648 THE ORIGIN OF AFRICAN CIVILIZATIONS. 



4. The culture forms of Africa described iu the above show the fol- 

 lowing sources: 



1. Negrito culture forms. 



2. Malayo -Negrito culture forms. 



3. Indo-Negrito culture forms. 



4. Semito-Negrito culture forms. 



The remains of Negrito civilization are very slight. In fact, they 

 will become clearly visible only when south Asiatic and Oceanic forms 

 of culture have been thoroughly investigated and classified. At pres- 

 ent 1 can set down the following with certainty as marks of Negrito 

 culture: The staff as a javelin, the staff as a weapon of defense, the 

 staff as musical instrument (Klangstab). The area of diffusion of these 

 elements, though often modified almost beyond recognition, I can prove 

 to be the whole of Africa almost as far as the Sahara. I say " almost," 

 for they seem to be absent from the West African sphere of civilization. 

 It would be improper to connect Negrito culture directly and unre- 

 servedly with the so-called dwarfs — the little yellow race of pygmies. 

 These Bushmen have everywhere accepted the civilization of their 

 surroundings. (Parasite culture !) 



With regard to the three other sources, the conspicuous thing is the 

 addition of "Negrito" in each instance. This I believe to be in accord- 

 ance with the facts of the case, for wherever Africa has been subjected 

 to influences from Asia and Oceania there has been an admixture of 

 Negrito culture. The importance of Malayo-Negrito culture will be 

 considered presently. East Indian spheres of culture in the period 

 before their rise were obviously impregnated with elements of Malayo- 

 Negrito extraction. But North African culture elements all point to 

 reciprocal relations with the continent. 



When we come to the consideration of Malayo-Negrito culture, a 

 glance at foreign relations is necessary. In the article in Petermann's 

 Mitteilungen, Part IV, the attempt was made to give a cartographic 

 representation of these affinities. Three zones, or belts, are distinguish- 

 able. The southernmost embraces Australia and the southern point of 

 Africa. Here Malay influence, though slight, is unmistakable, but the 

 conspicuous fact is the preponderance of Negrito culture elements. It 

 is, therefore, the region — perhaps the "region of remains" — of the old 

 Negrito civilization. The zone farthest north is defined naturally by 

 the linguistic uniformity of all the races. It includes the Hovas of 

 Madagascar, the Indonesians, Micronesians, and Polynesians, hence is 

 the. domain of young Malay civilization. The third of the Malayo- 

 Negrito zones lies between the other two, and comprehends the West 

 Africans, the West Malagassas, some Indonesians, the lesser Sunda 

 islands, the Moluccas, and the Melanesiaus. It is the territory within 

 which but one race has been crossed with another. 



The situation of these three zones is the key to our problem. Youth, 

 hence unity of language, is the characteristic of the northern zone; 

 age, indicated by repression to the very limits of settlement, is the 



