, were ob-
served by Mr. Bruijn Kops. Small-pox and s)T)hili8
appear to be unknown. Herbs and the bark of trees
are used as medicines, both externally and internally,
but surgical cases are always left to the operations of
nature.

norSE AT DOBT.

Habitations and Household Gear. — The chief village,
called Lonfabe, consists of thirty-three houses, each of

PORT DORY. 75

which is from sixty to seventy feet long, twenty to
twenty-five feet wide, and from twelve to fifteen feet high.
They are erected upon wooden piles, extending beyond
the level of low water ; and during high tides, the sea
rises up to the floor of the houses. A stage or platform,
also on piles, affords access from the shore. The sides
are composed of wooden planks, and the roof is thatched
with atap, or marsh flags. A passage about ten feet
wide runs along the centre of the building throughout
its length, and on each side are chambers and store-rooms
partitioned off with mats. The end nearest the sea is
left open on three sides, and here the male inhabitants
are generally to be found, when at home, making and
repairing their implements and fishing gear, or lying
down smoking tobacco.

Cooking is performed in the inner rooms, each of
which is pro\dded with a small fire-place. The floors are
of rough spars, placed close together, which cannot be
traversed safely by those unaccustomed to them. Some-
times as many as twenty men, in addition to the wives
and families of the married portion, occupy a single
house. The furniture consists of light boxes of palm-
leaves, or of a bark which resembles that of the birch-
tree, very neatly made, and ornamented with black and
red figures and small shells, in which they keep their
clothes and valuables ;— also hunting and fishing gear,
arms, and implements, earthen pots for cooking or holdin
food, wooden mortars for husking rice and maize, and
sleeping mats and pillows — the mats being very neatly
made, and ornamented with figures of bright black and
red. The pillows consist of smooth circular blocks of

E 2

76 NEW GUINEA.

wood, restiog on short feet, which are usually hand-
somely carved.

Arts and Agriculture. — The natives understand the art
of working iron, the forge consisting of a bellows com-
posed of two large bamboos about four feet long, from
which the air is expelled by means of two pistons, with
bunches of feathers at the end, which are worked like
those of hand-pumps; and by raising each alternately,
a constant cui'rent of air is expelled through the orifices
at the bottom, from which small tubes lead to the fire-
place. This instrument is identical with the bellows in
use among the brown races of the Archipelago, from whom
it may have been borrowed. A stone serves for an anvil ;
but the natives often have in their possession a pig of
iron ballast, or a piece of a broken anchor, which answers
the purpose much better. They also manufacture rings,
bracelets, and ear ornaments of metal, chiefly copper and
silver ; and a portion of the Spanish dollars obtained from
the French surveying ships, ' Astrolabe^ and ' Zelee' in
exchange for commodities, have been used for this
purpose. They are skilful weavers of mats, but are un-
acquainted with the use of the loom. Their plantations,
or rather gardens, for a very small space is sufficient for
the few articles they cultivate, are formed by cutting
down and burning off the jungle, and enclosing the cleared
space with a strong fence of bamboo to keep out the
wild pigs, which are very numerous. The ground is
prepared for planting with the aid of sharp stakes, and
after the seeds are put in, the garden is visited at intervals
for the purpose of removing the weeds which would
otherwise impede the growth of the plants. The people

FORT DORY. 77

of Dory do not rear either p jultiy or pigs, but the natives
of the interior have domesticated the large crowned
pigeons, which are reared in considerable numbers. They
also breed pigs, but the latter can scarcely be considered
as thoroughly domesticated, as they are sometimes dan-
gerous to handle when full grown.

Arms and Implements. — Their weapons are bows and
arrows, lances or throwing spears, and klewangs or swords,
the blades of which are of the razor form. The parang, or
chopping-knife, which is also shaped like the blade of a
razor, may be considered as a weapon, as it is constantly
worn in a sheath at the waist, and is always at hand in
cases of emergency. The bows are between six and seven
feet long, and are made of bamboo, or a tough kind of
redwood, and are provided with a string of rattan. The
arrows are four or five feet long, and those used for war
are generally furnished with iron heads, which they
manufacture themselves. They are never poisoned ; in
fact, no New Guinea tribe at least, appears to be ac-
quainted with the art. Iron axes, which are imported,
are used for felling trees and shaping planks and canoes.
Their fishing implements are bows and arrows of a lighter
construction than those used for war, and spears with
forked points of iron provided with barbs.' A long line
is attached to the spears when they are used for striking
large fish. They also use a fish trap, made of basket-
work, the entrance to which is formed like those of wire
rat-traps, rattans being substituted for the elastic wire, the
points closing together after admitting the fish, and pre-
venting him from getting out again. These fish-traps
are sunk in deep water by means of stones attached

78 NEW GUINEA.

to the bottom ; and a line, with a buoy of bamboo at
one end, is fastened to the upper part, for the purpose of
raising it to take out the fish.

Navigation and Commerce. — Their canoes or prahus
are made from the trunk of a single tree, and some are
sufficiently large to require twenty rowers when fully
manned. They carry a sail of matting which is suspended
from a mast, forming a tripod, with two feet fixed to the
side with pins, on which they work like hinges, and
the third is slipped over a hook, fastened near the stem.
The third foot, which also acts as a stay, is not a
fixture, and is unhooked when it is required to strike
the mast, which then lies over the thwarts of the
prahu, and can be raised again in an instanr. The canoes
used on ordinarj^ occasions are small and light, and can
easily be carried by two men. Even the children have
their little canoes, which they carry to and from the
water without difficulty. Their vessels, the largest of
which are so narrow that they would capsize if not pro-
vided with outriggers, are only adapted for home use,
so that their foreign commerce is entirely in the hands of
strangers, chiefly Chinese from Temate. An English
gentleman. Captain Deighton, who has long been resident
in the Moluccas, has also been in the habit of making
annual visits to the trading stations on the shores of the
Great Bay for the last thirty years, and his ship is almost
the only European vessel engaged in the trade. The
high estimation in which he is held by the natives is
noticed on several occasions by Mr. Bruijn Kops, indeed,
he appears to be the only check on the rapacity of the
Tidore tribute-collectors, who have often been restrained

PORT DORY. 79

from committing their atrocities by a dread that Mr.
Deighton would report the circumstance to the govern-
ment of the Moluccas. The articles obtained by the
traders are chiefly trepang,ov sea-slug -, tortoise-shelly which
is of excellent quahty ; massoi, and other odoriferous barks ;
and mother-of-pearl shell ; the articles given in exchange
being blue and red calico, sarongs or native cloths, brass
wire, parangs or chopping-knives, china cups and basins^
and different kinds of hardware. The produce is chiefly
adapted for the markets of China, and a considerable
portion finds its way to Macassar and Singapore, whence
a direct trade is carried on with that empire.

Native Character aiid Disposition, — It is a sin-
gular fact, that whenever ci\ilized man is brought into
friendly communication with savages, the disgust which
naturally arises from the first glance at a state of society
so obnoxious to his sense of propriety, disappears before
a closer acquaintance, and he learns to regard their
little delinquencies as he would those of children ; — while
their kindliness of disposition and natural good qualities
are placed on the credit side of their account. It becomes
necessaiT to enter into these particulars, in order to explain
the origin of the highly favourable statements respecting
the Papuan character and disposition made by Captain
Forrest and Mr. Bruijn Kops, both of whom were so
cautious, and, it may be added, humane, as to bring their
long visits to a close without a rupture with the natives.
On the other hand, those whose communications with the
Papuans have been of a hostile nature, become so impressed
with the savage, wild-beast-like, cunning and ferocity of
their attacks, that they cannot believe that the same people

80 NEW GUINEA.

have any feelings in common witli more cinlized races.
This accounts for the discrepancies that appear in the
narratives of different voyagers^ mdeed, sometimes in that
of a single individual, as is the case in Mr. Modera^s
interesting details ; but all these discrepancies can be
distinctly traced to the circumstances under which their
communications took place. Mr. Bruijn Kops* evidence
respecting the character of the natives of Dory is so in-
teresting, and at the same time, from the circumstances
under which he was placed, so important, that it will be
necessary to extract the entire paragraph.

'^ The manners and customs of the inhabitants of, Dory
are much less barbarous than might be expected from
these rude, uncivilized races. On the contrary, in general
they give evidence of a mild disposition, of an inclination
to right and justice, and strong moral principles. Theft
is considered by them as a veiy grave offence, and is of
very rare occurrence. They have no fastenings to their
houses, and yet the chiefs assured us that seldom or never
was anything stolen. Although they were on board our
ship, or alongside, during whole days, we never missed
anything. Yet they are distrustful of strangers, until
they become acquainted with them, as we experienced.
This is probably less, however, a trait of their character,
than the result of intercourse with strangers, who, per-
haps, have frequently tried to cheat them. The men, it
is true, came on board from the time of our arrival, but
they were very cautious in letting any of the things they
brought for sale out of their hands. The women were at
first very fearful, and fled on all sides whenever they saw
us, leaving behind what they might be carrying ; but at

PORT DORY. 81

length, when they found they had no injury to dread from
VLS, they became more familiar. Finally, they approached
without being invited, but still remained timid. The
children very soon became accustomed to us, and fol-
lowed us eveiy where.

^^ Respect for the aged, love for their children, and
fidelity to their wives, are traits which reflect honour on
their disposition. Chastity is held in high regard, and is
a 'virtue that is seldom transgressed by them. A man
can only have one wife, and is bound to her for life.
Concubinage is not permitted. Adultery is unknown
amongst them. They are generally very fond of strong
drink, but although they go to excess in this, I could not
learn that they prepared any fermented liquor, not even
sago-iceer or tuak (palm wine). Kidnapping is general
in these countries, and is followed as a branch of trade, so
that there is no dishonour attached to it. The captives
are treated well, exchanged, if there are any of theirs in
the enem)''s hands, or released on payment of a ransom,
as was the case in Em-ope during the middle ages. It is
an inveterate evil, which, however, might probably be
rooted out were an establishment formed that would
check them in this. The slave-trade is ver^' extended.
The price of a slave is reckoned at twenty-five to thirty
guilders. These captives are gently treated and seldom
misused : — at least, I heard of nothing to the contrary
during our stay.^^*

Government and Laws. — The native tribes in the neigh-
bourhood of Dory have each its separate chief, who are

* Bmiju Ivops, " Tijdschrift," p. 185.

E 3

83 NEW GUINEA.

perfectly independent of each other, although the titles
they hold, which are nominally conferred by the Sultan
of Tidore, are sometimes expressive of subjection to a
superior chief. It has been already stated that a sort of
suzerainty over the western peninsula of New Guinea
is claimed in behalf of the Sultan of Tidore, one of the
least powerful of the native chiefs subject to the Nether-
lands Government. This claim is acknowledged by the
coast tribes, from a feeling which pervades all the smaller
communities of the Archipelago in favour of placing them-
selves under the protection of the most powerful chief in
their neighbourhood, a position which was held by the
Sultan of Tidore when this suzerainty was first acquired.
It has also been encouraged by the Netherlands Govern-
ment, as giving them a sort of claim to a country which
they might some day see fit to occupy ; for a transfer of
the suzerainty from the Sultan of Tidore could be ob-
tained at any moment in which it might be required ;
indeed, the narrative of Mr. Bruijn Kops leads to the
inference that this claim was actually transferred imme-
diately before the sailing of the Expedition ; and that the
flotilla was sent by the Sultan of Tidore for the purpose
of formally giving over possession, the representatives of
the Sultan being present on nearly every occasion in
which the posts with the Netherlands' arms were erected.
The mode in which the chieftainship is conferred is
thus described by Mr. Bruijn Kops : '^ When one of the
native chiefs dies, information of the event is conveyed to
the Sultan by one of the relatives of the deceased, who
at the same time takes with him a present of slaves and
birds-of-paradise as a token of fealty. This person is

PORT DORY. 83

generally named as the successor of the deceased, and is
presented with a yellow kabaya, drawers, and headker-
chief. He is then bound to pay a yearly tax to the
Sultan of a slave; — to reinforce the hongi (the Sultan's
tax-collecting flotilla) mth three vessels; — and to furnish
it with provisions/^*

The authority of these chiefs over their fellow-villagers
is merely nominal, as all cases of importance are decided
by a council of the elders of the tribe. Mr. Bruijn Kops
gives the following information respecting crimes and
their punishment, "An incendiary, with his family,
becomes the slave of the late proprietor of the burned
house. A man who wilfully w^ounds another must give
him a slave as compensation. A thief is compelled to
make restitution of the property stolen, with something
in addition. For the destruction of a garden, the damages
must be made good. An adulterer is persecuted to death,
or until he has satisfied the offended party by a heavy
fine. A man who violates a girl has to marry her, and
has to pay the usual dowTy of ten slaves. In cases of
adultery, the female is not punished, and no infamy
attaches to her, if yet unmarried.^^t

Customs : — Social and Religious. — The distinction of
caste, which is found among the brown races bordering
on New Guinea, does not appear to exist among the
Papuans of Dory, as the chiefs marry indiscriminately
females of inferior families, according to their choice,
paying the usual dowry of ten slaves, or their value in

* Bi-uijn Kops, " Tijdsclirift/' p. 183.
t Bruijn Kops, " Tijdschrift," p. 188.

84 NEW GUINEA.

goods. Indeed, a slave is the standard of value tlirough-
out the western parts of New Guinea, as is the case with
a musket at Timor and the neighbouring islands, so that
when the price of any article is said to be so many slaves,
it is intended to mean the value of a slave in blue and
red calico or other articles of trade, all of which bear
a fixed proportionate value. It is therefore, like the
"pound sterling,^^ an imaginary standard of value.

The natives of Dory, like all savages, are exceedingly
superstitious, and invariably carry about with them
amulets consisting of caiwed pieces of wood, bits of bone,
quartz, or some other trifle, to which an imaginary value
is attached. Those who have fallen under the influence
of Mohammedanism substitute verses of the Koran,
written on slips of paper, with which they are furnished
by the Ceram and Tidore priests. The Papuans of.Dory
are for the most part pagans, and worship, or rather
consult, an idol called " Karwar,^^ a figure rudely carved
in wood and holdins: a shield, with which every house is
provided. The idol, which is usually about eighteen
inches high, is exceedingly disproportioned, the head
being unusually large, the nose long and sharp at the
point, and the mouth wide and well proWded with teeth.
The body is generally clad in a piece of calico, and the
head covered with a handkerchief. Parties consulting it
squat before it, clasp the hands over the forehead, and
bow repeatedly, at the same time stating their intentions.
If they are seized with any nervous feeling during this
process it is considered as a bad sign, and the project is
abandoned for a time ; if otherwise — that is to say, if
they really wish to carry out the proposed object — the

PORT DORY. 85

idol is supposed to approve. It is considered necessary
that the Karwar should be present on all important
occasions, such as births, marriages, or deaths. The
natives have also a number of "Fetishes/' generally
carved figures of reptiles, which are suspended from the
roofs of the houses ; and the posts are also ornamented
with similar figures, cut into the wood. They have a
sort of priests, or soothsayers, generally one of the elders
of the tribe, who is skilled in medicine and in the inter-
pretation of prognostics.

The marriage ceremony is performed by both parties
sitting down in front of the Karwar, when the female
gives her intended some tobacco and betel-leaf. The
parties then join hands, and the ceremony is complete.
"When a death occurs, the body is enveloped in a piece of
white calico, and deposited in a grave four or five feet
deep, resting on its side, and a porcelain dish is placed
under the ear. If the deceased has been the head of a
family, the idol is brought to the grave and loaded with
reproaches. The arms and ornaments of the deceased are
then thrown into the grave, which is filled up with earth,
and a roof of atap erected over it, upon which the idol is
placed, and left there to decay. The burial feast is kept
up for an entire moon when the deceased has been an
important personage.

The 'Circe' remained at Doiy from the 1st to the
20th of April, 1S50, awaiting the arrival of the Tidore
' Hongi,' or flotilla, which had touched at several places
on the coast during the voyage. Its arrival created a panic
among the natives, and according to Mr. Bruijn Kops'
account thev had sufficient cause for terror. " On the

86 NEW GUINEA.

news of the arrival of the flotilla, the women and children
took flight with the small canoes, cai-rying with them
everything of value. They went to the opposite shore,
and into the interior bays, in order to avoid the rapacity of
the crews of the flotilla. The chief at once went to
Capitan Amir (a Tidore prince in command of the
flotilla), taking with him a slave and a great number
of birds-of-paradise as a present. It is not to be
wondered at that the flotilla instils so much fear, for
wherever it goes the crews pillage and steal as much
as they can, destroying the plantations, .and appro-
priating everything that takes their fancy. It is by
means of these ' Hougi' expeditions that the Sultan
maintains his power, for on failure of obedience, or
negligence in the execution of his orders, such a fleet
is sent to kill or make captives of the people, to destroy
the villages, and thus to punish all in a severe manner.
A specimen of this has already been mentioned when
speaking of Geby, which was reduced by a similar fleet.
Last year a flotilla was sent by the Sultan to bring under
subjection the countries situated to the eastward of the
Great Bay (of New Guinea), but when the crews were on
shore near the Arimoa Islands, they were attacked by the
natives and compelled to return, with the loss of six
killed and many wouuded.^^*

The population of Doiy must have increased very
considerably since the visit of Forrest in 1775, as the
village at that time consisted of only two large tenements,
while, in 1850, the number had been augmented to thirty-

* Bniijn Kops, " Tijdsclirift," p. 194.

GREAT BAY. *" 87

three. Probably the excesses committed by the Tidore
MalayS; which are repeatedly noticed by Mr. Bruijn Kops,
have been confined to those tribes which desired to
maintain an independence. The Dutch Expedition next
proceeded to Kim, an island situated farther up the Great
Bay, which seems to haye been only recently opened as
a trading port; and it would appear also that the in-
habitants had had little experience of the tax-collecting
flotilla, for the women and children did not take to
flight on its approach, as was the case in nearly every
other village near which it appeared. Mr. Bruijn Kops
states : *^ Ships very seldom visit this island. The bark
'Rembang,^ Captain Deighton, had, however, been here
four times. Captain Deighton was known to all the
inhabitants, and they frequently spoke of him with love
and affection. To his amiable character and honom'able
conduct are to be attributed the circumstance, that we did
not observe in these people any signs of the fear and
suspicion which were so \4sible at Dory. Men, women,
and children, surrounded us from the first, and assisted
us in every way they could.''^ This is a handsome
tribute from an officer in a foreign naval service. His
desci-iption of an interview with the inhabitants is so
strikingly illustrative of the state of society, that it must
be extracted entire.

" One evening when we went on shore, all the children
of the tillage were collected together, and beads were
thrown amongst them. Not only the children, but
women, men, and even some of the chiefs of the flotilla,

* Bruijn Kops, " Tijdschrift," p. 19S.

88 NEW GUINEA.

scrambled for the beads, and ran from every quarter to
obtain a share. All were on their knees on the sand, and
showed how much they prized these presents by the zeal
and attention with which they sought for them, and by
their merry laughter w^hen they were fortunate. Although
these beads were of great value in their estimation, the
scrambling was carried on w^ithout the personal contests
which in civilized Europe would have been the result
of an unequal distribution of presents. Walking along
the beach after this distribution, I. entered into con-
versation with a native who had learned a little Malay,
and who invited me into his house, where I was led into
the room which serves as a dwelling-place for the family.
I thought that all the women would take to flight, and
was not a little surprised to find that they sat down close
to me, and observed me very attentively, but without
troublesome intrusion. Thus I sat in the midst of six
women, three of whom were young, and who, on account
of their beautifid eyes, clear, white, and regular teeth,
happy, laughing faces, round shoulders and arms, fine
hands, beautiful bosoms, and well-fomied limbs, deserved
the name of beautiful, not only in the e3'es of Papuans,
but also in those of Europeans. The frankness with
which I was received struck me, as it was entirely
unexpected. They brought me a dish of papeda (sago-
flour steeped in water), some roasted fish, yams, and
fruit, requesting me to partake of it, which I did to
please them. Seeing a ring on my finger, one of the
girls tried to draw it ofi" to examine it ; but not succeeding,
I drew it oS" myself, and handed it to her. After ex-
amination, it was returned to me with care. I mention

RUN — KURUDU. 89

all this, because the familiarity with which I was treated
astonished me, and gave me a very favourable opinion of
these people. The furniture of the house was in general
the same as at Doiy, and consisted in pots, cups of
earthenware, the same kind of cushions, only smaller,
a Javanese wooden chest, wooden platters, a wooden
mortar for husking grain, baskets, hampers and mats, a
tifa (small drum), carved externally, bows, arrows, lances,
and some fishing gear/^*

Kurudu, an important station at the north-eastern
extreme of the Great Bay, which is here more than 200
miles across, was also Wsited, probably for the first time
by an European vessel ; but as this part of New Guinea
lies beyond the geographical limits assigned to the present
volume, and the inhabitants will have to be described in
that which treats on the Papuans of the Pacific, a mere
cursory notice must suffice at present. The Dutch were
received at Kurudu (which is situated on an island adja-
cent to the main land) with caution, but by no means in
an unfriendly manner, although it seems that the village
had been destroyed, and more than two hundred of the
inhabitants carried away into slavery, only a few years
before, by the Singaji of Geby, a dependant of the Sultan
of Tidore. The natives appeared armed on the beach, as
the boat of the ' Circe' approached, but their weapons
were soon laid aside, and they showed every token of
a friendly feeling, accompanying the surgeon, Mr.
Schneider, during his excursion in search of shells and
botanical specimens, and assisting him to the best of their
ability.

* BiTLijn Kops, « Tijdsclirift;' p. 201.

90 MEW GUINEA.

This friendly intercourse was, however, put a stop to by
the firing of the evening gun on board the schooner, which
had the efi'ect of driving the entire population from the
village to the main land ; for on the following morning it
was found to be deserted by every living creature, with
the exception of the dogs, whose melancholy howling
seems to have had a veiy depressing efi'ect on the Dutch
officers. They were also thus deprived of the hope of
obtaining an interpreter to enable them to hold inter-
course with the people farther to the eastward, so that
their observations on the natives they met with near Port
Humboldt are of less value than they would otherwise have
been. The inhabitants of Kurudu do not appear to differ
in personal characteristics from those of Dory, and they are
at least equally advanced in the social arts; but their
ci\ilization, such as it is, is nearly altogether different,
having more of a PoljTiesian than a Malayan character ;
so that the Great Bay of New Guinea must be con-
sidered as the dividing line between the Papuans of
the Pacific and those of the Indian Archipelago, more
especially as the natives of the south coast of New
Guinea, to the eastward of Torres Strait, have evi-
dently been left untouched by Malayan civilization.
Indeed it is by no means improbable that the wide
space between the south-west Cape of New Guinea and
the Islands of Torres Strait, where the land has not yet
been seen, may prove to be a deep inlet similar to the
Great Bay on the north coast ; and from the nature of the
land on the west side of the great south-east bay, which
is low, and broken by channels, it may eventually prove
to be islands, like that of Frederik- Henry, which is cut

PORT HUMBOLDT. 91

off by the Dourga Strait. Nor is the northern coast of
the great peninsula of New Guinea inferior in point of
scientific interest, since the coast, for more than a hundred
miles to the eastward of Kurudu, was found to be the
delta of a large river, called Ambermo by the natives,
which poured out so large a body of muddy water, as to
form a bank extending at least thirty miles out to
sea ; while most other parts of the coast were unfathom-
able a few cables' lengths off shore. "VMien this river
comes to be explored, the mystery that has hitherto
enveloped the ethnography of New Guinea's interior will
be in some degree dispelled.

The chief object of the Dutch Expedition of 1850 was
to examine Port Humboldt in lat. 2° 20' S., and long.
140° 47' E., with the view of forming a settlement, or
rather to ascertain its capabilities for this purpose ; but
after arriving in sight of the port, a strong south-east
wind, with a lee current, prevented the 'Circe' from
entering, and she retm-ned to Amboyna. The information
collected appears, however, to have been sufficient to
authorise the government in coming to a decision, as
an establishment was foi-med at Port Humboldt in the
early part of 1852. The garrison, if it may be so called,
consists of a party of burghers, or native militia of Ter-
nate, a people by no means calculated to inspire respect
in the stalwart and energetic Papuans.

It is to be hoped, however, that the favourable position
of this port, as a refreshing station for ships that have
crossed the Pacific from the west coast of America, will
lead to the establishment being placed on a more sub-
stantial footing. Certainly, the interests of commerce.

93 NEW GUINEA.

independent of all philanthropic considerations, require
that at least one refuge should be established on the
coasts of an island nearly 1,400 miles in length, and
which are now traversed almost daily by the shipping
employed in the commerce of the Far East. The antece-
dents of the Netherlands Government in these regions are
not favom-able to the supposition that the establishment
at Port Humboldt has been formed with philanthropic
views, but civihzed nations are not likely to be particular
in their inqunies as to the motives of action, if a new
port, in a perfectly inhospitable region, is opened out
for the general convenience of shipping.

ARRU ISLANDS. 93

CHAPTER V.

THE ARRU ISLANDS.

GENERAL DESCRIPTIOX OF THE GROUP FOREIGN INTERCOURSE

MIXED RACE OF THE WESTERN ISLANDS DUTCH CONNECTION WITH

THE ISLANDS RENEWED IN 1824 LIEUTENANT KOLFf's DESCRIPTION

OF THE ISLANDERS PECULIAR COMPLEXION OF THE ARRUANS — THE

KABROOR ISLANDERS AGRICULTURE TREPANG AND PEARL

FISHERIES NATIVE VESSELS ELEPHANTS' TUSKS AND PORCELAIN

DISHES SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE NATIVES OF VORKAY MAR-
RIAGE CUSTOMS MODE OF SETTLING DIFFERENCES FUNEREAL

CUSTOMS AND CEREMONIES INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY AND

MOHAMMEDANISM IMPORTANCE OF FARTHER DETAILS RESPECTING

THE ARRUANS.

The Arru Islands are a closely packed group, distant
about sixty miles from the south-west coast of New
Guinea, and extending over a space of one hundred miles
in length, and between forty and fifty miles in breadth.
On the eastern side of the group are found banks of
sand and mud, stretching far out to sea, which are only
covered to the depth .of a few feet at low tides. The
trepang, or sea-slug, which, when cured, is an article of

94 ARRU ISLANDS.

great consumption in China^ where it is mucli used as a
delicacy for the table, exists in great abundance on these
banks, which also furnish pearl-oysters of two varieties ;
namely, the large oyster, whose shell is the mother-of-
pearl shell of commerce, and the smaller variety in which
the seed-pearls are found. Some of the more eastern
islands contain lime-stone caverns, within which the
small swallow constructs the edible birds^-nests of com-
merce, also an article in great demand for the markets of
China, where it is said to be worth its weight in silver.
These circumstances, coupled with the industrious habits
and friendly disposition of the islanders, has led to the
group becoming a great resort for traders from the west-
em parts of the iVrchipelago, including natives of Java
and Celebes, Chinese, and even Europeans, who bring
large quantities of manufactured goods and other articles
suited to the tastes of the mhabitants. The latter have
consequently become the most wealthy and prosperous
of all the native tribes of the neighbouring seas.

The Arru islanders bear a strong personal resemblance
to the aborigines of Port Essington ; indeed on several
occasions in which natives from the neighbourhood of the
late settlement visited the islands in Em'opean vessels,
they were considered by the xlrruans as belonging to
some remote part of their own group. But the Arruans
also possess so many characteristics in common \vith the
Outanatas of the opposite coast of New Guinea, that it
will be necessary to include them in a general account of
the Papuans.

The ports frequented by the foreign trading-vessels are
all in the north-western part of the group, where the

TRADING PORTS. 95

people are evidently of a mixed race, the natural result of
strangers fi'om the west havinj^ married and settled
among them during an intercourse which appears to have
extended over several centuries. The characteristics of
the aboriginal inhabitants will therefore have to be sought
among the islands remote from the trading ports ; and in
order to fmiiish the most authentic information concern-
ing them, it will be necessary- to borrow very considerably
from Lieutenant Kolff^s narrative of his voyage in 1826.
The writer visited Dobbo, the chief port of the group,
in 1841, in Her Majesty't Ship ' Britomart / but as his
attention was chiefly directed towards ascertaining the
commercial resources of the islands, the particulars he
was able to gather respecting the aborigines only served
to confirm the general correctness of Lieutenant Kolfi's
details on all those points which came under his obser-
vation.

The expedition of Lieutenant Kolff in the ' Dourga'
had been planned by the Governor-general of Netherlands
India, Baron Van der Capellen, during a visit he made to
the principal settlements of the Moluccas in 1824, and
which has been attended with so many beneficial results
to the native inhabitants of these eastern islands. This
was the first occasion in which the Moluccas had been
honoured by the presence of a Governor-general since
the days of Van Diemen, the patron of Tasman and
Australian discovery; and, as might be expected, the
event created great enthusiasm among all classes, which
seems to have extended to the Arrus, the most remote
group that had come under the influence of the Dutch
establishments. Lieutenant KoLfi" says :

96 ARRU ISLANDS.

" During the year previous to my visit, )vhen tlie
Governor-general Baron A'an der Capellen visited the
Moluccas, he sent two schooners of war, the ' Daphne'
and ^ Pollux/ to the Arrus, to inquire into the condition of
the people. The arrival of Mr. A. J. Bik, who was at
the head of this expedition, had given rise to a hope
among the natives that the government would take an
interest in their affairs, so that my visit naturally excited
much joy among them. They welcomed us in the most
friendly manner, kissed our hands, and expressed the
greatest joy when I informed them of the object of my
visit, and of the purpose of our government to take them
again under its protection. The frank and kind
manner in which men and women, heathen as well as
Christians, came forth to meet us, was truly striking and
impressive, the more from these innocent people being,
unlike many other of the Indian races, entirely free from
dissimulation.' '*

And it is satisfactory to know that after a sojourn of
a fortnight among them, ]\Ir. Kolff still retained his
favourable impressions. He describes as follows the
leading characteristics of the aboriginal Arruans :

" Little or no information can be gathered from the
charts concerning the position, the number, or the names
of the Arru Islands. Valentyn laid them down very
incorrectly, and was uncertain how far they extended to
the eastward. The Alfoers, who are the aborigines of the
islands, form a numerous body of people. They are not,
as is generally supposed, entirely uncivilized, since they

* Kolff, " YoYcige of tlie 'Dourga/ " p. 179.

FOOD AND DRESS. 97

live in ^*illages containing ten or twelve houses eacli,
under the control of their elders. Their food consists
chiefly of fish and hogs, which they shoot with iron-
pointed arrows. They also grow excellent vegetables,
Indian corn, labu (a sort of pumpkin, resembling the
tui-nip in flavour), sugar-cane, together with a little red
and white rice. Their clothing is not more costly than
their food. The men wear a strip of white, blue, or
coloured calico round the waist, one end being brought
between the legs, and fastened on one side with a knot,
and adorn themselves with armlets made from white
shells, with small pieces of brass wire in fom* or five holes
pierced above one another in the ears, and vrith beads
around the neck. Their hair is usually black and
strongly curled. As I have 'remarked elsewhere, they
wash it with ash or lime-water, which imparts to it a
lightish colour and causes it to appear rough, both these
peculiarities being considered very tasteful by the Alfoers
as well as by the Papuans. Some of them, who have very
Ions hair t\^-ist it up into a knot at the back of the head,
confining it by means of a bamboo comb. Nearly all
their head-dresses are adorned by some strings of glass
beads extending from both ears, and meeting over the
forehead. They always carry a chopping-knife thrust
through the waistcloth.

" The women wear a chain girdle, made of thick brass
wire, round the waist, the ends fastened by a hook, from
which a small piece of cloth, generally of :Macassar
sarong stuff", hangs down in front, a square piece of fine
matting depending in like manner from behind, these
forming their sole covering. The numerous strings of

98 ARRU ISLANDS.

glass beads, which they wear round the neck, hang down
upon the breast, and are triced up to each ear, which has
by no means an ungraceful appearance. The entire lobe
of the ear is pierced with numerous holes, through which
are drawn pieces of copper and tin, and sometimes a
species of marine plant, this last being also often used
as armlets. Under the knee and above the elbow they
wear bands of fine plaited cane, through which they often
draw the leaves of a certain plant. The hair of the women
is very long and fine, and in general but slightly curled.
They plait it in difi*erent sections, and twist the whole up
into a knot on the top of the head. Their colour is black
or transparent brown {doorscMjnend bruin.y^^

The peculiar tinge of complexion here alluded to by
Lieutenant Kolff is common among many of the Papuan
tribes of the Archipelago, more especially in the case of
individuals who have been brought up from an early age
in the families of European settlers, w^here they have
been less exposed to privations than their wild brethren
of the mountains. This tinge arises apparently from
the natural chocolate-coloured skin becoming so clear,
that the flush of the blood shows through it. The pecu-
liarity is exceedingly well-depicted in the '' Portrait of a
Girl of Luzon" (one of the Philippine Islands), w^hich
forms Plate XXIV. of the late Dr. Prichard's " Natural
History of Man/' The original formed part of the col-
lection of M. Choris, a French artist, who accompanied
the Russian voj'^age of circumnavigation under Kotzebue,
and the copy referred to is stated by Dr. Prichard to

* Kolff, " Voyage of the ' Dourga,' " p. 156.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS. 99

give " probably a correct portrait of a female of this YB.ce/'
an opinion which will be confirmed by all those who have
had opportunities of seeing Papuans of the Philippines
as favourably circumstanced as this young person seems to
have been. This tinge of complexion is very general among
the children and young women of the Arms, and is more
pleasing in the eyes of Europeans than the pallid, yellow
complexion of children of the brown races. It is styled
" itam manis" literally " sweet black^^ by the Malays,
among w^hom also it is common, especially at Bruni
(Borneo Proper) and Acheen, in Sumatra, where the
inhabitants are generally darker in complexion than in
the other Malayan States. The itam manis complexion
is also rather admired by the Malays, as is shown, indeed,
by the poetical name they have conferred on it.

The Arruans are taller and more muscular than the
Malays and Bughis of Celebes, but are inferior in pro-
portions, if not in stature, to the ordinary run of
Europeans. The usual height of the men is from five
feet four inches to five feet eight inches, and there is a
great inclination to slimness about the lower extremities
among the taller men, some of whom attain the height of
six feet. Fine expansive chests are, however, almost
universal. The writer had no opportunity of seeing the
natives of the easternmost islands of the group, who,
according to all accounts, musl possess a superior deve-
lopment to those of the south ; but Mr. Kolfi" was more
fortunate, as will be seen by the following extract from
the " Voyage of the ' Dourga^ :^^ —

" On one occasion, we met with a prahu from the
Kabroor Islands, the people in which were superior in

F 2

100 ARRU ISLANDS.

appearance to tlie trepang-fishers of Vorkay. They Lad
clearer skins than the latter^ and their hair, which was
also much finer, was very neatly dressed and adorned with
beads. Their weapons, and the ornaments of their prahus,
displayed great taste. The strangers, who called them-
selves Alfoers of Borassi, had abundance of food ^ith
them, together with several hunting dogs/^*

These people are described by the western islanders as
being more addicted to agricultural than maritime pur-
suits, and as subsisting chiefly on maize, yams, and sweet
potatoes, which may possibly account for their superiority
in personal appearance. Their prahus and weapons are
said to resemble exactly those of the Outanatas, on the
opposite coast of New Guinea.

Very little is known concerning the agriculture of the
Arruans, for during the periodical visits of the traders,
which extend over three or fom* months, nearly the entire
population, male and female, is occupied in collecting the
marine produce which forms the bulk of their return car-
goes. The houses of the Arruans, which are erected on
piles near the sea-shore, are generally shaded by cocoa-nut
groves; and their gardens, which are laid out in the in-
terior, supply yams, sweet potatoes, plantains, &:c., in fact,
the greater portion of the fruits and vegetables common to
the Moluccas; and Mr. Kolff inforais us that they also
grow a little rice, but this is not a common practice,
although rice is their favourite diet, the supplies brought
by the foreign traders being very great, and quite equal
to the consumption of the inhabitants employed in the

* Kolff, '^ Voyage;' <S:c., p. 178.

FISHERIES. 101

trepang-fishery. Indeed, this grain is cheaper here than
at any port in the Moluccas.

Lieutenant Kolff thus describes the mode in which the
trepang and pearl fisheries are conducted, and the prahus
used by the natives when fishing on the outlying banks.
The foreign traders leave their vessels at Dobbo or Wadia
in charge of a few of the crew, and proceed to the diffe-
rent villages in the boats which they hire from the
Arruans, the owners generally accompanying them as
pilots.

" Vorkay, an island lying exposed to the ocean at the
south-eastern extremity of the group, is of great impor-
tance from its pearl fishery. At a distance of eight miles
to the eastward, lie several small islands, between which
and Vorkay the trepang banks are situated. At low
water, hundreds of men, with their wives and children,
may be seen wading from Vorkay towards these islets
(the water being only two or three feet deep), carrying a
basket at their backs, and having in their hands a stick,
provided with an iron point. ^Vhen the water is deeper
than this, they make use of canoes. For fishing on the
banks situated at a greater distance, the Alfoers use a
prahu, constructed for the purpose, in which they embark
theii* entire families. These vessels have a very strauge
appearance. They have great beam, and the stern runs
up into a high curve, while two planks project forward
from the bows. The family resides in three or four huts
composed of atap, or palm leaves, erected within the
vessel, and a railing runs entirely round it, apparently to
prevent the children from falling overboard. The prahu
is propelled by a large sail made of rushes, which folds

103 ARRU ISLANDS.

up like a fan (in a similar manner to the sails of a
Chinese junk); set upon a tripod mast of bamboos, while
it is steered with two rudders. Two other masts are also
erected; which answer no purpose but that of displaying
several small flags.

" The pearl fishery is thus carried on. The trader
makes an agreement (for the oysters) for so much a
hundred; paying an advance of a certain quantity of
arrak; cloth, &c. 'When the price is agreed on, the fisher
goes to the bank and dives for the oysters, which are
mostly small and black, in from twenty-four to thirty
feet water, selecting the best he can find. The diving is
attended with much difficulty and danger, as, from the
time he remains under water, the blood often bursts from
the nose and mouth of the diver, while he is also liable
to be destroyed by the numerous sharks which are to be
found there.^^*

Until a comparatively recent period, the inhabitants of
the eastern islands of the group were in the habit of
joining the Papuan fleets which made periodical semi-
piratical expeditions among the islands of the Moluccas,
furnishing their quota of prahus, which resemble very
closely those of the Outanatas. Among the southern
tribes, considerable improvements have been made in
the art of navigation, which appear to have been derived
chiefly from the foreign traders. In the western, or,
as they may be called, "Christian" islands, the larger
prahus are almost all obtained from the Ki Group, which
lies sixty miles to the west, and is occupied by the most

* Kolff, "Voyage of the 'Doui'ga,' " p. 17Q.

NAVIGATION AND TRADE. 103

industrious of the brown tribes of the Archipelago.
The mechanical skill of the latter people is particularly
displayed in the construction of small vessels — indeed
eveiy village on the coasts of the Ki Islands has the
appearance of a large boat-buildei"'s yard. The foreign
traders generally call there on their way to the Arrus^ for
the purpose of ^jurchasing one or more prahus, to be
employed in visiting the more remote fishing villages ;
and as these are generally sold or given away to the
islanders on the departure of the tradei*s^ they have in a
great measui'e superseded the vessels of the natives in the
western Arms, if they ever had any of a large size. The
Ki prahus are graceful-looking vessels, from seventy to a
hundred feet long, and ten or twelve feet broad, very low
sided, and having platforms erected over them, on which
the crew cook and sleep.

One of the most striking peculiarities in connection
with the customs of the Arruans, consists in the hisrh
value they place upon elephants^ tusks, brass gongs, and
large porcelain dishes, which are in such demand, that
they generally form part of the cargoes brought by the
foreign traders. The writer has a lively recollection of
the incredulous surprise with which he listened to the
statements of the Bughis traders he met with in Java
and Singapore during his earlier visits to the Archi-
pelago, who informed him that the islanders hoarded up
these valuables, without making any ostensible use of
them, and gave prices which enabled the Bughis traders
to buy up these articles on any terms, in fact to command
the market. Siam and Cochin-China were then the chief
sources of the supply of ivory, but latterly African tusks

104) ARRU ISLANDS.

have been impoi-ted from Europe by the Netherlands
Company for the Moluccan trade, so that the demand
seems rather to be on the mcrease. This singular practice
of hoarding articles of such value, which is common also to
the natives of Timor-Laut and the Serwatty Islands, will
have to be noticed more fully when the brown-coloured
tribes of the Archipelago come under review. With the
Timor-Laut and Serwatty islanders, the practice is con-
nected with religious observances, the tusks more
especially being purchased by the wealthy for display
during their funereal ceremonies, after which they are
preserved by their descendants as relics. Probably this
will prove to be the case with the Arruans also, when
more full information is obtained concerning their
customs.

The following interesting details respecting the social
condition and customs of the inhabitants of Vorkay, one
of the southernmost islands of the group, and lying in the
immediate vicinity of the principal trepang and pearl
fisheries, is extracted from Lieutenant Kolff^s narrative of
the " Voyage of the ' Dourga.^ '' It must be taken into
consideration, however, that the natives were on their
good behaviour during the visits of the Dutch officers,
and were especially anxious to leave a favourable im-
pression on the minds of their guests. Nevertheless, his
statements respecting their peaceful behaviour towards each
other are confirmed by the traders who have long held
intercourse with them, although they complain sadly of
the unceremonious manner in which they are liable to
be ejected from the community, if they or their people
happen to offend the natives^ prejudices. These differences.

SOCIAL CUSTOMS. 105

towever, are rarely attended witli bloodshed, and even
the sufferers themselves admit that their property is never
appropriated, although it is sometimes much injured by
he rough manner in which it is bundled into their boats,
if they are so unfortunate as to incur displeasure.

''It is certainly worthy of remark that these simple
Alfoers, without the hope of reward or fear of punishment
after death (Mr. Kolff here alludes to the ignorance of
the An-uans respecting a future state), live in such peace
and brotherly love with one another, and that they recog-
nize the right of property in the fullest sense of the word,
without their being any other authority among them than
the decisions of theii* elders, according to the customs of
theii* forefathers, which are held in the highest regard.
During my stay among them, I never perceived the least
discord, either among themselves or with their neighbours
in the adjacent villages, which one would suppose might
natui-ally take place from the clashing of interests in the
trepang fishery, or from their appetite for strong drink.
This last is the chief, if not the sole vice which exists
among them.

" No Alfoer can take unto himself a wife until he has
delivered the marriage present, which consists of ele-
phants' teeth, brass gongs, cloth, &c. This is not usually
all paid at once, but" by instalments during several years.
A father, who has many daughters, becomes a rich man
by the presents which he receives on their marriage. If
a young man wishes to marr}', and is possessed of nothing,
it often occurs that he makes a voyage of a year's duration
among the other islands ; and making known his purpose,
demands contributions fi'om those he visits to enable him

106 ARRU ISLANDS.

to make up the instalment of goods which it is necessaiy
to place in the hands of the parents. The ceremony of
betrothing is celebrated by a feast^ at which arrack forms
a very necessary adjunct.

" It is not lawful for a man to enter the house of a
neighbour during his absence ; and if any one offends in
this particular^ he is obliged to pay a piece of cloth, or
some other goods, to the owner of the house. The sen-
tence is passed by the elders, who openly call upon the
offender to pay the fine, which makes him so ashamed
that he either does so, or immediately leaves the village.
This fine is called ^ pakul dende^ by the natives. Should
any one even touch the wife of another, he must make a
large atonement for the offence. The Macassar traders
informed me that they were always obliged to watch their
people narrowly, to keep them from approaching too near
the married women, as the least touch would render them
liable to a fine ; and unless this was paid, the Alfoers
would not be satisfied.

" They pride themselves much in the possession of a
number of elephants' tusks, and brass gongs ; the value
of the first being determined according to their length,
and of the latter by their weight and circumference.
They formerly obtained these articles from the Banda
traders, who themselves procured them from Batavia,
Malacca, and Singapore.

" The following occurrence gives a remarkable proof of
the mildness of their laws. An Alfoer, who had gone out
fishing, intending to be absent eight days, did not return;

SOCIAL CUSTOMS. 107

and his wifC;, wlio had no more provisions at home than
would last her for this period^ requested assistance from a
neighbour. Hence arose a mutual friendship^ whichj
however, at first only showed itself in little attentions, the
man drawing water, cutting wood, and providing fish for
his fail' neighbour, who could not avoid feelmg grateful
for the kindness ; and no one will be surprised at their
friendship at length ripening into love, when, conscious
of their guilt, they took flight to one of the neighbouring
islands. The husband, who -had been detained by con-
trary winds, returned at the end of two months, and
demanded his wife of her brothers, who were therefore
necessitated to go in search of her, when the guilty
couple were soon discovered, and brought back to their
\-illage. The injured husband demanded an enormous
fine from the seducer of his wife, which the latter refused
to pav, stating that during his entire life he should
not be able to collect a suflScient quantity of trepang to
make up the sum. An appeal was thereupon made to
the elders ; and on the woman being questioned, she
frankly stated that the kindness of her neighbour in
supplying her wants had called forth her gratitude, and
this ripened into love ; she had made the first advances.
The elders considered this mode of proceeding on the
part of the wife rather strange ; but taking it into consi-
deration that it was very difficult for any one to withstand
a declaration of love from a young woman, they lost
sight of the severe laws respecting the conduct of men
towards married women, and determined that the offender
should only pay a small fine, and advised the husband
never again to leave his wife at home without provisions.

108 ARRU ISLANDS.

The lady returned home with her husband^ who was wise
enough never to mention the subject, folio v;ing up the old
proverb :

" ' Men moet geene oude Koeijen nit de sloot halen.'

"Among the x\lfoers, the treatment of their dead betrays,
in the greatest degree, their uncivilized condition, and the
uncertainty which exists among them as to their future
state. Allien a man dies, his relations assemble, and
destroy all the goods he may have collected during his
life, even the gongs are broken to pieces, and thrown
away. In their villages I met with several heaps of
porcelain plates and basins, the property of deceased
individuals, the survivors entertaining an idea that they
have no right to make use of them. After death the
body is laid out on a small mat, and supported against
a ladder until the relatives of the deceased assemble,
which seldom takes place until four days have elapsed ;
and as decomposition will have commenced before this,
the parts where moisture has appeared are covered with
lime. Fruitless endeavours to stop the progress of
decay ! In the meantime, damar or resin is con-
tinually burnt in the house, while the guests who have
already assembled regale themselves with quantities of
arrack, and of a spirit they themselves prepare from the
juice of a fruit, amid violent raving, the discord being
increased by the beating of gongs, and the howling and
lamentation of the women. Food is offered to the
deceased ; and when they find he does not partake
of it, the mouth is filled with eatables, siri and arrack,
until it runs down the body, and spreads over the floor.

FUNEREAL CUSTOMS. 109

When the friends and relatives are all collected, the
body is placed upon a bier, on which numerous pieces
of cloth have been laid, the quantity being according to
the ability of the deceased ; and under the bier are placed
large dishes of China porcelain, to catch any moisture
that may fall from the body. The dishes which have been
put to this purpose are afterwards much prized by the
Alfoers. The body is then brought out before the house,
and supported against a post, when attempts are made to
induce it to eat. Lighted segars, arrack, rice, fruit, &c.,
are again stuffed into its mouth, and the by-standers,
striking up a song, demand whether the sight of all his
friends and fellow-villagers will not induce the deceased
to awaken ? At length, when they find all these endea-
vours to be fruitless, they place the body on a bier,
adorned with flags, and carry it out into the forest, where
it is fixed upon the top of four posts. A tree, usually the
Pavetta Indica, is then planted near it ; and it is remark-
able that at this last ceremony none but women, entirely
naked, are present. This is called by the Alfoers '^sudah
buang,' by which they mean that the body is now cast
away, and can listen to them no longer. The entire
ceremony proves that the Alfoers are deprived of that
consolation afforded by our religion ; and that they only
give expression to the grief they naturally feel at parting
with one to whom they have been attached."*

The chiefs and upper classes of the north-western
islands of the group are for the most part Christians of
the Dutch Reformed Church, the pastoral duties being

* Kolff, " Yoyage of the ' Dourga/ " p. 161 et seq.

110 ARRU ISLANDS.

performed by native teachers, who are sent there by the
missionary establishments of Amboyaa, the government
allowing them a small salary. Wadia, a little island
near the northern extreme, is, however, occupied almost
exclusively by Mohammedans, but they do not seem to
make much progress in gaining proselytes. The pagan
inhabitants show a greater tendency towards Christianity,
as some of our festivals have been adopted by them, but
apparently without understanding their meaning. The
labours of the Dutch missionaries have been chiefly
exerted among the brown-coloured tribes of the Moluccas,
the difficulty they have experienced in finding native
teachers who were willing to reside among wild tribes of
a different race, being the chief cause of their apparent
neglect of the Papuans. The opening that was afforded
by the existence of semi-Malayan communities on the
western islands of the Arru Group, seems to have been
availed of at an early period of the Dutch occupation of
the Moluccas, as some of the neat little churches which
are found near the chief villages, have dates inscribed
over their doors which show that they were erected in the
early part of the last century. One of the objects of
Lieutenant Kolff^s expedition of 1826 was to inquire into
the state of the Christian Church in the more remote
islands of the Moluccan Seas, which had been neglected
during the troubles occasioned by the last European war;
and for this pui-pose he was accompanied by the Rev.
Mr. Kam, the head of the Dutch Church at Amboyna,
whose name is prominently connected with missionary
labours in the Moluccas.

A full description of the Arru Islands and their

INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. Ill

motley inhabitants would prove deeply interesting to
ethnographical science. If, as there is much reason to
suspect, the xlrruans were originally of the same race with
the inhabitants of the opposite coast of New Guinea, the
course of improvement which has led to their becoming
one of the best-conducted tribes of the Indian Archi-
pelago might here be detected ; aijd philanthropists would
have data on which to act in reclaiming a race, which
becomes more interesting from the utter barbarism in
which some of its members are steeped.

112 MOUNTAIN PAPUANS.

CHAPTER YI.

CERAM AND THE MOLUCCAS.

MOUNTAIN- PAPUANS — MIXED RACE ON THE ISLANDS LYING BETWEEN

CERAM AND NEW GUINEA REMNANTS OF THE PAPUAN RACE IN

CERAM CONDITION IN THE TIME OF VALENTYN THE WARINGIN OR

BANYAN-TREE OF THE FAR EAST ITS CONNECTION WITH THE EARLY

HISTORY OF THE NATIVE RACES HOPELESS CONDITION OF THE

PAPUANS IN THE INTERIOR OF CERAM — FORMER POWER OF THE

MARITIME PAPUANS THEIR EXPEDITIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURING

SEAS ADVENTURE OF A PAPUAN RAJAH AT TERNATE.

Within the geographical limits of the Indian Archi-
pelagOj the Papuans only appear as inhabitants of the
sea-coast in New Guinea and the islands immediately
adjacent. In other parts of this region they are found
only among the mountain fastnesses, maintaining an
unequal struggle with the brown races by whom they are
surrounded. In some of the Spice Islands, the group
nearest to New Guinea, " their extirpation is matter of
history," as observed by Mr. Crawfurd in his valuable
^' History of the Indian Archipelago.^'* In Ceram and

♦ Vol. I, p. 18.

MYSOL. 113

Gilolo a few scattered remnants of the race still exist;
but they hold little or no intercourse with their more
ci\ilized neighbours, flying into the thickets which
afford them shelter and concealment on the first
appearance of a stranger, experience having taught them
that death or captivity will be their fate if they fall into
the hands of their natural enemies. The characteristics
of the Mountain Papuans must therefore be sought in
those islands where their numerical strength permits
them to lead a life more fitted for human beings than that
of their hunted brethi'en. It is an eri'or to suppose that
these poor creatures disappear before civilization. Their
chief destroyers are the wild and warlike hunting tribes of
the brovvn race ; and, excepting the case of the Moluccas,
wherever European civilization has been introduced, the
Papuans are more numerous than elsewhere. In the
Philippines, for example, according to an intelhgent
modern traveller, their number in the year 1842
amounted to 25,000 souls.*

The large island of Mysol or Mesual, which lies
nearly midway between the north-western extreme of
New Guinea and Ceram, is said to have been occupied
exclusively by Papuans when this region was first visited
by Europeans, and they still form the bulk of the inland
population ; but the villages of the coast are occupied by
a mixed race, in which the Papuan element, however,
prevails. The islands of Goram, Ceram-Laut, Bo, Poppo,
and Geby, and Patani-Hoek, the south-eastern extreme
of Gilolo, are also occupied by people of the mixed race,

* Mallat, "Les Philippines," &c., vol. i, p. 97. Paris, 1S46.

llJj GORAM AND GEBY.

who are remarkable for their maritime activity, and for
their friendly disposition towards European strangers.
The mixtm-e has arisen chiefly from these spots having
been the places of refuge for offenders against the regu-
lations established for the monopoly of spices in the
Moluccas, and which, until a comparatively recent period,
had been so rigidly enforced, that even suspected persons
were unwilling to submit to the summaiy jurisdiction of
the Dutch residents and ^^ post-houders,^^ if they had the
slightest prospect of escaping to another district where
they would be beyond the reach of the Spice-laws. The
pilots and interpreters who accompany European traders
on their voyages to New Guinea, are of this race, chiefly
from Goram and Geby, and they are considered upon the
whole as faithful and intelligent. The cordiality of the
natives of Goram towards European strangers, afl'ords a
strong contrast to the reserve which tempers the hospi-
tality of even the best disposed Mohammedan natives of
the Moluccas.

The eastern extremity of Ceram, and also the greater
portion of the north coast of that island, was inhabited
by Papuans on the first arrival of Europeans in the East ;
but they are now only to be found in the jungles, and
seem to be rapidly disappearing before the brown tribes,
who are both numerous and warlike. Valentyn, the old
Dutch historian of the East, who resided for many years
at Amboyna and Banda, thus describes the condition of
the Papuan communities of the coast of Ceram in the
early part of the last century : " Hote (a river on the
north coast of the island) is the northernmost rendezvous
of the people of Messowal (Mysol), and it appears that

CERAM. 115

these Papoewas come here to trade with those of the Bay
of Hatoewe. It is also the boundary- limit [grenspaal) of
the Papoewas there. For those of Messowal, and their
adherents, formerly used to plunder the other Papoewas
who lived to the east and noith-east of Hote, and there-
fore they named this place ' Hote/ which, in their lan-
guage, means boundary-limit, or separation. Those of
Messowal had left off this plundering for some years,
when presently the Papoewas to the east and north-east
of Hote attacked the other natives ; and so many com-
plaints were laid before their Honours (the Raad, or
council), by the inhabitants of Amboyna, that in the first
instance their Honours counselled the Sultan of Tidore, in
Saif-Addeen^s time, to prevent these occurrences ; which
he pretended to do. But afterwards he instructed them
to attack and plunder our allies ; and their Honours were
obliged to give orders to the people of Amboyna to
attack the Papoewas, not only on our coasts, but also in
their own nests on the coasts of Maba, "Weda, and Sal-
watti.* The old residences of the inhabitants of Hote, at
least while they remained on the banks of the river, were
like those of the other Papoewas, in the high forest,
where they built their houses, according to an old native
custom, on high piles, or among the branches of the
waringin-trees, so far from the ground that they could
only be got at by climbing ladders, which they probably
did in order to secure themselves from sudden attacks.
But in the year 1673, they removed to a spot a httle to

* The two first of these places are on the east coast of Gilolo, and
the last is a large island situated between Gilolo and Xew Guinea. —
G. W. E.

116 CERAM.

the eastward of tlie river, where they have remained ever

}}:k

Since.'

The waringin-tree, alluded to by Yalentyn, is a variety
of the Ficus, very closely resembling the banyan-tree of
the continent of India ; spreading in like manner over a
large space of ground, the lateral branches sending down
shoots, which take root, and become supplementary
trunks. The circumstance of the wilder Papuans taking
delight in residing among the branches of waringin-
trees, whose dense foliage and horizontally spreading
branches render them well adapted for the purpose, has
been repeatedly noticed by travellers, but hitherto their
accounts seem to have been little credited. This tree is
of peculiar interest in connection with the earlier history
of the native races of the Far East, as it is regarded with a
superstitious veneration by all the aboriginal tribes of the
Archipelago, as well as by those of the northern coasts
of Australia, and by the lower classes, at least, of the
Chinese.

Valentyn's account of a wild people found in the
interior of Ceram, which is given below, agrees with
information obtained by the writer within the last few
years from natives of the south coast of that island,
except as regards their beiug cannibals, on which point
the informants were not unanimous. But all agreed in
describing them as a particularly small race, of very dark
complexion, with black frizzled hair, resembling that of
the Papuans. " There are yet many other Alfoers {Al-
foereesen) existing in the eastern part of Ceram ; as those

* Yalentyn, " Beschryringe van Auiboiaa," p. 56.

CERAM. 117

of "Wassoa, Mariboenoe, of the countn' inland of Scpa
and Tamilauj also inland of Haja, and in the district
Silan Binauwer ; and also inland of Cattaroewa, and in
other places which are not accurately known ;— a people
so wild that they will not hold communication with any-
body ; residing chiefly in high waringin and other trees ;
living separately, from a want of mutual confidence, each
in his own tree ; and not only killing one another, but
eating each other up.''*

Some allowance must be made for the exaggeration in
which the brown tribes always indulge when speaking of
this degraded race, apparently with the view of furnishing
an apology for the cruel manner in which they hunt
them down whenever an opportunity offers ; but of the
general correctness of the above details, there can be
little doubt. The case of a people so situated must be
almost hopeless. This is probably the last stage in
which the race has existed in many of the islands, large
and small, from which it has now totally disappeared ; and
the circumstance brings forcibly to mind the condition m
which a remnant of a native tribe of Van Diemen's Land
was discovered, some years after the main body had
been hunted down and transferred to an island in Bass's
Strait. Many of the smaller islands lying between the
Moluccas and New Guinea, are now altogether uninha-
bited, but the former occupants may have removed them-
selves to one of the larger islands in their vicinity, where
they could find a retreat in the mountain fastnesses on
the approach of danger.

* YalentTn, " Beschryringe van Amboina," p. 7S.

118 MYSOL.

The power of the maritime tribes of Mysol, and some
of the larger islands adjacent to the west coast of New
Guinea, must have been considerable during the last
century, as the ravages committed by their flotillas,
which appear to have resembled that of the Outanatas
seen by Mr. Modera, are a repeated subject of complaint
in the writings of the time. The anecdote given by
Captain Forrest, which is extracted below, relates to one
of the latest and most formidable of the expeditions in
which a number of Papuan tribes had combined in fitting
out a fleet of sufficient force to operate at a distance from
home. These enterprises, which had for their object
both trade and plunder, were the terror of the fishermen
of the Moluccas, as the latter were generally kidnapped
when caught in convenient situations. This will explain
the anxiety of the Dutch authorities of the Moluccas to
suppress these expeditions by every means in their power ;
and although the measures adopted in the case mentioned
by Captain Forrest can scarcely be approved ofi", still
every allowance must be made for the irritation caused by
the constant complaints of those whose near relatives had
been carried off by the marauders, for such they must
undoubtedly be considered.

" About ten in the forenoon we were ready to sail
(from Mysol). This morning Tuan Hadjee (the Tidore
chief, who accompanied Captain Forrest as guide and
interpreter) was visited by the consort of the Rajah of
Salwatty, whose husband had lately been circumvented
by the Dutch, and sent to the Cape of Good Hope. I
also paid my respects to the lady, and made her a pre-
sent. She was well-looking, and had three female

PAPUAN FLOTILLAS. 119

attendants. She presented Tuan Hadjee with a small
corocoro ; and from him I learned the following account
of her lord. Some time about the year 1770^ a number
of Papua boats from New Guinea, the islands Aroo,
Salwatty, and Mysol, near the time of the vernal equinox,
when the seas are generally smooth, assembled to the
number of more than a hundred, and sailed up the Strait
of Patientia, which divides Batchian from Gololo. They
committed no hostilities ; but the Dutch, apprehensive of
what they misht do, sent to them, and made the chiefs
presents of cloth, &c., upon which they dispersed; and
after fishing a few days, and hunting in the woods, they
went home. However, the Rajah of Salwatty stayed
behind, but neither he nor any of his people did any
mischief. The Dutch, willing to get the Rajah into their
power, fell on the following stratagem. They sent a
messenger to him with a paper, signed and sealed by the
Governor of Ternate, telling him it was a pardon and
remission of his sala (offence) for having come with an
armed force into the Dutch territories ; and that he, in
particular, was more lucky than the other Papua chiefs,
who had returned home without such a formal absolution.
At the same time, he was invited to come and see Ternate,
where the governor would do him all kinds of honour
suitable to his rank ; and in case he shoidd fancy anything
in the Company^s warehouses, he had a bag of dollars
presented him. This was the bait. The Coffree chief,
sensible the dollars could buy him nothing in his own
country, whither he certainly might have carried them,
and ha\dng heard of the fine things to be bought of the
Dutch at Ternate, could not resist the temptation of

120 MOLUCCAS.

laying out money, got unexpectedly and for nothing.
He therefore consenting, went, accompanied by ten or
twelve of his people, into the fort, and waited on the
governor, who showed him civility and respect. He then
laid out his dollars. Presently a guard was turned out ;
and they thought themselves so sure of their prisoner,
that they did not even shut the gates. When it was
announced to him that he must surrender, he whispered
to his people — who were ready to mangamo (run a muck)
upon the occasion to serve their master, or sell their lives
dear — not to stir in his defence, but to save themselves ;
which, while the Rajah was delivering up his cress
(dagger), they immediately did; and running out of
the fort, they got on board their corocoro, and escaped.
The Rajah is now a prisoner at the Cape. Possibly the
Dutch allowed his people to get away.''^*

It must be remembered that this affair took place
when the government of Netherlands^ India was in the
hands of a trading company, so that the Dutch nation is
only indirectly responsible. Indeed. I should have hesitated
in brino-ins: it forward at a time when our own adminis-
tration in the East presents many tender points, had not
common justice towards the Papuans rendered it neces-
sary to produce evidence, that would tend to show how it
has happened, that three centuries of intercourse with an
European race settled in their immediate neighbourhood,
has been anything but favourable to the advance of the
native tribes of New Guinea.

* rorrest, " Voyage to New Guinea," p. 147.

EtJin o graphic al Lihiaxj Vol . I .

Plate V:

J' . ; ■ 'rtntf

A H JE T A S

PHILIPPINES. 121

CHAPTER VII.

AHETAS, OR NEGRITOS OF THE PHILIPPIXES.

DISTRIBUTIOX OF THE AHETAS IN' THE PHILIPPINES ACCOUNTS

OF EARLY VOYAGERS NATURE OF THE COUNTRY PHYSICAL

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AHETAS FOOD HABITS SINGULAR

PRACTICE NOSTALGIA OR HOME-SICKNESS INDIVIDUALS RE-
SIDING VnTU THE FOREIGN SETTLERS M. DE LA GIRONIERe's

VISIT TO A MOUNTAIN TRIBE FIRST INTRODUCTION PERSONAL

APPEARANCE HABITS WORSHIP CUSTOMS ON THE DEATH OF

ONE OF THEIR TRIBE MODE OF COURTSHIP — RESPECT FOR OLD

AGE STYLE OF LANGUAGE POISONED ARROWS AGILITY OF

THE AHETAS.

The woolly-haired tribes are more numerous in the
Philippines than in any other group of the Indian Archi-
pelago, vdth the exception of New Guinea. M. Malkt,
as already stated, gives the amount of the "Negrito"
population in 1842 as 25,000. This can only be con-
sidered as approximative, still it is probably not far from
the true amount. The race, therefore, can scarcely be
less numerous now than on the first arrival of the Spa-
niards more than three centuries ago. Indeed, their
distribution among the islands of the group seems to have

122 PHILIPPINES.

been mucli the same then as at the present day ; for the
island on which they were first seen was named by
Magellan " Isla dos Negros/^ to distinguish it from the
adjacent island Zebu, where his ships remained for some
months. Negros still contains a large population of
Papuans, while Zebu is altogether free from them, and no
record exists of their having ever been found there. Samar
and Le)i;e are similarly situated with Zebu, but Min-
danao and Mindoro contain several tribes of Negritos, and
they form the chief population of the less accessible parts
in the mountain ranges of Luzon, the largest island of
the Philippine Group.

The accounts of the Negritos given by the early Spanish
navigators perfectly apply to their present condition. They
are described -as being smaller, more slightly built, and
less dark in colour than the negroes of Africa, and as
having features less marked with the negro characteristics,
but as having woolly instead of lank hair ; and their social
condition could not have been much better than now,
since they are described as lining on roots, and the pro-
duce of the chase ; and as sleeping in the branches of the
trees, or among the ashes of the fires at which they had
cooked their food.

The following details respecting their present condition
have been obtained chiefly from the accounts of MM.
Mallat and de la Gironiere, the former an intelligent
historian, and the latter an able describer of the adven-
tures that befel him during a residence of twenty years
among the aboriginal races of the Philippines.*

* Mallat, 7'.hi supra. Dc la Gii-oiiiere, "Yingt Annees aux
Philippines," Paris, 1S53.

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES. 123

But it will be as well, in the first instance, to give a
short account of the geographical features of this group,
which forms the northern extreme of the Indian Archi-
pelago. It consists of a mass of mountains, the peaks of
which are often active volcanos, with alluvial plains, occa-
sionally of great extent, lying at their base. As in all
volcanic countries, the soil possesses great natural fertility,
which is here displayed in the production of a vegetation
scarcely less vigorous and luxuriant than that of New
Guinea. A portion of the plains, more especially on the
western side of Luzon, the largest and northernmost of
the group, is under cultivation ; but the mountains, for
the most part, remain in their natural condition, covered
with lofty trees and a thick growth of underwood, or
forming peaks and precipices inaccessible to any animal
less active than a savage. Here, and here only, the
Papuans are now to be found, sometimes holding friendly
intercourse, and exchanging the produce of their moun-
tains, with the brown races of the plains, but more
generally living secluded in their fastnesses, and attacking
all indiscriminately who venture to approach their
domains.

The name bestowed on them by the Spaniards is
'' Negritos,^^ or little negroes, but that of '' Itas" or
"Ahetas^^* seems to be their usual appellation among the
planters and villagers of the plains. They are well
formed and sprightly, but very low in stature, as they
rarely exceed four feet and a half in height. Their
colour is a shade or two lighter than that of the races of
Africa, and their features are less negro-like, the nose,

* Written " A^etas," but prouomiccd as above.

G 2

124 PHiLippiNirs.

although broad and flat;, not being particularly remarkable.
The deficiency of chin is^ however_, very observable^ and
the hair is invariably crisp and frizzled. Their chief food
consists of roots and fruits^ the spontaneous productions
of the forests (for they have not as yet learned to culti-
vate the soil). To these they add the spoils of the
chase, which are sometimes sufficiently abundant, as the
woods abound in feathered game, as well as deer, wild
pigs, and buffaloes. The game is roasted, or rather
scorched, and is usually eaten on the spot where it
has been slain, a measure, by the way, almost necessary
when wild buffaloes fall into their hands, as these animals
are sometimes of enormous size. Their weapons of
war and the chase are bows and arrows (which last are
carried in a quiver of bamboo), and lances or throwing-
spears. Their domestic habits are thus noticed by M.
Mallat, who does not, however, appear to have seen them in
their mountain fastnesses, as was the case with M. De La
Gironiere, whose description of a visit to one of the tribes
we shall have to quote presently : " They lie down to
sleep wherever the night overtakes them, either in a tree
or on the grass ; and when, the weather is cold, or the
earth damp, they make a large fire, and roll themselves
in the warm ashes, or pass the night under the shelter of
a spreading tree. .^^N

" Sworn enemies of the Indians (brown tribes) they have
preserved a custom from which they never derogate, and
which rendei-s them exceedingly formidable. When a
member of their family or one of their friends dies, one of
them presents himself immediately among his companions

CUSTOMS OF THE AHETAS, 125

and the parents of tlie defunct, with a quiver at his back

and a bow and arrow in his hand, and declares he is

going to depart, swearing that he will not return among

them until he has killed one or more of the Indians, in

order to avensre the death of then- friend, which he attri-
/ ....

butes to the sorcery of their rivals. He immediately

resorts to the places which he knows them to frequent,

and ascends the trees, from which he examines the

domicile of the Indians, the river in which they are in

the habit of bathing, or the brook from which they

collect the auriferous sands ; and there, hidden and in

silence, awaits the opportunity of striking them dead with

his poisoned arrows. Then he returns among his

people, and mingles in their songs, dances, and rejoicings,

for he has aven2:ed the death of a brother or a friend.''^*

Those who are acquainted with the practices of the

aboriginal tribes of Australia will read this paragraph

with deep interest. Indeed it displays the characteristic

which has chiefly led to the Papuans being regarded with

hatred and abhorrence by all the brown tribes with whom

they come in contact, and which, if persevered in, would

eventually lead to their total extermination. x^nd in

countries exclusively occupied by the race, where of

necessity the victim has to be sought in a kindred tribe,

this practice has contributed more than any other cause

to that estrangement between the different tribes which

has proved an effectual bar to mutual improvement. M.

Mallat, will, I am sure, excuse me if I correct his account

in one unimportant particular. It is not on the death of

* Mallat, "Les Pliilippines/' tome ii, p. 94.

126 PHILIPPINES.

an individual, but on that of a warrior of the tribe, that a
victim is sought in another community ; and the practice
seems to be rapidly disappearing from amoug the moun-
tain Papuans, perhaps from it sometimes producing
a retaliation that has 'not left a sufficient number of
warriors alive to avenge the death of the slain.

M. Mallat also notices the apparently untameable
nature of Papuans of the Philippines, and their incessant
desire to return to the savage state, which has often
rendered attempts to civilize individuals utterly abortive.
But this feeling appears only to exist when in the neigh-
bourhood of their homes, for the cheerfulness, and
apparent forgetfulness of country, which is displayed by
the Papuans, whether of the mountains or coasts, who are
found in a state of slavery throughout the southern settle-
ments of the Archipelago, is calculated to arrest the
attention of those who have iiad opportunities of observ-
ing them closely. Indeed the Papuans appear to be
totally exempt from that '^ nostalgia,^^ or home-sickness,
which prevails amoilg the natives of Australia, and those
of Rotti, near Timor, when removed from their own
country. This feeling is so prominent among the latter,
that a body of six hundred men, who had been impressed
nito the Dutch service to act as troops in their Indian
settlements, became almost extinct in the course of a
few years, and the lives of the remainder, about forty in
number, were only saved by their being sent back to their
own country.

" The character of the Negritos is untameable, and it is
impossible to surmount their tendency to idleness.
Prompted by an irresistible instinct to retm'n to the place

DOMESTICATED AHETAS. 127

of their birth, they prefer a savage life to all the charms
of civilization. It has occurred that individuals, who
have taken Negritos during their infancy, and made
sacrifices to give them an education, have found them-
selves suddenly abandoned by them. An instance is
given in which the Archbishop of ^Manilla brought up one
of them with gi-eat care, and even ordained him as a
priest ; but who, unable to support a social life [la vie
sociale), left his cassock behind and returned to the
mountains, a striking example of the power which a
love of liberty and independence preserves.^^*

A few individual Negritos are always to be found
about the capital, generally attached to the establishments
of the higher functionaries, where they lead a life by
no means well calculated to improve their habits, as they
are alternately petted by their masters, and teased by
their fellow -servants, who take delight in witnessing the
fitful fury into which the little creatures are thrown.
M. Mallat had one of them in his service while at
Manilla, and therefore must have had favourable op-
portunities of examining theii' characteristics. He was
a native of the Sierra which forms the western side of the
port of Manilla. " The almost inaccessible retreats of
these wild mountains, are inhabited by a great number of
the little negroes, called Negritos, of whom we have
spoken above. It sometimes happens, that they are
hunted up in their places of refuge, when endeavours are
made to take some prisoners, choosing the younger ones,
who are brought up by the inhabitants until they attain

* 3IaILat " Les PhifiDpiiies." tome n. v. 95.

12S FHILTPPINES.

the age of reason, and who employ them, in the interval,
in different services, and then give them their liberty.
One of our friends had one m his possession, which he
gave over to us. He was called Panchote, was not
wanting in intelligence, and was especially full of mis-
chief/^*

The following account of M. de la Gironiere^s visit to
a tribe residing near the east coast of Luzon, a little to
the north of the parallel of Manilla, is the more interest-
ing from such events being of very rare occurrence, their
communication with strangers being seldom of a friendly
nature. ^' I passed three days among the good TagaloQs
of Binangonan, who received and feted me like a real
prince. The fourth day I made my adieus, and we
directed our course towards the north, among mountains
always covered with thick forests, and which, like those
we had just quitted, presented no traced route, excepting
a few narrow path-ways beaten by wild beasts. We
advanced with caution for we were now in the parts
inhabited by the Ajetas. At night we concealed our fires,
and one of us always acted as sentinel, for what we feared
most was a sui'prise.

" One morning, while pursuing our way in silence, we
heard before us a chorus of squeaking tones, which had
more resemblance to the cries of birds then to the human
voice. AVe kept on our guard, concealing our approach
as much as possible with the aid of the trees and
brambles. All at once we perceived at a little distance
about forty savages, of all sexes and ages, who had

« «

Les PhilippineSj" ii^ p. 195.

VISIT TO A MOUNTAIN TRIBE. 129

absolutely the air of animals. They were on the banks
of a rivulet^ sun'ounding a great fire. ^Ye made several
steps in advance, and presented the butt-ends of our guns
towards them. As soon as they perceived us they set up
shrill cries^ and prepared to take to flight; but I made
signs to them, by showing them some packets of segai^s,
that we wished to offer them for their acceptance, I
had fortunately received at Binangonau all the instructions
necessary for knowing how to open a communication \^'ith
them. As soon as they comprehended us, they ranged
themselves into a line, like men preparing for a review :
this was the signal that we might approach. T\'e went
up to them with our segars in our hands, and I com-
menced distributing them from one extremity of the line.
It was very important that we should make friends with
them, and give each an equal share, according to their
custom. Tlie women who happened to be in the family-
way claimed a double share, and patted the most pro-
minent part of their persons in order to bring under my
notice their title to the claim. The distribution being
over, our alliance was cemented, and peace concluded,
when they commenced smoking. A deer was hanging to
a tree, from which the chief cut three large slices with a
knife of bamboo^ and threw them into the fire, and draw-
ing them out an instant afterwards^ presented a piece to
each of us. The exterior was slightly bm-ned and
sprinkled with ashes, but the interior was perfectly raw
and bloody. It would not do, however, to show the
repugnance I felt at making a repast scarcely better than
that of a cannibal, for my hosts would have been
scandahzed, and I wished to live in good coiTespondence

G 3

130 PHILIPPINES.

with them for some days. I therefore eat my piece of
venison, which, after all, was not ill-flavoured, and my
Indians having followed my example, our good repute
was established, and treason on their part no longer
possible.

" I found myself at length among the people of whom
I had been in search since my departure from Jala Jala,
and commenced examining and studying them at my ease.
We established our bivouac a few paces from theirs, as if we
formed a part of the family of our new friends. I could
only converse with them by gestures, and had unheard-of
difficulty in making myself understood ; but the day after
my arrival I had an interpreter. A woman who brought
a child for me to give it a name, had been brought
up by the Tagalocs. She had spoken their language,
and still remembered sufficient to furnish me with all the
particulars that interested me, although not without
difficult}^

" The people with whom I had come to amalgamate for
several days, appeared to me rather in the light of a large
family of apes than of human beings. Even their
voices resembled the small cries of these animals, and
their gestures were identical. The only difference I
found consisted in their knowledge of the use of the bow
and lance, and in being able to make a fire j but in order
to depict them well, I will commence by describing their
forms and physiognomies. The A j etas or Negritos are
ebony-black, like the negroes of Africa. Their utmost
stature is four feet and a half; the hair is woolly, and as
they take no pains in clearing it, and do not know how to
arrange it, it forms a sort of crown around the head,

CHARACTERISTICS. 131

which gives them an exceedingly fantastic aspect, and
makes the head appear when seen from a distance, as if
surrounded with a sort of aureole. The eyes are rather
yellow, but of a vivacity and brilliancy comparable to that
of the eagle. The necessity of living by the chase, and
of pursuing the prey without cessation, exercises this organ
in a manner which gives it this remarkable vivacitv. The
features of the x\jetas somewhat resemble (tiennent v.n
pen) those of the African blacks ; the lips, however,
are less prominent. While still young they are nearly
formed; but the life they lead in the woods, sleeping
always in the open air without shelter, eatins: a larsre
quantity one day and often nothing the next, and pro-
longed fasts followed by repasts eaten with the gluttony
of wild beasts, produce a large stomach and render the
extremities meagre and lank. They wear no clothing,
with the exception of a little belt of the bark of trees,
eight or ten inches wide, which encircles the waist.

"Their arms consist of a lance of bamboo, a bow of
palm-wood, and poisoned arrows. They live upon roots,
fruits, and the produce of the chase. They devour their
meat almost raw, and live together in tribes consisting
of M\y to sixty individuals. During the day, the old
people, the infirm, and the children, assemble around a
large fire, while the others are hunting in the woods ; and
when they obtain a prey that will last for some days, they
all remain around the fire. At night they all sleep pele-
mete among the ashes of the fire. It is extremely curious
to see fifty of these creatures of all ages, and more or less
deformed, thus collected together. The old women
especially are hideous ; their decrepit limbs, large

132 PHILIPPINES.

stomacliSj and extraordinary head of hair, give them
the appearance of furies, or old witches.

" The Ajetas have no religion, and adore no star. It
appears, however, that they have transmitted to the Tan-
guianes (a brown race inhabiting the neighbourhood), or
have learned from the latter, the practice of worshipping
for a day a rock, or the trunk of a tree, in which they find
a resemblance to some animal or other. Then they leave
it, and think no more about idols until they meet with
some other fantastical form, which becomes a new object
of an equally frivolous worship. They hold the dead in
great veneration. For several years they resort to their
graves for the purpose of depositing a little tobacco and
betel upon it. The bow and arrows of the deceased are
suspended over his grave on the day of interment, and
according to their belief he emerges every night from the
grave to go hunting.^^

* * -s^- *

*" " x\s I have already stated, the Ajetas do not always
wait for the death of the afflicted before they bury him.
Immediately after the body has been deposited in the
grave, it becomes necessar}", according to their usages,
that his death sliould , be avenged. The hunters of the
tribe go out with their lances and arrows to kill the first
living creature they meet with, whether a man, a stag, a
wild hog, or a buff'alo. When on their journey in search
of a victim, they take the precaution of breaking ofl" the
young shoots of the shrubs they pass by, leaving the ends

CUSTOMS. 133

hanging in the direction of their route, in order to warn
neighbours and travellers to avoid the path they are
taking in search of a man or beast to be offered up ; for
if one of their own people fall into their hands, even he
will be saciificed as the expiatory victim.

"They are faithful in marriage, and only have one
wife. TMien a young man has made his choice, his
friends or parents ask the consent of the girl. It is
never refused. The day is chosen, and in the morning,
before sunrise, the girl is sent into the forest, where she
hides herself, or not, according to her inclinations to-
wards her suitor. An hour- afterwards the vounsr man
is sent to seek her, and if he has the good luck to find
her and bring her back to her friends before sunset, the
marriage is consummated, and she is his wife for ever.
But if, on the contraiy, he retunis without her, he must
give up all farther claim.

" Old age is ver\- much respected among the Ajetas,
and it is always one of the eldest who governs their
assemblies. All the savages of this race live, as I have
already said, in great families of sixty to eighty. They
stray in the forests without a fixed residence, and change
the spot according to the greater or lesser quantity of
game in the neighbourhood.

" Living in a state altogether primitive, these savages
possess no instruments of music ; and their language,
which resembles, as I have already said, the chirrupping of
birds, contains only a few words of incredible difficulty of
acquisition by the stranger who tries to learn it. They

134 PHILIPPINES.

are good hunters, and have wonderful address in the use
of the bow. The children of both sexes, while their
parents are in the woods, exercise themselves on the
banks of the streams with little bows and arrows. When
a fish is perceived in the clear water, they discharge an
arrow at it, and it veiy seldom happens that they miss
their mark.

" The weapons of the x\jetas are poisoned. A simple
arrow does not make a wound of sufficient importance to
arrest an animal, such as a deer, in its course ; but if
the barb has been covered with the poisonous preparation
known to them, the least scratch produces an inex-
tinguishable thirst in the animal, and he dies the moment
he has gratified it. The hunters then remove the flesh
around the wound, and they can eat the remainder with
impunity; but if they neglect this, the entire carcase
acquires a flavour so bitter that even the Ajetas cannot
eat it.

" The Ajeta has an incredible agility and address in all
his movements. He ascends the highest trees like the
monkeys, seizing the trunk with both hands, and applying
the soles of his feet. He runs like a deer when in the
pursuit of large game, his favourite occupation. It is
extremely curious to see these people departing on a
hunting excursion ; men, women, and children, all go
together, like a troop of orang-outangs on a plundering
expedition. They are always accompanied by one or two
small dogs of a singular breed, which aid them in pur-
suing the prey after it has been wounded.^^'**

* De la Gironiere, " Souvenirs de Jala Jala," p. 294 et seg.

ly 'ffff^

CUSTOMS. 135

This is one of the fullest accounts of tlie Negritos of the
Philippines that has ever been given, and from the favour-
able opportunity M. de la Gironiere had of observing their
habits, probably the best. The interview terminated in a
most friendly manner ; but while the party was returning,
the burial-place of the tribe was despoiled of a skeleton,
which brought the Ahetas upon them, and they were
chased out of the country, nearly falling a sacrifice to
their temerity in violating a repository for the dead.

136

PHILIPPINES.

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MIXDORO. 137

CHAPTER VIII.

MINDORO, NEGROS, MINDANAO, SULU AND BORNEO.

MIXDORO; VARIETIES OF RACE THE BANGANS FRIENDLY RELATION'S

WITH THE BROWX TRIBES XEGROS ; HABITS OF THE WOOLLY-
HAIRED TRIBES MIXDAXAO SULU ; THE ISLAXD FORMERLY OCCU-
PIED EXCLUSIVELY BY PAPUAXS — DESCENT OF THE REIGXINO

FAMILY FROM A PAPUAN CHIEF PRESENT COXDITIOX BORXEO ;

SUPPOSED XOX-EXISTENCE OF PAPUAN TRIBES IX THE IXTERIOR

WOOLLY-HAIRED TRIBE IN THE MOUNTAIN'S OF THE EAST COAST

MR. DALTOX'S DESCRIPTION" OF A WILD RACE DUTCH AUTHORITIES

OX THE EXISTENCE OF PAPUAXS IX BORXEO.

MiXDORO. In this island (which hes immediately
adjacent to the south-west coast of Luzon, being separated
only by a narrow strait), the Negritos are congregated in
a mountainous district, called Bangan, where they live on
friendly terms "\vith the Manguianes, or wild tribes of the
brown race, by whom they are surrounded, although very
little intercourse subsists between them ; so that here, at
lest, the system of sacrificing a neighbour, to avenge the
death of one of their own tribe, seems to have been
abandoned. Indeed the practice is apparently only per-
sisted in by two or three of the more remote and savage

138 MIXDORO.

communities of Luzon. The Manguianes, although a
mild and industrious people^ are so little advanced in
ci\'ilization, that European \dsitors, who have not had
opportunities of personal communication with the Ban-
gans, often leave the island with the impression, that
they are only a more savage variety of the same
race. Indeed a general impression prevails among the
Spanish priests and missionaries in the Philippines, that
the brown races are the descendants of the Negritos ; and
M. Mallat_, who seems to have derived his ethnographical
information chiefly from this source, entertains the same
opinion. But as all speculations of this nature are pur-
posely avoided in the course of the present work, it need
only be stated, that all the native tribes of IMindoro, with
the exception of the Bangans, have been ascertained to
belong to the bro^sTi, or as it may be called here, yellow
race (for the complexion is generally fairer than in
Luzon) ; so that the Negritos mentioned by M. Mallat
as existing in Mindoro,* can only be looked for among
the tribes inhabiting this district.

The most recent, and perhaps the most full and authentic
account of the native tribes of Mindoro, appeared in a
Spanish journal, the '' Diario de Manila,^^ in August and
September, 1849 : eWdeutly the production of one of the
Spanish missionaries, who have been so zealously emploved
for many years past in extending Christianity through the
more remote islands of the Philippines ; and the details'
proved so interesting, that the writer translated it entire
for the " Journal of the Indian Archipelago,^^ in which it

* "Les Philippuies," toine ii, p. 03.

MINDORO. 139

was inserted during tlie same year.* The allusions to the
Bangans are merely incidental, as the author of the
account, whose labours were chiefly confined to the more
southern portion of the island, had seen no individual
beloudns: to the tribe. The following is an extract :

" The most populous (of the Manguian villages) contain
two hundred or three hundred savages with their families.
These villages hold communication with each other, but
this is not so constant or intimate as to prevent a thousand
incredible absui-dities being circulated among themselves
respecting their neighbours. For instance, the Manguians,
who live in the neighbourhood of Mansalay, in the south-
eastern part of the island, state that the people of Bangan
permit no stranger to enter their district, unless he is
accompanied and introduced by one of their people ; that
when they have large families of children, and find diffi-
culty in supporting them, the parents abandon them in
the woods, or on pathways leading to other villages ; that
their marriages are attended with extravagant and ridi-
culous ceremonies, which decency withholds me from
referring to, and which are described with such ridicule
and aversion, that one would suppose that they were
speaking of another race of people, whom they had never
seen."

Again : '' The invasion of the pirates (Lanuns, or
Mohammedan natives of Mindanao), must have been
exceedingly bloody and destructive. Individuals are yet
in existence, whom we have heard refer to the smallness
of the number of those who escaped the general destruc-

^ * " Journal of the Indian Archipelago," vol. m, p. 7GL

140 MIKDORO.

tion, and who yet tremble as they relate the circumstances,
describing these invaders as having fearful countenances,
thus transmitting to their children the panic teiTor which
the number of the Moros excited in them. Those few
who escaped, congregated in the neighbourhood of a
small savage tribe, which, without doubt, inhabited the
central mountains from time immemorial, and whose
district, lying in the northern part of the island, is
designated among the natives by the name of Bangan.
The descendants of these fugitives are the people who
now constitute the interior population of Mindoro, living
independent of the Spanish authority, and vrho are «^is-
tinguished by the generic name of ' Manguianes/ They
differ from the primitive tribe alluded to above, in not
speaking their idiom, which is unknown to us, unless it
be pure Tagala (the chief dialect of the brown tribes of
Luzon, and some of the neighbouring islands), and after
the first moments of panic were over, they separated from
them. Indeed, the Manguianes relate a thousand fan-
tastic tales about the customs of this mountain tribe,
and have left them, alone and isolated, in their lurking-
places/'*

The good missionary Httle thought, that when writing
the above paragraph, he was furnishing the best piece of
evidence in favour of an injured and degraded race of his
fellow-men, that had ever been laid before their more
civilized brethren.

IsLA DOS Negros. — Of the central group of the Philip-
pines, consisting of Pauay, Negros, Samar, Le)i:e, ^lasbate,

"^ * " Journal of the Indian Ai'chipelago/' p. 577.

XEGROS MINDANAO. 141

Bohol, and Zebu, the two former are the only islands in
which Negrito tribes exist at the present day ; and even
as regards Panay, the fact must be considered doubtful.
Negros, however^ contains a considerable Negrito popu-
lation^ the crest of the mountain range, which extends
throughout the length of the island, a distance of one
hundi'ed and twenty miles, being almost exclusively
occupied by scattered tribes. They sometimes molest
travellers when crossing the Sierra from one side of the
island to the other ; but as the Igorrotes, or brown tribes,
are equally troublesome in this respect, the interruptions
may be owing to temporary causes, in which the strangers
may themselves have taken the initiative. Certainly the
Negritos have made a few steps in advance of the savage
state, as they exchange the produce of the forests, chiefly
wax and deers^ horns, with the people of the coast, from
whom they obtain chopping-knives and tobacco.

Mindanao. — The interior of this large island is said to
be inhabited by many small tribes of Papuans ; but those
only who reside near the north coast, where there are
several Spanish settlements, are known to Europeans.
The chief tribes of the north are called respectively
Dumagas, Tagabaloys Malanos, and Manabos, but very
little is known concerning them, except that, in common
with the other moimtain Papuans of Mindanao, they are
comparatively inoffensive.

SuLU. — Some parts of the interior of Sulu, the largest
island of this group, are occupied by Papuans who appear
to be farther advanced than any other mountain tribe of
this race to be found in the Indian Archipelago ; but the
recent information that has been obtained respecting them,

142 suLu.

only serves to show that they are useful and obedient
subjects to the Sultan of Sulu, whose family is said to be
descended from a chief of that race. The best and
fullest account of Sulu is that drawn up by Mr. J. Hunt
from information collected during a six months^ residence
on the spot^ while in the employ of the British Govern-
ment of Java, and which has been inserted in Mr.

'^ Moor's ^^ Notices of the Indian Archipelago." The parti-

culars he gives concerning the early history of the island,
which were obtained chiefly from the Malayan chiefs or
princes, explain the circumstances which may have led to
the Papuans being held in greater consideration here than
elsewhere.

" This island, it is said, was generally peopled with
Papuans, in a state of savage nature, who even at this day
inhabit some of the mountains of the interior. The Chinese
were, from time immemorial, in the habit of trading to these
islands for pearls ; but the first people that shed any rays of
civilization among them w^ere the Orang Dampuwan (or
as the Chinese call them Sonpotualan). They governed
the sea coasts, built towns, planted grain, and opened the
rivers. They, however, found the aborigines such a

* faithless race, that they at length abandoned it; and

indeed during their sojourn, knocked as many on the
head as they could come at. At length the fame of their
\ submarine riches reached the chiefs of Banjar (a Hindu
kingdom in the south-eastern part of Borneo) who opened
a communication with them ; they at length planted a
colony there, sending over immense numbers of settlers,
and with a view to conciliate the faithless possessors of
this rich isle, a putri (virgin) of exquisite beauty was

suLu. 143

sent and married to the principal chief, from which
alliance have sprung all the subsequent sovereigns that
have governed Sulu : by this treaty of marriage the island
became tributaiy to the Banjar Massin empire. Among
the improvements introduced by the Banjar people, are
particularly enumerated the elephant, the teak-tree, and
the cinnamon ; the place becoming a delightful spot with
considerable commercial advantaires, attracted a number
of settlers from Borneo and the southern isles of the
Philippines, and they managed to drive the Papuans to
the almost inaccessible hills for shelter and concealment,
in which state of constraint their numbers must have
sensibly diminished/ '"^^

This kind of matrimonial alliance appears to have been
bv no means unusual in earlier times, as .some of the
principal men of the fair tribes of the Moluccas trace their
descent from the ancient chiefs of the country ; indeed indi-
viduals are sometimes met with who are so strongly marked
by Papuan characteristics as to afford strong confirmation
of their claims. At the present day, it is by no means
an uncommon thing for the Papuan chiefs to take to
wife maidens of the fair race ; and the children resulting
from these unions are xevy favourable specimens of the
human kind. Mr. Hunt's account of the Sulu Papuans
in 1812 may be considered as showing the condition of
the race immediately before they become absorbed in
the general population, whenever such an event takes
place.

'^ Of the population in the interior, the Caffrees or

* Hunt ; in Moor's " Notices of the Indian Archipelago." Ap-
pendix, p. 31.

144 BORNEO.

Papuans hold the mandates of the Sultan and Ruma
Bichara (Parliament) in the highest respect, and pay
some trifling tribute; they were formerly brutal and
ferocious to the last degree, and the Biayans (Bisayans ?)
or Orang Solok decapitated them whenever they could ;
but since their conversion to Islamism this barbarous
practice has ceased, and the Papuans have lost much of
their ferocity. I never saw one of them at Sulu or Soog
(the capital). They exchange the products of their hiljs
with their neighbours for such articles as they most
require.^^*

The Papuans of Sulu would appear to have been the
most orderly of the Sultanas inland subjects at that time,
as Mr. Hunt also states that " the people of the interior
(Papuans excepted) are at open war with the Sultan and
towns-people, having serious grounds of complaint
against them ; the towns-people being in the constant
practice of plundering their cattle and effects, and
massacreing those that oppose theii* predatory pur-

suits.^'t

Borneo. — The interior of this large island is occupied
by tribes of the brown race, whose warlike habits, and
skill in the use of missiles, will account for the disap-
pearance of a less civilized race from the southern and
western parts of the island. In the year 1834, when
on a visit to the western coast of the island, I was in-
formed by several of the more intelligent among the
natives, that a wild, woolly-haired, people existed in the
interior; but the information was mixed up with so

* Hunt, i(bi snpra, p. 49.
f Idem.

BORNEO. 145

manv incredible details respecting their habits, that I was
led to consider the whole as fabulous ; and the subject is
treated in this light in the narrative of my voyages, which
was published soon after my return to England in the
following year.*

During a second visit to the Archipelago, my attention
was chiefly directed to the more eastern islands, where
the field was comparatively new, and I had no opportunity
of obtaining farther information respecting the interior of
Borneo until when again qu my return to England in
1845. One of my fellow-passengers on that occasion
was Captain Brownrigg, whose ship, the ' Premier^ of
Belfast, had been wrecked on the east coast of Borneo
duiing the previous year, when the European portion of
the crew found refuge with the Rajah Mudah of Gunung
Thabor, a place about fifty miles up the Burn or Kuran
River, whence they were removed after a residence of
several months by a Dutch vessel of war, which had been

* " The various tribes are said to differ considerably from each
other, an assertion which I do not pretend to dispute, although my
own experience would go to prove the contrary, since I saw indi-
viduals belonging to several distinct tribes, who, with the exception
of a difference of dialect, might be recognised as the same people,
those who lived entirely on the water being much darker than the
rest. It is said by the Dyaks themselves, that some parts of the
Ulterior are inhabited by a woolly-haired people ; but as they also
assert that men with tails like monkeys, and Hving in trees, are also
discoverable, the accui-acy of theii' accounts may be doubted. I met
with no Dyak who had seen either, but as a wooUy-haired people is
to be found scattered over the interior of the Malay Peninsula,
theh existence in Borneo seems by no means improbable." — " The
Eastern Seas," p. 255.

146 BORNEO.

sent from Macassar for the purpose. Captain Brownrigg
was so kind as to entertain me frequently with accounts
of the people among whom he had been thrown, and who
had not previously been visited by Europeans. They
appeared to me to differ in no essential particular from
the other coast tribes of Borneo, except in being rather
more advanced, as was evident, indeed, from the hos-
pitable reception he met with among them ; but my
attention having been aroused by a repeated mention of
"darkies^-* as forming part^ of the population, I was
induced to make some inquiries, when I found that he
alluded to an inland tribe that only occasionally visited
Gunung Thabor, and who were a short, but stoutly built,
people, perfectly black, and with hair so short and curly,
that the head appeared to be covered with little knobs.
This perfectly agrees with the general appearance of
the hair of the Papuans who keep the head shorn;
and I have not the slightest doubt that they were
unmixed Papuans. He also described the skins of the
breast and shoulders as displajdng many raised scarifi-
cations, apparently similar to those of some New Guinea
tribes, but which do not appear to be common among
the mountain Papuans. On one occasion, a party of
seventeen men, chiefly young and middle aged, visited the
settlement for the express pm-pose of seeing the Em'o-
peans. They appeared to live on very friendly terms with
the people of Gunung Thabor, from whom they obtained
supplies of axes and chopping-knives, giving the produce
of the forests in exchange.

It should be mentioned that this was Captain Brown-
rigg^s first visit to the Archipelago, and he could scarcely

BORNEO. 147

have been aware that any peculiar interest was connected
with this information, so that his evidence must be con-
sidered satisfactoiy. I have since searched the pubhshed
accounts of visitors to the east coast of Borneo, but the
onlv allusion I can find to a people who may be allied to
the same race, is contained in the papers of Mr. Dalton,
who resided for eleven months on the Coti River, to the
south of the Burn, dui'ing the years 1827-28. Mr.
Dalton's papers were originally published in the " Singa-
pore Chronicle^^ of 1S31 ; and the following extract is
from Mr. Mooi-'s "Notices of the Indian Archipelago/^
in which they are reprinted :

" Farther towards the north of Borneo are to be found
men living absolutely in a state of nature, who neither
cultivate the ground nor live in huts ; who neither eat
rice nor salt, and who do not associate with each other,
but rove about some woods like wild beasts. The sexes
meet in the jungle, or the man carries away a woman
from some kampong. When the childi-en are old enough
to shift for themselves they usually separate, neither one
afterwards thinking of the other; at night they sleep
under some large tree, the branches of which hang low.
On these they fasten the childi-en in a kind of swing;
around the tree they make a fire to keep off the wild
beasts and snakes ; they cover themselves with a piece of
bark, and in this also they ^Tap their children ; it is soft
and wai-m, but will not keep out the rain. These poor
creatures are looked on and treated by the Dyaks as wild
beasts ; hunting parties of twenty-five and thirty go out
and amuse themselves with shooting at the children in
the trees with sumpits, the same as monkeys, from which

H 2

148 BORNEO.

they are not easily distinguislaecl. The men taken
in these excursions are invariably killed, the women com-
monly spared, if young. It is somewhat remarkable that
the children of these wild Dyaks cannot be sufficiently
tamed to be entrusted with their liberty. Selgie (the
Dyak chief of Coti) told me he never recollected an in-
stance when they did not escape to the jungle the very
first opportunity, notwithstanding many of them had been
treated kindly for years.^^*

It must be remembered that this account, as well as
the extract from Yalentyn respecting the wild tribes of
Ceram, is derived from the information of natives who
avowedly made parties for the express purpose of hunting
them, and who are therefore interested in making them
appear as much as possible in the light of wild beasts.
Neither of these accounts alludes to the wild tribes as
being woolly-headed, but this is a point on which no
native is likely to give information, unless the question is
expressly put to him. When on the coast of Borneo in
1834, we had a Papuan sailor on board the vessel, who
fomied one of my boat^s crew, and the peculiarity of his
appearance was almost invariably a topic of conversation
wherever we went, and if any of the natives we came in
contact with had ever seen or heard of a people pos-
sessing similar peculiarities, the circumstance was nearly
certain to be noticed.

It is probable that information connected with the
existence of this race in Borneo, which is of considerable
ethnographical interest, may be found in Holland, among

— * Dalton, "Notices," &c, p. 49

BORNEO. 149

the documents containing the reports of government
officers who have been despatched from time to time to
make researches on the east coast of the island, as Dr.
Roorda Van Eysinga, Professor of Oriental Languages
and Geography to the Royal ^Military Academy of Hol-
land, states in his " Geography of Netherlands^ India/^
that '^ In the inaccessible parts of the island (Borneo)
Papuans yet reside in a savage state, bordering upon
that of wild beasts/'* No authorities are quoted in
the work, but as it is used as a class-book throughout the
Netherlands, it cannot be supposed that the statement
has been loosely made.

* " Ten zuiden van Let koningrijk Borneo wonen de wilden
volksstammen, Doesoems, Kajans en Maroets genaamd. In het
ontoegankelijk gedeelte van het eiland wonen nog Papoeaas in eenen
staat van vrildkeid, dewelke aan dien der wilde dieren grenst." —
** Aardi'ijkbesckrijving van Nederlandsch Indie/^ p. 76.

]50 MALAY PENINSULA.

CHAPTER IX.

THE SEMANGS OF THE MALAY PENINSULA.

"WILD TRIBES OF THE MALAY PEXIXSULA MR. AXDERSOX's ACCOUXT

OF THE SEMAXGS DISTIXCTIOX OF TRIBES HABITS FOOD — SKILL

IX THE CHASE — ELEPHAXT AXD RHIXOCE:aOS HUXTIXG MODE OF

BESTOWIXG XAMES OX' CHILDREX CHARACTERISTICS OF A SEMAXG

BROUGHT TO PIX'AXG — THE PAXGAN TRIBES OF TRIXGAXU DO-

MESTICATIOX OF A SEMAXG FAMILY IX PROTIXCE WELLESLY

SUPPOSED AVOOLLY-HAIRED TRIBES IX AXAM OR COCHIX'-CHIXA

TRADITIOXS OF THE CHIXE5E AXD BUDHISTS OF HIXDOOSTAX*.

The woolly-liaired race of the Malayan Peninsula,
is a mere remnant of tribes which, according to native
tradition, occupied a considerable portion of the interior
of the Peninsula at a comparatively recent period. At
the present time the race is only knoicn to exist on the
mountain Jerei, in the Kedah territory, a little to the
north of Pinang ; in the neighbourhood of the mountain
range which lies immediately opposite to the latter settle-
ment ; and in the uplands of Tringanu, on the east coast
of the peninsula ; but it seems probable that scattered
remnants are to be found in several other spots, which
have not yet been visited by Europeans. The Sakai and

SEMANG TRIBES. 151

Alias tribes of Perak, ^vliicli have hitlierto been classed
with the Semang, or woolly-haired race of the neighbour-
hood of Pinang, have curly but not woolly hair ; and
although they retain the Papuan custom of boring the
septum of the nose, and also mark their skins with
cicatrices, they cannot be considered as Papuans — indeed
their lano:ua2:e and leading: characteristics show them
to be wild tribes of the Malayan race. The Semang,
however, who are identical in every particular with the
Pangan of the interior of Tringanu, are Papuans in all
their purity, with woolly and tufted hair in every respect
similar to other unmixed tribes of the race. The Semangs
of Kedah have been very accm*ately described by Mr.
Anderson, a gentleman who was for many years secretary
to the Government of Pinang ; and his account, which
appeared originally in a Pinang newspaper, is here ex-
tracted from the fourth volume of the '^ Journal of the
Indian Archipelago.'-'

" Of the origin of that most singular and curious race,
called Semang, the Malays possess no tradition.. Certain
it is, however, that the tribes of them which inhabited
various parts on both sides of the peninsula, were much
more numerous, before many of the present Malayan
colonies were founded by euiigrants from Sumatra.
The Semangs are designated by the Malays, Semang
Paya, Semang Bukit, Semang Bakow, and Semang Bila.
The Paya are those who reside on the plains or borders of
morasses ; the Semang Bukit, whose abode is on the hills,
and the Semang Bakow are so called from their fre-
quenting the sea shore, and occasionally taking up their
quarters in the mangrove jungles. The Semang Bila are

152 MALAY PENINSULA.

those who have been somewhat reclaimed from their
savage habits, and have had intercourse with the Malays.

'^ A similar race of people are said to have formerly
inhabited all the islands of the Archipelago, and small
parties are still to be found on many of them. To the
eastward they are called Dyak,* and on the east coast of
the peninsula, Pangan. They are at present most
numerous in the interior of Ian, a small liver to the
north of the Mirbow, near the lofty mountain Jerei, in
the Kedah territory. There are small parties also in the
mountains, inland of Juru and Krian, opposite Pinang.
Their huts or temporary dwellings (for they have no fixed
habitations, and rove about like the beasts of the forest),
consist of two posts stuck into the ground, with a small
cross-piece, and a few leaves or branches of trees laid over
to secure them from the weather. Some of them, indeed,
in the thicker parts of the forest, where the elephants,
tigers, and other wild animals are most abundant, make
their temporary dwellings upon the cliflfs, and branches of
large trees.

"Their clothing consists chiefly of the inner bark of
trees, having no manufactures of their own. A few who
have ventured to approach the Malayan villages, however,
obtain a little cloth in exchange for elephants^ teeth,
garru, wax, woods, gum, dammar, and canes, which they
procure in the forest, but of the intrinsic value of which
they possess little knowledge, and are generally imposed
on by the crafty Malay. From the Malays also, they
procure their arms, knives and tobacco, of which last

* It need scarcely be mentioned that the Dyaks have since been
ascertained to be a variety of the brown race — G. W, E.

SEMAXGS. 153

they make great use. They in turn frequently impose
upon the superstitious Malays^ when they have no pro-
ducts to barter, and wish to obtain a supply of tobacco,
by presenting them with medicines, which they pretend
to derive from particular shrubs and trees in the woods,
and which they represent as efficacious for the cure of
head-aches and other complaints.

''The Semangs subsist on the birds and beasts of
the forest, and roots. They eat elephants, rhinoceros,
monkeys, and rats, and with the exception of the scanty
supplies they obtain from the Malays, they have no rice
or salt. They are xery expert with the sumpit,* and
poison the darts with ipok, procured from the juice of
various trees, which is a deadly poison. They handle the
bow and the spear with wonderful dexterity, and destroy
the largest and most powerful animals by ingenious con-
trivances.

'' It is seldom they suffer by beasts of prey, as they
are extremely sharp-sighted, and as agile in ascending
the trees as the monkeys. Their mode of destroying
elephants, in order to procure the ivory, or their flesh,
is most extraordinary^ and ingenious. They lie in wait
in small parties of two or three, when they have perceived
any elephants ascend a hill, and as they descend agam,
which they usually do at a slow pace, plucking the
branches as they move along, while the hind legs are
lifted up, the Semang cautiously approaching behind,
drives a sharp-pointed bamboo, or a piece of neebong
which has been previously well hardened in the fire,

♦ Blow-pipe for projecting small darts.

H 3

354 MALAY PENINSULA.

and touclied with poison^ into the sole of tlie elephant's
foot with all his force, w^hich effectually lames the
animal, and most commonly causes him to fall, when
the whole party rushes upon him with spears and sharp-
pointed sticks, and soon despatch him.

'^ The rhinoceros they obtain with even less difficulty.
This animal, w^hich is of solitary habits, is found fre-
quently in marshy places, with its whole body immersed
in the mud, and part of the head only visible. The
Malays call the animal *Badak Tapa,' or the recluse
rhinoceros. Towards the close of the rainy season, they
are said to bury themselves in this manner in different
places; and upon the dry weather setting in, and' from
the powerful effects of a vertical sun, the mud becomes
hard and crusted, and the rhinoceros cannot effect its
escape without considerable difficulty and exertion.* The
Semangs prepare themselves with large quantities of
combustible materials, with which they quietly approach
the animal, who is aroused from his reverie by an im-
mense fire over him, which being kept well supplied by
the Semangs with fresh fuel, soon completes his destruc-
tion, and renders him in a fit state to make a meal of.
The projecting horn on the snout is carefully preserved,
being supposed to be possessed of medicinal properties,
and highly prized by the Malays, to whom they barter it
for their tobacco, &c.

" A more simple and natural mode of bestowing names
cannot well be imagined, than that adopted by the Semangs.

* The wild buffaloes of North Australia are ofteu found in a
similar predicament, and are sometimes shot bj the hunters before
they can extricate themselves. — G. W. E.

SEMANGS. 155

They are called after particular trees — that is, if a child is
born under or near a cocoa-nut or durian, or any particular
tree iu the forest, it is named accordingly. They have
chiefs amongst them, but all property is in common.
They worship the sun. Some years ago, the Bindahara,
or General of Kedah, sent two of these people for the
inspection of some of his friends at Pinang ; but shortly
after leaving Kedah, one of them, whose fears could not
be appeased, became very obstreperous, and endeavoured
to upset the small boat in which they were embarked ;
the Malays, therefore, with their usual apathy and
indifference about human life, put the poor creature to
death, and threw him overboard ; the other arrived in
safety, was kindly treated, and received many presents
of cloth and money. He was taken to view the shops in
town, and purchased a variety of spades, hatchets, and
other iron implements, which he appeared to prize above
ever}i:hing else. On his return to Jan, he built himself
a small hut, and began to cultivate mace (maize ?) sugar-
cane and yams. He is still there, and is said to be
a quiet, inoffensive man. This man was at the time of
his visit to Pinang, when I saw him, about thirty years
of age, and four feet nine inches in height. His hair
was woolly and tufted, his colour a glossy jet-black,
his lips were thick, his nose flat, and belly very protu-
berant, resembling exactly two natives of the Andaman
Islands, who were brought to Pinang, in 1819.

"The Semangs are found also at Tringanu, on the
eastern side of the peninsula, and a gentleman of this
island (Pinang) has had one, who was sent to him by the
King of that countiT, in his service many years. He

156 MALAY PENINSULA.

was procured when a cliilcl, and lias no recollection of
his own language. I am informed, however, by the
Malays, that the dialect of that tribe is different from
those of Kedah. He is not of such a jet-black glossy
appearance as the Semang from Kedah whom I saw,
nor the Andamans who were at this settlement some
time ago. A few months since, a party of fifteen of the
Semangs, who reside in the mountains of Jaroo, came
down to one of the villages in the Honourable Company^s
territory, and having experienced kind treatment, and
received presents from some of the inhabitants, they con-
tinued in that neighbourhood ever since, and frequently
visit the villages.-"*

The Semangs would appear to be less accessible now
than when Mr. Anderson wrote, about fifteen years ago,
as My. J. R. Logan, who visited one of the Kedah rivers
in 1851, found great difficulty in procuring an interview
with members of the tribe that was known to be in the
neighbourhood, t

* Audersou, " Journal of the Indian Archipelago/' vol. iv,
p. 425.

t Since the above was in type, I have received the January
number of the " Journal of the Indian Archipelago," which contains
the foUowing account of the personal characteristics of a tribe of
Semangs inhabiting the upper waters of the Krian River, of the
Malay Peninsula, opposite the Island of Pinang. It is from the pen
of Mr. J. R. Logan, and has evidently been the result of personal
observation.

"As the Simang characteristics do not appear to be well under-
stood, the foUowij^g j^Q^gs^ ^]^^^ l^^^g reference to a party of Sunang
Bukit on the Ijau, a feeder of the Krian, wiU not be out of place
here. Average height of adults, four feet eight inches ; highest, four

SEMAXGS. 157

Although the mountain range which traverses the
Malayan Peninsula, is continued without interruption

feet ten inches. Head small, ridged, that is, rising above forehead
in an obtuse wedge shape, the back rounded and somewhat swelling ;
the forehead small, low, rounded, and markedly narrower than the
zygometic or middle zone : the face generally narrower and smaller
than the Malay; eyebrows very prominent, standing out from the
forehead and projecting over the ocular furrow which extends across
the face, the root of the nose sinking into it, and forming a deep
angle with the base of the supercdiary ridge ; the nose short and
somewhat sharp at the point, and often turned up, but the alae
spreading; eyes fine, middle-sized and straight, iris large, black
and piercing, conjunctive membrane yellow, the upper eyelashes,
owing to the deep ocular depression, or prominent ridges, are com-
pressed or folded, the roots of the hair being hidden; the cheek
bones generally broad, but in some cases not remarkably prominent,
save with reference to the narrow forehead ; mouth large or wide,
but hps not thick or projecting; the lower part of the face oval or
ovoid, not square. The deep depression at the eyes, and sinking in
of the root of the nose, gives a very remarkable character to the head
compared with the Malay. The projecting brow is in a vertical line
with the nose, mouth, and chin, and the upper jaw is not projecting
or prognathous. The person is slender, the belly protuberant, owing
to their animal life in the jungles, and precarious food. This induces
them to cram themselves whenever they can, and the skin of the
abdomen thus becomes flaccid and expansible, like that of an ape.
The skin generally is fine and soft, although often disfigured by
scurf, and the colour is a dark brown, but in some cases lighter, and
approaching to the Malay. The more exposed hordes are black.
The individual who, many years ago, was brought to Pinang, and
who has hitherto represented the race in European ethnology, pro-
bably belonged to such a horde. His hps were thick, and ^Ir.
Anderson says he exactly resembled two natives of the Andamans,
who were brought to Pinang in 1S19. !Mr. Anderson adds that a
Simang of Tringanu, who hved in Pinang, was 'not of such a jet-

158 INDO-CHINESE PENINSULA.

through Pegu and xlrracan, until it joins the great range
of Central India, no traces of Papuans have been met
with north of Kedah. Perhaps an affinity will be found
in the Goands, and some other of the wilder tribes of
Hindoostau, but this race belongs to another geogra-
phical division of the subject under review.

Several intelligent natives of Anam or Cochin-China,
with whom the writer has had opportunities of conversing,
assured him that woolly-haired tribes still existed in the
mountain range which traverses the eastern side of the
Indo-Chinese Peninsula, and the statement will form an
interesting subject of inquiry to any traveller who may
visit that hitherto little known region. The most recent
writer on Cochin-China, Bishop Le Fevre, who describes
that country in the first volume of the " Journal of the
Indian Archipelago,^^ states that : " There are on the
mountains, which di\'ide Cochin-China from Laos, many
wild tribes ; some of whom are subject to the King

black glossy appearance ' as the Simang from Kidah whom he saw,
and the two Andaman!. (Jour. Ind. Arch, vol. iv, p. 427.) The
liah is spiral, not wooUj, and grows thickly on the head in tufts.
They have thick moustaches, the growth being much stronger than
the Malay race. The head is neither Mongohan nor Negi'o of the
Guinea type. It is Papua-Tamuhan. The expression of the face is
mild, sunple, and stupid. The voice is soft, low, nasal, and hoUow,
or cerebral. A hue of tatooing extends from the forehead to the
cheek bones. The adjacent Binua also tatoo. The practice is
Indian (Konds, higher Abor tribes, &c.), Ultraiudian and Asianesian.
The right ear is pierced, the orifice being large, but they do not
pierce the septum of the nose like one of the adjacent Binua tribes of
Perak, and many of the Asianesian Papuas. The hah is cropped,
save a ring or fringe round the forehead."

MOTS OF COCHIN-CHINA. 159

of Cochin-China ; others are ouly his tributaries, and
others are independent/'*

And farther on, when alkiding to the chain of moun-
tains which separates Tonkiug from China, the Bishop
says, that " the greater part of these mountains are only
inhabited by some barbarians ; the Cochin-Chinese, and
much more the Europeans cannot Hve on them, on
account of the insalubrity of the air which we breathe
there/^t ^^^ he nowhere alludes to their physical
character being distinct from that of the Cochin-
Chinese; and the only European traveller, as far as the
™ter has been able to discover, who contributed to fix a
Papuan character on any of these tribes, is Mr. Charles
Chapman, an officer in the civil service of the English East
India Company, who was dispatched from Bengal on a
diplomatic mission to Cochin-China, in the year 1778.
Mr. Chapman's Report to the Bengal Government is
pubhshed in the Parliamentary Papers relating to India,
from which the following extract is taken :

" The aborigines of Cochin-China are called ^loys, and
are the people which inhabit the chain of mountains
which separate it from Cambodia. To these strongholds
they were driven, when the present possessors invaded
the countiy. They are a savage race of people, very
black, and resemble in their features the Caffrees."
A tribe called " Mai," which may be the same people,
is also mentioned in an Essay on the Indo-Chinese
countries in Moor's " Notices of the Indian Archipelago,''
and which has been attributed to IMr. Crawfurd, the

* Le Fevre, " Journal," &c., p. 50
t Le Tevre, "Journal," &c., p. 54.

160 INDO-CHINESE PENINSULA.

historian of the Indian Archipelago. '^The most nu-
merous inhabitants of this province are the proper Kam-
bojans. The Anam race are the masters. The original
inhabitants of that portion of it lying to the eastward
of the great river_, and bordering upon Lao, are a tribe
called Mai/^*

I have entered into this subject more fully than I
should othervme have done, with the view of suggesting
to those interested in the archaeological branch of ethno-
graphy, the importance of the results that may attend
a closer inquiry into the characteristics of this primitive
race. It is well known that many of the ancient idols
of the Hindus have negro characteristics, and the great
Budha himself, who is also sometimes represented as
a negi'o, is said by his worshippers to have been born
of a female named " Maia.^^ The traditions of the
Chinese respecting the earlier inhabitants of their
country, and the high veneration in which even those
who are untainted with Budhism hold the Waringin,
the banyan-tree of the Far East, are also interesting
subjects of inquiry.

* Page 192.

THE ANDAMAN GROUP. 161

CHAPTER X.

THE ANDAMAN'S.

BRITISH SETTLEMEXTS OX THE GREAT ANDAMAN ISLAND FEROCIOUS

CHARACTER OF THE INHABITANTS FATAL TO THE CREWS OF SHIP-
WRECKED VESSELS WRECK OF THE ' BRITOn' IN 1844 MR. COLE-

BROOKE's DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIVES APPEARANCE AND CHA-
RACTER MODE OF ATTACKING STRANGERS MODE OF PROCURING

FOOD — SONGS AND DANCES HABITATIONS CANOES ARMS HUNT-
ING AND FISHING IMPLEMENTS CHARGE OF CANNIBALISM

ANECDOTE OF TWO YOUNG WOMEN SEVERE PRIVATIONS PROGRESS

TOWARDS FRIENDLY INTERCOURSE WITH STRANGERS WANT OF

VEGETABLE DIET CAUSES OF THEIR PRESENT DEGRADED STATE

THE COCOA-NUT COMPARISON WITH THE NATI\T:S OF THE NICO-

BARS PLANTING FRUIT TREES THE FIRST GREAT STEP OUT OF

BARBARISM.

The Andaman Islands, on the eastern side of the Bay
of Bengal, form part of the volcanic chain which extends
from Sumatra to Cape Negrais on the coast of Burmah.
The coasts, and probably the inland parts also, are covered
with dense jungles of lofty trees, scarcely pervious, it would
appear, even to the wild savages by whom the islands
are exclusively occupied. In the year 1791, a settlement
was formed by the British Government at Port Chatham,

162 THE ANDAMAN GROUP.

near tlie southern extremity of the Great Island, which is
about one hundred and forty miles long, and twenty
miles broad. The chief object was the establishment
of a naval station, at which ships of war on the Indian
station might repair and refresh, the luxuriant growth of
the timber trees, and the favourable position of the
islands for communication with all points of India, having
led to the selection of the An damans for thi^ purpose.
The establishment consisted of a few companies of native
troops from Bengal, and of a body of convicts from the
same place. In 1793, the establishment was removed, at
the suggestion of iVdmiral Comwallis, to the port at the
opposite end of the island, which now bears his name.
The establishment was only maintained for a few years
longer ; but in the interim the settlement had been
visited by Colonel Sj'^mes, when on his voyage to Burmah
on a diplomatic mission, and the interesting description
of the inhabitants, which is contained in the narrative of
his embassy, is that by which the natives of these islands
are best known. An account of the Andamans by Lieu-
tenant R. H. Colebrooke, an officer attached to the
establishment, is also given in the Asiatic Researches for
1725 j and as his description of the natives is less known
than that of Colonel Spnes, it will be extracted here.
Mr. Colebrooke introduces his account with the following
remarks :

'' It is perhaps a wonder that islands so extensive, and
lying in the track of so many ships, should have been,
until of late years, so little knov>*n, that while the coun-
tries by which they are almost encircled have been
increasing in population and wealth, having been from

NATIVE TRIBES. 163

time immemonal in a state of tolerable civilization, these
islands should have remained in a state of nature, and
their inhabitants plunged in the grossest ignorance and
barbarity. The wild appearance of the country, and the
untractable and ferocious disposition of the inhabitants,
have been the causes, probably, which have deterred
navigators from frequenting them, and they have justly
dreaded a shipwreck at the Andamans more than the
danger of foundeiing on the ocean ; for although it is
highly probable that in the course of time many vessels
have been ^Tccked upon their coasts, an instance does
not occur of any of their crews being saved, or of a
single person retui'ning to give any account of such a
disaster.^^*

These remarks are equally applicable at the present
day, except that it does not always happen that the
crews of ships wrecked on the coast (of which scarcely a
year passes without one or more instances occui-ring) fall
a prey to the savages. In the year 1845, the ship ' Briton^
conveying more than three hundred troops of the 80th Re-
giment from Sydney to Calcutta, was driven, dismantled,
before a hurricane, upon the east coast of the Great Anda-
man ; and within an hour a second ship, the ' Runnymede,^
conveving militaiy stores and a detachment of the 50th
Regiment from England to Calcutta, Twas wTccked within
half a mile of the same spot. The ' Briton' was short of
provisions, but by a merciful Providence the cargo of the
other vessel furnished an abundant supply, which enabled
the crew and passengers to subsist until assistance could

* "Asiatic Researches," vol. iv, p. 3So.

164 THE ANDAMAN GROUP.

be brought from the Indian ports^ otherwise upwards of
five hundred souls, inchiding many women and children,
w^ould have perished on this inhospitable coast. The
fortified camp of the shipwrecked people was repeatedly-
attacked by the natives until the moment of the arrival of
the steamers ; but having abundance of provisions, they
were able to keep together, and repel their assailants.
Mr. Colebrooke's description of the people, among whom
he appears to have resided for some years, is as follows :

"The Andaman Islands are inhabited by a race of
men, the least civilized perhaps in the world; being
nearer to a state of nature than any people we read of.
Their colour is of the darkest hue, their stature in general
small, and their aspect uncouth. Their limbs are ill-
formed and slender, their bellies prominent ; and like the
Africans, they have woolly heads, thick lips, and flat
noses. They go quite naked, the women wearing only at
times a kind of tassel, or fringe round the middle ; which
is intended merely as ornament, as they do not betray
any signs of bashfulness when seen without it. The men
are cunning, crafty, and revengeful; and frequently
express their aversion to strangers in a loud and threaten-
ing tone of voice, exhibiting various signs of defiance, and
expressing their contempt by the most indecent gestures.
At other times they appear quiet and docile, with the
most insidious intent. They will afi'ect to enter into a
friendly conference, when after receiving, with a show of
humility, whatever articles may be presented to them,
they set up a shout and discharge their arrows at the
donors. On the appearance of a vessel or boat, they
frequently lie in ambush among the trees, and send

NATIVE CUSTOMS. 165

one of their gang, who is generally the oldest among
them, to the water^s edge, to endeavour by friendly signs
to allure the strangers on shore. Should the crew ven-
ture to land without arms, they instantly rush out of
their lurking-places, and attack them.

" In these skirmishes they display much resolution, and
will sometimes plunge into the water to seize the boat ;
and they have been known even to discharge their arrows
while in the act of swimming. Their mode of life is
degrading to human nature, and like the brutes, their
whole time is spent in search of food. They have yet
made no attempts to cultivate their lands, but live
entirely upon what they can pick up, or kill. In the
morning they rub their skins with mud, or wallow in it
like buffaloes, to prevent the annoyance of insects, and
daub their woolly heads with red ochre or cinnabar.
Thus attired they walk forth to their different occupations.
The women bear the greatest part of the drudgery in
collecting food, repairing to the reefs at the recess of the
tide, to pick up shell-fish ; while the men are hunting in
the woods, or wading in the water to shoot fish with their
bows and arrows. They are very dexterous at this ex-
traordinary mode of fishing, which they practise also at
night, by the light of a torch. In their excursions
through the woods, a wild hog sometimes rewards their
toil, and affords them a more ample repast. They broil
their meat or fish over a kind of grid, made of bamboos ;
but use no salt or other seasoning.

'^The Andamaners display at times much colloquial
vivacity, and are fond of singing and dancing, in which
amusements the women also participate. Their language

166 THE ANDAMAX GROUP.

is rather smooth than guttural, and their melodies are in
the nature of recitative and chorus, not unpleasing. In
dancing they may be said to have improved on the
strange republican dance, asserted by Voltaire to have
been exhibited in England. The Andamaners likewise
dance in a ring, each alternately kicking and slapping
the lower part of his person ad libitum. Their salutation
is performed by lifting up a leg, and smacking vaih their
hand the lower part of the thigh.

" Their dwellings are the most wretched hovels ima-
ginable. An Andaman hut may be considered the rudest
and most imperfect attempt of the human race to procure
shelter from the weather, and answers to the idea 2:iven
by Vitruvius of the buildings erected by the earliest
inhabitants of the earth. Three or four sticks are planted
in the gi'ound, and fastened together at the top in the
form of a cone, over which a kind of thatch is formed
with the branches and leaves of trees. An opening is
left on one side, just large enough to creep into, and the
ground beneath is strewed with dried leaves, upon which
they lie. In these huts are frequently found the skulls
of wild hogs suspended to the roofs.

'^ Their canoes are hollowed out of the trunks of trees
by means of fire and instruments of stone, having no iron
in use among them, except such utensils as they may
have procured from the Europeans and sailors who have
lately visited these islands, or from the wrecks of vessels
formerly stranded on their coasts. They use also rafts
made of bamboos to transport themselves across their
harbours, or from one island to another. Their arms
having already been mentioned in part, I need only add

ARMS AND IMPLEMENTS. 167

that their bows are remarkably long and of an uncommon
form ; their arrows are headed with fish-bones, or the
tusks of wild hogs ; sometimes merely with a sharp bit of
wood hardened in the fire, but these are sufficiently des-
tructive. They use also a kind of shield, and one or two
other weapons have been seen amongst them.* Of their
implements for fishing and other purposes, little can be
said. Hand-nets of difi'erent sizes are used in catching
the small fry, and a kind of wicker-basket, which they
cany on their backs, serves to deposit whatever articles of
food they can pick up. A few specimens of pottery
ware have.been seen in these islands.^''t

Vrith regard to cannibalism, which has been imputed
to these people, Mr. Colebrooke says : " That they are
cannibals has never been fully proved, although from
their cruel and sanguinary disposition, great voracity, and
cunning modes of living in ambush, there is reason to
suspect that in attacking strangers, they are frequently
impelled by hunger, as they invariably put to death the
unfortunate victims that fall into their hands. No
positive instance, however, has been known of their
eating the flesh of their enemies, although the bodies of
some whom they have killed have been found mangled
and torn." J The testimony of Colonel Symes is to the
same efi'ect ; and he notes as an instance that when two
of the Bengali fishermen were killed by the natives for
attempting violence on one of their women, the bodies
" were pierced by sharp weapons, and pounded by stones

* Colonel Symes adds, "A spear of heavy wood sharply pointed."
f " Asiatic Researches," vol. iv, p. 3 89 et seq.
% Note to p. 389.

168 THE ANDAMAN GROUP.

until every bone was broken ; but the flesb was not cut
off, nor any limb severed/-'*

Colonel Symes, wbo appears to bave been much interested
in these poor savages, gives several anecdotes illustrative of
the more pleasing side of their character. " Two young
women, allured by the temptation of fish, were secured
and brought on board a ship at anchor in the harbour ;
the captain treated them with great humanity ; they soon
got rid of all fear of violence, except what might be
offered to their chastity, which they guarded with unre-
mitting vigilance. Although they had a small apartment
allotted to themselves, and had no real cause for appre-
hension, one always watched whilst the other slept ; they
suffered clothes to be put on, but took them off again as
soon as opportunity offered, and threw them away as
useless incumbrances. When their fears were over they
became cheerful, chattered with freedom, and were inex-
pressibly diverted at the sight of their own persons in a
mirror. They were fond of singing, sometimes in melan-
choly recitative, at others in a lively key; and often
danced about the deck with great agility, slapping the
lower part of their bodies with the back of their heels.
Wine and spirituous liquors were disagreeable to them ;
no food seemed so palatable as fish, rice, and sugar. In
a few weeks, having recovered strength and become fat,
from the more than half-famished state in which they
were brought on board, they began to thiok confinement
irksome, and longed to regain their native freedom.

'^ In the middle of the night, when all but the watch-

* " Eixoassy to Ava," 2nd ed. Note to p. 312.

PRECARIOUS SUBSISTENCE. 169

man were asleep, they passed in silence through the
captain^s cabin, jumped out of the stern windows into
the sea, and swam to an island half a mile distant, where
it was in vain to pursue them, had there been any such
intention ; but the object was to retain them by kindness,
not by compulsion, an attempt that has failed on every
trial. Hunger may (and these instances are i-are) induce
them to put themselves into the power of strangers ; but
the moment their want is satisfied, nothing short of
coercion can prevent them from* returning to a way of life
more congenial to their savage nature/^*

The great straits to which they are sometimes put for
want of food is farther illustrated by the folloA^-ing anec-
dote : " A coasting party one day discovered a man and
a boy stretched on the beach apparently in the last stage
of famine : they were conveyed to the settlement ; un-
fortunately, every effort of humanity failed to save the
man, but the boy recovered, and is now in the service of
General Kvd at Calcutta, where he is much noticed for
. the striking singularity of his appearance/'^t

This also affords farther proof that the natives can
scarcely be addicted to the practice of cannibalism, a
charge which seems to have originated in the account
given by two early Mohammedan travellers, which was
translated by Eusebius Renaudot. An anecdote given by
Colonel Symes of a boat^s crew that was driven to sea and
picked up many days afterwards with diminished numbers,
shows that even Europeans would have been less scru-
pulous under similar circumstances.

* Symes, "Embassy to Ava,"' p. 303.
t Idem, p. 312.

170 THE ANDAMAN' GROUP.

Captain Stokoe, one of the military officers in charge
of the settlement, appears to have entertained a very
kindly feelins; towards the natives, and there can be
little doubt that if the settlement had been maintained, a
o-ood understanding would ultimately have been estab-
lished between them and their visitors.

" Captain Stokoe, who constantly resided on the island,
disappointed in his attempts to estabhsh a social inter-
course, endeavoured to alleviate their wants by sending,
as often as circumstances would admit, soiall supplies of
victuals to their huts, which were always abandoned on
the approach of his people, but resorted to again when
they had withdrawn.^^*

This is the only effectual method yet discovered of
taming savages like those of the Andamans. Wlien once
they become accustomed to regular supplies of food,
however small the quantities, they refrain from offending
those at whose hands they obtain this assistance ; and
they will even take up arms to prevent others of their race
from doing so. To Captain Stokoe is due the merit of
having struck out a system which has subsequently been
pursued with eminent success by Captain MacAi-thur,
the Commandant at Port Essington, and has led to the
breaking up of that establishment being' looked upon by
the natives as a national calamity.

Captain Stokoe estimates the entire population of the
Andaman Group at from 2,000 to 2,500, and the extent
of coast could scarcely be capable of supporting a
larger amount of inhabitants, where they derived their

* Svmes. "Embassy to Ava," vol. i, p. 311.

VEGETABLE FOOD. 171

entire subsistence from the spontaneous productions of
nature.

Very little information appears to have been acquired
concerning the vegetable diet of the natives. Colonel
Symes remarks that " the fruit of the mangrove is prin-
cipally used, having often been found in their deserted
habitations, steeping in an embanked puddle of water."*
This is more probably the fruit of the pandanus, which
abounds on the Andamans, as it is often mistaken for
the fruit of the mangrove, from the circumstance of the
pandanus being most abundant on the edge of the
swamps, and often mingling with the mangrove-trees.
The fruit of the pandanus is a common article of food
among the natives of the north coast of Australia, where
it is prepared in like manner, by steeping in an embanked
puddle.f

Nearly every voyager, who has given an account of his
visit to the Andamans, has expressed surprise at the fact,
that while the Nicobar Islands, which lie close to the
south, and the uninhabited Cocos Islands, which lie to the
north of the group, have extensive cocoa-nut groves, not
a single tree has ever been found on the Andamans.
This apparent anomaly is satisfactorily explained by a

♦ Symes, '•' Embassy to Ava," vol. i, p. 310.

■f Dr. Leichhardt, who found the pandanus fruit in extensive use
among the natives of the Gulf of Carpentaria, was inchned to beUeve
that they obtained a fermented Hquor by this process of soaking.
The practice is more probably adopted for the purpose of removmg
some deleterious substance, similar in its nature to the heart of the
manioc. The fruit of the cycas-palm is shced up and dried in the
sun, with the same object. — G. W. E.

I 2

172 THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS.

paragraph in Colonel Symes^ narrative : '^ Unhappily for
them, the cocoa-nut, which thrives in the utmost luxu-
riance in the neighbouring isles, is not to be found here ;
but they are extremely fond of it, and whenever a nut
was left in their way by the settlers, it was immediately
carried off with much apparent satisfaction/^* Their
fondness for the nut has probably deprived them of the
benefit of the tree ; but it will be necessary to go again
to Australia for an illustration. Although, probably,
hundreds of nuts, capable of vegetating, are thrown upon
the northern coasts of that continent by eveiy north-west
monsoon, no living tree has been secD, except in the
European settlements ; and even those have hitherto been
destroyed soon after the establishments were removed;
for the heart or cabbage is only less an object of desire
with the natives than the nut itself. Every nut thrown
on the coast is seized with avidity, and generally eaten
upon the spot. Even should it be lodged in some
nook, where it might remain unperceived a sufficient time
to take root, the first appearance of its feathery leaves,
which could not escape the eye of any native who might
be passing along the beach in search of fish, would be the
signal for its destruction, in the hope that a portion of the
much-loved kernel might still remain within t

* Symes, "Embassy to Ava," vol. i, p. 311.

f Since the above was in type, I have had some conversation on
the subject with Colonel Mac Arthur, of the Royal Marines, who
resided permanently at Port Essington, in the capacity of Com-
mandant, dui'ing the existence of the settlement (from 1838 to
184:9; ; and he informs me that latterly facts came to liis know-
ledge, which have induced the opinion that some of the tribes of

NICOBAR ISLANDS. 173

The iSicobar Islands, which lie immediately to the
south of the Andamans, the northernmost being only
thirty leagues distant, are inhabited by a people, .who,
although essentially Papuan in their leading characteris-
tics, are an industrious, and well-conditioned race, and
inferior in these respects to no native tribe of the Eastern
Seas. But they must have made the first great step in
civilization, by becoming cultivators of the soil, at least
some centuries asro. The ancient name of " Insul(P bon(S
fortunce" must have been applied only to this portion of
the island group. We have distinct evidence that the
produce of their cocoa-nut groves attracted traders from
the continent of India, many years before Europeans
found their way to the East. The cocoa-nuts, together
with the animals that were fattened on them, proved
equally attractive to the latter, and these islands speedily
became a favourite resort for refreshments, in the first m-
stance by trading, and latterly by whaling ships.

Whether the existence of cocoa-nut groves has led to a
taste for agriculture, or a taste for agriculture has led to
the formation of cocoa-nut groves, must ever be a myster}- ;
but the course of a long experience among races just
emerging from utter barbarism, has led the writer to
look upon that tree as the banner of hope to its posses-

Korth Australia are much opposed to the introductiou of foreign
vegetable productions; the cotton shinibs which he planted on
vai-ious parts of the coast having been generally destroyed by the
natives. This fact will be useful to those who may follow him in
attempting to reclaim the native tribes, as their prejudices, when
once known, are easily overcome by care and management.—
G. W. E.

174 THE ANDAMAN GROUP.

sors. When assisting to form the remote settlement
at which he has spent some of the best years of his life,
several hundreds of cocoa-nuts for planting formed part
of the first ship-load of seeds and refreshments which
he procured among the neighbouring islands of the
Ai'chipelago ; and, assuredly, if the now deserted natives
preserve the groves that have been left for them, they will
have made the first great step out of the darkness of
barbarism. When once this boundary is passed, progress
becomes smooth and easy, although it may not be rapid,
except under very favourable circumstances. A fixed
residence becomes necessary to protect the newly-acquired
property, and the plantation soon becomes extended by
the addition of plants of every other kind of edible
fruit or root that is to be found in the woods, or can be
procured from neighbours.

THE SUNDA CHAIX. 175

CHAPTER XI.

THE S U N D A CHAIN.

RELICS OF AX AXCIEXT RACE IS JAVA PAPUANS OF FLORES

SOLOR, PANTAR, L0M3LEX AXD OMBAI MARITIME PTRSUITS OF

THE COAST TRIBES OF SOLOR VARIETIES OF CHARACTER AMOXG

NATIVES OF TIMOR TRIBES NEAR COEPAXG LOCALITY IX WHICH

PAPUAXS ARE FOUXD PAPUAX OF TIMOR AT SIXGAPORE — MODE OF

CARRYIXG OX TRADE WITH THE XATIVES OF THE SOUTH COAST

TRACES OF PAPUAXS IX OTHER ISLAXDS OF THE ARCHIPELAGO.

No traces of a Papuan race have been met with in the
island of Sumatra, at least as far as the writer is informed.
The relics of a people, who are supposed to have been of
an anterior race to the present inhabitants, are found in
many parts of Java, and a description of several specimens
of ancient instruments, accompanied by figures, is given
in the " Xatuurkundige Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch
Indie^^ for the year 1850. Some of these figures repre-
sent the exact form of the spear-heads of slate and " baked
sandstone/^ which are in common use among the natives
of the northern parts of Australia, and are made by the
natives of the interior, who understand the art of splitting
them from the rough pieces with a few blows of an axe or

176 THE SUXDA CHAIN.

hammer of green stone. Mr. J. R. Logan is of opinion
that some of the other figures represent "fragments
of stone axes shaped like those which are occasionally
discovered in the Malay Peninsula, where the Malays,
like the Javanese, believe them to be thunderbolts.'^* A
collection of these ancient implements of stone, which
are also found in China and Japan, where they are vene-
rated as relics of ancestors,t would be highly interesting
to the speculative ethnographer ; as a comparison could
then be made with the stone implements still in common
use among those Papuan and Australian tribes which have
few facilities for procuring implements of iron. J

In the islands east of Java, genuine Papuan character-
istics are first met with on the great island of Flores or
Mang^Arai, where the uplands of the eastern half, at
least, are occupied by numerous tribes of the Papuan
race. No European appears ever to have visited the
parts in which the wild people reside, although the Por-

* " Journal of the Indian Archipelago," vol. v, p. 84.
I See Yon Siebold. " Archief voor de Beschrijving van Japan."
% While this work was going through the press the writer had an
opportunity of inspecting the Tliird Part of Dr. Schoolcraft's " Indian
Tribes ;" an American national work now in. the course of publica-
tion, iu which a representation is given (Plate xxxiii. Pig. 2) of an
instrument apparently identical in character with that described in
the " Tijdschrift." Dr. Schoolcraft introduces it among the " Anti-
quities of Massachussets ;" and describes it as " a fleshing instru-
ment (knife ?) of the north-east aboriginal inhabitants ;" and as
being composed of a " species of ' grauwacke.' " A veiy correct
representation of an Australian spear-head is given in Captain P. P.
King's narrative, and a specimen will be found in the United Service
Museum, — G. W. E.

FLORES. 177

tu^uese have had a small establishment at Larantuka, on
the eastern extreme of the island^ for the last three cen-
turies. These tribes are, therefore, chiefly known through
the individual specimens who are to be met with at most
of the trading ports of the southern islands of the Archi-
pelago, where they exist in a state of slavery, or as
emancipated slaves ; considerable numbers having been
exported from time to time from the European and
Bughis settlements on Flores. They present the usual
characteristics of the mountain Papuans, the tufted hair,
especially, being universal. One specimen, an elderly
man, who was residing at Tanjong Cattong, in the.
neighbourhood of Singapore, in 1S50, was considerably
lighter in complexion than is usual with Papuans ; but as-
he had dwelt in our settlements at Bencoolen and Singa-
pore for nearly fifty years, this peculiarity may have been
the result of a different mode of life. Several of the
coast tribes near the eastern end of Plores are considered
to be Papuans, but their hair has not the tufted character,
being generally long and curly. In other particulars
they bear a considerable resemblance to Papuans. Many
of the natives in the neighbourhood of Larantuka are
Christians, and several who have been educated at the
Roman CathoUc College of Goa, on the west coast of Hin-
dostan, have been ordained priests, and perform religious
services in the Christian villages.

The mountainous parts of Solor, Pantar, Lomblen and
Ombai, are also occupied by a woolly-haired race resem-
bling Papuans in their general character ; but the coast
inhabitants, more especially on the three former islands,
are a bronze-coloured, curly-haired people, who are

I 3

178 SOLOR.

thouglit to be Badjus or Sea-Gipsies, probably from tbeir
being very much like the Malay boatmen of Singapore,
who are supposed to be of the same origin. Certainly
the resemblance is very great, but we have no data from
which identity of origin may be inferred. The coast
tribes of Solor are remarkable for their skill in managing
their prahus and canoes, and are the most expert fisher-
men in these seas, frequently capturing the black-fish, a
small variety of the cachalot, or sperm-whale, which no
other fishermen in these seas will venture to attack.
The blubber or fat obtained from them is used as
food, and also as an article of barter with the inland
inhabitants; and the oil and spermaceti is sometimes
disposed of to the Bughis and Macassar traders, who
prefer it to cocoa-nut-oil for burning in their prahus.
Several of these Solor fishermen are always to be found at
Coepang, the Dutch settlement on Timor, chiefly in the
service of the government, from whom they obtain a fixed
allowance of rice and maize. These men, who are relieved
b}'' others every year, are sent in compliance with an old
treaty, by which the coast natives of Solor agreed to
furnish an annual quota of men for the public service.
As all the youths have to take their turn, the system
makes them accustomed to intercourse with Europeans,
and is attended with very beneficial results.

Indeed the settlement of Coepang presents an extraor-
dinaiy field for the inquiries of an ethnologist, for nearly
eveiy people or tribe inhabiting the southern islands of
the Archipelago are represented there, either as political
exiles, slaves or freed-men, or as casual visitors. The
traders are Europeans, Chinese, or natives of Celebes and

TIMOR. 179

Sumbawa ; and a portion of the troops sometimes consists
of negroes from Elmina, on tlie west coast of Africa. In-
deed the island of Timor contains within itself materials
which may possibly enable the scientific ethnologist to
decide whether the variety of complexion met with in the
Indian Archipelago has resulted from a mixture of races,
or from natural developments connected with the mode
of life adopted by difi'erent tribes. On the table-lands
above Dilli^ a Portuguese settlement on the north-west
coast of the island, some of the villagers have opaque
yellow complexions, the exposed parts of the skin
being covered w4th light brown spots or freckles,, and the
hair is straight, fine, and of a reddish or dark auburn
colour.* Every intermediate variety of hair and com-
plexion, between this and the black or deep chocolate

* A specimen of this description of liaii', with several locks that
had been cut from the heads of ^ other brown races, Papuans, or
AustraHans, was deposited by the writer, in 18i5, in the United
Service Museum. As some of the tribes of the Serwatty Islands
dye the hair with Hme and other substances, I was particularly
careful in ascertaining that this aubui*n colour was natural, and not
the result of an artificial process. The person from whose head
the specimen of hair was cut with my own hands, was a giii who
had been in the service of the family of Colonel Cabrera, the
Governor of DiUi, for several years ; and had any artificial process
been employed to colour- the hair, the fact must have come imder
the notice of the members of his family. I met with several others,
both male and female, in DilH and the neighboui-hood, who had the
same peculiarity. They were all natives of the uplands, and Colonel
Cabrera assured me that he had visited villages in the interior, in
which nearly every inhabitant had this pecuhar hair and complexion.
— G. W. E.

180 TIMOR.

colour and short tufted hair of the mountain Papuan, is
to be found in Timor.

The latter variety of people, however, alone belongs to
the present division of the subject, as the other tribes must
necessarily be classed with the brown-coloured races.
The inhabitants of the south-western part of Timor, in
the neighbourhood of Coepang, are an exceedingly dark,
coarse-haired people; and travellers have great difficulty
in coming to a conclusion as to whether they belong to
i\Ialayan or Papuan races, so equally balanced are their
characteristics. The anonymous author of an excellent
'^ Account of Timor, Eotti, Savu, Solor, &c.,^^ in Moor^s
"Notices of the Indian xlrchipelago,^^ seems to have
fallen into this state of perplexity ; and as his observations
are evidently the result of long experience at Coepang and
its neighbourhood, I will give a few short extracts which
bear upon the point. "^ "The natives are generally of a
very dark colour, with frizzled, bushy hair; but less
inclining to the Papuans than the natives- of Ende (on
the island of Flores). They are below the middle size,
and rather slight in figure. In countenance?, they more

* I have been unable to discover who was the author of this
essay, which occupies seven closely-printed quai-to pages ; but I
suspect it must have been ^Ir. Francis, a native of Madras, who
entered the service of the Dutch Government on the restoration of
Java, and was at one time Assistant-Resident of Coepang. I
have never had occasion to refer to the essay without expe-
riencing a feeling of admii-ation at the extent, as well as ac-
curacy, of the information which is given in so small a space.—
G. W. E.

TIMOR. 181

nearly resemble the South Sea islanders than any of the
Malay tribes/'*

When alluding to the island of Flores, he further says :
" The natives live chiefly in the interior, except at the
east end, whilst the sea-coast and ports are occupied to
the westward by colonies from Sumbawa and Celebes.
Very little is known of the manners and customs of the
natives : in their appearance they approach more nearly
to the Papuans than the natives of Timor, both in form
of countenance and hair.^f

The darker-coloured inhabitants of Timor are con-
gregated near the south-east coast or "hinder part''
[achterwal) of the island, as it is termed by the
Dutch. The slaves, who once constituted the chief
article of export from the Portuguese settlements on
the island, were chiefly obtained, either by force or
barter, from these tribes, and were usually brought to
the settlements overland. Their Papuan characteristics
are so strong, that they are commonly termed ^' negroes"
by travellers who see them at Macao, where large
numbers have been imported from tiuie to time ; but
although I had examined many individuals at Dilli, I
never succeeded in detecting a pure tufted character in
the hair — which I had adopted as a test for genuine
Papuans — until the year 1850, when I met with a native
of Timor at Singapore, who had this characteristic in
its fullest extent. He had been brought from Dilli at an
early age, and had been thrown on his own resources by
the general emancipation of the slaves of Malacca ; when

* "Notices," <S:c., App. p. G.
f Idem, App. p. 11.

182 TIMOR.

he was brought up by the Rev. Mr. Sames (a Dutch
missionar}', whose later hfe has been devoted to the educa-
tion of the poorer natives), and was qualified for service
as a printer, in which he was seeking employment
when I encountered him. He had the small active
figure, restless eye, and short tufted hair, which are the
chief characteristics of the mountain Papuans ; and I at
length had an opportunity of ascertaining from personal
observation that the race still existed in a pure state in
Timor. The numbers of the pure Papuans cannot,
however, be very great, as they are said to lead a life more
barbarous than that of the Ahetas of the Philippines ; for
the price set upon their heads in the slave-market causes
them to be constantly hunted down by tribes only a Httle
farther advanced than themselves, aad in a few years
their race must become extinct. At present they are
most numerous on the mountain Alias, which rises near
the south-east coast of Timor.

The gzm^i-Papuan tribes which have adopted settled
habits, also reside in the uplands of the same part of the
island, where they grow maize and yams, and occasionally
descend to the coast to barter the wax they obtain in the
forests with the small traders who come from the Ser-
watty Islands during the calm period which intervenes
between the monsoons. From these traders I have,
derived my chief information concerning the tribes in the
southern parts of Timor. They are described as being
extremely cautious in their transactions with strangers,
even with those who have held intercourse with them for
years ; and probably they have good reason to be so, for
the great slave mart of the Bughis and Macassar traders.

TIMOR. 183

Kapalla Tanah, or the Land^s-end, is in their immediate
neighbourhood; and probably they have learned from
experience that strangers are not particularly anxious to
avoid a quarrel, when it is likely to end in their capturing
some valuable articles of traffic, to which they would then
consider that they had a lawful right. The traders are
allowed to land, but not to leave the beach, even to pro-
cure water ; which, when their visitors require a supply,
is brought down by the natives themselves in bamboo
buckets, and deposited on the beach.

The following description of the mode in which the
trade is sometimes carried on, is extracted from the
account of these islands quoted above; but more
generally the traders remain on board their prahus,
which are anchored close to the land, and push their
goods on shore in a small canoe, to which a line is
attached for the purpose of hauling it back when the
goods have been removed, and the articles given in ex-
change deposited in their stead. ^' When the prows arrive
off the coast, they land the articles they have for barter in
small quantities at a time on the beach, when the natives
immediately come down ^A-ith the produce they have for
sale, and place it opposite the goods from the prows,
pointing to the articles, or description of articles, they
wish to obtain in exchange for it. The trader then
makes an offer, generally very small at first, which he
increases by degrees : if not accepted, which the native
notifies by a shake of the head, should the trader hesitate
a moment about adding more to his offer, it is considered
sufficient by the native ; — he snatches it up, and darts off
with it into the jungle, leaving his own goods; or should

184 SUMBA.

he consider it too little, lie seizes his own property, and
flies off with it with equal haste, never returning a
second time to the same person/^*

No decided Papuans have yet been found on the
islands lying between Timor and the Arru Islands, and
certainly none exist in the Serwatty Islands at the present
day ; but there is a tribe inhabiting the interior of Timor-
Laut, which, from the accounts given by the natives of
the coast, may prove to be of the woolly-haired race.

Every community of mountain Papuans, regarding
whose existence satisfactory evidence can be produced,
has now been noticed ; but it is still possible that rem-
nants of tribes may yet be found in some of the islands
whose interior continues to be a terra incognita. The
reports of the coast inhabitants of these islands con-
cerning the wild tribes of the interior are generally veiy
unsatisfactory; and the former are apt sometimes to
temper their information, in order to make it pleasing to
the inquirer, if they happen to be aware of the object
of his researches. The islands in which remnants of
Papuan tribes may yet be found are Sumba or Sandal-
wood Island, Buru, the Xulla Islands, and the small
eastern peninsula of Celebes, which terminates at Cape
Taliabo. Sumba is a mountainous island, three hundred
miles in circumference, lying to the south of Flores, from
the coast of which it is distinctly visible in clear weather.
The inhabitants of Savu possess a settlement near the
south-west extreme of the island, and the Bughis traders of
Ende have two or three small stations on the north coast

* " Notices," &c., p. 8.

BURU. 185

which are occasionally visited by small European vessels
for the purpose of obtaining horses ; but the natives of
Sumba all dwell in the uplands, where they cultivate maize,
yamSj and other produce similar to that grown on Timor,
and are said to use the plough, which is unknown in any
other island to the eastward of Sumbawa. Their hair is
frizzled, but long, and their complexion is much darker
than that of any other agricultural people in the Archi-
pelago j but in other respects they resemble very closely
the brown tribes in the southern part of Timor. The
wild tribes, which dwell in the upper parts of the moun-
tain ranges, are said to be very black and very savage ;
but as the writer has not had the good fortune to meet
with a single specimen, he cannot vouch for the correct-
ness of this report, although there seems to be no good
reason for doubting it. >■

Burn is also a large island, being about two hundred
miles in circumference. The bulk of the inhabitants are
a comparatively fair people, very closely resembling the
natives of Amboyna ; and the only tribe that is likely to
be Papuan, is a small community which resides in the
neighbourhood of a mountain lake near the centre of the
island. This lake, which seems to have excited much
curiosity at Amboyna, was visited by parties from the
garrison in 1668, and again in 1710, and their observa-
tions are recorded at some length by Yalentyn in his
" Beschryvinge Van Oost Indie ;'' but, as usual, this
excellent old historian is indistinct as to personal cha-
racteristics. Several of their villages were seen by the
exploring parties, each consisting of a single house, about
which were found plantations of yams, sweet potatoes.

186 BURF.

plantains, and other fruit, together with some tame pigs,
which this tribe appears to use as decoys in captui'ing
the wild animals. The inhabitants invariably abandoned
their houses on the approach of the parties ; but on one
or two occasions the men were induced to return for a
short time, and hold friendly communication with their
visitoi*s. On one of these occasions they gave some
information respecting their mode of hunting, " showing
to Leipsig (the commander of the first expedition) how
they caught the wild pigs with the aid of the tame
ones/^*

This fact will probably afford an erplanation of the
mysterious value which the New Guinea natives place upon
their tame pigs^ according to Modera and Bruijn Kops.
Valentyn further says : " They took such little account of
the clothes, and even money, that were offered to them,
that it is to be wondered at that people who have nothing
but a strip of bark to cover their nakedness, were not
more covetous ; but habit is to them, as to other people,
a second nature ; and having been accustomed to the
bush cold from youth, they do not suffer from it as
strangers do. Our people saw swords and chopping-
knives among them, a clear proof that the natives of the
coast have communication with them, and can speak
intelhgibly to them, as they could not have obtained
these articles elsewhere : and they have neither materials,
means, or knowledge to make them themselves. They
requested the commander to drink matakau with them
(a mode of plighting troth), in order to assure them that

* Yalentyn, " Beschryringe van Amboina/' p. 17.

XULLA ISLANDS. 187

he came for a good purpose, and not as a spy, for they
feared that the expedition might result in their being
overpowered, and sold as slaves, of which they had the
most deadly abhorrence.^'*

The reports as to the existence of mountain Papuans in
the Xulla Islands, and near Cape Taliabo in Celebes, rest
entirely on native information; indeed, these parts do
not appear to have been described by any writer since the
days of Valentyn, who gives the following account of the
inhabitants of Xulla Taliabo, which, however, is intended
for the coast tribes, who are generally considered to be of
the brown race. " The disposition of these natives is very
wicked, subtle, faithless, cowardly, and murderous. They
are also without honour or shame, and very lazy and
fickle. The men are gentlemen and the women slaves, as
the latter are obliged to do all the work, whether in the
household, or in the fields.^'t This indifi'erent character
may, however, have been conferred on them on account
of their obstinacy in resisting encroachment, which has
enabled them to maintain their independence until the
present day.

* Valentya, " Beschryvinge van Aniboina/' p. 18.
•j- Yalentyn, " Beschi-yvinge der Moluccos," p. 87«

188 MELVILLE ISLAND.

CHAPTER XII.

MELVILLE ISLAND AND NORTH AUSTRALIA.

PAPUAN CHARACTER OF THE ABORIGIXAT, TASMAXIANS XO "WOOLLY-
HAIRED TRIBES IX AUSTRALIA DOUBTFUL CHARACTER OF THE

MELVILLE ISLAXDERS — CAPTAIX KIXG's SURVEY IXTERVIEW WITH

THE X'ATIVES TRAITS AXD CHARACTERISTICS ESTABLISHMEXT

FORMED OX MELVILLE ISLAXD — LIEUTEXAXT ROe's ACCOUXT OF THE

NATIVES MALAYAN YOUTH IXDIAX ISLAXDERS THROWN' UPOX

THE COAST MAJOR CAMPBELl's DESCRIPTION* OF THE MELVILLE

ISLAXDERS PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS HABITS AND DISPO-
SITION' CHARACTER OF INTERCOURSE WITH THE GARRISON

NATIVE DREAD OF CAPTURE REASONS FOR SUPPOSING THAT THE

SLAVE-TRADE OXCE EXISTED FEMALES WEAPON'S UTENSILS

DOMESTIC HABITS HABITATION'S FOOD DIALECTS BURIAL

PLACES — SLAVE-TRADE PRACTICE OF THROWIXG SPEARS FROM THE

TREES TRIBES OF PORT ESSIXGTOX AXD CARPEXTARIA HILL

TRIBES OF XORTH AUSTRALIA THE ISLAXDERS OF TORRES STRAIT

COXCLUDIXG NOTE,

The aboriginal inhabitants of Tasmania or Van
Diemen^s Land^ a small remnant of whom still exists
on the Great Island of Bass's Strait, are Papuans in their
general characteristics; indeed their habits and appear-
ance very closely correspond with those of the xlndaman

hno^-aplncal litraxY Yol.I.

rin

N E \^ GUINEA

MALES.

NEW GUINEA
FEMALES.

Cr r ciM^ 3 /fi('lc*t^Cff7iyS^StniMi

KtiiDogiaphural Librar;v 7ol I.

NEW GUINEA

FEMALES,

ORTH AUSTRALIA

FEMALES

^'^'iw,, 3 Ife/J^cn^'Smuui

(Tor p;uaicu]ars see .e^lajiatmn. of tke Platos^

Imam's :SiBai*ni Jhiiis/i*fX'ir ^XiBrtujim^Mwlerk

NORTH AUSTRALIANS. 189

islanders ; but in the neighbouring continent of Australia
the prevailing character of the hair, is straight,, or only
slightly waved, and often fine and silky, even among the
aborigines of Cape York, who from their close proximity
to the recognized Papuan tribes which inhabit the islands
of Torres Strait, might reasonably be expected to bear
some affinity to them in this particular. Frizzled hair is,
however, very common among several of the aboriginal
Australian tribes, more especially those of the north and
north-east coasts, and from the rough appearance of their
uncombed locks when cut short, travellers have, on several
occasions, been led to suppose that their hair resembled
the wool of negroes, until undeceived by a close inspection.
But the peculiar tufted hair of the Papuan has never, so
far as the wi-iter^s own experience goes, yet been detected
among the aborigines of the continent of Australia.

The Macassar trepang-fishers, who make annual visits
to the north coast of xlustralia, assert that tufted woolly
hair is common among the natives of Melville Island,
with whom they hold occasional intercourse ; and it is
certain that the native tribes of the nei2:hbourin2r coast of
Australia look upon the Mehille islanders as belonging
to another race, while at the same time they recognize
their own affinity with the coast tribes to the east and west,
with whom they are brought into correspondence by the
trepang-fishers ; the latter generally having a few of the
natives in their vessels to act as divers in procuring the
sea-slug from the deeper parts of the fishing grounds.
As Melville Island is only one hundred and seventy miles
distant from Timor-Laut, an account of the Papuan tribes
of the Indian Archipelago would scarcely be complete

190 MELVILLE ISLAND.

without the insertion of authentic particulars concerning
the native inhabitants, which will enable the reader to
judge for himself as to whether any affinity exists between
them and the Papuans.

The insularity of Melville Island was first ascertained
by Captain Philip Parker King, E.N., during his cele-
brated survey of the intertropical coasts of Austraha in
1818 to 1822, during which he filled up "the greater
portion of the coast-line from Cape Wessel to the North-
west Cape, some of the prominent points only having
been seen by former navigators. The island was found to
consist of densely- wooded undulating land seventy miles
in length, thirty in breadth, and to be separated from the
main land of Australia by a strait only fifteen miles in
width, but through which the tide ran with great rapidity,
forming numerous eddies and tide races, which Captain
King suggests were of too fonnidable a character to be
na'^'igated with safety by the canoes of the natives. He
found a large opening on the north-west side of the
island, which he at first thought would prove to be a
river, but farther examination showed it to be a narrow
navigable strait which separated Melville from Bathurst
Island ; and it was on the shores of this strait, while
taking observations on a hill near the sea, that he first
met with the natives. The interview is thus described
in Captain King's narrative."^

" Suddenly, however, but fortunately before we had
dispersed, we were surprised by natives, who, coming
forward armed with spears, obliged us very speedily to

* " Survey of the Intertropical Coasts of Austraha," by Captain
P. P. Kill?, R.X. Loudon, 1825.

CAPTAIN KING^S INTERVIEW. 191

retreat to the boat ; and in the sauve qui pent way in
which we ran down the hill, at which we have frequently
since laughed very heartily, our theodolite-stand and
Mr. Cunniughani^s insect-net were left behind, which
they instantly seized upon. I had fired my fowling-
piece at an iguana just before the appearance of the
natives, so that w^e were without any means of defence ;
but having reached the boat without accident, where we
had our muskets ready, a parley was commenced for the
purpose of recovering our losses. After exchanging a
silk handkerchief for a dead bird, which they threw into
the water for us to pick up, we made signs that we
w^anted fresh water, upon which they directed us to go
round the point, and upon our pulling in that direction
they followed us, skipping from rock to rock with sur-
prising dexterity and speed.

" As soon as we reached the sandy bank on the north
side of Luxmore Head, they stopped and invited us to
land, which we should have done, had it not been that
the noises they made soon collected a large body of
natives, who came running from all directions to their
assistance, and in a short time there were twenty-eight
or thirty natives assembled. After a short parley with
them, in which they repeatedly asked for axes by imi-
tating the action of chopping, we went on board, inti-
mating our intention of returning with some, which we
would give to them upon the restoration of the stand,
which they immediately understood and assented to. The
natives had their dogs with them.

" On our return to the beach the natives had again
assembled, and shouted loudly as we approached. Be-

192 MELVILLE ISLAXD.

sides the whale-boat, in which Mr. Bedwell was stationed
with an armed party, in order to fire if any hostility
commenced, we had our jolly-boat, in which I led the
way with two men, and carried with me two tomahawks
and some chisels. On pulling near the beach, the whole
party came down, and waded into the water towards us,
and in exchange for a few chisels and files, gave us two
baskets, one containing fresh water, and the other was
full of the fruit of the sago-palm, which grows here in
great abundance. The basket containing the water was
conveyed to us by letting it float on the sea, for their
timidity would not let them approach us near enough to
place it in our hands ; but that containing the fruit, not
being buoyant enough to swim, did not permit of this
method, so that after much difficulty, an old man was
persuaded to deliver it. This was done in the most
cautious manner ; and as soon as he was sufficiently near
the boat he dropped, or rather threw the basket into my
hands, and immediately retreated to his companions, who
applauded the feat by a loud shout of approbation.

" In exchange for this I ofi*ered him a tomahawk, but his
fears would not allow him to come near the boat to
receive it. Finding nothing could induce the old man to
approach us the second time, I threw it towards him;
and upon his catching it, the whole tribe began to shout
and laugh in a most extravagant way. As soon as they
were quiet, we made signs for the theodolite-stand, which,
for a long while, they would not understand ; at one time
they pretended to think by our pointing towards it, that
we meant some spears that were lying near a tree, which
they immediately removed : the stand was then taken up

CAPTAIN king's INTERVIEW. 193

by one of their women, and upon pointing to her, they
feigned to think that she was the object of our wishes,
and immediately left a female standing up to her middle
in the water, and retired to some distance to await our
proceedings. On pulling towards the woman, who, by
the way, could not have been selected by them either for
her youth or beauty, she frequently repeated the words,
"Ven aca. Yen aca,^' accompanied with an invitation to
land ; but as we approached, she retired towards the
shore ; when suddenly two natives, who had slowly
walked towards us, sprang into the water, and made
towards the boat with surprising celerity, jumping at
each step entirely out of the sea, although it was so deep
as to reach their thighs. Their intention was evidently
to seize the remaining tomahawk, which I had been
endeavouring to exchange for the stand; and the foremost
had reached within two or three yards of the boat, when
I found it necessary, in order to prevent his approach,
to threaten to strike him with a wooden club, which had
the desired effect.

" At this moment one of the natives took up the stand ;
and upon our pointing at him, they appeared to compre-
hend our object; a consultation was held over the stand,
which was minutely examined ; but as it was mounted
with brass, and perhaps on that account appeared to
them more valuable than a tomahawk, they declined
giving it up, and gradually dispersed, or rather pretended
to do so, for a party of armed natives was observed to
conceal themselves under some mangrove-bushes near the
beach, whilst two canoes were plying about near at hand
to entice our approach ; the stratagem, however, did not

194 MELVILLE ISLAND.

succeed, and we lay off on our oars for some time without
making any movement. Soon afterwards the natives,
finding that we had no intention of following them, left
their canoes, and performed a dance in the water, which
very conspicuously displayed their great muscular power ;
the dance consisted chiefly of the performers leaping two
or three times successively out of the sea, and then vio-
lently moving their legs, so as to agitate the water into a
foam for some distance around them, all the time shout-
ing loudly and laughing immoderately ; then they would
run through the water for eight or ten yards, and perform
again ; and this was repeated over and over again as long
as the dance lasted.

" We were all thoroughly disgusted with them, and felt a
degree of distrust that could not be conquered. The men
were more muscular and better formed than any we
had before seen ; they were daubed over with a yellow
pigment, which was the colour of the neighbouring cliff ;
their hair was long and curly, and appeared to be clotted
with a whitish paint. During the time of our parley, the
natives had their spears close at hand, for those who were
in the water had them floating near them, and those who
were on the beach had them either buried in the sand, or
carried them between their toes, in order to deceive us,
and appear unarmed ; and in this they succeeded, until one
of them was detected, when we were pulling -towards the
woman, by his stooping down, antl picking up his spear. '^*

The interview ended, however, without a rupture,
which, if the reader has already perused Mr. Modera^s

♦ Kincr. "Survey," <S:c., vol. i, p. 110.

CAPTAIN king's INTERVIEW. 195

account of his interview with the natives of Dourga
Strait, in the second chapter of this work, he will have
been expecting every instant ; and a similar termination
would probably have occurred on this occasion, but for
the caution of the experienced commander. On the
following morning the natives were again seen, but the
vessel was already under weigh, and their proceedings of
the previous day were not of a character to render farther
intercourse desirable.

" The night passed without our being disturbed by or
hearing anything of the natives; but at daylight, on
looking at the place where they had been concealed
during the last evening, a canoe, which had been observed
hauled up among the bushes, was missing, and we con-
cluded that they were close to us ; this proved to be the
case, for no sooner had we cleared the point, than the
natives sallied forth from the thicket, and, running up to
their middles in water to within thirty yards of the vessel,
set up a loud shout, which startled us not a little ; for,
busied as we were in securing the anchor, and making
sail, our attention at the moment was otherwise du-ected ;
and the first intimation we had of their vicinity was from
the noise they made, which was accompanied by violent
o-estures, and pressing invitations for our return ; but we
continued our way, and disregarded all their solicita-
tions.'^*

The information collected by Captain King in the
course of this sun-ey, led to the temporary occupation of
the north coast of AustraUa by the British Government ;

* Kms, " Sm-vev/' vol. i, p. 120.

K 2

196 MELVILLE ISLAND.

and the spot where this interview took place was selected
as the site of the first settlement, which was founded by
the late Sir Gordon Bremer in September, 1824, previous
to the publication of Captain King^s narrative.

One of his officers, Lieutenant Roe, accompanied the
new expedition, and a letter from him to his former com-
mander, describing the preliminary proceeding at Melville
Island, arrived in time for insertion in the second volume
of Captain King^s narrative, from which the following
extract describing their first interview with the natives is
taken.

" Not one native made his appearance before the early
part of November (the vessel arrived on the 26th of Sep-
tember), when, as if by signal, a party of about eighteen
on each shore communicated with us on the same day,
and were very friendly, although exceedingly suspicious
and timid. They would not venture within the line of
the outer hut, and always came armed, but laid aside
their spears and clubs whenever friendly signs were made.
On the second day of their visit, I was greatly astonished
to see amongst them a young man of about twenty years
of age, not darker in colour than a Chinese, but with
perfect Malay features, and, like all the rest, entirely
naked ; he had daubed himself all over with soot and
grease to appear like the others, but the diiFerence was
plainly perceptible. On perceiving that he was the object
of our conversation, a certain archness and lively ex-
pression came over his countenance, which a native
Australian would have strained his features in vain to
have produced. The natives appeared to be very fond of
him. It seems probable that he must have been kid-

SHIPWRECKED MALAYS. 197

napped when veiy young, or found while astray in the
woods/^*

A boy answering this description had been seen by
Captain King during his interview with the same tribe
about four years before, when he was carried on the
shoulders of one of the natives. The Nakodahs of the
Macassar prahus, emi)loyed in the fisheiy on these coasts,
are often accompanied by a favourite child, and this youth
may have been similarly circumstanced on board a prahu
which had been wrecked upon the coast, when his youth
and innocence may have preserved him from the general
massacre of the crew, which is stated by the Macassars
to be the inevitable result of shipwreck on the coast of
Melville Island. Many natives of the neighbouring
islands must have been driven upon the north coast of
Australia by the north-west gales which prevail in the
early part of the year, as nearly every village on the
south side of the Serwatty Islands has records of prahus
with their crews having been blown off to the south-
east, which have never returned, except on a few occa-
sions, in which they were so fortunate as to meet with
the trepang fishers who are upon the coast during that
season.

As an illustration of the fact given by Captain King,
which is not without a certain ethnographical importance,
I may mention that in the early part of 1843 a small
Dutch sloop was driven into Port Essington before one
of these north-west gales. She had been trading at the
Kapalla Tannah of Timor, and was riding out the gale

* Yol. II, p. 210.

198 MELVILLE ISLAND.

under stelter of the land^ when her boat, with several of
the crew on board^ broke loose, and drifted out to sea,
on which the sloop was got under weigh to pick it up ;
but being unable to regain the anchorage owing to the
strength of the wind, the commander, an European
Dutchman, who had already visited Port Essington
several times, bore up for the settlement, and remained
there three or four months, until the change of the
monsoon allowed him to return to Timor. The entire
crew, with the exception of the commander, were natives
of the Indian Islanders. One of them, a native of
Mindanao, stated that he had been driven on the
coast once before, which is very likely to have been the
case, as the Macasssar Nakodahs had previously stated
that they had picked up the crew of a stranded Lanun
prahu on Croker's Island, a few years before the settle-
ment was formed at Raffles Bay. Shortly after the
arrival of the sloop, a ship of a thousand tons burthen,
the ^ Manlius' of Waterford, bound to China from Bom-
bay, was driven into Port Essington by the same gale,
with her cargo of cotton wet and heated ; and the whole
strength of the garrison was required to prevent the
vessel from taking fire by throwing the heated cotton
overboard. Similar cases may have occurred during the
three centuries in which Europeans have navigated the
neighbouring seas. At all events, the fact of individuals
bearing evidence of Malayan origin having been repeatedly
met with by visitors to the northern coasts of Australia,
can now be readily accounted for.

This young man, or one closely resembling him, was
repeatedly seen by the garrison of Melville Island, as

MAJOR Campbell's account. 199

appears from Major CampbelFs valuable descriptiou of
the settlement, which is published in the "Transactions of
the Royal Geographical Society" for 1834. This gentle-
man resided at the settlement during two years in the
capacity of commandant ; and his description of the
natives, whom he evidently regarded with feelings of great
interest, is here extracted in full.

Natives. — " In personal appearance, the natives of Mel-
ville Island resemble those of the continent (if I may so
call it) of New Holland, and are evidently from the same
stock ; but they are more athletic, active, and enterprising
than those I saw on the southern coast of Australia, at
Port Jackson, Newcastle, or Hunter's River. They are
not generally tall in stature, nor are they, when numbers
are seen together, remarkable for small men. In groups
of thirty, I have seen five or six strong powerful men
of six feet in height, and some as low as five feet four,
and five. They are well formed about the body and
thighs ; but their legs are small in proportion, and their
feet very large ; their heads are flat and broad, with low
foreheads, and the back of the head projects very much ;
their hair is strong, like horse-hair, thick, curly, or
frizzled, and jet-black; their ej'cbrows and cheek-bones
are extremely prominent — eyes small, sunk, and very
bright and keen ; nose flat and short, the upper lip thick
and projecting ; mouth remarkably large, with regular
fine white teeth ; chin small, and face much contracted at
bottom. They have the septum of the nose perforated,
wear long bushy beards, and have their shoulders and
breasts scarified ; the skin is not tatooed as with the New

200 MELVILLE ISLAND.

Zealanclers, but is scarified, and raised in a veiy tasteful
manner,* and tlieir countenance expresses good-liumour
and cunning. All those who have reached the age of
puberty are deficient of an upper front tooth — a custom
common in New Holland. The colour of their skin is a
rusty black, and they go about perfectly naked ; their
hair is sometimes tied in a knot, with a feather fixed in
it ; and they frequently daub it with a yellow earth. On
particular occasions, when in grief, or intending mischief
or open hostilities, they paint their bodies, faces, and
limbs with white or red pigments, so as to give them-
selves a most fantastic and even hideous appearance, f

" In disposition they are revengeful ; prone to steal-
ing, and in their attempts to commit depredations,
show excessive cunning, dexterity, arrangement, enter-
prise, and courage. They are affectionate towards their
children, and display strong feelings of tenderness when
separated from their families ; they are also very sensitive
to anything like ridicule. They are good mimics, have a
facility in catching up words, and are gifted with con-
siderable observation. AVhen they express joy, thev jump
about, and clap their hands violently upon the lower part
of their bodies ; and in showing contempt, they turn their
back, look over the shoulder, and give a smack upon

* " The breast of one taken prisoner was scarified, and formed
into ridges, much resembling the lace-work on a liuzzar's jacket."

f " They cover their bodies with grease, it is supposed to secure
them from the piercing sting of the sand-flies and musquitoes j and
their bodies smell so strong that even the cattle used to detect them
at half a mile distance, and gallop off, bellowing in great apparent
alami."'

NATIVE CHARACTER. 201

the same part with their hand. In the construction
of their canoes, spears, and waddies, they evince much
ingenuity, although the workmanship is rough, from the
want of tools ; they are expert swimmers, and dive like
ducks. They show no desire whatever for strange orna-
ments or trinkets ; they are polite enough to accept of
them without any expression of astonishment or curiosity,
but very soon afterwards take an opportunity of slyly
dropping them, or throwing them away. The only
articles they seemed to covet were hatchets and other
cutting tools j but still, when they could steal, they
carried off everything they could lay hold of.

'^ As long as we occupied the island, the natives were
extremely shy and cautious in all their communications
with us ; they never intrusted themselves in our power ;
and notwithstanding my utmost efforts by acts of kind-
ness and forbearance to gain their confidence, and con-
vince them that we desired to be on friendly terms, I
found it utterly impossible to accomplish this desirable
object. Previous to my arrival they had committed
murder, various depredations, and daring acts of violence.
They had at length been fired upon whilst committing
acts of outrage ; and from aU my inquiries I believe they
had been the first aggressors by throwing spears. AVhen
I assumed the command, I was extremely anxious to
court their friendship, as without it, with our limited
numbers and means, we never could become acquainted
with all the resources of the island, or make them of
available use to us; I therefore prevented any of the
militaiT or prisoners from putting themselves in contact
with the natives without my presence or orders ; I allowed

K 3

202 MELVILLE ISLAND.

no arms to be taken out, except by those on whom I
could depend, and strictly enjoined tliat they should only
be used against the natives in self-defence, and when by
the laws of England it would be justifiable. I feel confi-
dent, also, that these orders were strictly attended to ; but,
notwithstanding, they continued until the last day dis-
trustful, if not even determinedly hostile. They put two
gentlemen of the settlement, one soldier, and one of the
prisoners to death, and wantonly wounded several
others.

''During my time we were obliged to fire at them
several times ; we never knew of any having been killed,
although in one or two instances they were wounded ;
they might have died, and the spirit of revenge might
have excited them to other acts of \iolence. There was
a curious inconsistency in their conduct ; on one day they
would appear good-humoured and friendly, and allow
individuals of our settlement to pass unmolested through
extended lines of them, and probably on the following
day would throw their spears at any individual they
could surprise by stealing upon him. They never came
near us T\dthout their spears and waddies ; but sometimes
they would leave their spears a few hundred yards in
their rear, concealed behind trees, amongst the long grass,
or in possession of some young boys, who would run up
to them on the first signal ; they would then approach
within fifty or sixty paces, extend their arms, throw their
waddies to the rear in token of amity, and then by signs
oblige all those who approached them from our side to
extend their arms also, and turn round to show they had
no weapons concealed ; when satisfied, they would enter

INTERCOURSE WITH ErROPEANS. 203

•i

into a palaver^ and two or three of the most daring would
advance in front of the others^ which latter (part foraied
in a group, and a part extended singly to a distance of a
quarter of a mile on each flank), would remain ready to
support them in case of emergency. These few in
advance would allow one or two of our people to approach
within two or three paces of them, determined to main-
tain a superiority of two or three to one.

" Fearful of drawing out this memoir to too great a
length, I must refrain from relating any of their daring
and cunning acts of aggression, or the numerous interest-
ing occurrences which took place. Suffice it to say, that
we had one of these savages as a prisoner for several weeks,
from whom I learned a good deal of their character ; and
the following little circumstance caused me to conjecture,
at an early period, the reason of theii* being so suspicious
of strangers.

" In one of my interviews with a tribe of the aborigines,
who had approached to the outward boundary of the forest,
and within half a mile of the fort, I observed that they
appeared more familiar than usual. Having previously
prepared a medal attached to a piece of scarlet tape, I
expressed a wish to hang it round the neck of a iine-
looking young man, who bore a feather in his hair, and
appeared to have some authority. Tliis young man
remained at a short distance (two or three paces), took
hold of his wrists, and appeared as if struggling to escape
from the grasp of an enemy ; he then pointed his hand
towards his neck, looked upwards to the branches of a tree,
shook his head significantly (evidently in allusion to
being hung), and avoided coming nigh enough to receive

^04 MELVILLE ISLAND.

the proffered gift. This led me to imagine that the
island had been visited by strangers^ and the natives
forced away by them as slaves ; in corroboration of which
opinion, I may add three other cu'cumstances which came
under my notice.

" The first is, that the Malay fishennen from Macassar
are forbidden to go near Melville Island (which they call
" amba^^), alleging that it is infested by pirates — probably
slavers, as " amba^^ in the Malay lan2:uao;e sio:nifies a
slave.

" The second circumstance relates to a lad. who had
been taken from a native tribe in 1825, and detained at
the settlement three or four days, when he escaped. This
lad was the colour of a Malay, and possessed their
features, whence it is probable that he was taken when a
child from some Malay slave-ship or fishing proa, and
reared amongst the INIelville Islanders.

"The thii'd circumstance is, that when Captain King,
R.N., entered Apsley Straits in 1818, and was proceeding
towards the shore near Luxmore Head in his boat, a
number of natives were on the beach ; and a female, who
entered the water in order to decoy him close to the
shore, called out, "Vin aca ! Yin aca !''* This being a
Portuguese expression, induces me to believe that vessels
from the Portuguese settlement of Dilhi, on the north
side of Timor, might have visited Mel\-ille Island for the
purpose of seizing the natives, and carrying them away as
slaves.

"During the four years that this island was occu-

* " Come here ! come here !" in Portuguese.

"WEAPONS. 205

pied, only two aboriginal females were seen, and at a
distance ; they were both old and ugly, and their only
garment was a short narrow apron of plaited grass. "We
frequently saw young boys, from six to twelve years of
age, along with the men ; they were well made, plump in
person, good-looking, and with a remarkable expression
of sharpness in their eyes.

" The weapons used are spears and waddies ; the spears
are from ten to twelve feet long, made of a heavy wood,
and very sharp-pointed ; some are plain, others barbed ;
some have a single row of barbs, from twelve to fifteen in
number, and others a double row ; they may weigh three
pounds, and are thrown from the hand (without any arti-
ficial lever, as at Port Jackson), with great precision and
force, to a distance of fifty or sixty yards *

" The waddies are used as weapons of attack, as well as
for killing wild animals and birds. They are made of
heavy wood, twenty-two inches long, one and a half in
diameter, pointed sharp at one end, and weighing above

* The war-spears of the Melville islanders are sharp at both euds,
tapering off from near the centre of the length, and are poised when
about to be thrown, as is practised by the Caffres with their
" asseghais." The spears in ordhiary use among the Port Essington
tribes are of reed, or bamboo, and blunt at one end, which is also
hollowed out into a sort of socket to receive the hook at the end of
the rogorouk, or icondouk, varieties of the throwmg-stick, with which
they are projected ; but the IMelville Island spear, which is calledyw^o,
is not unkno-^Ti to them, as the chief warriors always have two or
thi-ee very beautifully shaped out of hard wood, which seem only to
be used in cases of duels between warriors. They acknowledge that
this fashion of spear is borrowed from the Melville islanders.—
G. W. E.

206 MELVILLE ISLAND.

two pounds ; they are not round and smooth, but have
sixteen equal sides, with a little rude carving at the
handle, to ensure theii' being held firmer in the hand.

" Their canoes, water-buckets, and baskets, are made of
bark^ neatly sewed with strips of split cane. The canoes
consist of one piece of bark, are twenty feet long, twenty-
eight inches wide, and fifteen deep ; the stem and stern
are neatly sewed with thin slips of cane, and caulked
with white clay ; the gunwales are strengthened by two
small young saplings (such as grow in marshy places),
fastened together at each end of the canoe ; the sides are
kept from closing by pieces of wood placed across, and
which also answer as seats.

^'The natives of Melville and Bathurst Islands are
divided into tribes of from thirty to fifty persons each.
I do not think that I ever saw above thirty-five or forty
men together, although some individuals, surprised by
them in the forest, have reported having seen a hundred ;
the noise they make, and their jumping from tree to tree,
make them often appear more numerous than they
actually are. They lead a wandering life, though I think
each tribe confines itself to a limited district ; and pro-
bably when tired of one, or their resources are ex-
hausted, the strongest may usurp that of a weaker.
In 1824-5, a tribe of daring athletic men kept con-
stantly in the neighbourhood of Fort Dundas. In the
beorinnins: of 1826, a stranjje tribe visited the settlement,
and they were generally slight-made men : bat by the
end of the year the former tribe returned, and continued
to remain in the neighbourhood until the island was
abandoned in 1829. During the dry season they dis-

ENCAMPMENTS. 207

persecl themselves a good deal on liuDting excursions, and
burned the grass on the forest grounds for that purpose
from April to September. I think when they move, that
their women and children accompany them, as female
voices were frequently heard at a distance at night, pro-
ceeding from their encampments. They generally encamp
on sandy banks, amongst the mangroves, or on dry open
spots near swamps, or on the sea-coast. They do not
give themselves the trouble of constructing wigwams in
the dry season, merely forming a bed of palm-leaves, or
long grass, whenever they repose for the night ; but
during the wet season they have some covering, and
their encampment being more stationary, displays a little
comfort, and is generally in a pleasant spot near the
sea.

*' The following is an account of my visit to one. Upon
landing under the high sandy beach, we came upon
an extensive encampment of natives ; the men, women,
and children, all fled like frighted deer, and left us
quietly to examine their domestic economy. There
were thirty wigwams, all made of newly-stripped bark ;
each consisted of a single sheet of bark, formed into
a shed or mere roof, open at each end, with a fire
at the entrance; the interior space was four feet and
a half long, three in width, and three feet high. Pieces
of soft silky bark, rolled up in several folds, and an-
swering as pillows and seats, were in each wigwam.
Some of these erections were placed under spreading
shrubs ; and the twigs being artfully entwined into each
other, formed a tasteful inclosure. Several of them were
ornamented inside by figures drawn in white clay : one

208 MELVILLE ISLAND.

in particular was neatly and regularly done all over,
representing the cross-bars of a prison-window. The
utensils consisted only of bark buckets and baskets, and
the ground around was strewed with shells of turtle,
crabs, oysters, and limpets. At one end of the encamp-
ment lay the materials for constructing a canoe ; and on
a block of wood close to it was observed marks made
with an axe, or tomahawk. We committed no depreda-
tions, and saw the natives hastening back when we quitted
the shore.

" The food of these people consists of kangaroo, opossum,
bandicoot, iguanas, and lizards, during the dry months ,
fish, turtle, crabs, and other shell fish, during the wet
months ; and their vegetables are the cabbage-palm and
fruit of the sago-palm. They eat their meat just warmed
through on a wood fire ; and the seed of the sago-palm is
made into a kind of mash. Amongst those natives whom
we encountered, I never saw any deformed, or having the
appearance of disease or old age ; probably such were left
with the women, in places of security, and only the able
warriors came near us. There was one powerful, deter-
mined-looking fellow frequently seen, who had lost a
hand; and he threw his spear by resting it on his
maimed arm, and taking a deliberate aim.

"Although the aborigines of Melville and Bathurst
Islands are of the same race or breed as those throughout
New Holland, yet their language is different. We had a
native of the southern coast with us for a short time, and
he could not understand a word they uttered. They speak
low and quick to each other : but their pronunciation is
so indistinct, w^e scarcely ever made out a word. I was

LANGUAGE. 209

in hopes of picking up mucli of their language from the
native we had made prisoner^ but during the time that I
was absent on an excursion to Port Essington he effected
his escape. His dialect did not sound harsh, and his
expressions were veiy significant, from the gestures with
which he accompanied them.

" The following are some of those expressions : Co
curdy ; water, give me some water, or I am thirsty.
Hooloo, hooloo ; my belly is full, I am not hungry.
Bungee : fire-arms. No bunged ; don^t fire. Peerce ;
an axe. Pakee ; peace, or friendship. Piccanini ;
children.^

'^ I do not think that these islanders ever cross to the
coast of New Holland ; for the currents are so rapid in
Dundas and Clarence Straits, that it would be dangerous
for their slis:ht canoes ; and altbouo-h so close to the
Cobourg Peninsula, yet the spears of the Melville
islanders are differently formed from those used by the
natives of that peninsula, and much heavier.

'^ It appears to be the custom of the natives to bury

* Three of these terms, Bungee, Ko hungee, and Piccanini^ are
used in the same sense by the Port Essington natives, but no
doubt exists as to their having been introduced by Eui'opeans.
Bung, the root of the two first, is intended to represent the
report of fire-arms, and the last is the common term for black
children among Enghsh sailors. The late Sir Gordon Bremer, who
estabHshed the settlement at Melville Island, informed me that
during their first interview with the natives, the greater number of
them continued incessantly repeatmg the word " Paako" in an ex-
ceedingly rapid manner, at the same time imitating the process of
chopping by striking the fore-arm with the edge of the other hand
Paku is the Malay term for an iron nail or spike. — G. W. E.

210 MELVILLE ISLAND.

their dead, their burial-places being in retired spots near
their most frequented encamping ground. The burial-
place is circular, probably ten or twelve feet in diameter ;
it is surrounded by upright poles, many of which are
formed at top like lances and halberts, fourteen or fifteen
feet high; and between these the spears and waddies
(probably of the deceased) are stuck upright in the
ground. It is quite impossible to form any estimate of
the numbers of the natives, but they are seen on all parts
of the coast of these two islands. I shall not presume
even to give a guess at their probable numbers.^^*

It is to be feared that Major Campbell was correct in
his surmises as to Melville Island having once been the
resort of slave-ships; for according to the testimony of
the older inhabitants of Tnnor, Melville Island was only
less a source of slavery than New Guinea, in proportion
to its smaller extent of surface, at the period in which the
slave-trade was encouraged or connived at by the Euro-
pean authorities in the Archipelago. However, there is
no reason to suppose that the island has recently been
visited by slavers, for although the words used by the
natives on the occasion of Captain King's visit were un-
doubtedly Portuguese, they may have been acquired at a
much earlier period; for foreign words, and short sen-
tences that are connected with remarkable events, are
handed down from generation to generation by the reci-
tations with which the native bivouacs are often enlivened
during the earUer part of the night. Indeed, expressions
that have been learned from strangers spread from tribe

* Campbell in " Journal of the Geographical Society/' vol. iv,
p. 152.

NATIVE CUSTOMS. 211

to tribe over a large extent of country ; for Dr. Leichhardt
and his little party, during their memorable overland
journey^ heard English words, which had been originally
acquired at Port Essington, in use among the natives,
while still far in the interior of Australia ; and this un-
looked-for occun-ence seems to have had a veiy cheering
effect on the explorers.

Major Campbell speaks of two tribes of natives hanng
been seen in the neighbourhood of the settlement on
Melville Island; the one consisting of '^daring athletic
men," and the other of " generally slight-made men."
It would be interesting to know whether they also differed
in other particulars. The practice of ''jumping from tree
to tree," which is certainly not known to be a charac-
teristic of any native tribe of the adjacent continent, is
only casually alluded to, as rendering it difficult to ascer-
tain their numbers ; but this strange custom seems to
have caused great annoyance to the garrison, for those
who had occasion to go out into the woods were obliged
to keep a constant look-out overhead, in order to avoid
the spears that were sometimes hurled at them from the
upper branches. The two officers mentioned by Major
Campbell as having fallen by the hands of the natives,
are said to have been speared from the trees ; and a
Serjeant was also wounded under similar circumstances ;
on this occasion the native paid the penalty of his
treachery by being shot down from the tree. These last
particulars, together with much interesting infomiation
concerning this singular people, were obtained by the
writer from Mr. George Miller, who had charge of the

212 MELVILLE ISLAND.

Commissariat Department at Melville Island during
the existence of the settlement^ and vrho now resides
at Sydney.

No intercourse with the natives of Melville Island took
place during the late occupation of Port Essington,
although vessels bound to and from the settlement some-
times passed close along the northern side of the island ;
and the entire southern coast was surveyed by Her
Majesty's ship ' Beagle -/ but on no occasion were the
natives even seen. It was several times in contemplation
to send a party to the east end of Mehdlle Island ; but
the strong objection on the part of the Port Essington
natives even to approach the coast^ led to the project
being abandoned on each occasion, as very little useful
information could have been acquired without their assist-
ance. Their prejudices were the more remarkable, as
they crowded to offer their services when the decked-
boat was about to be dispatched to the head of A"an
Diemen^s Gulf, or along the coast to the eastward. There
is certainly something peculiarly triste in the appearance
of the eastern part of jMelville Island, where the shore is
fronted by deep belts of mangrove jungle, and but for
the bush fires that are occasionally seen, the interior also
might be considered to be uninhabited.

In order to enable the reader to compare the Melville
islanders with the natives of the adjacent coast of
Australia, a general description of the tribes in the
neighbourhood of Port Essington is given below. It was
drawn up by the writer, from notes collected on the spot,
soon after his return from Port Essington in 1845, and

KORTH AUSTRALIA. 213

was published during the following year in the ^' Trans-
actions of the Royal Geographical Society/^* from ^yhich
it has been extracted.

'^ The manners and customs of the native inhabitants of
a newly-explored countiy present an interesting subject
of inquiry; and by placing on record^ at the earliest
period of our acquaintance with them, the distinctive
features of the diflferent tribes of which they are com-
posed_, many peculiarities interesting to the researches of
the geographer and the ethnologist may be preserved,
which the progress of civilization, and the consequent
increase of intercourse between them, would tend to
obliterate. Several of our earlier travellers in Australia
appear to have felt the importance of this subject, and
have paid due attention to it. With the tribes, however,
of the northern coast, of whom I propose to speak, we
have, till lately, been less familiar than with others ; and
these possess a peculiar interest, from the circumstance of
the country they inhabit being in the close vicinity of the
islands of the Indian Archipelago. These islands, again
— that is to say, the groups more immediately adjacent
to Port Essington — are occupied by a portion of the
human family concerning which very little was known
pre\4ous to our occupation of the north coast, when the
measures that became necessary for establishing the
security of commercial relations in that quarter, brought

♦ Yol. XVI, p. 239.

214 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

US into communication with tribes with which we had
previously been unacquainted. At Port Essington,
indeed, we were completely suiTounded by singular and
interesting communities. A circle drawn around the
settlement at a distance of 500 miles would enclose an
almost equal number of distinct tribes, varying in com-
plexion from the sooty black of the negro to the freckled
yellow of the Polynesian mountaineer, and differing in
social condition as much as in personal appearance.

"The superior organization that exists in a colonial
establishment composed entirely of individuals in the
employ of government, is highly favourable to the main-
tenance of friendly relations with the aboriginal tribes ;
and it is probably owing to this circumstance that our
occupation of the Cobourg Peninsula has been unattended
with those collisions which so often occur when civilized
men are brought into close communication with savages.
Among the advantages attending this state of affairs may
be counted that of our having become familiarly ac-
quainted, not only with the tribes in the immediate
neighbourhood, but also with individuals from distant
parts, who had been induced, by curiosit}^, to visit the
strange people that had fixed their abode upon the coast.
Parties of warriors, headed by their chiefs, occasionally
came from the remote interior to pay us a flying visit,
and nearly every Macassar prahu that arrived from the
Gulf of Carpentaria brought two or three individuals from
one or other cf the tribes that are distributed alons; the
intermediate coast. Indeed, about the month of April,
when the prahus congregate at Port Essington, the popu-
lation of the settlement became of a very motley cha-

COAST TRIBES. 215

racter, for then Australians of perhaps a dozen different
tribes might be seen mixed up with natives of Celebes
and Sumbawa, Badjus of the coast of Borneo, Timorians,
and Javanese, with an occasional sprinkling of New
Guinea negroes ; and very singular groups they formed,
busied, as they generally were, amid fires and smoke,
curing and packing the trepang, or sea-slug, which they
had collected from the shoals of the harbour. I propose
here giving a general sketch of the tribes inhabiting the
Australian coast, from the Coburg Peninsula towards the
east, confining myself chiefly to points more immediately
connected with geographical science — namely, the distri-
bution of the various tribes, the points upon which they
may happen to differ from other Australian tribes with
which we are already acquainted, and the social pecu-
liarities that may afford traces of a connection with other
races.

" In the first place I should state, that certain general
characteristics are observable among all the tribes of this
part of the continent with which we became acquainted.
Their skins are invariably embossed with raised cicatrices.
The septum of the nose is generally pierced, that is to
say among the men, for the custom does not appear
to extend to the other sex. Clothing is disregarded,
except by way of ornament, and in lieu of this they dis-
play a great tendency to adorn their persons with streaks
of white, red, or yellow pigment. These customs, indeed,
appear to perv'ade not only all the Australian tribes, but
also the negro communities of New Guinea, and of those
islands of the Indian Archipelago in which remnants of
this race still exist. But these northern AustraUans, at

216 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

least the tribes with which we are most famihar, have
certain customs which are not general among the abori-
gines of this continent. For instance^, their mode of
burying the dead is singular. The body is deposited in
a sort of cradle, formed by a number of poles, arranged
within the crutches of two forked posts stuck upright in
the ground. It is enveloped in many folds of the paper-
like bark of the tea-tree, and is left there until the skeleton
only remains, which is then deposited either in a general
receptacle for the relics of the dead, or, if death should
have occurred at so great a distance from this spot as to
render removal inconvenient, it is placed upright within
the hollow trunk of a decayed tree. We also discovered
a distinction of caste, or rather, the remains of such a
distinction, for the natives themselves appear to have
forgotten its origin and purport. These castes are three
in number, and are termed respectively ^ Manjar-ojalli,'
' Manjar-wuli,^ and 'Mambulgit.^ The former is sup-
posed to have sprung from fire, the term ' ojalli' having
this signification. The ' Manjar-wuli,'' as the term
implies, had their origin in the land. The signification of
the term ' Mambulgit^ is exceedingly obscure. The
natives themselves state that it implies ' makers of nets.'
The ' Manjar-ojalli' is certainly the superior caste, for,
among those tribes in which chieftainship exists, the prin-
cipal families are invariably of this caste, and are in the
habit of alluding to the circumstance with considerable
pride. With regard to the two remaining castes^ I never
could discover exactly which was the superior, indeed, the
statements of the natives themselves are so contradictory
upon this point, that it never has been, and, perhaps, never

DISTINCTION OF CASTE. 217

will be cleared up. Tliis point is interesting, from the
circumstance of a very similar distinction of caste being
found to exist among the Polynesian tribes of the neigh-
bouring islands, who also adopt a similar mode of disposing
of their dead. The natives of the Cobourg Peninsula have
also certain superstitions respecting the ^' waringin^' or
banyan-tree, which are common to the Indian islanders.
Bevond this, their superstitions appear to resemble those
which pervade the greater portion of the Australian
tribes — a belief in the existence of evil spiiits, of kurlocks
or demons, and of shosts : a2:ainst the whole of which
fire afibrds protection. The spirits of the dead are also
recognised in the strangers, whether European or Indian,
who visit their country.

ft'

"Although, as I have before stated, these northern
Australians possess many of the general characteristics of
the tribes of the south, still some striking peculiarities
were found to exist, which contributed to excite a con-
siderable degi'ee of curiosity and attention, more especially
as they also served to distinguish one tribe from another,
even in some cases where their territories were imme-
diately adjacent. During our earlier intercourse, when
from inability to converse with the natives we could learn
little respecting them beyond what absolutely met our
eyes, we supposed that these peculiarities were merely
accidental ; but, subsequently, when our means of acquir-
ing information became extended, and bodies of individuals
from remote tribes occasionally resided among us, we
perceived that many natives, who had attracted notice
from being somewhat different in personal appearance

218 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

from the people among whom they resided, were, in
reality, mere visitors from distant tribes.

" Before entering into any particulars with regard to the
characteristics of the various tribes, it will be necessary to
notice their geographical distribution. The Cobourg
Peninsula itself is occupied by four distinct communities.
Three of these inhabit the northern and central parts of
the peninsula, while the fourth, which is the most nume-
rous and powerful, occupies the entire southern coast and
the islands of Van Diemen's Gulf; the upper portion of
the harbour of Port Essington being also in their posses-
sion. This last appears to have only recently acquired
territory upon the peninsula ; indeed it would seem that
at no very distant period, the pressure of a powerful
people in the interior of the continent had driven one
tribe in upon another, until several distinct communities
have been crowded up within the Cobourg Peninsula,
where, until very recently, they have been making war
upon each other to such an extent, that two of these have,
within the memory of natives now living, been reduced
from numerous bodies to mere scattered remnants.

" These four tribes are distinguished among each other
by the term which in the particular dialect of each desig-
nates the monosyllable ^ No.'' Thus the tribe which
inhabits Croker Island and the country about Raffles Bay
(and which appears to have originally consisted of two
tribes, which have amalgamated to such an extent that
characteristic distinctions are almost entirely lost) is
termed ' Yaako / the Port Essington tribe goes by the
name of 'Yarlo,^ the western tribe by that of ^ lyi,'

COAST TRIBES. 219

and the great southern tribe by that of ' Oitbi/ Another
powerful tribe, which occupies the coast for some distance
to the eastward of the peninsula, is called, from the
country it inhabits, *■ Jalakuru/ The Monobar tribe
resides upon the eastern shores of Van Diemen^s Gulf,
extending to the south until it comes in contact with the
Bimbirik tribe, which occupies the lower parts of the
Alligator Rivers. These are all comparatively large com-
munities, but the mountain range beyond is in possession
of a people which appears to be more numerous than all
the others put together, and which goes by the general
name of ^ Marigi-anbirik,' or people of the mountains.
This tribe occupies a great extent of the uplands. Of
those beyond we know nothing ; nor have we anv accurate
details respecting the distribution of the ti-ibes which
extend from Jalakui'u towards the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The individuals belonging to them that \dsited the settle-
ment from time to time, were in the habit of resorting to
the ports frequented by the Macassar trepang fishers, for
purposes of barter, but the latter were unable to inform
us whether they resided constantly upon the coast, or
came from the interior. It was only with regard to one
singular race, which I shall have occasion to mention
presently, a people residing upon the north-west horn of
the Gulf of Cai*pentaria, that we obtained any correct
details upon this point.

" With the Yaako, or Croker Island tribe, our acquaint-
ance is of older date than with the others, from the
circumstance of the Raffles Bay settlement, which was
established in 1827, having been situated within theii*

L 2

220 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

territory. The people of this tribe are generally small in
stature, ill-formed, and their countenance are forbidding
and disagreeable. The hair is generally coarse and bushy.
The beards and whiskers of the men are thick and curly,
while the entire body is often covered with short ci'isp
hair, which about the breast and shoulders is sometimes
so thick as to conceal the skin. The eyes are small, and
what should be the white has a dull muddy appearance.
Their aspect, altogether, is more forbidding than that of
the Australian aborigines generally. Nor are their dis-
positions of the most amiable description. They did not
amalgamate with us so readily as the others, but this
probably was in a ^reat degree owing to the influence of
the chiefs, who evidently regarded us with considerable
jealousy, as being likely to supersede the influence they
possessed among their people. The occasional visits of
their chiefs to the settlement were invariably attended by
a series of petty thefts, undertaken not by the chiefs
themselves, but at their instigation. Mimaloo, one of
their principal chiefs, who was known at Rafiles Bay by
the name of ' One-eye,' was particularly obnoxious in
this respect, and latterly he was forbidden to enter the
settlement. This man was one of the most perfect
savages I ever remember to have met. His gestures,
when ofi'ended, were frantic in the extreme, and resembled
those of a wild beast rather than of a human being. His
henchman and bosom friend, Loka, was characterized by
a gloomy ferocity, even more distasteful than the fitful
fury of his savage chief. This man was lately entrapped
and killed by the Macassars, at a port on the north coast.

COAST TRIBES.

221

for having, during the pre\dous )Tar, treacherously mur-
dered one of their number, by throwing a spear at him
when his back was turned. As far as we ourselves were
concerned, this tribe proved to be harmless ; but this was
evidently the result of fear rather than of affection. I
here allude more particularly to the chiefs ; for the people,
when left to themselves, conducted themselves well, and
treated the parties from the settlement that occasionally
visited Croker Island w4th a considerable degree of hos-
pitality. The Yarlo and lyi tribes, our more immediate
neighbours, resemble each other very closely in general
characteristics, although their dialects are totally dissi-
milar. They are a taller and better formed people than
the Croker Island natives, and from the very commence-
ment of our residence among them they evinced great
partiality towards us, which ripened into what I believe
to be a firm attachment. Being broken tribes, ^nthout
chiefs, but divided into a number of families, they pro-
bably looked upon us as being likely to afford them some
protection from their more formidable neighbours, who
had shown a great inclination to encroach upon their
little territory.

" The Oitbi, or, as it was more generally termed by us,
the Bijnalumbo tribe, which occupies the southern part of
the peninsula, becomes of interest, from the circumstance
of many individuals belonging to it possessing a superior
physical organisation to the people already mentioned.
Arched eyebrows, straight silky hair, and complexion
fairer than that of the Australian aborigines generally,
were by no means uncommon, and many individuals

222 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

possessed, in a considerable degree, that obliquity in the
position of the eyes, which is considered as being charac-
teristic of some of the Polynesian tribes. These appear-
ances were even more developed in the people from the
mountain range who occasionally visited us. Upon the
whole, I am very much inclined to suppose that there
has been some infusion of Polynesian blood among the
aborigines of this part of the continent. With regard to
this point, however, it will be necessary to enter into
some farther details, which I propose deferring until I
have disposed of the tribes on the Coburg Peninsula.

" Of the four dialects spoken by the tribes of the penin-
sula, one only appears to differ in its general construction
from those spoken in other parts of the continent, and
this difference consists only in the words almost invariably
ending in a vowel. I think this peculiarity is accidental
for it occurs in the lyi tribe, which in every other respect
closely resembles the Yarlo, or Port Essington tribe.
The consonants s and / are rejected throughout the
dialects of the peninsula, and this is also the case with
the h aspirate. With the single exception mentioned
above, two-thirds at least of the words end in a conso-
nant, and often in double consonants, as ' alk,^ ^ irt,'' &c.
The nasal ' ng^ is very common. In addressing a
person at a distance, the words are made to run into one
another, so that a sentence is spoken as if it formed only
one word of many syllables. In the Croker Island
dialect, a ' cluck^ occasionally occurs in the middle of a
word, which is effected by striking the tongue against the
roof of the mouth.

DIALECTS. 223

" A very considerable poi-tion of the coast natives have,
from frequent intercourse with the Macassar trepang
fishers, acquired considerable proficiency in their lan-
guage, which is a dialect of the Polynesian. They never,
indeed, speak it correctly, from theii* inability to pronounce
the letter 5, which occurs rather frequently in the Macassar
language. Thus berasa becomes ' bereja,' trusaan ' turu-
tan,' salat 'Jala/ &c. They, however, contrive to make
themselves well understood, not only by the Macassars,
by the people of tribes with whose peculiar dialect they
may not be famihar. On our first arrival, the natives,
fi-om ha^ino: been Ions: accustomed to address stransrers
in this language, used it when conversing ^vith us, and
the consequence was, that some vocabularies were col-
lected which consisted almost entirely of this patois,
under the supposition that it was the language of the
abori2:ines.

^^As the great inland tribe to which I have already
alluded may be considered as one of the most interesting
communities on these northern coasts, I propose entering
into some details with regard to the origin and progress
of our intercourse with them. "We had scarcely been
established at Port Essington more than a few weeks,
when it became evident that by far the greater portion of
the axes, iron, clothes, &c., that the natives obtained
from our people, were carried into the interior for the use
of the inland tribes. We learned, also, that an indi-
vidual belonging to one of these tribes was residing
among the natives in our neighbourhood. He was a tall,
handsome young man, and, from the circumstance of our

224 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

supposing that he was employed upon a diplomatic
mission, he was called ' the ambassador^ by our people^
a name that soon superseded his proper appellation,
Manougbinoug. He had attracted attention from the
first, by his unassuming yet somewhat dignified manners
and from his being always a mere looker-on, while the
other natives were busily employed either in assisting our
people, or in procuring food. He was, in fact, on a visit,
and was treated with great consideration, not only by the
tribe with which he was residing, but by all the natives
who happened to be in our vicinity. This young man
returned to the hills about six months after our arrival,
taking with him a Macassar man who had been ensrasred
in the service of Sir Gordon Bremer, but who, bein^
possessed of a wandering disposition, suffered himself to
be enticed away from the settlement. Timbo, the man
in question, returned among us after an absence of several
months, and spoke in the highest terms of the reception
he had met with from the people of the interior. He
described them as being much more numerous and better
organized than the coast tribes. One great chief, whom
he dignified with the title of 'rajah,^ possessed control
over several large communities, each of which had also
its own chief. The people derived theii' subsistence from
the spontaneous produce of the country, which appeared to
be in great abundance. The soil was not cultivated, but a
kind of grain, which grew spontaneously upon the alluvial
banks of the lakes, was collected and prepared for food by
pounding with stones, cakes being formed of the meal,
which were baked in the ashes of their fires. This grain,

INLAND TRIBES. 225

with wild yams, and the roots of a rush called ' raaro-
wait/ constituted their chief vegetable food. The yams
were described by Timbo as overspreading the face of the
countrs'. Their animal food consisted of the kansraroo,
opossum J and wild-fowl (which last abounded upon the
lakes), with a few fresh- water fish.

" Timbo, on returning to the settlement, informed us
that a large party of inland natives purposed visiting us
in the autumn, the season usually selected by them for
making distant excursions. This information proved to
be correct, for, in the month of September, volumes of
smoke were seen rising to the south-east, which, as our
natives informed us, indicated that a party of people was
advancing towards the coast, and burning the dry grass
for the purpose of driving out the kangaroos, which are
then easily speared in the confusion. We were, however,
in a certain degree disappointed, for the party, which
consisted of about forty men, halted a few miles to the
south of the settlement, and, after remaining there a few
days, returned into the interior without visiting the camp.
Yet some little intercourse took place, for on two or three
occasions the men who were employed in tending the
cattle in the forest, accidentally met with them. I think
it probable that they sometimes approached the settle-
ment sufficiently close to see what was going on, for, on
returning one day from a shooting excursion, I encoun-
tered the entire party in the pathway, about half a mile
from the houses. They stopped short on seeing me, and
appeared to be inclined to run away, but after a little
dehberation they squatted down in a row by the way-side.

L 3

226 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

I subsequently learned that this was intended by them
as a sign of peaceful inclinations^ and tbat^ if I had
stopped and spoken to them, they would have accom-
panied me into the settlement, as, partly from pride, and
partly from timidity, they wished to be attended during
their first visit by one of the officers of the establishment.
Such, however, is their account of the affair ; but not
knowing at the time the peculiar state of their feelings, I
adopted the plan that we had found from experience to
be the best calculated to give confidence to timid
strangers, and walked quietly past, without noticing them
particularly. When some distance away from them, I
turned, and saw that they had arisen, and were walking
gently towards the settlement, but they must have altered
their mind, for the next day we learned that they had
taken their final departure for the interior.

" During the following autumn we were more fortunate,
for a party, amounting to upwards of thirty, headed by a
tall, active chief, named Alarac, marched at once into the
settlement, and remained among us nearly a week. This
chief was nearly six feet two inches in height, but his
limbs were spare and sinewy. He differed in this par-
ticular from the people who accompanied him, the latter
being for the most part sturdy-looking men, with plump
and well-rounded limbs, and, although by no means short
in stature, still not remarkable for their height. They
appeared to be a well-fed, comfortable people, but their
most striking peculiarity consisted in the calm dignity of
their manners. Although evidently pleased with the
reception they met with, and surprised at the novelties

INLAND TRIBES. 227

that presented themselves to their view, they carefully
abstained from displaying any approach to the monkey-
like vivacity which usually characterises Australian abo-
ngines when they first meet with strangers. Nor were
they endeavouring to enact a particular part, as we were
inclined to suppose, for we subsequently learned that this
style of manner is natural to them, or, at all events, such
as they generally adopt.

" Our visitors were evidently adorned for the occasion.
Each man, with the exception of the chief, was painted
from head to foot with a red substance which is found in
the hills, supposed to be meteoric iron * Their only
clothing, if such it may be called, consisted in a large
tassel made from the fur of the opossum or kangaroo,
which was suspended before them from a waist-belt
composed of the same materials, and which was certainly

* This substance is also in general use for adorning the person,
amono- tlie tribes of the northern and eastern coast of Australia.
It is generally met with m lumps varying m weight from a few
ounces to one or two pounds, ^hich appear to have been broken
off from larger masses. Its appearance is that of a compact metaUic
ore, of the colour and consistence of red lead. Colonel Jackson, an
experienced metallurgist, who was Secretaiy of the Geographical
Society at the time, was of opmion that the specimen submitted to
him resembled cinnabar, and he has stated this opmion m a short
editorial note m the origmal issue of this paper. It is said by the
natives to abound in the range which termmates near Cape Wcssel,
the north-westem horn of the Gulf of Cai-pentaria. Cmnabar is also
stated by Lieutenant Colebrooke to be m use as a coloui-ing mat^ter
for the body, among the natives of the Andaman Group. See
ante, chap. x.

228 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

an improvement on tlie state of perfect nudity in which
the coast natives delighted. We afterwards found, also,
that their women invariably wore before them a mat
formed of rushes, about two feet deep and three feet
wide, e^-incing a sense of decency not common among the
aborigines of this continent. Their weapons were spears
or darts, headed with lozenge-shaped pieces of quartz* or
slate, very regularly formed; womeras, or throwing sticks
of great length; and heavy two-handed clubs. Their
hair, which was generally fine and somewhat curled, was
adorned with little tufts of parrot^s feathers or opossum
fur, and they had altogether a very neat appearance.
Nothins: could exceed the deference and attention with
which they were treated by the coast natives, who intro-
duced each individual separately to the officers of the
garrison, and were evidently much gratified by the
favourable impression made upon us by the pleasing
manners of their countrjmien.

" Our new friends, on their departure for the interior,
were most pressing in their desire that their visit might
be returned, and I feel convinced that no hospitality
would have been wanting on their part. The very

♦ Dr. Leicbhardt, who liad an opportunity of inspecting the
masses of rock from which the spear-heads are obtained, during his
journey across the Arnhem Peninsula, informed me that the rock
was " baked sand-stone." The slate spear-heads are obtained from
the same neighbourhood, which is one of the most interesting geo-
logical districts iu the continent. Some farther particulars respect-
ing stone spear-heads, which seem to have been veiy extensively
used in ancient times, will be found iu a note to the previous
chapter.

INLAND TRIBES. 229

limited numbers of the garrison, and the amount of duty,
which, although not arduous, required many individuals
to perform it, rendered it impossible that a number of
men sufficient to form an organized party could be spared.
That they will be visited ere long, is, however, more than
probable ; and although no striking novelty may be dis-
covered, still it would be interesting to know something
concerning the social state of this people. I have already
stated that I have reason to suspect that these moun-
taineers have a considerable mixture of Polvnesian blood
in their veins. This opinion was formed after having
held long and close intercourse with the aboriginal tribes
of some of the adjacent islands of the Indian Archipelago,
whose pure Polynesian descent cannot be doubted, and
whose customs appear to have undergone no change since
the early migration of their race. At the same time, I
must state that I have no grounds for supposing that any
distinct tribe of Pol^-nesians is at present existing in the
interior. It would rather appear that, at some very dis-
tant period, a body of Polynesians (possibly of warriors,
who had been driven out from some of the neighbouring
islands, where the state of society resembled that of the
South Sea groups when first discovered) may have been
engrafted on an Australian, or rather, perhaps, on an
' oriental negro^ stock ; for many circumstances which I
shall have to state more distinctly below, would induce
the supposition that the aboriginal inhabitants of this
part of Australia very closely resembled the Papuans of
New Guinea, or, what is almost the same thing, the
aborigines of Van Diemen's Land. The circumstance of

230 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

the mixture being more apparent, hereabouts, in the
interior than upon the coast, does not mihtate against the
correctness of this supposition, since we find that in all
the neighbouring countries there exists a great tendency
on the part of the Polynesians to occupy the upland or
mountain districts in preference to the coasts. It is in
such positions, indeed, that we find the superior breeds of
this race ; witness the inland inhabitants of Borneo,
Celebes, Timor, Sumatra, and ^ladagascar. I think it
proper to state that in making this suggestion I have no
theory to support. The subject is one, indeed, that I
only enter upon from the circumstance of those countries
having been rarely visited by individuals who have had
sufficient leisure to promote inquiries into the matter, and
that J therefore, in the present state of our knowledge
concernins the native tribes, the information I have been
enabled to collect from time to time may prove acceptable
to parties desirous of solving the mystery that involves
the early history of these eastern nations."^

" Our visitors from the interior spoke of a white people
who dwelt in the country to the south, and who built
houses of stone. This account excited a considerable
degree of curiosity in the settlement, but I have no doubt
that they alluded to our colonists in South Australia, or
New South Wales. Scraps of news pass so rapidly from
one tribe to another, that an event of any importance is
known over a large extent of country in the course of a
very few months, although it is certainly difficult to

• Vide Post.

JALAKURU TRIBE. 231

detect the origin after it has passed through several
tribes, and been subjected to the variations introduced
by each individual narrator. In connection with this
subject, I may mention a circumstance, which, although
irrelevant to that I have now entered upon, may prove
interesting. The natives of New South Wale?, and, I
believe, of South Australia also, have long been in the
habit of alluding to certain monster amphibia that are
said to exist to the north. We found the same report
prevalent on the Coburg Peninsula, but here it was to the
south, in Van Diemen's Gulf, that these creatures had
their abode. They proved to be a species of ' dugong,^
an animal, I believe, only recently known to naturalists.
The flesh is esteemed a great delicacy by the natives, but
they can only succeed in taking the young ones, the full-
grown animals being too formidable for them to encounter
in their frail vessels. I obtained two skulls, fi-om which
comparative anatomists may probably detect the class to
which they belong. They are in the possession of Sir
Everard Home, of Her ^Majesty^s Ship ' North Star,' to
whom I gave them, from the supposition that he would
arrive in England before me. The head somewhat resem-
bles that of the ^ ^lorse' or Sea-horse, two tusks project-
ing downwards from the upper jaw.

'' But to return to the aborigines. I have already
alluded to the Jalakuru tribe as occupying the coast to
the eastward of the Coburg Peninsula. Although the
territory they inhabit is remote from the settlement,
individuals of the tribe were constantly residing with ns,
and some of these, from their activit)^, intelligence, and

232 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

good-temper, became great favourites. They were also
generally selected as guides when making excursions
either by land or water, and always evinced great readi-
ness in embarking on voyages to the Indian islands,
whenever their company was desired.

" The Jalakuru tribe, although it resides occasionally
upon the coast, generally occupies the uplands near the
termination of the hill range that has been already men-
tioned. This tract of country is called Merkilellal. It
is open and fertile, and is traversed by a chain of small
lakes, which abound with water-fowl. The wild yam is
also found here in great plenty. Mr. John MacArthur,
the son of the commandant of Port Essington, visited
Merkilellal, about two years ago, and was received with
great hospitality, indeed with a considerable degree of
ceremony ; for on landing from the boat, he was escorted
by an armed guard to the spot where the tribe was
assembled to receive him. Oui* intimacy with these
people will prove very favourable to the extension of our
intercourse with the natives along the coast to the east-
ward, since they are well acquainted with the tribes in
their neighbourhood, and have always shown the greatest
willingness to accompany exploring parties.

" The tribe or tribes which inhabit the Goulburn Islands,
do not requh'e any lengthened notice, as they were not
found to differ materially from those of the Cobourg
Peninsula. In personal appearance, they rather resemble
the Croker Island natives than the others, and are a
fickle, and somewhat vindictive race. They occasionally
prove very troublesome to the Macassar trepang fishers,

CARPENTARIA TRIBES. 233

and are much inclined to attack strangers, as was expe-
rienced by Captain King, wlien employed in sun-eying
the coast.

'• I was unable to obtain any details that could be de-
pended upon with regard to the distribution of tribes
upon the coast between Goulbum Islands and the north-
west horn of the Gulf of Cai-pentaria. The inhabitants
hereabouts appear to reside chiefly upon the uplands, but
resort dui'ing certain seasons to the spots frequented by
the Macassar trepang fishers. With the people inha-
biting Arnhem Bay and the adjacent country we are,
however, better acquainted, from the circumstance of
many indinduals from these parts having nsited the
settlement from time to time in the Macassar prahus.
The trepang fishers describe this as being the most
numerous and powerful tribe upon the coasts visited by
them, and, when hostile, as being very formidable op-
ponents. For some years past, however, they have been
on the most friendly terms, and a considerable barter
trade was carried on, tortoise-shell being very abundant
there. The countiy occupied by this tribe is a spur from
the o-reat hill range. xA.ll the specimens of the tribe that
we have seen were remarkable for their bulky forms;
theii- chests, especially, being very fine and expansive.
The lower extremities, however, are not very well propor-
tioned, the curved shin being very common. Their fea-
tures are coarse, the nose being particularly flat and
broad, but the general expression is pleasing. All the
males above the age of twelve or fourteen years that I
encountered, had undergone circumcision. I was ex-

234 NORTH AUSTRALIA.

tremely particular in my inquiries with regard to the
origin of this custom^ and I can confidently state that it
was not derived from the Macassars, the latter affirming
that it existed previous to the commencement of their
intercom-se with the coast. Indeed this singular custom
is not confined to the tribes of the north-west horn of the
Gulf of Carpentaria. Flinders observed a case upon the
"Wellesley Islands, and the custom is also prevalent among
the natives of certain parts of the south coast of Aus-
tralia. It will be difficult, perhaps impossible, to discover
now the origin of this custom. I should observe that a
peculiar formation prevails among the aborigines of this
part of Australia, and also of the adjacent coast of New
Guinea, which renders the practice exceedingly conducive
to comfort and health.

" The western side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, as far to
the south as Limmen Bight, appears to be well peopled ;
but beyond this, as far as the head of the Gulf, the
natives are few and scattered. Here, indeed, the means
of subsistence are not very abundant. The mud^banks,
which extend far out to sea, render it difficult to obtain a
supply of fish ; and vegetable productions suited for food
do not seem to be very plentiful, probably from the
nature of the soil (a comparatively recent alluvial deposit)
being unfavourable to the growth of the wild yam, or,
possibly, it has not yet had time to extend itself over
the face of the country.

" I have observed that upon the northern coasts of
Australia, the amount of the population upon a certain
tract of country, is great or small in proportion to the

CONXLUDING NOTE. 235

quantity of vegetable food it produces. However abun-
dant animal food may be, a toilsome search for edible
roots gives almost constant occupation to a portion of
every tribe. ^Tomen and children labour for hours toge-
ther, with no other implement than a pointed stick, in
following up the creeping stem of the wild yam through
the earth until the root is arrived at, often at a depth of
six or ei2;ht feet below the surface. A certain proportion
of vegetable food appears indeed to be absolutely neces-
sary to their existence, and they \^'illingly forego the use
of animal food, if this more grateful diet can be obtained
in sufficient abundance. Boiled rice, without any condi-
ment, they will accept as their sole food for days together,
and scarcely seem to wish for change.^'

The paper extracted above, which was drawn up at the
request of the late Dr. Prichard, contains some specu-
lations respecting affinities between the northern Austra-
lians and some of the neighbouring races, which I am
now incUned to modify, as far as regards the supposed
introduction of Polynesian blood among the Marigi-
anbirik, or tribes of the Monobar Range. A more ex-
tended experience has led me to the opinion that it is by
no means necessary to infer a mixture of race in order to
account for the superior development of inhabitants of
elevated table-lands, either in Australia or elsewhere.
Indeed, thoughout the region which has come under
review in the present volume, it is found that aboriginal

236 CONCLUDING NOTE.

tribeS; of whatever race, correspond in social, and often in
physical characteristics, to a remarkable degree, whenever
they have become inhabitants of a similar description of
country, w^hether dense jungles, or open table-lands. In
the former, maritime enterprise seems to form the natural
channel of improvement, and in the open uplands the
process becomes developed in the cultivation of the
soil.

A perusal of Mr. J. R. Logan's excellent description of
the Sabimba, Mintira, Sletar, and other tribes inhabiting
the coast jungles of the Malay Peninsula, which is given
in the first volume of the " Journal of the Indian Archi-
pelago,'' will show how tribes of the Malayan race may
possess a lower development of social and physical charac-
teristics than the coast Papuans, or even the Monobar
Austrahans, who although they do not cultivate the soil,
collect the seeds of the panicum levinode, and the grain-
like roots of the marawait, which they grind up to form a
kind of bread, their chief food during certain seasons of
the year. This system of grain-collecting extends far
along the range to the south-east, as it was found in use
among the natives met with by Sii' Thomas Mitchell near
the northern boundary of the Sydney district, and by
those encountered by Captain Sturt in the great central
desert. The system of collecting the spontaneous pro-
ductions of the soil to serve as food, of course interests
the natives in the preservation of the plants, and a
natural induction would lead them to appreciate their
propagation ; so that the introduction of a single native
of the neighbouring islands, acquainted with agricul-

CONCLUDING NOTE. 237

ture, might lead to these tribes becoming cultivators.
The trepang-fishei-j Timbo, mentioned above, was in-
vited by the Monobar natives to reside amonjj them for
the sake of the superior knowledge he possessed ; but
being a fisherman, he was not well adapted for intro-
ducing improvements in agriculture, although even this
might have occun'ed had he become a permanent resident
with the tribe, which the natives appear to have desired.
Much additional information concerning these inland
tribes has been acquired since the paper given above was
written, and I am in hopes that Colonel MacArthur, who
returned to England in 1850, after the breaking up of
the Port Essington Estabhshraent (over which he had
presided for eleven years), will furnish the world with a
record of his experiences. Such a work would be of
great ethnographical value, were it only to develop the
system which enabled a party of civilized men to dwell
for so long a period in daily intercourse with savages,
without a single collision having occurred ; a result to
which history does not furnish a parallel. On only one
occasion during these eleven years was the intercourse
attended with a loss of life on either side, and singularly
enough this occuiTcd while carr}4ng out the system of
strict, but impartial justice, which had induced the
mutual confidence necessary to maintain a friendly cor-
respondence between such opposite elements. A ser-
geant of the garrison was sent in his capacity of peace-
officer to arrest a native who had committed a theft
in the settlement, and had escaped to his tribe on the
south coast of the Cobourg Peninsula. The capture was

238 CONCLUDING NOTE.

effected quietly, but during tlie latter part of the return
journey, when the sergeant and his prisoner embarked on
board a boat to cross the harbour, the latter jumped over-
board, and for a long time eluded all attempts at recap-
ture, until at length the sergeant, wearied and irritated,
fired at him ; the ball took effect, and ultimately caused
his death. The native was a comparative stranger, and
the sergeant belonged to the new detachment which had
recently arrived, otherwise this single case would pro-
bably not have occurred, for the men of the old garrison
had become attached to the natives, and had learned to
treat their eccentricities as those of children. But even
this sad affair did not impair the confidence of the natives
in those whom they had been accustomed to regard as
protectors ; indeed, the result rather tended to confirm
the latter in their appreciation of the strict impartiality
that had been introduced ; for the Commandant considered
it necessary to keep the sergeant under arrest until an
opportunity occurred of putting him on board a ship of
war ; and imprisonment had been the severest punish-
ment inflicted on the natives themselves. Probably no
civilized community can present more favourable criminal
statistics than those of the little settlement of Port
Essington during the eleven years of its existence.

The natives of the islands of Torres Strait present a
fine development of the mental, as well as physical cha-
racteristics, of the Papuan race; but as these tribes will
have to be included with the Papuans of the Pacific, with
whom also their progress in the agricultural arts seems to
be identical, there will be no occasion to notice them in

CONCLUDING NOTE. 239

the present volume. A comparison of the personal cha-
racteristics of these tribes described by Mr. J. B. Jukes
in his " Narrative of the Voyage of Her Majesty^s Ship
' Fly/ " ^ath the details of Lieutenant Modera given in
the present volume, will show that upon this point the
Dourga natives and the islanders of Torres Strait very
closely correspond ; still there appears a sufficient dis-
tinction in their social characteristics to render it im-
probable that close intercourse can have subsisted between
them, at least at a recent period. Nor is it probable
that the Torres islanders will fall under the influence
of ^Malayan traders, although the latter are said to l)e
extending their voyages towards them ; for having once
entered into close and friendly correspondence with Euro-
peans, they are not likely to respect a race as inferior to
themselves in physical development, as to the whites in
civilization.

THE END.

LONDON":

Printed by Schulze and Co., 13, Poland Street.

BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

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THE NATIVE RACES OF THE INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO:

BROWN TRIBES
OF THE MOLUCCAS, TIMOR AND CELEBES.

. With Numerous Illustrations.

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