16 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH OUTSIDE AMERICA. 



of this work, however, has been done in the interest of museums and suffers 

 from the defects of such interest; very much still remains to be done in 

 the intensive study of native culture as a whole. 



The Portuguese possessions of Africa present ahnost an unworked field, 

 so far as intensive work is concerned. 



It is difficult to ascertain how rapidly the native culture is changing and 

 how great is the consequent urgency of the needs in the countries I have just 

 considered. We know that some of their peoples, such as the pygmies of 

 the Congo forests, are not yet ready for intensive work, and that, on the 

 other hand, the ravages of sleeping sickness have decimated large tracts of 

 country, and must thus have produced a most urgent need for inquiry in 

 many places. Many parts of Africa have now been opened up for just about 

 that time which would lead us to expect its people to be in the most favorable 

 condition for intensive inquiry, but on the whole it would seem as if the native 

 culture of this part of Africa was somewhat less liable to disintegration as the 

 result of external influence than in some other parts of the world. 



In one part of Africa, hov/ever, the urgency of the need for research 

 stands beyond all question. South Africa was formerly inhabited by two 

 of the most interesting peoples of the world, the Bushmen and the Hottentots, 

 but all that now remains of these unique peoples are small wandering bands 

 rapidly approaching complete extinction. The Bushmen of the Kalahari 

 Desert have recently been studied by Dr. Rudolph Poch, and Miss Winifred 

 Tucker is now working with a band of Hottentots near Walfisch Bay, with 

 results which show how much of value is still to be elicited by modern 

 methods of research. With these exceptions, however, nothing is being done 

 to save knowledge of the utmost value which is now almost extinct. 



The Rev. H. A. Junod has recently given us a work of extraordinary 

 merit on the Thonga, a Bantu tribe, but with this exception little intensive 

 work has been done among the other peoples of South Africa. The superior 

 culture of the Bantus seems, however, to make them less readily affected by 

 external influences than many other peoples. The matter does not appear 

 to be of immediate urgency, though it is to be hoped that adequate inquiry 

 will not be long delayed. 



ASIA. 



In the parts of Asia lying nearest to the Mediterranean the conditions 

 are similar to those of northern Africa. The region is one which through its 

 past history excites the greatest interest, while it is accessible as a field of 

 work for those holding academic or other positions in Europe. 



Perhaps one of the least-known parts of the world, both archaeologically 

 and ethnologically, is Arabia, and this country would therefore seem to be 

 a very favorable field for work, but there is no reason to believe that its needs 

 are in any way urgent. The postponement of the exploration of Arabia, and 

 the investigation of its culture for some years, will almost certainly do good 

 rather than harm. 



