Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-21
SIAMESE TRIBE
UNSEEN BY MAN
Bartering Is Carried on by
Primitive Folk With
out Appearing.


In the dense mountain jungleS OF
Northern Siam is mysterious tribe OF
human beings, no member OF which, 1t
Is likely, ever has been seen by more
than one or two white men.
The story Of this strange people Is
brought to the United States by DR..
Hugh M. Smith, former United States
Commissioner of Fisheries and now
scientific adviser in fisheries to the
Siamese government who himself mas
come upon the abandoned temporary
shelters Of the Pi Tawng Luang, or
''savages Of the yellow leaf"
Invisible Bartering Done.
Although one travels in the heart Of
their country, he does not see them.
They seldom have been seen even by
natives who are their closest neighbors.
Until q few years ago their very exist
ence was doubted. They are extremely
shy and elusive, building rough shelters
of leafy branches stuck in the ground
which they abandon as soon as the
leaves turn yellow. Apparently they
keep q close watch and disappear in
the dense forest as soon as they see a
party invading their territory. They
make no resistance.
Their only contacts, DR.. Smith re-
ports are with the nearby villages Of
Abe Lao people, who are close relatives
u the SiameSe proper. With these they
are reported to carry on q system of
barter without actually appearing. In
. spot well known to the Laos they
deposit jungle produce, such as rhino-
cefoS horns, skins and honey, and then
disappear. The Laos take this and
leGve In return such commodities as
salt tobacco, cloth and iron. After the
Laos have gone the savages Of the
yellow leaf steal out Of the forest and
take away the goods. On rare occa-
e1uns some Of the men have been known
% 90 down TO q Lao village.
Other Tribes Attract Interest.
This strange people, DR.. Smith re-
PORTS, have aroused much interest
among local ethnologists, but for q
European or American to become &C
quAinted with them would require q
long, hard effort. Their physical fea-
seen them, are not those Of Negritos
found living in primitive conditions
elsewhere in the kingdom. Some of
them tattoo their faces along the FORE
head and on the lower jaw. Both sexes
usually 60 stark naked. Their only
known weapon is long spear with an
iron head, which sometimes Is pois-
oned. With this weapon they Will at
tack even r1inoceroS. They have no
agriculture.
Besides this extremely primitive peo-
pie, the SlameSe mountains have other
curious tribes Of unknown or doubtful
racial origin which, Dr. Smith reports,
have attracted considerable ethnoIoRi-
cal interest. One Of these is the Meo,
whose speech shows no relationship to
any other language group in Siam, but
Eno have attained fair degree Of cUIl-
e1Ea. They cultivate rice, hemp, sweet
nCtatoeS, tobacco and sometimes opium
small clearingS on the mountainside.
Zach year new cleartngs are made, so
that eventually all the forest near a
village has been used up. Then the
whole band migrates TO another noun
tain, sometimes a long way on, the
migration requiring two or three
months.
Work In Malay Villages.
Almost as primitive as the sayaRes
q the yellow leaf are rowing bands of
NegritoS In the mountains-the Semang.
a few Of these, according to q Siamese
government report in the hands Of DR..
Smith, have become tame and work
for Malay villagers In return for food,
but most prefer rowing life IN the
forest. The men are about 4 feet tall
and the women slightly less. Like the
ri Tawng Luang, they do not built
permanent houses, but simply shelters
If leafy branches stuck In the ground
and bent over at the top. They have
no agriculture. The chief weapons Of
this people are the blow-pipe, bow and
arrow and spear. The darts and arrOws
are sometimes poisoned.