2 PEOCEEDIXGS OF THE J^* ATIONAL MUSEUM vol. TU 



conventional treatment, a third (pi. 1. fig. G) still more, while a 

 fourth is quite conventional (pi. 1, fig. ^). Horn spoons (pi. 1, figs. 

 1 and 4) are still more conventional. It became evident that the 

 makers of the hooks used the same design displayed in the bark-cloth 

 decorations. On the bark cloth none of the designs is realistic, the 

 difference between sculptural and decorative treatment being easily 

 determined. It is suggested that the relationship between sculptural 

 and decorative designs is not close, and this is due to the fact that 

 they are radically different in their beginnings. 



The hooks also revealed several other interesting developments. 

 The buffalo, on information of Dr. Gerrit S. Miller, jr., is the Indian 

 Bos Gaur introduced into the Celebes art at some unknown time and 

 not the small animal anoa with slightly curved horns native to that 

 island. Another extremely interesting feature of the hooks is the 

 female figure between the horns of the bull, which can be identified 

 in Hindu mythology as Durga, the consort of Siva. There is evi- 

 dently^ here the fact of the introduction of the Indian buffalo and 

 the Siva cult and also the bringing of a particular art based on these 

 motives. 



As stated, it is not possible now to assign a date to this introduc- 

 tion. The development of the buffalo designs, which has proceeded 

 rather far, has little bearing on the time necessary for its evolution, 

 for the reason that a style may proceed to fruition at times quite 

 rapidly and assume an indigenous aspect. 



The exclusive use of the buffalo designs in this area of the Celebes 

 brings up the question as to whether they displaced previous nature 

 designs. In answer it can only be said that there is no mixture with 

 the buffalo design and no traces of an anterior decorative art can be 

 discerned in the ethnological collection made by Mr. Raven, none of 

 which, except some parangs, are old. It would be expected that 

 etching on cane tubes, widespread in the Pacific, would tend to 

 preserve traces of older art, but specimens in the collection show 

 only buffalo motives. (Pis. 8, 9.) 



There remains the supposition that the middle Celebes tribes had 

 no indigenous decorative art at the time of the introduction of the 

 Indian buffalo. This is worthy of consideration when the paucity 

 of Malay decorative art is observed. The great collections of Dr. 

 W. L. Abbott in the United States National Museum from the 

 Philippines and other collections from the Malay area are singularly 

 limited in the use of color and decorative design. The collections 

 present a monotony of the natural color of materials. From this 

 circumstance they present a primitive aspect. Nevertheless, if the 

 Celebes people could take up and develop a new decorative art like 

 the buffalo designs, there is every reason to believe that they had a 

 basal art of their own, but probably quite limited in content. 



