NEW GUINEA AND THE PAPUANS -iO'd 



which to tuck any small article. The western rapuan 

 does not paint himself much, but is fond of decorating 

 his breast and arms with raised scars produced by the 

 frequent use of the moxa. Elsewhere the painting of the 

 face and body with various colours — black, white, yellow, 

 or red — is common. 



Papuan architecture is in many ways remarkable. 

 The houses are in all cases bviilt on piles, as indeed are 

 those of nearly all Australasian peoples, but communal 

 houses are a marked feature. They exist also in Borneo, 

 as we have seen, but in Papua they are of much larger size. 

 Buildings of this nature, containing many families, are 

 not infrequently over 500 feet in length, and some have 

 been measured over 700 feet. The roofs are often 

 " turtle-back," but in the eastern part of the island ridge 

 roofs and rising gables are seen. Club houses, of the 

 same nature as the " balais " of Sumatra, are found in 

 most villages all over the island, at all events on its 

 seaboard. The very peculiar " dobbos " are apparently 

 more or less confined to British territory. These are 

 houses built in high trees, their use being chiefly that of 

 an acropolis in times of danger, but sone tribes who are 

 especially harassed by warlike neighbours appear to live 

 entirely in them. 



The Papuan is only a very indifferent seaman. 

 While the Bugis of Celebes think little of voyaging 1000 

 miles across the Banda Sea to the Aru Islands, the natives 

 of the Papuan Gulf creep along its shores in their 

 " lakatois " with considerable mistrust, usually anchor- 

 ing at night if they can. The Papuans of Salwatti 

 Island form an exception to this rule, and construct good 

 sea-going praus, which they manage with skill. On the 

 whole the race may be described as agricultural, especi- 

 ally in the eastern portion of the island, where the 



