470 PROCEEDINGS OP SECTION F. 



4.— SOME MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE DOBUANS OF 



S.E. PAPUA. 



By Rev. W. E. BRQMILOW. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The infoniiation contained in this paper was obtained personally 

 during- a residence of seventeen years amongst the natives of the 

 'Edugaula tribe on the Island of Dobu, in the D'Entrecasteaux Group, 

 oft* the coast of Eastera Papua. 



I had many oppoilunities of visiting other tribes, and without 

 examining minutely into their manners and customs ascertained that; 

 the customs in the various tribes differ considerably. 



At Dobu, for instance, a polygamist's wives live in their own 

 villages, where they have their own supplies of food. At Kiriwina 

 (Trobriand's) the wives live in separate houses in the husband's com- 

 pound. 



At Dobu the villages are small, and, generally, not far apart, and 

 the houses are built on piles. At Kiriwina the villages are much 

 larger, farther apart, and the houses are built right down to the 

 ground. Even in the D'Entrecasteaux Group various customs prevail 

 in dift'erent tribes. 



Dobu is about 3 miles long and 2 wide, and rises in the centre to 

 a height of 600 ft. There is a large crater in the middle of the island, 

 and there are hot springs both in the hills and on the beach. 



When we anuved, in the year 1891, there were about 2,000 in- 

 habitants living in seventy-three villages, mostly situated near the 

 shore, right around the island. 



There were eleven distinct tribes, with clearly-defined boundaries. 

 The 'Edugaula tribe, living on the north-west side of- the island, was 

 the most numerous, and the most warlike. It was almost always at 

 enmity Avith the other tribes, and had made a temporary peace with 

 one of the tribes just before our arrival so as to join in war against a 

 distant and common enemy. Within a radius of 10 miles there was a 

 population of about 10,000. 



A plan was formed soon after our arrival to massacre the whole 

 of our pai-ty, but was put off at the advice of one of the chiefs. We 

 were to be watched, and if we turned out to be of the right sort, I, as 

 the leader of the band, was to be adopted into the tribe. There were 

 two things which helped me to get into the confidence of the natives in 

 a comparatively short time: Firstly, respecting their manners and 

 customs as far as possible ; and, secondly, learning the language. Con- 

 fidence being established in a few years, when Signer Loria, of Italy, 

 visited Dobu in his researches, we were able together to gather con- 

 siderable information about the 'Edugaula tribe. 



Some of this information is given in this paper. 



ADOPTION INTO THE TRIBE. 



Prisoners and all strangers were treated in one of two ways : — 

 They were either killed and eaten, or adopted into the tribe with full 

 rights. If it were decided that a prisoner should not be killed, he 

 would be received without ceremony of a secret character by being 

 presented with a block of land by the family adopting him. He would 

 be called son, brother, nephew, &c., and be treated in everything as a 

 member of the tribe. 



