The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online

XL.] RACES OF MAN IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. 451intellectual, and moral differences between tlie Malays andPapuans, Ave have to consider tlie inhabitants of the numerousislands wliicli do not agree verj^ closely witii either of tliese races.The islands of Obi, Batchian, and the three southern peninsulas ofGilolo, possess no true indigenous population ;but the northernpeninsula is inhabited by a native race, the so-called Alfuros ofSahoe and Galela. These people are quite distinct from theMalays, and almost equally so from the Papuans. They are talland well-made, with Papuan features, and curly hair ; theyare bearded and Iiairy-limbed, but quite as light in colour as theMalays._They are an industrious and enterprising race, cultivatingrice and vegetables, and indefatigable in their searchaftergame, fish,_tripang, pearls, and tortoiseshell.In the great island of Ceram tliere is also an indigenous racevery similar to that of Nortliern Gilolo. Bouru seems tocontain two distinct races— a sliorter, round-faced people, witha Malay physiognomy, wlio may probably have come fromCelebes by way of the Sula Islands ; and a taller bearded race,resembling that of Ceram.Far south of the Moluccas lies tlie island of Timor, inhabitedby tribes much nearer to the true Papuan than those of theMoluccas.The Timorese of the interior are dusky brown or blackish,with bushy frizzled hair, and the long Papuan nose. They areof medium height, and rather slender figures. The universaldress is a long cloth twisted round the waist, the fringed endsof which hang below the knee. The peoj^le are said to be greatthieves, and tlie tribes are always at war with eacli other, butthey are not very courageous or bloodthirsty^ The custom of"tabu," called here "pomali," is very general, fruit trees, houses,crops, and jjroperty of all kinds being protected from depredationby this ceremony, the reverence for which is very great. Apalm branch stuck across an open door, showing that the houseis tabooed, is a more effectual guard against robbery than anyamount of locks and bars. The houses in Timor are differentfrom those of most of the other islands ; they seem all roof, thethatch overhanging the low walls and reaching the ground,except where it is cut away for an entrance. In some parts ofthe west end of Timor, and on the little island of Semau, thehouses more resemble those of the Hottentots, being egg-shaped,very small, and with a door only about tlu-ee feet high. Theseare built,on the ground, while those of the eastern districts areraised a few feet on posts. In their excitable disposition, loudvoices, and fearless demeanour, the Timorese closely resemblethe people of New Guinea.In the islands west of Timor, as far as Flores and SandalwoodIsland, a very similar race is found, which also extends eastwardtQjTimor-laut, where the true Papuan race begins toappear. CTlie small islands of Savu and Ilotti, however, to the [^west of Tunor, are very remarkable in possessing a different and,a « 2