The Mafulu Part 38

Dog Pokau, _oveka_; Kuni, _ojame_, _obeka_; Fuyuge, _oi(e_); Afoa, _kovela_.

Fork Kuni, _ini_; Tauata, _ini_.

Girdle Kuni, _afafa_; Tauata, _afafe_.

Hammock Kuni, _totoe_; Fuyuge, _sosoe_; Tauata, _totolo_; Oru Lopiko, _totoki_.

Head Mekeo, _kangia_; Oru Lopiko, _kakuo_.

Hill Mekeo, _iku_; Fuyuge, _ku(me_).

House Mekeo, _ea_; Fuyuge, _e(me_).

Knife Mekeo, _aiva_; Kuni, _atsiva_; Tauata, _tiveya_; Oru Lopiko, _vetsi_.

Many Kuni, _talelea_; Afoa, _talele_; Fuyuge, _talele_.

Rope Mekeo, _ue_; Korona, _yu_.

Spoon Kuni, _nima_; Tauata, _dima_.

Sweet Potato Kuni, _gubea_; Fuyuge, _kupa_, _gupe_; Afoa, _gupe_.

White Mekeo, _foenga_; Korona, _foa_.

But there are many apparently non-Melanesian words in Mekeo, Kuni and Pokau, which are different in each language, and cannot be traced to the neighbouring Papuan. The inference is that such words may be remnants of other Papuan tongues spoken in the St. Joseph and Aroa Basins, which have been absorbed by the immigrant Melanesian speech.

Only three Melanesian words in the list appear to have been adopted by the Papuans. These are: Tauata _nau_ (_pe_), earthen dish, which is Kuni, Motu, Pokau, &c., _nau_; Fuyuge asi boat, Pokau and Motu asi; and Fuyuge _bara_, paddle, the Motu, Kabadi _bara_, Mekeo _fanga_, oar. The Fuyuge _kokole_ fowl is also probably the Mekeo _kokolo_.

NOTES

[1] The photographs of skulls, articles of dress and ornament, implements and weapons were made in London after my return.

[2] The Geographical Society's map used by me is somewhat confusing as regards the upper reaches of the St. Joseph or Angabunga river and the rivers flowing into and forming it. The Fathers' map makes the St. Joseph river commence under that name at the confluence, at a point a little to the west of 8 30' S. Lat. and 147 E. Long., of the river Alabula (called in one of its upper parts Loloipa), flowing from the north, and the river Aduala, flowing from Mt. Albert Edward in the north-east; and this arrangement, which is practically in accord with a map appended to the British New Guinea _Annual Report_ for June, 1900, is, I think, probably the most suitable and correct one. The Aduala is the river the upper part of which is in the Geographical Society's map called Angabunga. The Fathers' map shows the river Kea flowing into the Aduala at a distance of about two miles above the confluence of the latter with the Alabula; but, according to the Report map, this distance is about 12 miles.

[3] Note the change from the Mafulu (Papuan) p.r.o.nunciation _Mambule_ to the Kuni (Melanesian) p.r.o.nunciation _Mafulu_ and the similar change from the Mafulu _Ambo_ to the Kuni _Ajoa_.

[4] See Dr. Seligmann's "Hunterian Lecture" in the _Lancet_ for February 17, 1906, p. 427; Seligmann and Strong in the _Geographical Journal_ for March, 1906, pp. 233 and 236; also Dr. Seligmann's "Cla.s.sification of the Natives of British New Guinea" in the _Journal of the Royal Anthropological Inst.i.tute_ for December, 1909, p. 329.

[5] _Melanesians of British New Guinea_, p. 29.

[6] _Ibid._ p. 31.

[7] _Lancet_, February 17, 1906, p. 427.

[8] _Geographical Journal_ for September, 1908, p. 274.

[9] _Melanesians of British New Guinea_, p. 32.

[10] British New Guinea _Annual Report_ for June, 1906, p. 29.

[11] British New Guinea _Annual Report_ for June 30, 1906, pp. 85 to 93.

[12] _Melanesians of British New Guinea_, p. 33.

[13] Apparently bows and arrows are not found among the tribes of the Lower Mambare river (_Annual Report_ for June, 1897, Appendix C, p. 7.)

[14] _Annual Report_ for June, 1894, p. 32.

[15] _Journal of the Royal Anthropological Inst.i.tute_ for December, 1909, p. 329.

[16] _Annual Report_ for June, 1897, Appendix C, p. 7.

[17] _Geographical Journal_ for October, 1900, p. 422.

[18] _Journal of the Royal Anthropological Inst.i.tute_ for December, 1909, p. 330.

[19] _British New Guinea_, p. 94.

[20] _Melanesians of British New Guinea_, p. 32.

[21] _Journal of the Royal Anthropological Inst.i.tute_ for December, 1909, p. 329.

[22] Seligmann and Strong--_Geographical Journal_ for March, 1906, p. 232.

[23] Seligmann's _Melanesians of British New Guinea_, p. 27.

[24] Dr. Strong has referred (_Geographical Journal_ for September, 1908, p. 272) to the considerable areas of open gra.s.s country at the source of the St. Joseph river; and in his remarks which appeared in the _Annual Report_ for June, 1906, p. 28, he referred to the same matter, and spoke of the valleys being for the most part less steep than those of the Kuni district.

[25] I must state that Plate 2 represents a scene taken from a spot near to Deva-deva, which, though close to what is regarded as the boundary between the Kuni and Mafulu areas, is in fact just within the former. The general appearance of the scenery is, however, distinctly Mafulu.

[26] Dr. Strong's measurements of seven Mafulu men referred to by Dr. Seligmann (_Journal of Royal Anthropological Inst.i.tute_, Vol. 39, p. 329) showed an average stature of 59 1/2 inches, and an average cephalic index of 80.0. It will be noticed that my figures show a somewhat higher average stature, but that my average cephalic index is the same. Dr. Seligmann here speaks of the Mafulu as being almost as short as the men of Inavaurene, and even more round-headed.

[27] This is the index calculated on average lengths and breadths. The average of the indices is 83.8, the difference arising from the omission in working out of each index of second points of decimals.

[28] Dr. Keith thinks they are all skulls of males. They are now in College Museum, and are numbered 1186.32, 1186.33 and 1186.34 in the College Catalogue.

[29] _Melanesians of British New Guinea_, p.16.

[30] Dr. Haddon refers (_Geographical Journal_, Vol. 16, p.291) to the finding by the Mission Fathers of "another type of native, evidently an example of the convex-nosed Papuan," in the upper waters of the Alabula river. I gather from the habitat of these natives that they must have been either Ambo or Oru Lopiku. I should be surprised to hear the Semitic nose was common in either of those areas.

[31] Dr. Seligmann, in speaking of the Koiari people, refers to an occasional reddish or gingery tinge of facial hair (_Melanesians of British New Guinea,_, p. 29). I never noticed this among the Mafulu.

[32] Since writing the above, I have learnt that some of the dwarf people found by the expedition into Dutch New Guinea organised by the British Ornithologists' Union had brown hair. Mr. Goodfellow tells me that "the hair of some of the pygmies was decidedly _dark_ brown"; and Dr. Wollaston gives me the following extract from his diary for March 1, 1911, relating to twenty-four pygmies then under observation:--"Hair of three men distinctly _not_ black, a sort of dirty rusty brown or rusty black colour--all others black-haired."

[33] This plate and the plates of dancing ap.r.o.ns were produced by first drawing the objects, and then photographing the drawings. It would have been more satisfactory if I could have photographed the objects themselves. But they were much crumpled, and I was advised that with many of them the camera would not indicate differences of colour, and that in one or two of them even the design itself would not come out clearly.

[34] Dr. Stapf, to whom I showed one of the armlets, No. 4, the materials of which are said to be the same as those used for this belt, said that the split cane-like material is a strip from the periphery of the petiole or stem of a palm, and that the other material is sclerenchyma fibre from the petiole or rhizome of a fern, and not that of a creeping plant. I may say that I felt a doubt at the time as to the complete accuracy of the information given to me concerning the vegetable materials used for the manufacture of various articles, and there may well be errors as to these.

[35] Dr. Stapf, to whom I showed one of these belts, says that it is made of the separated woody strands from the stem of a climbing plant (possibly one of the Cucurbitaceae or Aristolochiaceae).

[36] Dr. Stapf, having inspected one of the belts, thinks this material is composed of split strips of sclerenchyma fibre from the petiole or rhizome of a fern, and not that of a creeping plant.

[37] Dr. Stapf, to whom I showed a written description which I had made of the plant, and who has also examined the belt, is of opinion that it belongs to the Diplocaulobium section of Dendrobium.