CLOTHING AND ORNAMENT. 



89 



sure sign that thèse ladies did not lace themselves in. As a matter of fact thèse belts are made 

 of a fixed width in proportion to the measurement of the wearer, but so roomy that, passing 

 over the bony pelvis, they do not transgress hygienical principles. The same cannot be said 

 of the stiff bark belts of the men of K. W. Land (FlNSCH [1888a, 333]) nor of those 

 of the S. E. coast (FlNSCH [1888 — 93, 101, fig. 24 and 25]. 



Tight lacing, (sometimes stomach and liver project and hang over the belt, Mac.GREGOR 

 [1897, 46]), is shown in illustrations by HADDON [1901, PL XXI] and Pratt [1906, PL 1]. 

 For our own territory the Sèkânto men are an example of tight lacing (fig. 54). 



N°. 417 and 418 are beautiful ornamental belts for men; they are worn round the 

 middle, are not intended for suspending the wrapper, and decorated with Nassa and black 

 seed rings only. The manufacturing of thèse objects is a monopoly of Tarfia, and the spécimens 

 which DE CUERCQ (De CLERCQ and SCHMELTZ [1893, 42, 43, PL XII, fig. 22 and fig. 1]) 



Fig. 54. Group of the Sëkânto. 



Fig. 55. Man of Tarfia. 



found on Jamna and Liki, with the place of origin given as Tanah Merah, must therefore 

 hâve originally corne from Tarfia. The people of Tarfia also very often ornament themselves 

 with belts, arm-, wrist- and brow bands of this make, (fig. 55), but dérive great benefit from 

 this monopoly, the maintenance of which is of vital importance to them. Other villages 

 acknowledge Tarfia's existing rights in this respect and war with thèse quarrellous 

 people would irrevocably be the resuit, if another village, even if it were only for its 

 own use, dared to manufacture the same. On the other hand every war in the neighbour- 



NOVA Gt'INEA. III. ETHNOGRAPHY. 12 



