64 G- A. J. VAN DEK SANDE. 



of hair threaded as a fringe on a string [1903, N°. 58, 19, PL II, rïg. 2] originating from 

 Tarfia, was taken as an ornament, so much liked by the women, that, indiffèrent to the 

 abundance of their own hair, they allowed themselves to be shaved in order to wear the 

 wig along the forehead like a fringe. The wig (browband) of Liki (see pag. 36) fell under the 

 category of ,,head coverings". The third wig, shaped like a cap, of tresses of hair fastened to 

 a rattan hoop and large enough to be drawn over the whole of the head, originating from 

 one of the temples of Humboldt Bay [Le. 16, N°. 38, PL II, fig. 15] was said to belong to 

 a war-dress. Of the fourth wig of Wandisiau [1. c. 16, N°. 37, PL II, fig. 1], De CLERCQ 

 heard that the hair was always shaved from another person and never from the maie or 

 female wearer of the wig, and on Liki he was told that the hair was from people who had 

 died a natural death [Le. 12]. 



However much thèse reports differed, they showed that hère the hair of slain enemies 

 was not worn and they already contained an indication of what bas now been proved to be 

 the case, namely that the use of wigs occurs in commémoration and adoration of blood or 

 close relations. Thus a dark haired j-oung man may be seen with a wig of grey hair, obtained 

 from the dead body of his father, an elderly widow with a wig of dark hair, obtained from 

 the early deceased husband. But it appears however that the married woman also sometimes 

 wears hair of the still living partner and even generally, as a further mark of esteem of her 

 master, must hâve her own hair shaved. It does not appear that mothers are thus remem- 

 bered by their children, nor wives by their widowers, neither do the fathers appear to 

 wear the hair of their deceased children and there is never any reason for an aged man to 

 wear a wig. For, this must be noticed in the first place that hère originally mixed feelings 

 as well of attachment, as of respect and submission are brought to a visible expression. 



Almost the same was reported by Finsch [1S8S, 283] of the hair worn by a woman of Teste 

 Island on the left breast and he praises her for not wishing to part at any price with the mourning orna- 

 ment, which consisted of the hair of a deceased sister. Very probably the small rings of human hair on 

 the exceptionally fine comb of Cape de la Torre, which Finsch [1888a, PL XVII, fig. 2 b] illustrâtes and 

 his handsome browband with interwoven human hair [1888 — 93, 235], must also be considered as mourning 

 ornaments. Biro [1899, 15] however, thinks that the fastening of human hair to browbands originates out 

 of poverty, because he generally saw dog's teeth, the jewellery of thèse people, used instead. I also point to the 

 cap-shaped wigs of Finsch Harbour and to the „Schnùre", twisted out of human hair which are worn 

 over the forehead and the generally clean shaven front part of the head (Finsch [1888 — 93, 236]). Doubtful 

 however is the meaning of the human hair which in the shape of large plaits with shells hanging on is 

 attached like a porte-épée to the pubic girdle of a man of Chads Bay [1888a, PI. XVI, fig. 6], of the 

 wig of Brumer Island (Edge Partington [1890, PL 292, fig. 3]) and of the hair-tresses on a Tugeri 

 basket in the Leyden Muséum (Ser. 941, N°. 71), (Schmeltz [1895, 161]). 



To wear a wig of human hair in our sensé, either from vanity, or to hide baldness, never seems to 

 enter the head of the Papuan ; in thèse cases old men use, possibly as a hygienic measure, pièces of hairy 

 cuscus skin (Maclay [1873a, 233]), to which sometimes the tail and claws are retained (Finsch [1888, 

 369]). Smaller pièces are occasionally used as an ornament by those people who still possess the whole of their 

 hair (Biro [1899, 7]). 



Both the fringe-shaped wigs belonging to the collection, N°. 221 (PL VII, fig. i3)andN°. 

 222 of Kaptiau and the corresponding wigs N°. 35 and N°. 58 of De Clercq's collection, 

 therefore ail hâve the meaning described before and are worn along the forehead (fig. 39, first 



