Chapter XXXV: Appendix: K--MEASUREMNETS--(Continued) (2)

[26] His portrait is, unfortunately, a failure, as he seems to have moved slightly during the time of exposure.

[27] This is partly supported by a small monthly subsidy from the Bishopric of Rangoon.

[28] _Singapore Review_, vol. ii.

[29] A. L. Butler, _Supp. And. and Nic. Gazette_, Nov. 1897.

[30] "I once weighed one of these birds and found it to be only six times greater than its own egg; whereas I found that a domestic hen weighs twenty-two times as much as its own egg."--E. H. Man.

[31] After Mr E. H. Man, by Col. Strahan, R.E., when surveying the Nicobars in 1886-7.

[32] This may possibly be one of the results of elevation. As the island grew, nuts drifted to its changing shores and took root, until, as more and more land appeared, those trees which at one time stood along the edge of the island would at length be situated in the interior. Kar Nicobar, another low island of similar formation, also possesses forests of indigenous coconuts.

"Trinkat, being flat, is divided amongst the inhabitants of the other two islands, where they have their plantations of coconuts and areca palms: these last being very abundant."--Fontana, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. iii., 1778.

[33] The name of Mr Man is one to conjure with in the Nicobars. Everywhere we met with expressions of regret that he was about to retire after some thirty years' acquaintance with this group and the Andamans. Now and then we made rather unwarranted use of his reputation--did we want the portrait of a native who was rather nervous at the sight of the camera. "Here, come along, and don't be afraid, Mr Man does this," and it was all right.

[34] "The number of inhabitants on any one of the (central) islands does not exceed 700 or 800. Ten or twelve huts form a village. Each village has its 'Captain.' A woman who bears three children is very fruitful; few bear more than four. No men seem older than forty or fifty; women live longer."--Fontana, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. iii., 1778.

[35] Pronounced like _pain_ (French).

[36] We were told on the west coast of Great Nicobar, that no valuables were kept in the village there for fear of the Shom Pe[.n], but that all treasured possessions were stored in boxes, at Pulo Kondul.

[37] "To the middle portion of the roof frame an image of the household god is attached; from the walls are suspended human figures carved from wood, and enwreathed with bundles of grass or coconut leaflets, which are regarded as charms for the cure of diseases. Above the centre posts are hung up, strung to rattan, all the lower jawbones of hogs that have been slaughtered by the family: and their number furnishes a due estimate of the wealth of the owner of the house.... Wooden figures of men armed with sword and shield, and women in a dancing posture, with outstretched arms, are hung up in the rear and other parts of the building."--"The People of Nias," _The Races of Mankind_, A. Featherman.

[38] Inuanga.

[39] Dr Scherzer (_Cruise of the "Novara"_) states that they were used for frightening away the devil and driving him into the sea. _Cf._, however, the _Ma-ya-kuv-ka-ma-ka_ of the Kar Nicobarese (p. 295); and also an old Kar Nicobarese custom: "In every village there is a high pole erected, with long strings of rattan hanging from it, which it is said has virtue to keep the devil at a distance" (Hamilton, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. ii.). On the other hand, Colebrooke (_Asiatic Researches_, vol. iv.), writes: "In front of the villages, and a little advanced in the water, they plant beacons of a great height, which they adorn with tufts made of grass or the bark of some tree. These objects are discernible at a great distance, and are intended probably as landmarks; their houses, which are overshadowed by thick groves of coconut trees, seldom being visible from afar."

[40] These flags are made by the natives, and some of them are a legacy from the Danish occupation--a white St George's cross on a red ground, with a double-ended fly.

[41] Fontana mentions the palm leaves and other branches decorating the hut doors at festivals, 1778.

[42] Colebrooke, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. iv.

[43] "The Danes have long maintained a small settlement at the place which stands on the northernmost point of Nankauri within the harbour. A sergeant and three or four soldiers, a few black slaves, and two rusty pieces of ordnance, compose the whole. They have here two houses, one of which, entirely built of wood, is their habitation; the other, formerly inhabited by the missionaries, serves now for a storehouse."--Colebrooke, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. iv.

[44] Malacca.

[45] "The large, neatly-made bundles of trimmed billets of wood, have always been mistaken for firewood, even by Pastor Rosen, who spent three or four years in the Harbour. They are, however, made merely to serve as offerings, and are rolled on to a grave of some relative or friend. They are supposed to represent a substantial token of affection and regard as they take much trouble to make. Their bundles of firewood are also cylindrical, but consist of dry scraps of wood picked up in the jungle and tied round with pieces of cane."--E. H. Man.

[46] Canoes also are occasionally fed with chickens.

[47] The white-bellied sea-eagle (_Cuncuma leucogaster_).

[48] THE WHOLE OF THE NICOBARESE DANCE MUSIC.

It is extraordinary that people who are comparatively so far removed from savagedom, and so fond of dancing and singing, should have no musical instruments. They are acquainted with a kind of flute used by the Burmese, and a "guitar," but can show nothing of their own invention. Even the Andamanese, absolute savages as they are, possess a species of sounding-board, on which they beat time to their songs.

[49] _I.e._, "my marry" = my wife.

[50] Mr E. H. Man writes, however:--"Water is plentiful in the numerous masonry wells and reservoir in the old Government station which is in the harbour. We used to boil and filter it by way of precaution, and then it was quite safe."

[51] Vide _Asiatic Journal_, vols. xiii., xv., xvi.

[52] Pere Barbe, _Jour. Asiatic Soc. Bengal_, vol. xv.

[53] _Singapore Review_, vol. ii.

[54] "Some Malays, who were at the Nicobars at the time, afterwards stated that the _Pilot_ was attacked because the crew had tried to get hold of the native women; but those of the landing-party who escaped in the whaleboat, although attacked on shore simultaneously with the ship, tell a very different story."--Vide _Asiatic Journal_, 1841.

[55] A somewhat different, and more accurate, account of the incident is given in a volume of sketches by John Strange Winter, entitled _A Siege Baby_. I have given here the unamended version of the natives as related to us by the headman.

Mr E. H. Man writes:--"The story given by Tanamara, regarding de Roeepstorff's murder, is very incorrect. The murderer (a havildar of the Madras Infantry detachment then stationed at Nankauri) was under trial for having assaulted a convict. After recording a lot of contradictory evidence, de R. adjourned the case, whereupon the Madras Infantry jemadar pleaded on behalf of the havildar. The magistrate reproved him for his interference, whereupon the latter went and informed the havildar that he would probably receive a severe sentence which might result in his dismissal from the army. This so enraged the havildar that on de R. riding past the M. I. barracks a few hours later the same day, he shot him from his room. The havildar was the crack shot of the Madras army, having twice carried off Commander-in-Chief's prize. He shot himself on seeing that he had inflicted a mortal wound. De R. died within a minute or so. It was his wife who despatched news of the affair to Port Blair by a _bagla_, which had just arrived in Nankauri Harbour. In five days I arrived and held the inquiry. Mrs de Roeepstorff during those five days had a natural horror of the M. I. sepoys, and she would not allow any of them to approach the house. Her Indian servants and others remained with her as before."

[56] _Vocabulary of the Dialects spoken in the Nicobars and Andamans_, Port Blair, 3s. _Dictionary of Nancowry and Nicobarese Languages_ (both parts), Calcutta, 7s. 6d.

[57] This decline of population has been even more marked in the southern group than in the central, and has been found to be due to paucity of births and not to increased mortality. It has been attributed to injury done by the practice among the men of the Central and Southern Islands of fastening the _neng_ or loin-cloth unduly tightly over the organs of generation, whereby these are in many cases rendered impotent. At Kar Nicobar, Teressa, and Bompoka, and Chaura the _neng_ is worn less tightly.

[58] Hamilton's _Account of the East Indies_, Pinkerton's Collection of Travels.

[59] Vide Pere Barbe, _Jour. Asiatic Soc. Bengal_, vol. xv.

[60] These are all imported, many in order to sell to Kar Nicobarese.

[61] Pere Barbe (_Jour. Asiatic Soc. Bengal_, 1847) mentions other monopolies: lime might only be burnt at Kar Nicobar, boats built only at Nankauri, and to the same island was restricted the sowing of paddy. (The last a possible evidence of local Malay immigration.)

With reference to this note, Mr E. H. Man writes:--

"Lime (by burning certain _sea-shells_) can be made only in the southern group, Kachal, all villages inside Nankauri Harbour--except Ong-yuang, also the villages in Dring and Expedition harbours.

"Lime (made by burning _coral_) can be made only at Kar Nicobar.

"Canoes (large and small) are made in the central and southern groups where suitable trees are plentiful.

"Canoes (small) are made at Kar Nicobar, Teressa, and Bompoka."

[62] _Vide_ E. H. Man, _Jour. Anthrop. Inst._, 1893, vol. xxiii.

[63] Probably obtained from the deserted Government establishment at Nankauri Harbour.

[64] Supercargoes.

[65] A legend illustrative of the unpleasant qualities of the pandanus, recorded by Mr F. C. Christian in _The Caroline Islands_, runs: that the Thunder-god, descending to earth, alighted in a pandanus bush, and found the situation so painful that he bestowed the art of making fire and moulding-pots upon the woman who released him from his predicament!

[66] The Nicobarese equivalent is _menluana_ ("medicine man," or _shaman_).

[67] The belief that evil spirits cannot cross water seems to be of world-wide prevalence, _cf._ Burns' "Tam o' Shanter."

[68] This cetacean is probably of the same species as that observed by Mr Holdsworth in the Indian Ocean, and described in the _Mammals of India_.

[69]

_Map Name._ _Native Name._

Kar Nicobar Pu
Batti Malv Et
Chaura Tatat
Tilanchong Laoek
Teressa Taihlong
Bompoka Poaehat
Kamorta Nankauri
Nankauri Nankauri
Trinkat Laful (East Id.)
Kachal Tehnyu
Meroe Miroe
Trak Fuya
Treis Ta-a[.n]
Menchal Menchal
Little Nicobar Ong
Pulo Milo Miloh
Great Nicobar Lo-oeng
Kondul Lamongshe
Kabra Konwana

[70] Dr K. Scherzer.

[71] The tupai of Little Nicobar, which differs somewhat from that of Great Nicobar--principally the light areas of the pelage are less yellow and less contrasted with dark areas--is considered a sub-species by Mr Gerrit D. Miller, who has named it _Tupaia nicobarica surda_.

[72] About this fact I am not certain, for the Malay in which our informant expressed himself was a thing quite _sui generis_.

[73] These fences were met with by de Roeepstorff on the east coast (_Jour. Asiatic_ _Soc. Bengal_), and by the members of the _Galathea_ Expedition up the Galathea River in Great Nicobar (_Corvetten Galathea's Jordourseiling, Steen Bille_, Kjoebenhaven, 1852).

[74] The Malay _roko_ is an affair of much wrapper and little tobacco, whose flavour would seem so bonfire-like as to be akin to the brown paper or stump of cane smoked by precocious and naughty little boys at home!

[75] It is difficult to believe that this is the true reason of the trees' infertility; but it is a fact that no coco palms, except those about the houses, bear any nuts.

[76] The _ikan parang_ is known to us as the "garfish."

[77] _Pulo_ (_Malay_, island), on the west coast, is probably a mispronunciation of _Telok_ (_Malay_, bay), for at only one of the small anchorages so designated is there an island at all.

[78] _Ficus brevicuspis_(?)

[79] An exact counterpart to this weapon has been observed among the "Alfurus" of Kau, Gilolo; _vide_ plate in Kukenthal's _Im Malayischen Archipel_.

[80] Native name = _Laful._

[81]

_Nicobarese_. _Shom Pe[.n]_.
Spear, nuit, allai.
Finger, bewait, noite.
Pandanus fruit, lar[=u]m, munkuang.

[82] "The coast natives, man for man, are superior to the Shom Pe[.n], and regard themselves so both physically and mentally. I have known of a lot of the latter (estimated at about 20) attacking a coast hut in which there were only two men. On these showing resistance and wounding a couple of the Shom Pe[.n] with wooden spears, thrown from inside the hut, the latter fled, carrying away the two wounded men. I have never heard of Shom Pe[.n] venturing to attack the coast people unless they were in superior numbers and could take them by surprise,"--writes Mr E. H. Man, however.

[83] _Halcyon pileata_, conspicuous by its white-tipped wings, was very common on the river, and the calls of one or two birds not elsewhere obtained, were distinguished. Numbers of fish were seen in the shallows, and sometimes a snake swimming from bank to bank was to be observed.

[84] This was the estimated area before Col. Hobday's survey of 1883-5.

[85] "Juru," _Andamanese_ = Sea.

[86] The absence of this tree has doubtless had as much to do with the isolation in which the aborigines have lived as the hostility of the latter, for the islands produce little else than rattans and trepang--which would necessitate arduous collecting--to induce native traders to visit them.

[87] Comparatively few.

[88] _The Malay Archipelago_, p. 9.

[89] _Vide_ paper on the "Geology of the Andamans," by Dr R. D. Oldham, _Proceedings, Geological Survey of India_, vol. xviii.

[90] Still being deposited at Barren Island.

[91] This conclusion, although in some ways difficult to conceive of--for the Arakan coast to the north, and the Nicobars to the south, are both fringed by raised coral beaches, which show they have recently been elevated--is based principally on the fact that stumps of trees, which grow only above high-water mark, and beyond the reach of salt water, are found in the mangrove swamps and on the seashore.

[92] _Pinkerton's Collection of Voyages._

[93] _Extractes of Master Caesar Frederike: his Eighteen Yeares' Indian Observations. Purchus: his Pilgrimes_, London, 1625; vol. ii., p. 1710.

[94] _A Voyage Round the World by Dr John Francis Gemelli Careri. Churchill's Collection of Voyages and Travels_, vol. iv.

[95] _Pinkerton's Collection of Voyages._

[96] _A Mission to Ava_, by Col. Michael Syme, 3 vols.

[97] The _Indian Antiquary_, monthly numbers, April 1900-June 1901, contains articles by Lieut.-Col. R. C. Temple on Blair's reports of his survey and settlement in the Andamans.

[98] _Vide_ "Our Monthly," June and July 1883. Rangoon.

[99] Since 1879, when the Cocos were transferred from the Commission of the Andamans to that of Burma, several settlements, less unfortunate, have been made in the same island for the purpose of trade in coconuts and timber. There is now a lighthouse on Table Island--the most northerly of the group--where many wild cattle (originally domestic) roam.

[100] As one goes from South to North, the tribes become larger in stature and redder (less black).--M. V. Portman, _Jour. Royal Asiatic Soc._, 1881.

[101] Lieut.-Col. R. C. Temple, quoted in _The Aboriginal Inhabitants of the Andaman Islands_, by E. H. Man--a work that deals in a most exhaustive manner with the subjects indicated in the title, but is now, unfortunately, out of print.

[102] "The dead are often disposed of on platforms erected in the fork of some suitable tree. Old people and infants are generally buried."--E. H. Man.

[103] In the _Jour. Royal Asiatic Soc._, 1881, Mr M. V. Portman writes:--"Although traditions of a Creation, a Fall, a Deluge, and a future state have been recorded as extant among the Andamanese, there is reason to believe that these accounts are merely the Christian religion as formerly taught in the Andaman orphanages, and distorted among the natives; for, while the southern tribes have a legend of a stone house where the Deity was born, the northern tribes, who have not been brought into contact with the Settlement, have no such tradition;" but Mr E. H. Man records traditions of a Creation, Fall, and Deluge, obtained from aborigines possessing no knowledge of what had been taught to the few small children at the Orphanage (chiefly reading and writing, sewing, basket work, etc.), and moreover, doubts whether any of the latter were capable of giving an intelligent--if any--account of the views held by Christians on these subjects.

"The Andamanese traditions do not resemble those of Christians.... Savages in other parts of the world," writes Mr Man, "possessed traditions on the same subjects before missionaries or other Christians ever visited them."

[104] The _pukuta yemnga_, a shield-shaped piece of wood, placed with the narrow end in the ground. Andamanese songs are in solos and choruses, the latter invariably sung by both sexes if available, and are accompanied by a dance, which takes place in the evening and at night, in the jungle, when both men and women quite lose themselves in the excitement.

Specimens of Andamanese songs:--

(1) "From the country of the Yerewas the moon rose; it came near; it
was very cold,--I sat down." _Chorus._--"I sat down."

(2) "Maia Poro saw a big turtle in the water, and hit him in the eye.
Poro laughed when he hit him in the eye." _Chorus._--"Poro laughed
when he hit him in the eye."

(3) "I am cutting the under-part of a canoe's prow. I am cutting a
canoe." _Chorus._--"I am cutting a canoe."

--_Vide_ "Andamanese Music," by M. V. Portman, _Jour. Royal
Asiatic Soc._, 1888.

[105] _Vide_ Appendix D.

[106] _Vide_ Appendix E.

[107] Orange Pekoe and Pekoe Souchong.

[108] The foregoing information relating to the convict system and the progress of the Settlement is extracted from addresses by the Chief Commissioner (Lieutenant-Colonel R. C. Temple) to the Andaman Commission; _vide_ Supplements, _Andaman and Nicobar Gazette_, July 1897, and February 1901.

[109] After Mr E. H. Man.

[110] _Vide_ Appendix H.

[111] "All along this great line of volcanoes are to be found more or less palpable signs of upheaval and depression of land...; upraised coral-rock, exactly corresponding to that now forming in adjacent seas...; unaltered surfaces of the elevated reefs, with great masses of coral standing up in their natural position, and hundreds of shells, so fresh-looking that it was hard to believe that they had been more than a few years out of the water.

"The width of the volcanic belts is about 50 miles; but, for a space of 200 on each side of them, evidences of subterranean action are to be found in recently elevated coral rock or in barrier coral reefs, indicating recent submergence."--_Cf._ "Andamans," _The Malay Archipelago_, A. R. Wallace, pp. 5, 6.

[112] _Vide_ paper on the "Geology of the Nicobars," by F. von Hochstetter, translated by Dr Stoliczka, _Proc. Geol. Survey, India_.

[113] _Vide_ p. 137.

[114] Sir Henry Yule.

[115] _Vide_ translation by the Abbe Renaudet, in _Pinkerton's Collection of Travels_, p. 183.

[116] "Travels, A.D. 1315-1330," _Hakluyt Library_.

[117] _Extractes of Master Caesar Frederike: his Eighteen Yeeres' Indian Observations. Purchas: his Pilgrimes_, vol. ii., p. 1710.

[118] _Hakluyt Library._

[119] _Purchas: his Pilgrimes_, vol. i., p. 123.

[120] Lancaster's "Three Voyages to the East Indies," _Hakluyt Library_.

[121] Koeping, Stockholm, 1743.

[122] _Pinkerton's Collection of Voyages._

[123] H. Busch's _Journal of a Cruise round the Nicobars_.

[124] _Corvetten Galathea's Jordourseiling_, Steen Bille, 2 vols., Kjoebenhaven, 1852.

[125] _Voyage of the Novara_, Dr Karl Scherzer, 3 vols., London, 1862.

[126] "The people of Kar Nicobar have a tradition among them, that several canoes came from Andaman many years ago, and that the crews were all armed, and committed great depredations, and killed several of the Nicobarians."--Hamilton, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. ii.

[127] Achin, at the north-west extremity of the neighbouring island of Sumatra, appears to have been for ages before the arrival of Europeans the great mart for the Telingu traders, who, probably as early as 2000 B.C., carried from the Malay Peninsula the tin used by the Egyptians in making their bronze implements.

[128] "Commercial intercourse was maintained from a very early date between the South of India and the trading towns which formed the emporia of the spice islands, notably Johor, Singapore, and Malacca. When the Portuguese, at the commencement of the sixteenth century, first visited these places, they were amazed at the concourse of foreign vessels assembled there. When this intercourse began it is impossible to say, but it was probably much earlier than the above. Snouck-Hurgronje, writing of Acheh, says that the settlement of Klings from Southern India in that country is of great antiquity; and that the Tamils were the leaders in this commercial enterprise in Malaya is clearly shown by the pure Tamil words,--chiefly connected with commerce, though not altogether so,--which have found their way into Malay.... The Malay for 'ship,' _kapal_, is pure Tamil ... the pure Tamil _padagu_, 'boat,' may reasonably be taken to be the parent of the Malay _prahu_. If this be so, it would seem as if the Tamils first introduced the Malays to even the most elementary navigation, and, as they gave them _kapal_, taught them to 'go down to the sea in ships.' ... They do not seem to have settled down or intermixed with the Malays to any great extent,--not certainly so much as in Acheh, where considerable colonies of Tamils took up their abode. Their object being merely commerce, they went as they came, returning year by year as the monsoon favoured."--"Southern India and the Straits," W. A. O'Sullivan, _Jour. Straits Branch Royal Asiatic Soc._, No. 36, July 1901.

[129] _Vide_ pp. 235, 236, of _A Naturalist's Wanderings in the Eastern Archipelago_, by H. O. Forbes; London, Sampson Low, 1885.

[130] _Jour. Royal Geog. Soc._, 1899, p. 288.

[131] "Those that are of a permanent character sometimes partake of the same bee-hive form which commonly marks the dwellings of the coast people, being in like manner raised on posts 6 or 8 feet above the ground."--E. H. Man, _Jour. Anthrop. Inst._, vol. xv.

[132] _Ficus brevicuspis._

[133] A similar ornament is worn in Sumatra, and also among the Dyaks and Punans in Borneo; _vide_ Carl Bock's _Headhunters_, plates 10 and 21.

[134] "Each community of the tribe appears to possess a dialect more or less distinct, but this is what might be expected when we consider the isolation of the several encampments and the difficulty of inter-communication, apart even from the hostile relations in which they stand towards one another."--E. H. Man, _Jour. Anthrop. Inst._, vol. xv.

[135] Such hostility being now active on their side only.

[136] Professor V. Ball, _Jour. Asiatic Soc., Bengal_.

[137] Dr Stoliczka, _Jour. Asiatic Soc., Bengal_.

[138] Pere Barbe, _Jour. Asiatic Soc., Bengal_.

[139] Dr Rink, _Voyage of the Galathea_.

[140] E. H. Man, _Jour. Anthrop. Inst._, 1889.

[141] Pere Barbe, _Jour. Asiatic Soc., Bengal_, vol. xv.

[142] In 1897, a Malay vessel, on a voyage from Olehleh to Pulo Wai, was blown to sea and sunk. Her crew took to their boat and reached Trinkat, whence they were returned by the agent to Acheen in a Chinese junk. In earlier times these men would probably have settled amongst the natives, and so have been instrumental in the further diversifications of the race.

[143] "The Nicobar Islands were peopled from the opposite main and the coast of Pegu, in proof of which the Nicobar and Pegu languages are said, by those (Nicobarese?) acquainted with the latter, to have much resemblance."--Hamilton, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. ii.

[144] _Burmah_, M. and B. Ferrars.

[145] (_a_) In 1899, thirty-five men from the Maldives arrived at Kar Nicobar in a ferry-boat, which resembled a lighter in appearance, and was built of coconut wood. They had gone to Maldive from Addo Atel to buy rice, and encountering a storm on the return journey, had missed their island, and after a two months' voyage (more than 1000 miles) reached Kar Nicobar, having thrown overboard most of their rice to keep their vessel afloat. As they feared to go back in their own boat, they were forwarded to Calcutta in various trading-vessels.

(_b_) "In almost all the villages (central group), Malabars or Bengalese are to be found. The natives encourage them to stay by grants of land, and after a certain number of years they are permitted to make choice of a female companion."--Nicholas Fontana, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. iii.

[146] Professor A. H. Keane, "Man, Past and Present," _Camb. Geog. Series_, 1899.

[147] Comparing the group of Kar Nicobar boys (page 60) with those of Kondul (p. 138), it is not easy, at a glance, to perceive much racial resemblance. The first, scowling and flat-nosed, with prominent teeth and thick lips, and the others intelligent-looking, with almost European features. Yet the eldest of these latter exactly resembled in every way Little John, the man who was my _shikari_ in Kar Nicobar.

[148] Although the average is no more than with the Shom Pe[.n], there is a much greater individual variation of stature.

[149] This is due to the practice, observed and described by Mr Man, of flattening the occiput and forehead of infants by the mother, who gently exerts pressure by means of a small pillow, and the palms and outstretched fingers of both hands for an hour or so at a time.--_Jour. Anthrop. Inst._, Feb. 1894, p. 238.

"It is a custom with them to compress with their hands the occiput of the new-born child; by this method they say the hair remains close to the head as nature intended it, and the upper fore-teeth very prominent out of the mouth."--Nicholas Fontana, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. iii.

[150] Besides the aquiline noses already mentioned, a distinctly Jewish or Papuan feature is occasionally to be met with.

[151] "They have _terms_ answering to 'How d'ye do?' and 'Good-bye.' The following are said in the Central Islands:--

A. _Met chai-chacha-ka?_--How d'ye do?
B. _Pehari_ (said in response).--The same to you.
A. _Yashe me ra._--Good-bye (said by the person leaving).
B. _Tawatse me rakat._--Good-bye, _lit._, Thus you at present moment
(said in response).
A. _Pehari._--The same to you.

At the other islands there are corresponding terms."--E. H. Man.

[152] V. Solomon.

[153] Professor A. H. Keane, "Man, Past and Present," _Camb. Geog. Series_, 1899.

[154] _Vide_ plate facing 248.

[155] Pere Barbe, _Jour. Asiatic Soc., Bengal._, vol. xv.

[156] Tanamara, headman of Malacca, Nankauri, when questioned on this point, stated that the spirits were all evil:--"What, no got good devil--_hantu baik_? No, all bad; plenty fever-devil, _plen-ty_ devil eat man." But, with reference to this assertion, Mr Man writes:--"The names of certain good spirits have often been given to me at Nankauri, and by Tanamara himself." One inference is, that the latter purposely denied their existence in order to be spared the trouble of answering further questions on the subject.

[157] (_a_) "On the path, at no great distance from the (Dyak) village, rude wooden figures of a man and woman are placed, one on each side opposite to each other, with short wooden spears in their mouths. They are called _Tebudo_, and are said to be inhabited by friendly _hantu_ (spirits) who keep the path clear of inimical spirits."--Chalmers.

(_b_) "The Bed[=a]jo[=e] possess a multitude of large wooden idols called _Hampatong_, as well as other objects which cult or superstition has consecrated. Every habitation of this tribe, as well as those of the Dusuns, has several small wooden idols who are supposed to guard the habitation, protect the rice harvest, preserve the inhabitants against sickness, and to fulfil generally analogous functions. The Dyaks collect, with the same object, skulls of monkeys, bears, and wild cats, which they preserve in little boxes called _kamontoha_, and which they suspend in the houses."--S. Mueller.

(_c_) "As far as we could learn, the only act of worship paid these images is that of offering them food once or twice a month, such as rice, pork, eggs, fowls. On #no# condition will they (Dyaks) consent to give them up, and the only reason assigned is that sickness will be the inevitable consequence."--Doty.

(_d_) "The inland tribes of Borneo are without any definite forms of religious worship; they make idols of wood, but I have never seen any offerings made to them, nor do they regard them apparently as anything more than scarecrows to frighten off evil spirits."--_Folklore in Borneo_, by W. H. Furness.

(_e_) "These figures (_tambatongs_) are not exactly idols in the ordinary sense of the word, as they are not directly worshipped, although representing the religious beliefs of the Dyaks, and regarded with superstitious veneration; they should, perhaps, rather be called talismans, as they are looked upon as charms to keep away evil spirits and ill-luck."--P. 32, _Headhunters of Borneo_, by Carl Bock.

(_f_) "Although I found in a house at Old Affara (a village on Vorkay, one of the southernmost of the Arrus) an image rudely formed of wood, together with a post on which different figures, such as snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and human forms, were carved, and which the owner stated to be intended for preserving the house from evil spirits (_Swangi_), yet it is evident that the Arafuras of Vorkay possess no religion whatsoever.... They certainly hold a feast at the time in which they have perceived that the Christians of Wamma hold one also, namely, at the commencement of the year, when they, in imitation of the Christians, celebrate the advent of the new year.... Of the immortality of the soul they have not the least conception."--Koff's _Voyage of the Dourga_, p. 161.

(_g_) "The Battas believe in demonic agency called _Begu_ for every species of malady.... To drive out these demon monsters ... talismans and charms are employed."--Featherman's _Social History of Mankind_.

[158] (_a_) "Amongst the Dyaks ... newly-married couples do not go to live in a new house of their own, but a compartment is set apart for them in the house of the bride's parents."--Hickson's _North Celebes_, p. 286.

(_b_) "The marriage customs throughout the Sangir, Talant, and Sian Archipelago are based on the old matriarchal system--that is, when a man is married he becomes a member of his wife's family, and must leave his own and go to live in the village or the house of his wife's parents."--P. 197.

(_c_) "When a Dyak marries he enters the family of his wife, and lives in her parents' house till the couple set up for themselves, which is generally not for some time afterwards."--Denison.

(_d_) "If the suitor among the Battas is too poor to pay the price for a wife, he may contract the _ambil anak_ marriage, which obliges him to become a member of the family of the bride's parents and live with them in the same dwelling: he is required to work for his father-in-law, and attend to the ordinary agricultural labour."--_Social History of the Races of Mankind_, A. Featherman.

(_e_) "New couples mostly start life in the young wife's home, the lad working for her parents, and as families come, the elder pairs are established in houses of their own."--_Burmah_, M. and B. Ferrars.

[159] Cf. _A Naturalist in North Celebes_, S. I. Hickson, p. 198.--"In the Sangir Islands the only persons who are free from the matriarchal system are the sons of the rajahs, who do as they please about following their wives." P. 286--"Among the Dyaks of Sarawak we find ... that in some cases the man does not follow the woman; but if he is of higher rank, or the only support of aged parents, the woman is obliged to come and live in his family."

[160] (_a_) "A man may readily obtain a divorce without any better reason than that he has fixed his heart on another woman."--"Customs of the Minahassers," Hickson's _North Celebes_, p. 281.

(_b_) "Divorces are very common; one can scarcely meet with a middle-aged Dyak who has not had two and often three or more wives. Repudiation takes place for the slightest cause--personal dislike or disappointments, a sudden quarrel, bad dreams, discontent with the partner's powers of industry or labour, in fact, any excuse. In fact, marriage is a business of partnership for the purpose of having children, dividing labour, and by means of their offspring providing for old age. It is therefore entered into and dissolved almost at pleasure. The causes are innumerable, but incompatibility of temper is perhaps the most common; when they are tired of each other they do not say so, but put the fault upon an unfavourable dream or a bad omen--either of which is allowed to be a legitimate cause for separation."--St. John.

[161] Side by side with this state of things, which is practically one of free love, a licensed immorality exists among the natives, and there are several brothels or houses of assignation in the village of M[=u]s, population 530!

[162] Cf. _A Naturalist in North Celebes_, S. I. Hickson, p. 197.--"The rajah of Morong, in the Talant Islands, told me, that in case of a divorce the children go 'where they do not cry.'" P. 288--"In some cases, the children, when the parents are divorced, can choose the family to which they will afterwards belong."

[163] Yassan of Kachal possessed three houses and three wives. Offandi, headman of M[=u]s, had two wives, and knew of others similarly situated. "I got two wives now. I no want more than two wives one time; plenty trouble. Before I have other wives; when young, I go with ----."

"Generally speaking, the native (of Sarawak) is content with a single wife; only wealthy men and chiefs have sometimes two or three."--Schwaner.

[164] This is the common practice of the Nicobarese. The fault of one is punished for the benefit of all, and the person directly injured receives little actual compensation. The custom is one that does not encourage litigiousness.

[165] The late "Davy Jones" of Kar Nicobar lived with two women who were sisters of each other; his neighbours looked on with much disapproval, but no one ventured to interfere.

[166] "Among the Battas no marriage ceremonies take place; rich men and rajahs only regale the village by killing a buffalo or hog."--Featherman.

[167] (_a_) _Cf._ St John's _Life in the Forest of the Far East_.--"Besides the ordinary attentions which a young man (of the Sarawak Dyaks) is able to pay the girl he desires to make his wife, as helping her in her work, and carrying home her load of vegetables, as well as making her presents, there is a peculiar testimony of regard that is worthy of note. About nine or ten at night, when the family is supposed to be asleep within the mosquito curtains in the private apartment, the lover quietly slips back the bolt by which the door is fastened on the inside, and enters the room on tip-toe. He goes to the curtains of his beloved, gently awakes her, and she, on hearing who it is, rises at once, and they sit conversing together and making arrangements for the future, in the dark, over a plentiful supply of sireh leaf and betel-nut, which it is the gentleman's duty to provide. If, when awoke, the young lady arises and accepts the prepared betel-nut, happy is the lover, for his suit is in a fair way to prosper; but, if on the other hand, she rises and says, 'Be good enough to blow up the fire,' or 'to light the lamp,' then his hopes are at an end, for that is the usual form of dismissal. Of course if this kind of nocturnal visit is frequently repeated, the parents do not fail to discover it, although it is a point of honour among them to take no notice of their visitor; and if they approve of him, matters take their course, but if not, they use their influence with their daughter to ensure the utterance of the fatal 'Please blow up the fire.'"

(_b_) "Customs of the Minahassers," Hickson's _Celebes_, p. 272.--"Two young people meet at the _mapalus_ (communal gatherings for work, followed by a feast), and over the feasting and singing become interested in one another, and fall in love. Then follows the courtship, which is not supposed to be open and above-board, but is, nominally at least, carried on in secret. It consists in nocturnal visits of the young man to the young woman's house, visits which although frequently attended by immorality, are not necessarily so, and are often perfectly decorous and formal.

"The young woman prepares a mat for her lover, and after dark he comes to visit her. The parents are, of course, aware that their daughter is receiving a visitor, and are indeed proud that she should be thus so sought after; but at the same time they warn her to be cautious. The lover departs again before daybreak, in order that there may be no gossip in the village about their engagement until all is settled. These visits extend over some weeks, and at last one morning he remains until the day has broken, as a sign that the engagement may be formally announced."

[168] _Cf._ Malay custom during the marriage ceremony, of the bride's female friends trying to prevent the entrance of the bridegroom and his companions.

[169] In some places in the south it is said that coconut plantations are held in common by all in the village.

[170] "With regard to _takoia_, there is an observance of tabu when a death occurs. The coconut and pandanus plantation of the deceased is banned, the fruit being allowed to drop and germinate where it lies. The trees are marked by having coconut fronds fastened round their trunks, so no one, even a stranger, can appropriate the fruit through ignorance. As in the case of a large plantation it would be too great a task to mark each tree in this way, only the most conspicuous trees along the boundary are so distinguished, as this suffices to indicate that all within the boundary are included in the _tabu_."--E. H. Man.

[171] Dr Guillemard on "The Papuans," _Australasia_, vol. ii., 1894.

[172] The only place where the domestication of the megapode is recorded is the island of Savo in the Solomons. Here the birds may be seen sitting quietly on the fences about the villages, and the laying-grounds are regularly portioned out amongst the inhabitants.--Vide _Among the Man-eaters_, by John Gaggin; London, Fisher Unwin.

[173] "Their favourite weapons are javelins, which they throw fifty yards; they often poison the point with a subtle drug."--Chopard, _J. I. A._, 1847.

"Lances with points of iron or hardened wood."--Scherzer, _Cruise of the Novara_, 1858; and see p. 281.

[174] _Cf._ "The large quadrangular nut is a 'common object of the sea-shore' in the Malay Islands, and is much used by the natives to catch fish. The fruit is pounded and thrown into the water, and the fish, rising to the surface in a stupefied condition, are easily secured."--P. 188, _Cruise of the Marchesa_, by F. H. H. Guillemard; London, John Murray, 1889.

Also used for the same purpose by natives of the Solomons.--_Vide_ H. B. Guppy's _Solomon Islands_; London, Swan, Sonnenschein.

[175] _Vide_ item 2 of plate facing p. 94.

[176] In some of the islands a pot-cover is made by sewing together a special kind of leaf with long slips of rattan, until a pad quite an inch in thickness is obtained.

[177] In many islands of the Pacific Ocean--Marshalls, Gilbert and Kingsmills, the Carolines, Union, and Ellice, and in New Guinea--the pandanus fruit is used as a food, especially in times of scarcity, but in general the kernel only is eaten, and the inner end of the drupes gnawed off.

[178] Referred to in these pages as _kissat_, _neng_, or #T# bandage, for want of a more accurate expression.

[179] For the dress used at various periods, refer to the authorities quoted in other chapters. The earliest clothing--apart from ornamental cords and string bracelets, etc., as are still used by the Andamanese--seems to have been, for the men a strip of bark cloth, and for the women a short petticoat of grass or coco-palm leaf (_ngong_).

[180] The idea being that the demon who caused the death may fail to recognise the survivors.

[181] M. V. Portman, _Jour. Royal Asiatic Soc._, 1888.

[182] G. Hamilton, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. ii.

[183] _Cf._ "Dyak dishes," in _Headhunters of Borneo_, plate 19.

[184] (_a_) Of thirty individuals of the _Galathea's_ crew engaged in an exploring expedition up the Galathea River, and caught one night in a rain-storm which compelled them to remain in the forest wringing wet, no fewer than twenty-one fell ill of fever, which ultimately proved fatal in four cases.--Vide _Corvetten Galathea's Jordourseiling_, 1852.

(_b_) During a stay of thirty-two days amongst the islands, the frigate _Novara_, with a crew of 320 men, had six cases of fever, but, when in the Straits of Malacca, fifteen more developed the same illness. All recovered, and those of the company who had never set foot on shore, furnished the largest contingent.--Vide _Cruise of the Novara_, 1858.

(_c_) Of the five from the _Terrapin_ who ascended the Galathea River and spent a night in the interior of the island, each was down with malaria either during the voyage to, or after arrival at, Singapore.

[185] Nankauri(?)

[186] Dalrymple, in his _Oriental Repertory_, states, that Captain Weldon surveyed the Nicobars in 1687, and sent the survey, together with a history of the islands, by a Spanish priest to the East India Company. It does not appear to have been ever printed.

[187] The parallel of 7 deg. N. lat. bisects the island.

[188] In this sentence of his description, Dampier's observations are incorrect.

[189] "Larum." If they called it so, the name was probably acquired from Portuguese visitors.

[190] Always greyish-white.

[191] This is the true bread-fruit (_Artocarpus incisa_), which does not grow in the Nicobars, and with which the fruit of the pandanus is nominally confounded by the English-speaking natives and by several of those Europeans who have visited the Archipelago.

[192] This type of house is still built. See photograph taken at Pulo Milo, p. 124.

[193] Outriggers.

[194] Nowadays they invariably paddle, and have no oars.

[195] This is probably an exaggeration, but there is no doubt that the island carried then a far greater population than it does at the present.

[196] The Pasangan River has two mouths, of which the western is named Jangka.

[197] Kampong Jangka, on the left bank of the river of that name.

[198] Nicobar.

[199] Planksheers(?)

[200] Probably a Licuala.

[201] Ambergris(?)

[202] "Ambergris, which is a waxy concretion formed in the intestine of the sperm-whale, is occasionally found on the shores of the Nicobar Islands. At times the carcase of a whale has been found ashore, and on examination a valuable quantity (several hundred rupees worth) of ambergris has been thus obtained."--E. H. Man.

[203] _Cf._ Shom Pe[.n] spears.

[204] Banana.

[205] This same iron rod is used in the rainy season as a means for the prevention of thunder and lightning.

[206] These dances are practised by the guests from the time they receive the first intimation.

[207] Called also _Kofente_--place of pollution. The natives have a horror of this spot, which nothing will induce them to visit at night.

[208] The above is the M[=u]s proceeding; at Lapati there is more elaboration. The spacious square of _Elpanam_ is thoroughly cleared, and the huts and fences of the traders dismantled, a separate place in the jungle being given them. In the centre of _Elpanam_ an iron spike (_merahta_) is fixed and covered with leaves. Then the _tamiluanas_, adorned with silver and garlands, arrive in procession, and suddenly pulling up the pike, throw it into the sea. After washing their feet they come back to the dances.

This ceremony is by way of augury as to the prospects for the ensuing season.

[209] _Vide_ p. 303.

[210] The reason for these proceedings given to Captain Gardner by the natives in 1851 was, "because they do thus in England," for so several captains had told them!

[211] "Amongst the Arafuras (Aru Islands) the treatment of their dead betrays in the greatest degree their uncivilised condition, and the uncertainty which exists among them as to their future state. When a man dies all 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."--Kolff's _Voyage of the Dourga_, p. 166.

[212] In the matter of names, a Kar Nicobarese tries to please everyone with whom he is acquainted. There is often his own native appellation, an English one, another by which he is known to the Indian traders, and a fourth under which he does business with the Burmese!

[213] G. Hamilton, _Asiatic Researches_, vol. ii.

[214] This monoply is due to their geographical position. The Kar Nicobarese find it as much as they dare venture to do, to go so far as Chaura for their large canoes and pots. As it is, many lives are lost at sea. (In 1899 at least 29 were drowned in returning from this island, and more recently 12 or 13 were similarly lost.) Chaura is situated midway between Kar Nicobar and Nankauri Harbour and Kamorta, where the principal purchases are made by the Chaura people.

[215] "I was present on a certain occasion at M[=u]s ... having brought Tanamara with me from Nankauri. In strolling through the village we caught sight of a fine large canoe, which he recognised as having been sold by him to a certain native of Chaura. Offandi proved to be the owner, and he, on being questioned, said that he had bought it from the same man. On further enquiry it was found, that while the Chaura middleman had _promised_ to give 25 rupees in kind to Tanamara (only part of which had yet been paid), he would not let Offandi have it till he had delivered to him a long list of articles (_e.g._ cloth, spoons, tobacco, etc.), which, on being totalled up, were found to amount to about 105 rupees in value."--E. H. Man.

[216] E. H. Man.

[217] "In the morning dances commenced in the open air. Two immense circles of men and women were formed, linked hand in hand, one circle within the other. The dance continued for hours, accompanied by a monotonous chant. Sometimes the two circles moved in opposite directions, or expanded to their utmost stretch and contracted again by advancing towards the centre. In posturing they kept time with the singing, all turning to right and then to left, raising their arms or letting them fall together. The inner circle knelt on the left knee, placing their heads to the ground, but still holding each other, while the outer circle, also hand-in-hand, stepped over them and became the inner one. This was frequently repeated, and in this and other movements the dance consisted. The circles consisted of about 200 people each."--"A Visit to Car Nicobar, 1851," by Captain Gardner, _Singapore Review_, vol. ii.

[218] _Diary of Catechist V. Solomon._

[219] "It is worthy of note that this animal differs more conspicuously from its congeners than is the case with any of the other mammals." But even it--were it indigenous and not a stray introduction--one would expect to find on others of the islands (such as Kachal) similar in surface and vegetation to Great and Little Nicobar. It no doubt was established in these two last before they became disunited, as sufficient time has elapsed for a distinct variation to occur, while the far greater depth of sea between them and Kachal would indicate a separation anterior to the arrival of the species.

[220] This table and the foregoing quotations, are from the paper on the "Mammals of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands," by Mr Gerrit S. Miller, vol xxiv., _Proceedings of the National Museum, U.S.A._

[221] The presence of a megapode in the Nicobars, a genus that occurs also in the Indo-Malayan region, is the most interesting feature of the islands' avifauna. Dr A. R. Wallace says, in _The Distribution of Animals_: "The Megapodidae are highly characteristic of the Australian region ... only sending two species beyond its limits (_M. cumingi_ and _M. lowi_ in the Philippine and North-West Borneo Islands), and another in the Nicobar Islands, separated by about 1800 miles from its nearest ally in Lombok. The Philippine species offers little difficulty, for these birds are found on the smallest islands and sandbanks, and can evidently pass over a few miles of sea with ease; but the Nicobar bird is a very different case, because none of the numerous intervening islands offer a single example of the family. Instead of being a well-marked or differentiated form, as we should expect to find if its remote and isolated habitat were due to natural causes, it so nearly resembles some of the closely allied species from the Moluccas and New Guinea, that had it been found with them it would not have been thought specifically distinct. I therefore believe that it is probably an introduction by the Malays (Dr Guillemard states that this bird is often seen in captivity in Malaysia), and that, owing to the absence of enemies and general suitability of conditions, it has thriven in the islands, and has become slightly differentiated from the parent stock."

The megapode also occurs on the Cocos Islands, but not on the Andamans intervening between these and the Nicobars. This may be explained either by the fact that it may formerly have existed on the Andamans, where it has been exterminated by the carnivorous palm-civet common in that group, or that, owing to the hostility of the natives, voyagers were deterred from stopping there and thus causing the introduction of the bird, a course they would be the less persuaded to attempt in that there were no coconuts to attract them.

[222] _Vide_ A. O. Hume, _Stray Feathers_, vols. ii. and iv.

[223] From A. L. Butler's "Birds of the Andamans and Nicobars," _Proc. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc._, vols. xii. and xiii.

* * * * *

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:

1. Passages in italics are surrounded by _underscores_.

2. Footnotes have been renumbered and moved from the middle of the paragraphs to the end of the text.

3. The original text includes Greek characters. For this text version these letters have been replaced with transliterations. For example, [Greek: b] represents greek letter beta.

4. Certain words use an oe ligature in the original.

5. Mixed fractions are indicated with a hyphen and forward slash. For example, 3-1/2 indicates three and a half.

6. Characters with diacritics are transcribed within square brackets with the diacritical mark. For example, [=u] represents letter u with a macron above it. And [.n] represents letter n with dot above.

7. Obvious misprints and punctuation errors have been silently corrected in this text version.

8. Other than the changes listed above, printer's inconsistencies in spelling, hyphenation and ligature usage have been retained.

End of Project Gutenberg's In the Andamans and Nicobars, by C. Boden Kloss

<pre id="pg-footer">