314 COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TPAVEL 



speak distinct but closely allied languages, which are 

 widely different from any of the western Malay tongues, 

 and are probably compounded of some aboriginal dialects 

 spoken by the indigenes and that of their conquerors. 

 These are the most important of the Malay States of the 

 Moluccas, but other tribes with a great variety of 

 languages are found on the coasts of Ceram and in the 

 smaller islands of Goram, while tribes of pagan Indonesians 

 in a lower state of civilisation inhabit parts of Burn. 

 The great island of Ceram, however, is inhabited by people 

 who are perhaps of partly Papuan race, having frizzled hair 

 and prominent features, with a darker skin and more 

 lengthy limbs than the ]\Ialays. They are utter savages 

 and head-hunters. ]\Iost of them are still in a state of 

 absolute freedom in the mountains of the interior, but 

 some have been collected in villages on the coast, and 

 have become converted nominally to Christianity, while 

 others are equally nominal Mohammedans. In Burn 

 occurs a similar race, and also in some parts of Halmahera ; 

 but in tlie northern peninsula of the latter island, and 

 having their headquarters at Galela, there is a very inter- 

 esting race, as light in colour as Malays, but tall and well 

 made, with handsome prominent features, curly hair, and 

 bearded. They resemble Polynesians in many respects, 

 and may perhaps be a remnant of the early Caucasian 

 immigration referred to on a former page, intermixed 

 with the Papuan aborigines. They speak a highly 

 peculiar language. They are good boat-builders, and 

 wander all over the northern part of the Moluccas, collect- 

 ing tripang and turtle-shell, hunting deer and pigs, and 

 smoking the meat. They also make settlements on any 

 uninhabited spot that suits them, cut down the forest, 

 plant maize or rice, and seem altogether a more enter- 

 prising and energetic people than those around them. 



