NEW GUINEA--_Concluded_.
THE ALFOËRS OR HARAFORAS -- VARIOUS REPORTS RESPECTING THEM --
THEIR MODE OF GOVERNMENT -- AN ALFOËRIAN DIVORCE COURT -- TREPANG
COLLECTING -- DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY -- FUNERAL RITES -- TRIBES OF
THE SOUTH-EASTERN COAST -- A QUAINT DRUMMER -- DRESS AND ORNAMENT
-- THE TATTOO -- THE FULL-DRESS PETTICOAT -- HAIR-DRESSING --
EXCELLENCE OF THEIR CANOES -- AN INGENIOUS SAIL -- HOW TO STOP A
LEAK -- THE PIG-PET -- ARCHITECTURE -- DEFENCE AGAINST VERMIN --
HOUSES OF REDSCAR BAY -- DREAD OF STEEL -- TRIBES OF THE NORTH-WEST
COAST -- THEIR CANOES -- MODES OF FISHING -- AQUATIC HOUSES -- MODE
OF GOVERNMENT -- APPOINTMENT OF A NEW CHIEF -- NEW GUINEA WEDDINGS
-- THE KARWAR, OR HOUSEHOLD GOD -- THE WAR-DANCE -- CEREMONIES AT
FUNERALS.
We must here give a short space to some tribes called by various
names, such as Haraforas, Alfouras, and Alfoërs, and supposed by
many ethnologists to be a separate family living in New Guinea and
the neighboring islands, but as distinct from the generality of the
inhabitants as the Bosjesman of Southern Africa are from the Kaffir.
This theory, however, has now been shown to be untenable, and it is now
known that the word Alfoërs, or Alfouras, is applied by the tribes of
the coast to those who live in the interior. The word has a Portuguese
origin, and as Mr. Earle remarks, is applied to the mountaineers of
the interior, just as the Spaniards called the aborigines of America
“Indians,” and the Mohammedan inhabitants of Salee and Mindano “Moros,”
or “Moors.”
Most of the accounts that have been received of the Alfoërs are not at
all to be trusted. They have been described as peculiarly disgusting
and repulsive, ferocious, gloomy, living in the depths of the forest,
and murdering all strangers who came in their way. In fact, they have a
worse reputation than the Andamaners. It has been ascertained, however,
that these evil reports have originated from the coast tribes, who have
a very strong objection to allow foreigners to penetrate inland.
The reason is obvious. The visits of the traders are exceedingly
valuable, furnishing all kinds of tools, weapons and ornaments, which
constitute the wealth of the savage. The natives, having purchased
these with articles which to themselves are comparatively valueless,
can sell their superabundance to the inland Alfoërs, and make an
enormous profit on their bargain. If the white men were allowed to go
inland and trade directly with the natives, their profitable traffic
would be broken up.
As far as can be ascertained, the Alfoërs are in much the same state as
were the Outanatas before they were visited by traders. Those who were
seen were remarkable for a certain stupidity of aspect, a taciturnness
of disposition, and a slowness of movement, which are not found among
the Outanatas. As, however, they were slaves, it is more than likely
that these characteristics were the result of servitude.
Subsequently some discoveries were made among the Alfoërs, which
entirely contradicted the reports of the coast tribes. They are
certainly rough in their manners, and if they take a dislike to a
foreigner, or if he should perchance offend any of their prejudices,
they eject him from the district with more speed than ceremony; taking
care, however, not to inflict personal damage, and refraining from
confiscating his property.
As far as can be ascertained from the slight intercourse which has
been held with these tribes, there is no regular form of government,
the elders deciding disputes, and their decisions being respected.
They are an honest set of people, paying the greatest regard to the
rights of property; and being so scrupulous in this respect, that if
any one should even enter the house of an absent man he is called to
account, and made to pay a fine to the owner of the house. A similar
law exists with regard to the women. If a man should even touch, though
accidentally, the wife of another, he makes himself liable to a fine.
A curious example of this regulation is mentioned by Lieutenant Kolff.
A man set out in his canoe to fish, intending to return in a week; but
being caught by contrary winds, he was driven away from his own part of
the coast, and was detained two months. Unfortunately he had only left
at home provisions for a week, and his wife, finding herself without
food, asked a neighbor to provide it for her. This he did, and as, day
after day, nothing was heard of the husband, the woman transferred her
affections and herself to the neighbor who had assisted her, and the
pair went off to another island.
After two months had elapsed the husband came back, and, not finding
his wife, demanded her from her brothers, who were then bound to
produce her. They set off in search of the guilty couple, discovered
them, and brought them back, when the injured husband demanded an
enormous sum by way of fine. The man said that he could not possibly
pay such a sum if he were to work for the rest of his lifetime. The
affair was eventually brought before the elders, who decided that
the husband had done wrong in leaving his wife so ill provided for,
and that if he had supplied her with a sufficiency of provisions the
acquaintance between herself and her paramour would probably have been
avoided. So they decreed that the man should pay a small fine, and
advised the husband to leave plenty of provisions at home when he next
went out fishing.
The principal object for which the natives make these expeditions is
the trepang, or sea-slug (_Holothuria_), which is in great demand in
China, and is purchased by traders from the natives for the Chinese
market. It is chiefly by means of the trepang that a man procures a
wife. As is the case among many savage tribes, a wife can only be
obtained by purchase, so that daughters are quite as valuable to their
parents as sons. With the Alfoërs, the marriage present must always
consist of foreign valuables, such as elephants’ tusks, gongs, China
dishes, cloth, and similar objects. These are obtained by exchanging
trepang with the traders.
When, therefore, a young man wants a wife, and has settled the amount
of the marriage portion with the father, he goes off for a year on a
hunting expedition. He takes a canoe, and sails from island to island,
catching as much trepang as possible, and begging from all those whom
he visits. At the end of the year he returns home, knowing that by
means of the protective law his house and property will be perfectly
safe, and presents himself to the father of the girl with the goods
which he has obtained. It is seldom that he is able to make up the
entire amount at once, but he is allowed to pay by instalments.
Property cannot be inherited, owing to a peculiar custom. As soon
as any one dies, his relations assemble, gather together all his
valuables, break them to pieces, and throw the fragments away. Even
the precious brass gongs are thus broken, the survivors thinking that
no one may use anything belonging to the dead. Large heaps of broken
china, ivory, and metal are found on the outskirts of villages that
have existed for any long time, showing that many deaths must have
occurred within its limits.
The rest of the funeral ceremonies are curious, and are worthy of a
brief description.
When death is ascertained, notice is sent to all the relatives of the
deceased, who often are scattered widely apart, so that several days
usually elapse before they can all assemble. The body meanwhile is kept
sprinkled with lime, in order to retard decay as much as possible, and
aromatic resins are burned in the house to counteract any ill odor.
As the relatives come, they take their places in the house, and begin
drinking. Before the traders supplied them with arrack, they had a
fermented liquor made by themselves from fruit. They always offer the
deceased a share of everything, putting a little food into the mouth
of the dead person, and pouring a little liquid between the senseless
lips. Meanwhile the women utter loud lamentations, gongs are beaten,
and a stunning uproar is kept up until the time of the funeral.
When the relatives have all assembled, a bier is provided, covered with
cloth, the quantity and quality of which accord with the wealth of the
deceased; and the body is then brought out in front of the house, and
supported in a sitting position against a post. The villagers then
assemble, and a general feast takes place, a share of which is offered
to the deceased as before. Finding that he will neither eat nor drink,
in spite of the solicitations of his friends and companions, the body
is carried into the woods, where it is placed on a platform erected on
four feet.
This being done, the concluding ceremony is left to the women. They
remove all their clothing, and then plant by the side of the platform
a young sapling; this ceremony being called the “casting away of the
body,” and considered as a symbol that the deceased has done with his
body, and thrown it from him.
* * * * *
Passing more to the eastward of New Guinea, we come to some interesting
nations inhabiting Brumer’s Island, and the neighborhood. These islands
are situate about lat. 10° 45´ S. and lon. 150° 23´ E.
Living as they do on a number of small islands, the largest being
rather less than three miles in width, the natives are necessarily
maritime, passing from one island to another in their admirably
contrived vessels. They are accustomed to the visits of ships, and
boldly put off to meet them, taking no weapons, except for sale, and
displaying the greatest confidence in their visitors.
One of these natives caused great amusement by his imitation of the
ship’s drummer. Some one gave him a large tin can, which he, being a
musical genius, immediately converted into a drum. At first he merely
pounded it with his hands, but when the ship’s drummer was sent into
the chains, and began to play upon his instrument, the man watched
him for a little time, and then began to imitate him in the most
ludicrous manner, his antics and grimaces being especially provocative
of laughter. The effect of his buffoonery was heightened by the manner
in which he had adorned his face. He had blackened his naturally dark
features with charcoal, and had drawn a streak of white paint over each
eyebrow, and another under the chin to the cheekbones.
The mode of salutation is rather ludicrous to a stranger, as it
consists of pinching. When they desire to salute any one, they pinch
the tip of the nose with the finger and thumb of the right hand, while
with the left they pinch the middle of their stomachs, accompanying
this odd and complex gesture with the word “Magasûka.” These natives
seem to be a hospitable people, for, after several of them had been
received on board and treated kindly, they returned on the following
day, and brought with them a great quantity of cooked yams, for which
they refused payment.
The men wear nothing but a small strip of pandanus leaf, but the women
have a dress which in principle is exactly similar to the thong-aprons
of Southern Africa. It consists of a number of very narrow strips of
pandanus leaf, reaching nearly to the knee. The girls wear only a
single row of these strips, but the women wear several layers of them,
one coming a little below the other, like flounces. In wet weather the
uppermost petticoat is taken from the waist and tied round the neck,
so as to protect the shoulders from the rain, which shoots off the
leaf-strips as off a thatched roof.
On gala days a much handsomer petticoat is worn. This consists of much
finer leaf strips than those which constitute the ordinary dress, and
it is dyed of various colors. Some of them which were seen by Mr.
M’Gillivray were red and green, with bands of pale yellow and pure
white. The tufts of which they were composed were extremely light and
soft, and looked like very fine-twisted grass blades. Several of the
women, by way of finishing their toilet, had blackened their faces.
This process, if it did not add to their beauty, certainly did not
detract from it, as their faces were originally so plain that the black
covering could not make them more ugly. The young men and lads formed
a curious contrast to the women in this respect, many of them being
remarkable for their good looks.
The women usually, though not invariably, divide their hair into a vast
number of little tresses, and twist them up like the thrums of a mop,
while the men tease out their stiff and wiry locks as much as possible,
and fix in them a slender stick, some two feet in length, decorated
with a little plume at the top, the base being cut into teeth and so
used as a comb.
The inhabitants of Redscar Bay use a more elaborate system of tattooing
than that which has been described above. The men generally restrict
themselves to certain portions of the body, such as the breast,
cheeks, forehead, and arms, and even on those spots the tattooing is
comparatively slight. But the women are so covered with blue patterns,
that there is hardly a portion of their bodies which has not been thus
decorated. They have various patterns, but the usual type is formed
by double parallel lines, the intervals between which are filled with
smaller patterns, or with zigzag lines. As the dress of the women
consists merely of the leaf-strip petticoat, the patterns of the
tattooing are very fully displayed.
The hair of the men is dressed here after a rather singular fashion. It
is shaved from the forehead for some three inches, and the remainder
is combed backward to its full length. A string is then tied round
it, so as to confine it as closely as possible to the head, leaving
rather more than half its length to be frizzed into a mop-like bundle
projecting from the crown.
Those who are especially careful of their personal appearance add
an ornament which is not unlike the pigtail of the last century. A
tolerably large bunch of hair is gathered together and tied into a long
and straight tail, the end of which is decorated with some ornament.
In one case, a man had attached to his pigtail a bunch of dogs’ teeth.
The mouths, naturally wide, are disfigured with the universal custom of
chewing the betel-leaf mixed with lime, which stains the lips of a dull
brick-red, and makes the whole mouth look as if it had been bleeding.
The hair is usually black, but some diversities of color are often
seen. Sometimes it is black except the tips of each tress, where the
hue becomes yellow or reddish, and sometimes the whole of the hair is
red. In all probability, this change of tint is produced by artificial
means, such as lime-water, the use of which is known in various parts
of New Guinea. Those who have the entire hair red have probably dyed
it lately, while those who have only the tips red have passed several
months without dyeing it. There is but little beard or moustache.
As far as can be judged from appearances, the women are treated better
than is usually the case among savages, and seem to be considered as
equal with the men. They are affectionate parents, as was proved by the
fact that children were often brought by their fathers to look at the
ships.
The average stature of these natives was rather small, few exceeding
five feet four inches in height. They were very active, but not
powerful, as was proved by testing their strength against that of the
ship’s crew.
Allusion has already been made to their skill in boating. These natives
possess various canoes, some so small as only to hold, and by no means
to accommodate, one person, while others contain with ease fifty or
sixty at once.
The commonest canoe is that which is popularly called a catamaran,
and which is more of a raft than a boat. It is formed of three planks
lashed together with rattan. The man sits, or rather kneels, a little
behind the centre, and is able to propel this simple vessel with great
speed. Some of these catamarans are large enough to carry ten or twelve
persons, together with a cargo. Instead of being merely three planks,
they consist of three great logs of wood laid side by side, and lashed
firmly together with rattan at their ends, in the centre, and midway
between the centre and each end. There is no particular bow or stern,
but the central log is longer than the others, so as to project at each
end, and is generally carved into rude patterns, and ornamented with
red and white paint.
Of course the sea washes freely over this primitive vessel, so that the
natives are obliged to erect a small platform in the middle, on which
they can place any goods that might be damaged by wetting.
One of the smaller catamarans is shown in the foreground of
illustration, No. 2, on the next page, and just behind it is one of
the large canoes with its sail struck. Such a canoe as this is about
twenty-five feet in length. It consists of two parts, the canoe proper
and the outrigger. The canoe proper is very curiously formed. It is
cut from the trunk of a tree, and, in spite of its length, is not more
than eighteen or nineteen inches in extreme width. The most curious
part of its construction is, that the sides, after bulging out below,
come together above, so that the space between the gunwale is barely
eight inches, there is only just room for a man’s legs to pass into the
interior of the boat. A section of the canoe would present an outline
very much like that of the Greek Omega reversed, thus--℧. In order to
preserve the gunwales from injury, a slight pole is lashed to them
throughout their entire length.
As is the case with the catamaran, both ends of the canoe are alike.
They are generally raised well above the water, and are carved into
the semblance of a snake’s or turtle’s head, and decorated with paint,
tufts of feathers, shells, and similar ornaments.
The outrigger is as long as the canoe, to which it is attached by a
series of light poles to the gunwale of the canoe itself. The method by
which the outer ends of the poles are fastened to the outrigger is very
curious, and can be better understood by reference to the illustration
than by a description. Like the ends of the canoe, those of the
outrigger poles are fashioned into a snake-like form.
The natives can run along these poles to the outrigger with perfect
safety, often sitting upon it when the wind is high, so as to
preserve the balance of the vessel. In many canoes, however, a slight
platform is laid upon these poles, so as greatly to increase the
burthen-carrying space of the vessel; and a corresponding but smaller
platform projects from the opposite side of the canoe. On this platform
several paddlers are stationed, finding it easier to work their
long-handled paddles from the platform than from the narrow space of
the canoe itself.
The sail is made of strips of palm leaf, interlaced with each other.
When it is not required, the sail is struck and rolled up, so as to
occupy as little room as possible, and the mast can also be struck,
like those of our sailing barges while passing under a bridge.
Two other kinds of New Guinea canoes are shown in the same
illustration. These canoes are not found in the same part of New
Guinea, but, as the natives travel in them for considerable distances,
they have been brought together in the same illustration for the
convenience of comparison.
Beyond the large canoe is a smaller one, with a sail that is set in
rather a curious manner. There is no mast, but the two edges of the
sail are fastened to slight spars, and when the native finds the wind
to be favorable, he fixes the lower ends of these spars in the canoe,
and supports the upper ends by stays or ropes that were fore and aft.
The reader will notice the pointed end of the cylindrical outrigger. On
the opposite side to the outrigger is a slight platform made of planks.
The platform itself is out of sight, but the reader may see the heads
and shoulders of the two men who are sitting on it.
[Illustration: (1.) THE MONKEY MEN OF DOURGA STRAIT. (See page 900.)]
[Illustration: (2.) CANOES OF NEW GUINEA. (See page 908.)]
This canoe is made near Redscar Point, and, except in the arrangement
of the sail, is somewhat similar to the vessels which are built at
Brumer Island. The paddles are between six and seven feet in length,
and are rather clumsily formed, without any attempt at ornament.
The canoe to the right of the illustration is the most curious of these
vessels. The body of the canoe is made out of the trunk of a tree,
which is first shaped to a conical form at each end, and then hollowed.
Over the ends is firmly fixed a piece of wood, several feet in length,
so as to make the two ends into hollow cones into which the water
cannot force its way. The gunwale is raised about two feet by planks
which box in the opening of the canoe, and act as wash-boards, the
seams being pitched and rendered water-tight.
These particulars are mentioned because in general the natives of New
Guinea are singularly indifferent as to the amount of water which
is taken in by their canoes, provided that they are not sunk. There
is, for example, one kind of New Guinea canoe found in Coral Haven,
in which the gunwales are not connected at the stern, which is left
open. The water would of course rush in, were it not that one of the
crew sits in the opening, forcing his body into it so as to render it
temporarily water-tight. Even with this precaution it is impossible to
prevent some water from making its way between the body of the man and
the sides of the canoe, as it heels over by the force of the wind, and
in squally weather another of the crew is obliged to keep perpetually
baling with a large shell.
The most curious part of the canoe which we are now examining is the
sail, which, clumsy as it looks, is a very great improvement on those
which have been previously described, inasmuch as it can be shifted and
trimmed to suit the wind.
The mast, instead of being merely stuck upright when wanted, is
permanently fixed, but is so short that it causes no inconvenience when
the sail is struck and the paddles alone are employed. It is fixed,
or “stepped,” into a hole in a board at the bottom of the canoe, and
is lashed to a transverse spar that extends across the canoe from one
gunwale to the other. At the head of the mast is a stout projecting
arm, through which is bored a hole.
The sail is made by matting stretched between two slight spars, and
when not wanted it can be rolled up and laid up on the platform of
the outrigger. The halyard, a rope by which the sail is hauled to its
place, is fixed to the middle of the sail, and passes through the hole
in the projecting arm of the mast-head. Hopes are fastened to each
end, constituting the “tack” and the “sheet.” When the crew wish to
put their canoe about, they do so in a very expeditious manner, merely
letting go the ropes and hauling them in again, so as to turn the sail
and convert the sheet into the tack, and _vice versâ_. As both ends of
the canoe are alike, the vessel at once obeys the new impulse, and goes
off in the required direction.
The canoe is steered with one special paddle some nine feet in length,
of which the oblong, rounded blade occupies half.
* * * * *
The inhabitants of the New Guinea coasts are remarkable for their skill
in swimming and diving. When H. M. S. _Rattlesnake_ was off New Guinea,
the anchor of one of the boats caught in the coral, and could not be
dislodged. An old man who was standing on the beach saw that something
was wrong, and swam off to the boat. He soon understood the case, and,
after diving several times, succeeded in clearing the anchor, a feat
for which he was rewarded by an axe. He always dived feet foremost,
without an effort, and remained under water for about half a minute.
It is rather curious that the love of pigs which is found among the
New Zealanders should be quite as strongly developed among the natives
of New Guinea. The girls and women make great pets of them, and it is
not at all an uncommon event to see a young girl tripping along in
all the graceful freedom of the savage, holding a young pig in her
arms, and caressing and talking to it as an European girl talks to her
doll, or to her pet lapdog. These pigs are long-legged, black-skinned,
stiff-haired animals, not at all agreeing with our ideas of a pig’s
proper form.
The dress used by the women consists of slender leaf-strips, and
forms a really graceful costume. Many of the women employ a kind
of tattooing, though they do not carry it to such an extent as to
disfigure themselves. The patterns, though elaborate, are very small
and delicate, and extend over a considerable portion of the body.
The arms and front of the body display a regular pattern, which is
usually carried over the shoulder for a little way, but leaves the back
untouched. The most delicate pattern is reserved for the arm and waist,
where it looks like a delicate blue lace fitting tightly to the skin.
The women are very proud of this ornament, and are always gratified
when a stranger expresses admiration of it. The men occasionally
use the tattoo, but in a comparatively scanty manner, confining the
patterns to a star or two on the breast. Now and then a man will have
a double series of stars and dots extending from the centre of the
chest to the shoulders, but on an average a native of this part of the
country is not so much tattooed as an ordinary English sailor.
The architecture of this part of New Guinea differs from that of Dourga
Strait in being much more elaborate, but throughout New Guinea the
style of house-building is so similar that we will take a few examples
as representatives of the whole group of islands. All the houses are
elevated on posts like those of the Nicobar Islands, but have several
improvements in architecture.
The posts vary in number according to the size of the house, and about
four feet from the ground each post passes through a wide circular
wooden disc, which serves as an effectual barrier against the rats and
snakes, which would otherwise take possession of the dwellings. The
posts are connected together at about five feet from the ground by
rafters, on which the floor is laid.
These rafters, or joists, support a row of poles laid horizontally side
by side, and upon them are laid crosswise a great number of slighter
spars, thus forming a framework, on which is fixed the floor itself,
which consists of a number of thin planks taken from the cocoa-nut
tree. The supporting posts are about ten feet in total length, and
are connected at their tops by horizontal poles, on which a second or
upper floor is fixed, precisely similar to the principal floor, though
much smaller. On this upper floor are kept the weapons, implements,
provisions, and similar articles, for which accommodation cannot be
found on the principal floor. A supply of water, for example, is
generally kept in the huts, a number of empty cocoa-nut shells being
used in lieu of bottles, and closed at the orifice by a plug of grass.
In fact, they are identical in principal with the ostrich-egg vessels
of the South African savage, which have been already described upon a
preceding page.
Entrance is gained to the house by a square hole in the flooring, and
the primitive staircase by which the inhabitants ascend into their
houses is equally simple and effectual. It is necessary that the
stairs--if we may use the term--should be so constructed, that while
human beings can easily obtain access to the house, the rats and other
vermin shall be kept out. If an ordinary ladder or even a notched
pole were fixed to the house, the rats and snakes would be sure to
climb up it and take possession of the dwelling. The native architect,
therefore, proceeds after a different fashion.
Immediately under the opening in the floor he fixes two stout posts
in the ground, leaving them to project rather more than three feet.
The posts have forked heads, and upon them is laid a transverse pole,
which is firmly lashed to them. From this transverse pole another pole
is laid to the ground, so as to form an inclined plane up which the
inhabitants of the house can walk. It will now be seen, that if a man
walk up the inclined pole, to the transverse one, he can pass along
the latter in a stooping attitude until he comes to the opening in the
floor. He can then pass his body through the opening and lift himself
to the level of the floor, while the space which intervenes between the
horizontal post and the floor affords an effectual barrier against the
rats and other vermin.
The reader will better understand this description by comparing it with
illustration No. 1, on the 916th page, which represents three of these
huts. That on the right is seen from the end, and is represented as
half finished, in order to show the structure of the interior.
The sides and roof of the hut are formed of slight spars which are
lashed together by a framework, so as to form a support for the
thatching. This is made of coarse grass pulled up by the roots in large
tufts, and covered with an outer layer of cocoa-nut leaves. If the
house be a large one, there is an entrance at each end, and another
in the middle, each being closed with neatly woven mats. Similar but
coarser mats are fastened to the lower portion of the sides, in order
to exclude the wind.
Up to this point the architecture is identical throughout the island,
but a divergence takes place in the shape of the house itself,
according to the locality. The usual form is that which is represented
in the illustration. Such a house as is there drawn is on the average
thirty feet in length, nine in width, and thirteen in total height, so
that a space of about three feet intervenes between the upper floor and
the roof. The central figure of the illustration shows the side view
of a finished hut, and the left-hand figure shows the end view of a
similar dwelling.
In some places, however, such for example as Redscar Bay, the form of
the houses is different. Instead of having the slender poles which
form the framework of the walls bent over in a curved form, they are
arranged so as to make a lofty and sharply-pointed gable roof. A house
of this description, which measures thirty feet in length, will reach,
on an average, twenty-five feet in height. There is no distinction
between the roof and walls of the huts, except that the lower portion
of the roof is covered with sheets of a bark-like substance, which is
supposed to be the base of the cocoa-nut leaf flattened by pressure.
The entrance or door of these huts is at one end, and is covered with a
mat as has already been mentioned. Access is obtained by a sloping pole
resting on a short post. In some of these huts a number of spears were
seen in the interior, lashed along the sides, together with several
human skulls; but whether the latter were intended as ornaments, or
whether they were preserved in memorial of the dead owners, is not
certain.
The people who inhabit Redscar Bay and its vicinity exhibited a curious
mixture of shyness and confidence. They came freely to the ships as
they anchored in the bay, and were very anxious to be admitted on
board, peeping into the ports in the most inquisitive manner, and
holding up their weapons and implements for sale. They have in use a
rather remarkable arrow, with a head in the form of a pointed gouge or
scoop.
One of these arrows is in my collection. The shaft is made in the usual
manner from a reed, and is weighted at one end with a piece of hard and
heavy wood. Into this wooden tip is cut a deep groove, into which slips
the butt of the head. This is about eight inches in length, and is made
of bamboo, the reed being nearly cut away so as to leave a piece rather
more than half an inch in width in the middle, and tapering gently to
one end so as to form a point, and abruptly to the other end in order
to form a butt which can be slipped, into the wooden tip of the arrow.
Bamboo scoops of a similar description, but of a larger size, are used
as knives, and are sharpened by the simple process of biting off a
piece of the edge. When Mr. M’Gillivray visited New Guinea, he asked
a native the use of the bamboo scoop; and when he found that it was
used as a knife, he produced his own knife, and, taking up a piece of
wood, he showed the superiority of steel over bamboo by cutting a stick
vigorously with it.
Strangely enough, instead of being gratified with the performance of
the knife, the man was so frightened that he pushed off his canoe,
called his friends around him, and explained to them the terrible deed
that had been done. The knife was offered to him, but he looked upon
the proffered gift as an aggravation of the original offence, and
declined all overtures toward reconciliation. This aversion to steel
was found to be prevalent among the inhabitants of this part of New
Guinea.
The bow by which these arrows are propelled is a very effective though
clumsily made weapon. My own specimen is about six feet in length, and
is made from some hard and tough wood, apparently that of the cocoa-nut
tree. It is very stiff, and requires a strong arm to draw it. The
string is a strip of rattan, like that which has already been mentioned
when treating of North Australia.
Passing to the north-west of the island, we find that their appearance
and manners are not very dissimilar from those which belong to their
brethren of the southern coast. Taking the Dory people as our type,
we find that they often display good examples of the high and narrow
forehead of the Papuan family, and many of them have narrow and arched
noses, together with lips nearly as thin as those of an European.
Indeed, some of these natives possess a cast of countenance which is
so like that of an European that several travellers have thought that
there must have been some admixture of foreign blood. Such, however, is
not the case, these peculiarities belonging to the individual, and not
implying any foreign mixture.
The canoes of this part of the country are rather different from those
of the southern coast. The mast is made of three distinct spars,
united at their tops. Two of them are fastened to the side by pins
passing through them, on which they work backward and forward, as if
on hinges. The third is not fastened to the vessel, but its butt fits
into a cavity from which it can be removed at pleasure. If, therefore,
the natives wish to use their paddles, all they have to do is to lift
the foot of this spar out of its socket, when the whole of the triple
mast can be lowered on deck. When the wind becomes favorable, and the
sail is to be employed, the masts are raised again, the butt of the
third spar is stepped into its socket, and the triple mast is thus kept
firmly upright. A similar contrivance is now proposed for our ships of
war, as these triple masts made of three slight iron bars cannot be so
easily shot away as the single and solid mast.
The natives are very expert canoe-men, and are accustomed to the use
of their vessels from childhood. Even the small boys have their little
canoes, which are so light that they can be carried to and from the
water without difficulty.
They excel as fishermen, being as expert in the water as on it. The
trepang fishery is energetically conducted by them, as it is by the
sale of trepang to the merchants that they obtain the greater part of
the foreign luxuries on which they set so high a value. The hawksbill
turtle is captured principally for the sake of the shell, which is also
purchased by the traders, and, together with mother-of-pearl shell, is
mostly sent to the Chinese markets.
The mode of fishing with a net is much the same as on all these coasts.
The net is three or four feet in depth, and a hundred feet or more in
length. The meshes are about an inch in width. One edge is furnished
with a row of flat pieces of light wood, which act as floats, and along
the other edge are fastened a number of perforated shells by way of
weights.
When the natives wish to use this net, they place it in a canoe, and
look out for a shoal of fish. As soon as a favorable opportunity is
found, the canoe is taken to seaward of the shoal, and let carefully
into the water. Each end is taken in charge by one or two men, who
bring the net round the shoal in semi-circular form, so as to enclose
the fish. These men gradually approach each other, while another
man beats the water with a pole, or flings stones into it, so as to
frighten the fish into the enclosure. As soon as the two ends of the
net have been brought together, the canoe comes up, and the net, with
the fish hanging in its meshes, is hauled on board. They also use
fish-traps, like those which have been already described in the account
of Australia, sinking them by means of a stone, and raising them by a
cord, to the end of which a bamboo buoy is fastened.
They are tolerable smiths, and have a kind of bellows identical in
principle with those of savage Africa, but worked in a different
manner. Instead of having a couple of inflated skins, they have a pair
of wide bamboo tubes, about four feet in length, the lower ends of
which are buried in the earth, and connected by means of channels with
the hole in which the fire is made. The pistons are formed of bunches
of feathers tied to bamboos, and the blower works them alternately up
and down, so as to produce a tolerably constant blast. It is remarkable
that the bellows of the Chinese itinerant jeweller are fitted with
feather pistons. It is most probable that these bellows have been
borrowed from the more eastern islands.
As to the actual working of the metal, it bears a curious similitude
to that which is employed in savage Africa. The anvil is generally a
stone, unless the native smiths can procure an iron “pig” or a piece of
a broken anchor. They can work in silver and copper as well as iron,
melting the two former metals and running them into moulds, to be
afterward beaten and worked into shape.
The architecture of these tribes is rather remarkable. Like the
generality of houses in New Guinea, the huts are raised on stakes in
order to preserve them from vermin; but those of the Dory people are
similarly elevated in order to preserve them from water. These natives
have a curious predilection for building their huts on the sea-shore,
and place them below the level of low water. They begin this curious
style of architecture by building a long pier, or rather jetty, which
extends far into the sea, and which keeps open a communication between
the house and the shore.
At the end of this jetty the hut itself is situated, and is made of
boarded walls and a thatched roof. Great as is the labor that is
bestowed upon it, the house does not come up to our ideas of comfort.
In the first place, the floors are made of rough spars, placed parallel
to each other, but still far enough apart to cause some uneasiness, not
to say danger, to an unpractised walker.
A good specimen of a Dory house is about seventy feet long, twenty-five
wide, and fifteen high. Along the centre runs a tolerably wide passage,
and at either side are a number of rooms, separated from each other and
from the passage by mats. At the end next the sea there are no walls,
but only a roof, so that a sort of verandah is formed, under which
the inhabitants spend much of their time when they are not actively
employed. Such a house as this is usually occupied by some forty or
fifty individuals, consisting of about twenty men, together with the
wives and families of those who are married. All cooking is carried
on by the different families in their own chambers, each of which is
furnished with its own fireplace.
The dress of the Dory natives varies but little from that of other
Papuans of New Guinea. The men, however, often ornament their bodies
with raised scars like those of the Australians, and they are fond
of tattooing their breasts and arms with figures of their weapons.
They are fond of ornaments, such as shells, twisted wire, and armlets
of plaited rattan. They ingeniously utilize the latter ornament by
plaiting a very thick and strong bracelet, and wearing it on the left
wrist and fore-arm, so as to protect the wearer from the recoil of the
bowstring.
Though not a warlike people, they always go armed, carrying the
invariable parang, or chopper, which, as its very name imparts, is
procured from the Malay tribes. These parangs are chiefly made in
Borneo, as we shall see when we come to treat of the Dyaks. The Dory
Papuans do not seem to fight, as do some savage tribes, for the mere
love of combat; the chief object of warfare being the capture of
slaves, each of whom is valued at fifty shillings.
This value is, however, a conventional term; and when a bargain is made
with the Dory people for so many slaves, in most cases the conventional
money value is intended, and not the actual slaves. In fact, the word
“slaves” is used much as we use the word “horses” in reckoning the
power of a steam-engine, or “tons” in describing the capacity of a
ship. Perhaps the words “pony” and “monkey,” of modern sporting slang,
are better illustrations.
Still, slavery is rife among the Dory people, who sometimes make a raid
into a district, capture a village, and carry off the inhabitants into
servitude. They do not, however, treat their captives badly, but feed
them well, and seem to consider them partly in the light of domestic
servants, and partly as available capital, or as a means of exchange
when any of their own friends are taken prisoners by hostile tribes.
The government of the Dory tribes is nominally a delegated
chieftainship, but in reality a sort of oligarchy. There is a certain
dignitary, called the Sultan of Tidore, under whose sway this part
of the country is supposed to be, and from him the chief of the Dory
tribes receives his rank. When the chief dies, one of his relatives
goes to convey the news to the Sultan, taking with him a present of
slaves and birds of paradise as tokens of allegiance. This man is
almost always appointed to the vacant place, and is bound to pay a
certain tribute of slaves, provisions, and war canoes, the latter being
employed in collecting the Sultan’s taxes. Should he fail to comply
with these conditions, his village would be attacked by the Sultan’s
fleet, and the whole district ransacked; so that the position of chief
has its anxieties as well as its privileges.
[Illustration: (1.) HUTS, NEW GUINEA. (See page 912.)]
[Illustration: (2.) DANCE BY TORCHLIGHT, NEW GUINEA. (See page 917.)]
His authority is more nominal than real, for he decides nothing but
unimportant matters, leaving more weighty subjects to a council of
elders, who, as a rule, administer justice with impartiality. Their
laws are really good and sensible, and, though lenient, are based on
the principle of the old Jewish law, the eye for the eye and the tooth
for the tooth.
Marriages are managed in a very simple manner, the bride and bridegroom
sitting opposite each other, in front of an idol, and the former giving
the latter some betel-leaf and tobacco. His acceptance of the present,
and taking the hand of the giver, constitute the whole of the ceremony.
The idol which has been mentioned is called the Karwar, and is found in
every house except those which belong to Mohammedan natives. The Karwar
is a wooden figure, about eighteen inches in height, large-headed,
wide-mouthed, and long-nosed,--this peculiarity of the Papuan face
being exaggerated. It is represented as holding a shield, and wearing a
calico wrapper on the body and a handkerchief on the head.
The Karwar plays an important part in the life of a Dory native. It is
present at his birth, takes part in his funeral, and, as we have seen,
is witness to his marriage. In all cases of perplexity the Karwar is
consulted, the devotee stating his intentions, and abandoning them
if he should feel nervous, such a sensation being supposed to be the
Karwar’s answer. There are plenty of fetishes, but these are only
supplementary to the Karwar.
Without going into the details of the various tribes which inhabit this
part of the earth, we will glance at a few of the most interesting
customs.
These Papuans have a strong love for flowers, especially those which
possess a powerful scent. They twine such flowers in their hair, weave
them into garlands for their necks, and carry them in their bracelets
and armlets.
They are fond of singing and music, and, as far as has been
ascertained, are in the habit of composing extempore songs, as well as
singing those ditties which they know by heart. As for their musical
instruments, they consist chiefly of the cylindrical drum, a trumpet
made of a triton shell, and a sort of Pandean pipe, composed of six or
seven reeds of different lengths lashed firmly together. There is also
a wind instrument, which is nothing but a bamboo tube some two feet in
length.
Accompanied by these instruments, they perform their curious dances,
one of which as been well described by Mr. M’Gillivray. “They advanced
and retreated together by sudden jerks, beating to quick or short time
as required, and chanting an accompanying song, the cadence rising and
falling according to the action. The attitude was a singular one--the
back straight, chin protruded, knees bent in a crouching position, and
the arms advanced.
“On another occasion, one of the same men exhibited himself before us
in a war dance. In one hand he held a large wooden shield, nearly three
feet in length, and rather more than one in width, and in the other a
formidable looking weapon, two feet in length--a portion of the snout
of the sword-fish, with long, sharp teeth projecting on each side.
Placing himself in a crouching attitude, with one hand covered by the
shield, and holding his weapon in a position to strike, he advanced
rapidly in a succession of short bounds, striking the inner side of his
shield with his left knee at each jerk, causing the large cowries hung
round his waist and ankles to rattle violently. At the same time, with
fierce gestures, he loudly chanted a song of defiance. The remainder
of the pantomime was expressive of attack and defence, and exultation
after victory.
“But a still more curious dance was once performed a few nights ago
by a party of natives who had left the ship after sunset, and landed
abreast of the anchorage. On seeing a number of lights along the beach,
we at first thought they proceeded from a fishing party, but on looking
through a night-glass the group was seen to consist of above a dozen
people, each carrying a blazing torch, and going through the movements
of the dance. At one time they extended rapidly into line, at another
closed, dividing into two parties, advancing and retreating, crossing
and recrossing, and mixing up with each other. This continued for half
an hour, and, it having apparently been got up for our amusement, a
rocket was sent up for theirs, and a blue light burned, but the dancing
had ceased, and the lights disappeared.”
An accompanying illustration represents this wild and curious scene.
In the foreground are the dancers, each with his torch in his hand,
and indulging in the grotesque movements of the dance. To the left
are seen the musicians, one playing on the bamboo pipe, and the other
beating the drum which has before been mentioned. One of these drums is
lying in the foreground. It is a hollow cylinder of palm wood, about
two feet in length and four inches in diameter. One end is covered
with lizard-skin, and along the side there run longitudinal slits. The
native name for this drum is “baiatú.”
The funeral ceremonies appear to differ according to the locality.
Among the Dory people, when a man dies, the body is rolled in white
calico, and laid on its side in a grave, its head resting on an
earthenware dish. The weapons and ornaments of the dead man are laid in
the grave, which is then filled up, and a thatched roof erected over it.
Should the deceased be a head of a family, the Karwar is brought to
perform its last duties. When the man is buried, the Karwar is placed
near the grave, and violently execrated by all the mourners for
allowing its charge to die. The thatched roof being finished, the idol
is laid upon it, and idol and roof are left to decay together. As is
usual with savage tribes, funeral feasts are held at the time of burial
and for some days afterward, those which celebrate the deaths of chiefs
being kept up for a whole month.