St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-05-09
PRIMITIVE pwARFs.


PRIMITIVE pWARFS.
The Peculiar lnhehaeeass 81 tAs Lsessy
AnAauaa IslanAA
A remarkable chronological collection
from the Andama2 islands has just
reached the National museum from DR..
Enrico Gigiioli. director Of the Florence
museum. 1t comprises . large number
Of objects illustrating the arts and in-
dustriea Of the strange race Of dwarfs
which inhabi,s an archipelago in tho
Bay of Bengal Sailors have long
known these dwarfs a. little Niggers,"
because the average height of the men
is only about four feet ten inches.
while the ordinary stature Of the
women il four fest seven inches. Per
haps the oldest thing about them il
that they look like babies all their
lives.
Withal they are probably the most
primitive savages In the world. Until
quite recently the dwarfs Of the Anda-
mans did not know how to make fre.
On one of the islands of tae archipelago
there in an active volcano, from which
they were accustomed formerly to OBJ
tain fresh supplies Of 6le at intervals.
Special expeditions for this purpose
were not often necessary. inasmuch -
they knew how to keep fire burning In
decayed wool The people Of VII
lage. when leaving an encampmentwith
the intention Of returning in = I'm days
would take with them one 60 Dorc
smoldering logs. At the same time eShey
would place large burning log or fagot
in . sheltered spot, where il would
shoulder for . long while.
There arc several shades Of color
among these little persona. ranging
from bronze to shiny black and sooty.
Their hair Is extremely frizzly, grow
Ing in spiral tufts. It II fine in texture
and seldom more than two or three
inches long. Most Of the women shave
their heads once . week, leaving only
two narrow strips Of hair from the
crown to the nape Of the neck. Many Of
the men follow the @Ine practice,
though the style Is different Men
sometimes shave each others heads,
but only when the services of woman
arc NOT available. for it is one Of the
duties of the fair sex In these tribes TO
act as BARRIERS.
These dwarfs are nearly naked. The
women wear small aprons of leaves, and
never appear without them An = pro-
lection against the hot tropical sun the
people smear their bodies with . white
wash of clay and water. Ehorts to re-
claim the Andamanese fyOm their saw
age state have not been productive Of
unmixed good. Homes have been estab-
lished for their benefit by missionaries.
but the native inmates Of these institu-
tions are fat and lazy, spending their
time for days together in singing. dane
ing and feasting.
The most remarkable custom among
these little persons IN the wearing of
child dies the body il buried, only to be
dug up after awhile. The father takes
Il to the seashore or the nearest creek,
and there removes the flesh from the
bones with the utmost care. This done,
he brings the skull and bones back to
his hut and breaks up the latter into
small pieces suitable for necklaces. The
mother, after painting the skull with
yellow pigment and decorating 1t with
small shells attached to pieces Of string,
hangs it around her neck. Sometimes
her husband wears It himself. Infants
skulls, being fragile. are preserved care
fully from risk of injury by being en-
tirely covered with string.
The next few days are spent by the
mother in stringing the bonesintoneck-
laces, and when several have been made
she and her husband pay visits to their
friends. among whom they distribute
these mementoes. Such necklaces are
worn al charms to ward on disease, and
also during illne ESQ, by friends or rela-
tives Of the dead child. Teeth taken
from human skulls are sometimes
strung together for necklaces. Every
Andaman islander has at least one neck
lace of human bones.
The villages are usually short lived.
and very dirty. Crows and hermit
crabs serve as rcavengers and clean
them up as soon as q migration takes
place. Before the arrival of the whites
the Andamanese knew nothing Of agri-
culture, never planting . seed in the
ground. Though they prefer the fruits
Of the cultivated fields to the spon.
taneous products of their 1unGles, they
cannot BE- induced to do farming work.
1t il an old story that wherever civiliza-
tion goes. with its diseases and whisky
and tobacco. it wipes out the pri1itive
savage races. The Andamsn islandls af-
ford no exception to the rule. Both
sexes drink and smoke, The aboriginal
population there II rapidly disappear
ing, the death rate far exceeding the
birth rate, and before very long this in
teresting little people will he practical
ly extinct-N. Y. Journal
The 0oooon9oRso Vl0W n HuDan Naturn.