The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-23
A CURIOUS RACE or LITTLE MEN

Customs-They are Fierce Fighters De-
spite Their Small Size-Know Nothing
of the Art of Weaving and Consider
Clothing an Incumbrance.
Washington Correspondence of the Phila-
delphia Mmes.)
A remarkable chronological collection
from the Andaman islands has just
reached the National Museum. 1t COM
prises large number of strange OBJ
jects illustrating the arts and indus
tries of the strange race of dwarfs
which inhabit an archipelago in the
Bay of Bengal Sailors have long
known them somewhat disrespectfully
as Little Niggers," because the aver
age height of the men is only about
four feet ten inches, while the ordinary
stature of the women is four feet seven
inches. Perhaps the oldest thing
about them is that they look like ba-
bies all their lives, seeming never to
grow up. Withal they are probably the
most primitive savages in the world.
The collection referred to has been for
warded by Dr. Enrico Gigioli, director
of the Florence museum.
The dwarfs of the Andamans, until
quite recently, have not known how to
make fire. On one of the islands of the
archipelago is an active volcano, from
which they were accustomed formerly
to obtain fresh supplies of fire at inter
walls. Special expeditions for this pur-
1f%a f,,o
much as they knew how to keep fire
burning in decayed wood for an indefi-
mite length of time. The people of
village, when leaving an encampment
with the intention of returning in a few
days, would take with them one or
more smoldering logs. At the same
time they would place large burning
log or fagot in sheltered spot, where
it would smolder for long while, so as
to be easily rekindled when required.
incidentally, all labor of splitting ard
chopping was saved, inasmuch as a log
could be broken into small pieces by
hammering it with a stone.
This method of keeping fire in de-
cayed wood is still practiced commonly
by the Andamanese, especially in the
interior of the larger islands, where
they do not come into contact with
white visitors. Nothing introduced by
whites has excited their wonder so
much as friction matches. To produce
fire with such ease off hand struck
them as actually a supernatural ac-
complishment. Anthropologists say
that primitive man did not invent fire;
he found it. Having found it, it did not
take him long to discover uses for 1t.
Not until long ages had passed did he
learn to make fire: it was an advanced
art, the practice of which required a
high degree of skill If you do not be-
lieve it, just try to get spark by
means of the wooden sticks commonly
employed by savages for the purpose.
Formerly the dwarfs of the Anda-
mans We're accustomed to murder ruth
lessly all strangers who approached
their shores. Melancholy indeed was
the fate of slipwrecked sailors who
CHANGED to seek refuge on the islands
of the archipelago. They were sure to
be shot to death with arrows. Indeed,
distressed mariners cast away In that
part of the Bay of Bengal would be
/
| present day 1t is believed that the in
| evitable hostility of the Andamanese
arose originally from the cruel practice
| of Malays, Burmese and Chinese, who
/ visited the Andamanese to get edible
! birds nests and sea cucumbers. Ihey
! used to kidnap the natives and sell
| them as slaves in neighboring coun-
tries. When the British established a
settlement there the savages frequent
Iy attacked them and took every OPP
portunity of stealing the iron tools ano
other implements which excited theii
| cupidity. Within recent years they
have become comparatively tractable
however
There are several shades of color
among these little people, ranging from
bronze to sooty and black Their han
| is extremely frizzly, so as to look as Il
it grew in spiral tufts. 1t is fine in tex
ture and seldom more than two or three
| inches long. Most of the women shave
their heads once a week, leaving only
two narrow strips of hair from the
crown to the nape of the neck. Many
of the men follow the same pracuce
though the style is different, circular
patch of hair six inches in diameter be-
ing left, like skull cap, on the crown
of the head Men sometimes shaw
each others heads, but only when tht
services of woman are not available
for it is one of the duties of the fair seq
in these tribes to act as BARRIERS. Tit
eyebrows are generally removed, also
The razor is flake of quartz or glass
These dwarfs are almost naked. TIT
women wear small aprons of leaves
but the men wear nothing. The mel
wear punches of leaves attached U
their knees and wrists. Caters, brace
let's and necklaces of bones, shells O.
wood are common ornaments. TATTOO
ing serves to a certain extent as sub
stitute for raiment Women do tn
tattooinfg. AS a protection against tn
hot tropical sun, the people smear thei
bodies with a whitewash of clay ant
water. Efforts to reclaim the Andam
anese from their savage state have no
produced results of unmixed good
Homes having been established 70
their benefit by missionary Influence
those accommodated at these institu
tions are fat and lazy, spending thei
time for days together in singing, dan
cling and feasting.
II is an old story that wherever civil
izatinn goes. with its diseases and whis
key. it wipes out the primitive savag
races. The Andaman islands afford n
exception to the rule. The origins