CH. xm HISTORY OF MINAHASSA 323 



CHAPTEE XIII 



HISTORY OF AND USEFUL PLANTS IN MINAHASSA 



Early history of European settlements in Minahassa — Account of{ the 

 Dutch settlement — The Sagoweer palm — Coco-nut pearls — The Betel-nut 

 palm — The Corypha palm — Woods — Kapok — The Musa mindanensis — 

 Edible fruits— Kice — Legend of the rice — Art of the Alfurs. 



In many of the legends of Celebes we find, as I have already 

 mentioned, numerous traces of contact with European ideas. 

 It is consequently necessary before bringing my description 

 of the Minahassa races to a close just to run through as 

 briefly as possible the scanty history we have of European 

 conquest in this region. 



Before the advent of the Portuguese the place now 

 known as Manado was called Wenang, and the island 

 Manado tuwa was called Bobantohe (22) . The natives of 

 the coimtry now called Minahassa were under the dominion 

 of the cruel and warhke kings of Bolang Mongondu. The 

 inhabitants of Bobantohe had been successful in resisting 

 aU attempts at subjugation, and were a free and indepen- 

 dent people numbering some 300 warriors and about 703 

 non-combatants. For many generations these brave people, 

 who said they were descended from the baboons which 

 swarmed in the forests of the island, maintained their 

 independence, but at last they found themselves in du-e 

 distress, owing partly to want of water, partly to internal 

 dissensions, and partly to the loss of their crops by the 

 voracious apes, and were obliged to migrate toWenang and 



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