CHAPTER XI 



Papuans' Love of Music — Their Concerts — A Dancing House — Carving 

 —Papuans as Artists— Cat's Cradle— Village Squabbles— The Part 

 of the Women — Wooden and Stone Clubs — Shell Knives and Stone 

 Axes — Bows and Arrows — Papuan Marksmen — Spears — A most 

 Primitive People — Disease — Prospects of their Civilisation. 



The most pleasing characteristic of the Papuans is their 

 love of music. When a number of them are gathered 

 together and when they have eaten well, or are for any 

 other reason happy, they have a concert. Sometimes 

 the concerts take place in the afternoon and continue 

 till nightfall, but more often they begin after dark and 

 go on almost through the night. The orchestra is simple 

 and consists of two or three men who beat drums and 

 sit before a small fire in the middle. Round them are 

 grouped the chorus all sitting on the ground. The 

 drums are hollowed cylinders of wood, which are often 

 elaborately carved ; one end is open, the other is closed 

 by a piece of lizard's or snake's skin (see illustration p. 

 142). When this skin becomes slack, as it very quickly 

 does, the drummer holds it towards the fire until it 

 regains its pitch. It is not the custom to tune up both 

 drums, when there are more than one, to the same pitch, 

 usually an interval of about half a tone is left between 

 them. The leader of the orchestra sometimes wears a 

 remarkable head-dress made of plaited fibre and orna- 

 mented with bunches of plumes of the Bird of Paradise 



