The pagan tribes of Borneo - Get a Free Blog Here

CHAPTER III
GENERAL SKETCH OF THE PEOPLES OF BORNEO
It is not improbable that at one time Borneo was
inhabited by people of the negrito race, small
remnants of which race are still to be found in
islands adjacent to all the coasts of Borneo as
well as in the Malay Peninsula. No communities
of this race exist in the island at the present time ;
but among the people of the northern districts
individuals may be occasionally met with whose
hair and facial characters strongly suggest an in-
fusion of negrito or negroid blood.
It is probable that the mixed race of Hindu-
Javanese invaders, who occupied the southern coasts
of Borneo some centuries ago, became blended with
the indigenous population, and that a considerable
proportion of their blood still runs in the veins of
some of the tribes of the southern districts {e.g.
the Land Dayaks and Malohs).
There can be no doubt that of the Chinese
traders who have been attracted to Borneo by its
camphor, edible birds' nests, and spices, some have
settled in the island and have become blended with
and absorbed by the tribes of the north-west {e.g.
the Dusuns) ; and it seems probable that some of
the elements of their culture have spread widely
and been adopted throughout a large part of Borneo.
For several centuries also Chinese settlers have
been attracted to the south-western district by the
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