The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-04-18
PoIygamy and Witchcraft Flour
iSh in Island of Su-
matra.
VAST MIXTURE OF RACES
Has Population Of 100000 and Could
Easily Support 100, 1000, 000-MIs-
sionary Gives Some Interest
ing Facts and Figures.

New YOrk.-Weird is the story Of a
land where slavery, polygamy and
witchcraft are io%urishing, which Earl
r. Hibbard, first white missionary ever
sent to southern Sumatra, a great
island southeast Of Asia, told here re-
Gently upon his arrival In New York.
Picture a land where alleged ma
gicians known as pawangs, who are
said to be able to call crocodiles from
the rivers and wild beasts from the
jungles, are believed to have control
over evil spirits, and you will catch
a glimpse of the island Of supersti-
ton in the Pacific.
This curious land" said Mr.. Hib-
bard, us destined to be one Of the
great countries Of the globe. 1t has
100000 population and could easily
support 10O,OOO,OOO or all the people
Of the United States"
Mr.. Hubbard is head Of the Metho-
dist school in Palembang, and also
runs q prosperous Christian church.
The leading Christians are Chinese.
Chinese are crowding the island rap
idly many Of them are wealthy mer-
chants.
"Our island Is roughly as long as
from New York to Chicago and 400
miles broad" said Mr.. Hibbard.,
"Palembang has 10000 people. of
which 600 are whites. There Is only
n white doctor for the whole city.
All the rest Of the medicine and sur
gerry there are In the hands Of
witches.
Mixture Of Races.
"There Is a vast mixture Of races.
In my church, where / preach In the
Malay tongue, we have noted at a
single service Ambonese, Menadenese,
Japanese, Malays, British Indians,
Chinese and %Javanese, besides Dutch
and English, not forgetting that the
pastor Is an American.
"The people, religiously, have sunk
low. Most Of them are Mohammedans,
but Of a debased form. Idolatry,
%witchcraft and animism are mixed
with their Mohammadism. The ma
gicians, called pawangs, who call the
crOcodiles to the banks Of the rivers
and the wild beasts from the jungles
and who pretend to have the evil spir-
It's under their control, are highly
thought of.
IF / have, an enemy and will pay
a pawang high enough he will send
a magic, invisible poisoned arrow by
a hontu or evil spirit to kill the per-
son / desire slain. SO the natives say.
Every year a great pilgrimage last
ing two days is made to the top Of
Gunong Dempo, highest mountain on
the island and an active volcano, and
In a shrine there the evil spirits are
propitiated.
"POlygamy Is common. Wives are
put away on slight cause. Women
are held lightly, although they do not
wear the veil and have more freedom
than In other Moslem lands.
Slavery also has not been stamped
out. Our Christian people fight it,
and of course the Dutch administra-
ton gives 1t no legal sanction. But
1t is there. In one case a young man
who had become a Christian convert
bought a little slave girl to save her
from a horrible fate.
Interested In America.
"The wealthy classes of Palembang
are the Arabs and the Chinese.
"The school of which l am principal
Is self-supporting. We have four
teachers and 100 pupils, and teach all