The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-10-11
THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW
ENOUGH TO MAKE A FIRE

batch OF Indian political agitators TO
the penal settlement on the Andaman
Islands, that beautiful coral-bound
archipelago in the Bay of Bengal,
writes a special correspondent of the
New York World from Calcutta. This
remnant OF the most primitive human
species in existence will soon be moth
tng but an chronological memory
Contact with advanced civilization
has been followed, as usual. with a
train OF infectious diseases which
are steadily thinning the ranks.
Owing TO the ancient course OF
trade, the Andamanese have been
known about from the earliest times
Ptolemy's Agathan Daimonos Nesos
probably preserves the misunder-
standing of some term applied by
sailors to a place in or near the mod
ern Andamans. Notices OF them by
travellers, Asiatlc and European, are
continuous from the seventh century,
and the islands regularly appear In
some shape on maps OF those regions
from the middle ages down.
No Tailors or Milliners Required.
The Adamanese live in a Hesper-
tdian garden where they toll not,
neither do they spin. For the product
OF the spinner they have no use, as
the men go stark naked and the
women wear one or more leaves in
front and bunch OF leaves tied
round the waist behind.
The average height OF the men Is
fifty-fve inches; that of the women
f1fty-four inches.
They appear to dwell free from
care in country that Is everywhere
beautiful and varied
In the ordinary attainments OF hu-
man beings, however unenlightened,
the Andamanese are amazingly def
Client. During all the ages OF their
Intercourse by word Of mouth they
have not developed a medium worthy
OF the name OF language. Before the
arrival OF the British the tribes, ex-
cept actual neighbors, had no inter-
course. Even clans OF the same
tribe found difficulty In the details OF
dialogue with one another. There is
a change OF jargon along about every
twenty miles OF the coast. They have
no words for ordinary greetings. salu-
tations or expression Of thanks.
Such language as they have, how
ever, Is exceedingly interesting from
the pathological point OF view. IL
possesses a quality which would be
invaluable were the Andamanese
business people. In their speech only
what Is absolutely necessary Is usual
ly expressed. These mites OF human
ity could do just as well probably
without any words at all. They have
an expressive sign language, which
they employ almost as much as the
spoken words. Their speech Is jerky,
disjointed and helped out often by a
srimace. a gesture or sudden
change In tone.
The Adamanese knows scarcely
anything and has no desire TO ir.
crease his stock Of knowledge. He
has never learned any sort OF agri-
culture. Until the English taught
him to keep dogs he did not know
how to domesticate any animal or
his fingers. and doesn't see the need
of counting. All his ideas are hazy
and inaccurate.
on one point, however, he is level
headed. He belongs to race OF bad
fighters, knows 1t. and will never at
tack unless certain of success.
The Andamanese are nomads.
no. haV fI.,t,
encampments. and dwell there by
turns year after year. Close to every
hut is a small platform built OF palm
wood, standing about eighteen inches
from the ground. This is a storage
place for the surplus food that they
gather when nature for some reason
fails to lay II in their hands.
Have Never Learned to Kindle n Fire.
Under this platform at least one
fire Is always kept burning. Good
care is taken that the platform shall
be a protection for the fire against
rain and not fuel for the flame.
This preservation of fire is the only
thing about which the Andamanese
evince any particular interest or
care. And the reason is simple
one. They do not know how to pro-
duce fire. One Of the greatest mis-
fortunes that can befall camp is
the going out Of a fire. IL may be
weeks before the clan can get new
blaze for their cooking
They carry their fire with them
when they break camp. and this de-
spite the fact that their journey
sometimes is from one island to an
other. They show amazing skill I'm
carrying a smoldering log across deep
water. Two or four of them will
swim the distance, holding the log
clear of the water To arrive on the
opposite shore with the precious blaze
eItinguished is a mishap so rare as
TO be handed down In tribal legend
for generations.
The religion is animistic and con.
sists of fear OF the evil spirits of the
woods, the sea, disease and ancestors
Of 4 II, aaa