CHAPTER III 



GENERAL SKETCH OF THE PEOPLES OF BORNEO 



It is not improbable that at one time Borneo was 

 inhabited by people of the negrito race, small 

 remnants of which race are still to be found in 

 islands adjacent to all the coasts of Borneo as 

 well as in the Malay Peninsula. No communities 

 of this race exist in the island at the present time ; 

 but among the people of the northern districts 

 individuals may be occasionally met with whose 

 hair and facial characters strongly suggest an in- 

 fusion of negrito or negroid blood. 



It is probable that the mixed race of Hindu- 

 Javanese invaders, who occupied the southern coasts 

 of Borneo some centuries ago, became blended with 

 the indigenous population, and that a considerable 

 proportion of their blood still runs in the veins of 

 some of the tribes of the southern districts {e.g. 

 the Land Dayaks and Malohs). 



There can be no doubt that of the Chinese 

 traders who have been attracted to Borneo by its 

 camphor, edible birds' nests, and spices, some have 

 settled in the island and have become blended with 

 and absorbed by the tribes of the north-west {e.g. 

 the Dusuns) ; and it seems probable that some of 

 the elements of their culture have spread widely 

 and been adopted throughout a large part of Borneo. 

 For several centuries also Chinese settlers have 

 been attracted to the south-western district by the 



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