396 H. J. T. BIJLMER 



favoured position. I did not fail to remark that several times the men pronounced their veto 

 in matters of truck between the women and us. Once I witnessed, how a group of women 

 was harshly sent away. 



Though there cannot be spoken of a complète insight in the psyché of thèse primitive 

 people, we are allowed to draw some conclusions. Thèse people, living in the neolithic period, 

 are far from being savages. Their welcome, their parting-song, their hospitality, their open- 

 handedness, in short, their winning ways, made us feel quite among fellow-men. They are 

 peaceful and still courageous, kind and nevertheless steadfast. Gratefulness is a natural virtue 

 of them, greed and thievishness do not corne to the front, suspicion is strange to them. 

 Though the simplicity, in which thèse people live, is nearly absolute, as clothing, furniture 

 and tools are very scarce indeed, they are according to their interior still créatures that do 

 not prove to be of inferior construction than the undeveloped "culture"-man. It must not 

 be forgotten that this tribe does not belong to what vve are used to call in ethnology 

 "primitive" peoples; socially they are far above roaming hunters and fisher-men ; their fixed 

 dwelling-places, their agriculture and their domestic animais place them on a certain degree 

 of civilisation. But it may be easily understood that such a psychic development cannot 

 be due to the little civilisation they possess. On the contrary, it proves to be a characterizing 

 quality of the human sexe, and so this acquaintance with one of the most isolated-living 

 tribes on the earth has once more taught, how great the gap is between man and beast. 



Before passing to a comparison of my observations with the other anthropological 

 information, known of New-Guinea, I might be allowed to point out, how the anthropometry 

 has very clearly demonstrated the great différence between a tribe of New-Guinea and one 

 of the Sunda-Islands. The Dyak appear to hâve a broader head and first of ail a broader 

 face, but notwithstanding this a narrower nose. With the broader and therefore greater head 

 goes a more thick-set stature: broader, shorter trunk, shorter limbs and smaller feet. The 

 Papuans, also those of the low-lands, on the contrary excel in a broad coarse nose and in 

 long arms. The différence in appearance between the Papuans and the inhabitants of the 

 East-Indies is without doubt distinct enough, still anthropometry is furnishing hère a valuable 

 complément. 



