Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-04-13
THE ORANG KOOBOOS.
Che Most Degraded Race of Men I'm tina
Verdi.

The Most Degraded Race of Men In thu
Wo!.d.
The Bushmen of South Africa have
Eeen often spoken OF as the lowest in
the scale of humanity-the connect
ing link between man and monkey;
but there is a race known as the
Orang koobooS, or Brown Men OF the
Island of Sumatra, who present a
stronger claim to that distinction.
They are described as covered with
hair and having long arms. They
are deficient III chin, or rather that
feature forms little part Of the face.
Some explorers Of the island were at
first disposed to class them as simply
a somewhat higher development OF
the orang- outang, but this idea was
dispelled by the facts that they pos
sess speech, though exceedingly rude
and monosylabic, have perceptiye
faculties and resemble the rest Of
mankind in their formation. They
are, moreover recognized as belong
ing to the human race by the Malays,
who, however, hunt them as wild an
imals, in order to work them as
beasts of burden. These singular
people are only to be met with in the
almost impossible swamps and for
ests of the island. They live among
the branches of the teak and mar
ringin trees, which grow to an enor-
nous size They construct rude
platform of hamboos wherever they
can find sufficient number Of hori-
ZOntal limbs Of tree to serve as the
basis or sleepers for a floor, and over
this they raise rude conical roof of
split bamboos and cOcoanut leaves.
These sayages subSiSt almost eXclus-
lively upon fish, which abound in all
the rivers and bays of that portion Of
the Pacific 1t has been found inn
possible to teach the KoobOos the use
of garments, although they manifest
great fondness for pieces Of colored
cloth, which they will attach to varl-
GUS parts of their bodies. They will
tie vest to their heads or around
their waists with lively grinning
and grunting of delight. and seem to
make no distinction between a SIM
pie piece of cloth for ornament and
manufactured article, the only ground
for preference being the difference OF
colors. 1t has been impossible to
teach those in captivity the language
of their masters, for after every effort
they still spoke the Malay in an UNI
couth monosyllabic manner, like.
their own jargon of unclasslfied
grunts. They seem to have no idea
whatever of marriage, but merely
pair off for a season, nor do they
give any evidence of belief or con-
seriousness of the existence of a Spir-
itual being.
Notwithstanding the utter degrad-
alton of this hairy, british race, they
seem to be no insignificant contribute
ors to commerce, for in some of the
impossible forests of Sumatra they
have been the chief collectors of ben
ZOin or gum benjamin. Curious
stories are told about the manner Of
trading with the Orang Kooboos.
The trader proceeds to certain
| point on the edge of forest, at GER
! tain periods of the year, with quanti-
| ties of colored cloths, beads, and
| other trifles; he then beats gong for
some length of time at various inter-
| walls during one or two days as sig
nal and then retires to a considera-
! BILE distance to return in about a.
week. when he finds satisfactory
quantities of benzoin in place Of his
/ goods, which have been carried away
| by the KoobooS.