ABT.30 DESIGN AEEAS IN OCEANIA KRIEGER 31 



The clothing of the pygmy Negrito is scanty. Women wear a 

 skirt girdle of braided cord with cord fringes 3 to C inches in length, 

 or of plaited pandanus palm leaves. The girdle worn by the Negrito 

 men is even more scanty but is more picturesque. Here, again, are 

 used the grommets of peeled bark of the orchid as an ornamental sur- 

 face design, strands of which are intertwined with the other fabric 

 elements, making up that portion of the girdle 6 to 10 inches in 

 length fitted to the small of the back, where it is passed back and 

 forth until the desired thickness is obtained. As the girdle braid 

 is of the thickness of one-third inch 15 to 25 thicknesses are used 

 to form the desired thickness for the back pad or bustle, as one may 

 choose to call it. Looped about this pad at either end is a coarse 

 double strand of fabric cord passing around the body where one 

 end is attached to a small braided basketry band about 2 centimeters 

 ^vide and of large enough a diameter to be fitted over a slender, tap- 

 ered gourd used as a penis cap. The other end of the gourd girdle, 

 which is passed about the body from the opposite side, terminates 

 in a knot. This knot is slipped under the basketry band and the 

 band is pushed downward on the expanding side walls of the gourd 

 until it is firmly fixed. This completes the men's costume, except 

 for the headdress and body armor. 



The Papuan male costume includes two elements worthy of note. 

 These are the taillike ornaments of cassowary feathers or of 

 pandanus palm leaves and the sharp-pointed nose ornaments of 

 bone which are passed through the nostril wings both vertically and 

 horizontall3^ The tailiike ornament affected by the Papuan con- 

 sists of a number of pandanus leaves or of the tail feathers of the 

 cassowary attached to the end of a short curved stick of wood slit 

 open at one end for insertion of the plume and curved at the other 

 end for insertion in the girdle. Mr. Stirling states that the Papuan 

 feels himself quite undressed when he is without his tail ornament 

 and that he would take to the bush immediately after having parted 

 with this so necessary article of personal adornment to members of 

 the expedition for a consideration, to the great amusement of his 

 fellows. 



Among the various kinds of headbands and headdresses in use 

 among the Negritos and Papuans is a simple twill weave, delicately 

 plaited headband of rattan, ranging in width from 1 to 2 inches. 

 Another headdress worn by the Negritos is one of coiled cassowary 

 feathers attached to a woven basketry frame of rattan splints. 

 Still another consists of a woven band of basketry material with 

 inset of shell, plumed pompons of bird of paradise feathers, and 

 others of feathers resembling those of the Carib Indians of Vene- 

 66993—31 3 



