The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-08-11

cent industry is the cultivation of sponges.
and another. which Is quite profitable. is
the gathering trepang or beche de mer.
American as Money.
The Reverend Mr.. Dauncey tells me that
American tobacco is imported by New
Guinea. and that II forms the chief cur
rency of the natives. The tobacco is made
up In sticks as long as a lead pencil and as
big around as your little finger. 1t Is evil
IDENTIFY well soaked with licorice or glucose
or some other such mixture. for It Is as
black as Jet. Such tobacco Is accepted in
payment for goods at the store in Port Mo-
resby. and four sticks Of 1t are the average
pay for a days work. Among the natives
themselves tobacco is the most common
currency. So many sticks will buy a Ratchet
or a knife. a set OF pottery dishes. a fsh net
or q necklace. The Government buys its
land of the natives. where 1t IL owned b.
certain families. by giving them hatehets.
handkerchiefs and one-haif pound OF tobac-
CO for a fixed amount of land. occasionally
throwing a shirt and a knife in as an extra
The Natives of New Guinea.
The natives Of New Guinea are of their
own kind. They are Of the Papuan race.
which Is different from the Malays. from
the aborigines of Australia and from the
Ilduy lntT rdCtS y u AdNfiN- IA u
puans are Of many varieties. They are gen.
orally of a copper color. and they range
from that to almost black. Mr.. Dauncey
found the smallest OF the natives in the
eastern end Of the island. and he tells me
they increase In size as you go south and
west, and at the same time grow darker In
color and more bo.sterous in disposition.
They have woolly hair. but not like that
Of the negro. Their hair stands out from
the head. 1t is often threaded through bam-
boo tubes or pipes. out of which 1t sticks in
great tassels. 1t has a springy nature. so
that II you put your hand down on II 1t will
be thrown up, much like when you strike q
hair mattress
10th Women and Men Tattoo.
In the far East the men tattoo their faces
and bodies In a hideous fashion. The wom-
en- also tattoo. especially the upper parts of
their bodies. In some places this tattooing
is the only dress. In others the women
wear petticoats of long leaves. frequently
placing one layer upon another. In 1ounces.
These leaf skirts extend from the waist al
most to the knees. and in connection with a
necklace of shells or beads form the entire
clothing. Sometimes the skirts are made of
the fiber of bark.
The tattooing of the women often covers
the whole body. and among some tribes this
tattooing forms the coming out suit of the
maidens. The getting Of such a suit is ex-
ceedingly painful. but Mr.. Dauncey says
thai the girls are anxious to be In the fash
ion and gladly submit to 1t. The girl to be
tattooed lies down on the ground. when the
ink Is pricked under her skin In the various
patterns. Thorns are used for the prick
ing. and the thorn dipped into the ink II
driven under the skin with a little mallet.
Such dressmaSing Is slow. but a suit once
made lasts a lifetime.
Where the Married wonea Are All
Bald.
In some parts of the island 1t 10 possible
to tell whether a woman Is single or mar
ried by her hair. or rather by the lack Of 1t.
The married women are all bald headed.
and the sensible man does not attempt TO
dirt with a hairless femals. A maiden
wears her natural wool Until tho wedding.
but, after that shaves on every bit of it
close to the scalp and keeps It so shaved
and. indeed. all shaving Of this kind. is a
serious matter. Until the foreigners came
the razors were sharp nints. but now the
natives use broken glass. and there 10 a
steady demand for soda and beer bottles to
break up for shaving utensils.
Where the Men Lace.
There are many New Guinea tribes. 20
Missionary Dauncey tells me. in which the
men lace themselves in with rope In order |
TO reduce the size of their waists and
stemachs. They bind bark belts from two
to ten inches wide tightly about the body. |
COMPRISING themselves so that the full |
grown men acquire waists as small as the |
most tightly laced Of our women 1t is
said that the chief reason for this custom
Is that the men wish to persuade the |
women that they have small stomachs and |
are. therefore. small eaters. In New |
Guinea the women are the chief providers. |
and the young woman who il looking about
for a husband is supposed to prize highest
the man who will be most easily fed. A
boy. on being asked why he laced himself
So tightly. said: |
Il shall have to ger q wife some day. +,
and II l nave a big stomach no ono will
have me-" |
For this reason men seldom eat in the
presence Of women. and they prefer their