ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESULTS. 397 



CHAPTER IL 



COMPARISON BETVVEEN THE VARIOUS TRIEES OF NEW-GUINEA. 



After considération of the material I collected during the expédition, we may pass to 

 the comparison with the data of others. 



STANDING HEIGHT. 



This is one of the anthropological characteristics, in vvhich the Papuans are showing 

 a great deal of diversity. The Hollanders who since igoo hâve got especially acquainted with 

 the tribes of the South-West coast and who had established their head-quarters at Merauke, 

 spoke of the "big-sized" Papuans and so the more, because the peoples of the Indian Archi- 

 pelago are médium- and small-sized. The English saw in the remarkable standing-height of 

 the "true" Papuans on the Western shores of the Papuan Gulf one of the typical différences 

 with the middle-sized Papuo-Melanesians. On the contrary the German explorers of the 

 protectorate on the North-coast don't qualify the Papuan stature as generally being tall, nor 

 do the travellers on the North-coast of the Dutch territory. NEUHAUSS [135] even states that 

 the Melanesians are perhaps somewhat taller than the Papuans ; the inland-Papuans should 

 hâve a height of only 150 — 160 cm. However, the médium- and small-sized tribes of those 

 régions claim the name of Papuans with as much right as those of the South. Even to the 

 various recently discovered pigmoid éléments in the central mountainranges, this name 

 may not yet be withheld. 



Several authors observed that in many régions the stand. height is subject to great 

 oscillations. The Dutch Military Exploration revealed this for the Dutch territory. Krieger 

 [87] stated it for the former German colony; RECHE [165] noted it especially for the Augusta- 

 river. At its mouth a length of 170 cm. was not rare, he estimated the mean above 165 cm. 

 At a day's journey from the mouth, he was struck by the great number of little men 

 (145 — 150 cm.), while farther inland the médium length had sunk below 155 cm. Among the 

 middle-sized Mamberamo-Papuans in Pioneer-bivouac, a remarkable standing-height was not 

 seldom found; their chief measured 180 cm.! That there are also great variations in the 

 standing-heigt of the Gulf- Papuans, is proved by the figures concerning the Purari-men (160 cm.), 

 Orokolo-men (167,7 cm -)> ar >d Toaripi (171,3 cm.) [22]. The people on the upper-Purari are 

 called "very tall in stature" [143, 1909], while Me GREGOR dénotes them as middle-sized 

 [5, 1894]. As for the middle-Fly the existance of some powerful men is recorded, but most 

 of the people were short. So we hâve similar observations on the three largest rivers of the 

 island, visited by différent explorers. 



Let us start with a systematical review of the various examined tribes. The accompa- 

 nying map shows the différent means of stand-height : the small-sized 1 ) groups, round 152,5 cm. 

 (148,7 cm. — 155,7 cm.), I designed in red ; the middle-sized, round 159 cm. (158,2 cm. — 



I) The folding-map (A) is to be found at the end. Small-, middle- and big-sized are used in a relative sensé. 



