The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-01-16
The :. Orang Kooboos,'' or Brown Mem of
SumntrR.

harsh treatment by the Dutch colonial au-
thorities at Batavia has rendered his name
we'll known to his countrymen, delivered a
lecture before the New York Historical Soci
ETY. last week, in the course OF which he de
scribed the - Orang Kooboos,' who occupy
ii particular district on the east coast of that
island, whose appearance and habits, he says,
Indicate them to be - of all the races of men
of whom we have any knowledge, the lowest
in the scale OF humanity or, rather, the ca
pacity for degradation of our species would
seem to have reached that limit in the case
which might be regarded as the connecting
link between the human and the brute crea-
ton "Thev are covered" he adds, with
hair, have long arms, and are deficient in
chin or, rather, it forms no part of the face"
These were the points in the formation, he
says, which first arrested his observation,
and led him " to class them at once as sim
ply a somewhat higher development Of the
orang outang" But on further examination
he found that they possessed speech, though
extremely rude and monosyllabic, had risible
faculties, &c, and that they were recognized
as belonging TO the human race by the Ma
laws, who, however, hunted them as wild
animals, in order to work them as beasts o
burden" The principal features of his de
scription are condensed in the following pas
sage;
The Orang kooboos are only to be met
with in the almost impossible swamps and
forests that lie between the Janbee and Pa
lembang territories, in the island Of Sumatra.
They live among the branches of the teak
and waringen trees, which grow here to an
enormous size, as is, indeed, the case with,
the forests throughout the island They con-
struct rude platform of bamboos wherever
they can fad sufficiency of horizontally
Extending limbs of tree to serve as the ba-
sis or sleepers of a floor and over this they
raise an equally rude ConiCal roof of split
bamboo or cocoa nut, or pisang tree leaves.
These savages are ichthyophagists, as are al
most all the unCivilized tribes of the eastern
islands and in all the rivers and bays of
Sumatra, as also of all the rest of the islands
OF the archipelago. most bountiful provs-
ion OF excellent fish is to be found had
an opportunity TO have glimpse of some
Kooboos people, while ascending with my
boat small branch of the Soonsang but it
was only near Palembang, and at the Kraton,
or palace of the old Soosoohoonan, or Sultan
of Palembang and at the residence of the
independent Panyorang. or Prince Osmin
that had an opportunity for any special OBJ
sprvation of these creatures.
ne Idny yOldnS Hdu SSVerdl as slaves, or
rather as beasts of burden, for they were not
entrusted with any labor but the dragging
and carrying of loads of dirt, stones, or ma
terials for building. He said that they were
born as the lowest of slaves, and this had
been the case for hundreds Of generations,
inasmuch as they We're the descendants of.
the slaves and burden carriers of the army
of Alexander. found them generally cal.
led hanlba or bOOdak Iknnder-the slaves of
Alexander 1t is well known that number
less traditions of Alexander the Great, Of.
Dou'lkarnain," the two horned, prevailed
throughout Sumatra as we'll as on the Asiatic
continent. 1t has been found impossible to
teach the Orang Kooboos the use of gar
ments, although they have great fondness
for pieces of colored cloth to be fastened to
various parts of their bodies they will tie
a vest to their heels or round their wastes
or will, as have seen the men, suspend
colored cap, or handkerchief, or glove to
their bodies, with lively grinning and
grunting of delight, and seem to make no
distinction between a simple piece of cloth
for ornament or manufactured article; the
only cause for preference being the differ
ence of colors. 1t has been found equally
impossible to teach them the Language Of