The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-01-15

OAA1 OOlA VIM eS obA 80
companion, the smooth bumped buffalo of
the Fest. The Javanese is welded TO his
soil he loves his tamarind and waringin
groves he clings to the traditions of his
sacred isle ;" and Java is to him the GEN.
tire Of the solid earth. He has a face like
many Hawaiians and the natives of Homo
lulu and Soorabayah might %intermingle
without exciting the recognition of any
noticeable difference. if there was none In
costume. j will not say that they are the
most resembling these islanders; for in
many parts of Malaysia the face of a Haw-
allan would hardly attract comrpent, as that
of a stranger. The Javanese is the farmer,
and the greatest producer, and the closets,
welded TO home. associations of all the peo-
pie of Malaysia.
There is a contrast TO this home plodder,
his very antipodes in character and tastes,
not to be found on any island of the Archi-
pelago, yet belonging within its circuit, and
this is the Bajau, or orung laut, the sea
man " of the Indian seas. His home is ever
on the wave, going in fleets, with from one
TO ten thousand on board, and ever shifting
from coast.t to coast in quest of fish. or a
chance venture OF piracy. They are the row.
ing fishermen, the gypsies of this archipelago
! ian region, and yet a numerous and distinct
people OF the Malay stock, and as | judge
more directly in descent from the Malayan
conquerors or colonizers of Polynesia than
any other people of this island world. Their
Stories abound in illusions TO the glories of
the past that they are OF a conquering race,
and yet to build up an empire IN the SEES
These dreamers and rovers, about two mill
lions of them, are of course n~onproductive,
and preseuta sufficiently striking contrast TO
the plodding, delying, gathering U%'1.Tease-
There are more yet. | could enumerate
a score of such contrasts. There is variety
at every step in this region. find it in the
industrious, independent, warlike Balinese /;
in the fairer, yet feeble people of Pulo Mas,
who sell their daughters for coLcubines TO
the Netherlands army in the black, woody
headed Papuan, who captures the birds of
Paradise, in the wonderful varieties of
Negritos in the Philippines in the hemp
growers of Luzon; in the sage eating AL
furans in the wild Semangs of the Malay
Peninsula and the still wilder Kubu of
Sumatra. Now this latter offers sufficient
novelty to dwell upon, and | will introduce
him as far as known.
Marsden makes mention from hearsay of
a wild people, covered with hair. who wear
no clothing, construct no dwelling, eat all
their food raw, who are 10 be found in the
interior of Sumatra. There are more par
ticul,rs given concerning them by Mr.. de
Sturler, an officer of the Dutch East India
army. He spent some time at Palembang
in Sumatra, and heard and saw much of the
wild kubu, and that he was truly a hairy
man, coated with long. soft hair. like a bear.
He says that the Kubu has no idea of the
use of clothing ; and cannot be impressed
any more than the most utter brute with
~ iIoa IF tho inonr0nrIafu 0f oYnOSnro He
subsists upon snails, toads, fish, and some
times an alligator, which he devours raw.
He uses no weapon or instrument of any
kind, except a piece of bamboo rudely sharp
ened with a shell. He makes his lodging
like som of the great apes, by arranging
sticks and leaves among the thick branches
of the great Sumatran trees. He has no idea
Of Government knows no chieftain's au-
thority; and shows no vestige OF social
order not even adhering in a family group
as much as the triangular for the young
Kub leaves the parent support as soon as 1t
has its teeth and can run, and can catch
toads and snakes for itself. No ties or in
~iuences of consequently appear to exist be-
yond the first, animal, maternal, attachment,
which is lost by separation /; and these crea-
lures readily interningle. with the uncon-
scious indifference of any beast, in all the
degrees of incest. We have man here sure
ly at the lowest rung of the human ladder.
We have not much, if any, vestige of rela-
tionshIp with the being made in Gods
image, and should be disposed to rank him
with soulless orangs but de Sturler says
he has speech-sone short grunts-a few of
the rudest articulations of Joy and fear.
Now this is A -strong case. and not much
gratifying to our civilized, human pride /;
and we should need much, very much, con-
irmation in order TO realize its actuality.
Well. there is more testimony in a long &C
count to be found in a Dutch periodical en-
titled IydSchrW 200 NederLand Indie.
In the volume Tor 1888. at page 2S6, we
find the observations of Mynheer J. w.
Beers, a very intelligent, matter-of-fac and
circumstantiaI HoIlander. He has seen the
hairy Kubu and speaks of them as in a
state of interest savagery, (volkomen woest-
held verkeesd), and that they roam about in
the UNCONSCIOUS nudity of the baboon. (geene
andere kleeding heelt, dan die de natuur
hem schenkt.) Now, | too saw the Kubu
and can confirm in good part the statements.
of these worthy Dutch writers. | had a
glimpse of this documentary human, of a fe-
male specimen, whilst boating on 4 branch
of the Banyoo ASSN in Sumatra. | had
heard the shaking, Tustling leaps of some
large creature, in the dense, Rafy top of one
of the monster trees of the Sumarran jungle.
One of my sailors espied, as he supposed, a
huge baboon, and was about to bring 1t down
with a shot. [ had looked at the same time,
and. struck with 4 human expression, and
besides, hearing a genuine baby cry, coming
from a little body, clinging TO the larger one
we first saw, ] felt that it was murder to
shed the blood of such a being, and | babe
the sailor to lower his weapon. The face
in the tree-top was decidedly and not un-
pleasantly human in every lineament, though
a mantle of beastly hair covered the body.
The face was distinct. clear in outline, COM
parativeIy smooth-sRinned and not unpleas-
ant in expression. The Kubu face has been
noted by all who have seen one, as singular
ly mild, harmless, and even pleasing to look
upon. Beers even says that the females are
not unhandsome: " MET onbevallig." | must
say that | have met with many uglier
physiognomies in the midst Of our fine robed