AGRICULTURE. 179 



the side leaves, two split leafstalks being bent round and forming the upper margin, whilst 

 the plaited side leaves form the body of the basket. The small tobacco réceptacles mentioned 

 above under N os . 10S — in (PL IV, figs. 7 and 9) and ail coming from the north eastern part 

 of the Netherl. territory, hâve been plaited in the same way, but with this différence, that 

 each side leaf, at its issue from the main stalk, has been split at once into 4 — 6 small strips 

 and a much finer plaited work is thus obtained; the plaited work of the one side also runs 

 down along the bottom and on the other side to the top, the strips thus, for the greater 

 part, lying double. Similar to thèse, are the small baskets for carrying tobacco, (see also De 

 CLERCQ and SCHMELTZ [1893, 79]), used in H. B. and its surroundings by the men when 

 they leave the large bag at home. Baskets made of reeds are not mentioned by DE CLERCQ; 

 it is, however, not surprising that two of the baskets of Angâdi are manufactured from Jun- 

 caceae, which grow so very plentifully on the shores of Lake Jamur, and which yield leaves, 

 triangular in transsection, which, once split lengthwise, form an excellent, tough and pliable 

 material. The large spécimen, N°. 625, (PI. XX, fig. 11), with two loop handles of a strip of 

 bark, is used hère for conveying home the fruit from the gardens. 



The bags of cord for women will be discussed hère at the same time as the men's bags, 

 although the latter are not used for agricultural purposes. They form together a category of articles 

 of daily use, common almost over the whole of New Guinea; but whilst BlRO, in classifying 

 his bags, is principally guided by the ornament, the first considération hère will be the pur- 

 pose for which the bags are used and further the mode of construction, which again is in accordance 

 with this purpose. The stitches of the bags deserve the spécial attention of ethnographers and 

 may, like other products of handicraft, be considered to be characteristic, and useful in 

 distinguishing culture districts; particularly if, on a closer examination, it should turn out 

 that, as is apparently the case in Humboldt Bay and surroundings, the manufacture of the 

 bags is especially the work of the women. It seems to follow however, from information 

 given by FlXSCH [1888 — 93, 205J, that in K. W. Land the men make their own bags; BlRO 

 [1901, 55] leaves this point untouched and concerning the small, knitted bags of the Arfak 

 people, VON ROSENBERG [1875, 93] does not give any further information either. In this 

 respect the communication of Vax HASSELT [1889, 263], that the Numfôr people imagine the 

 moon inhabited by a woman knitting bags, is, how r ever, not without importance. Especially the 

 technique of female industry, taught and left by mothers to their daughters, originating and 

 continuing to exist in the village-households, must to a very high degree be permanent, and 

 therefore characteristic of tribes amongst which the girls participate already at an early âge 

 in the work of the mother and, as is the case hère, are often kept apart from the 

 youths. Tied down more to the house, at ail events to their village, as they take a much 

 smaller part than -the men in voyages or excursions for the purpose of trade or war, the 

 women come less than the men into contact with foreign influences. As objects of female industry 

 are often dragged about over great distances, the utmost importance is to be attached to the 

 objects which are still being made. With regard to the "dragging about" of knitted bags, I may 

 refer to BlRO [1901, 55], who supposes that the much admired breast bags of the men in 

 Astrolabe Bay are imported from elsewhere; besides it was declared of bag N°. 633 (PL XX, fig. 1) 

 of the collection, which I bought in Tobâdi, that it came originally from Tarawâi (Berlin 

 Harbour district] of which it has ail the characteristics (see FlNSCH [1888a, 29, PL X, fig. 1]). 



