808 
P O G G Y. 
many particulars in which they differ from any fet of 
inhabitants of the ifland of Sumatra, put it beyond a 
doubt that they are of a different origin ; but from 
whence they came it may not be eafy to trace. They 
have no clear tradition to affift in fuch an enquiry. 
When Mr. Belt: was at their village, on afking from 
whence they originally came, they told him “from the 
fun,” which he uaderftood as lignifying from the eaftward. 
The name of Naffau has probably been given to thefe 
iflands by fome Dutch navigator. By the inhabitants 
themfelves they are called Poggy, and the natives are 
called by the people of Sumatra Orang Manlawee; this 
latter is probably from their own language, mantaoo fig- 
nifying a man. 
In the fixth volume of the Afiatic Refearches, we find 
an Account of the Inhabitants of the Poggy Iflands, by 
J. Crif'p, efq. from which we fliall extrafl a few particu¬ 
lars. 
Their houfesare built of bamboos and raifed on polls; 
the under part is occupied by poultry and hogs ; and, as 
may be fuppofed, much filth is collefled there. The 
whole of their clothing confifls of a piece of coarfe cloth, 
made of the bark of a tree, worn round the wailf, and 
brought acrofs between the thighs ; they wear beads and 
other ornaments about the neck, of which a finall green 
bead is the moft elleemed : though cocoa-nut trees are 
in fuch plenty, they have not the ufe of oil ; and their 
hair, which is black, and might grow long and graceful, 
is, for want of it, and the ufe of combs, in general matted 
and plentifully fupplied with vermin, which they pick 
out and eat j a filthy cuftom, but very common among 
favage people. (See Pole, vol. xxi.) They file or grind 
their teeth to a point, which is alfo in ufe in Sumatra. 
Their ftature feldom exceeds five feet and. a half, and 
many among them fall fhort of this : fome of them are 
extremely well made, with finely turned limbs and ex- 
preflive countenances: their colour is like that of the 
Malays, a light brown or copper colour. The cuftom of 
tattooing, or imprinting figures on the Ikin, is general 
among them. 
The principal article of their food is fago. The tree, 
when ripe, is cut down, and the pith, which forms the fago, 
taken out, and the mealy part feparated from the fibrous, 
by maceration and treading it in a large trough conti¬ 
nually fupplied with frefh water: the meal fubfides, and 
is kept in bags made of a kind of rufli ; and in this ftate 
it maybe preferved fora confiderable time. When they 
take it from their ftore for immediate ufe, fome further 
preparation of walhing is neceffary ; but they do not gra¬ 
nulate it. One tree will fometimes yield two hundred 
pounds of fago : when they cook it, it is put into the 
hollow joints of a thin bamboo, and roafted over the fire. 
Befides this article, they have a variety of nourilhing 
plants, fuch as the yam, the fweet potatoe, the plantain, 
&c. Their animal food confifts of fowls, hogs, and filh : 
fhell-fith they eat raw'. The ufe of betel, fo common in 
the Eaft, is unknown to them. 
Their arms confift of a bow and arrows. The bow is 
made of the neebony-trec, a fpecies of palm, which, when 
of a proper age, is very ftrong and elaific ; the firings are 
formed of the entrails of fome animal ; the arrow is made 
of a fmall bamboo or other light wood, headed with brafs, 
or with another piece of wood fixed to the end of the 
fhaft and cut to a point: thefe arrows, we are told, are 
fometimes poiloned. Though ftrangers to the ufe of fea¬ 
thers to fteady the flight of the arrow, they neverthelefs 
difcharge it from the bow with much ftrength and Ikill. 
With a mongrel breed of dogs, probably procured origi¬ 
nally from Sumatra, they roufe the deer in the woods, 
which they fometimes kill with their arrows ; they alfo 
kill monkeys by the fame means, and eat their fiefti. 
We obferved among them a few who were in poffeffion 
of creefes, or Malay daggers. 
Their knowledge of metals is entirely derived from their 
communication with the inhabitants of Sumatra. They 
are ftill ftrangers to the ufe of coin of any kind: and a 
metal coat-button would be of equal value in their efteem 
with a piece of gold or iilver coin, either of which would 
immediately be hung about the neck as an ornament. 
A fort of iron hatchet, or hand-bill, called parang, is in 
much efteem with them, and ferves as a ftandard for the 
value of various commodities, fuch as cocoa-nuts, poul¬ 
try, See. 
We were informed that the different tribes who inhabit 
the Poggy iflands never war with each other; to which 
account we could readily give credit from the mildnefs 
of their difpofition. Indeed the friendly footing upon 
which they appeared to live one with another was a cir- 
cumftance too ltriking to efcape our notice; during our 
whole ftay with them, and while diftributing various pre- 
fents among them, we never heard a Angle difpute, nor 
obferved one angry gefture. They however informed us, 
that a feud has long fubfifted between the inhabitants of 
the Poggy iflands and thofe of fome ifland to the north¬ 
ward, whom they called Sybee. Againft thefe people they 
fometimes undertake expeditions in their w'ar-canoes. Mr; 
Beit meafured one of thefe war-canoes, which was pre¬ 
ferved with great care under a fhed; the floor of it was 
twenty-five feet in length, the prow projected twenty-two 
feet, and the ftern eighteen, making the whole length 
fixty-five feet; the greateft breadth was five feet, and the 
depth three feet eight inches. For navigating in their 
rivers and the ftraits of See Cockup, where the fea is as 
fmootii as glafs, they ufe a fmall canoe made from a 
Angle tree, conftrudted with great neatnefs ; and the 
women and young children are extremely expert in the 
ufe of the paddle. 
The religion of this people, if it can be faid that they . 
have any, may truly be called the religion of nature. A 
belief of the exiltence of fome powers more than human 
cannot fail to be excited among the moft uncultivated of 
mankind, from the obfervations of various ltriking natu¬ 
ral phenomena, fuch as the diurnal revolution of the 
fun and moon, thunder and lightning, earthquakes, 
&c. &c. nor will there ever be wanting among them fome 
of fuperior talents and cunning who will acquire an in¬ 
fluence over weak minds, by a flu mi ng to themfelves an 
intereft with, or a power of controuling, thofe fuper- 
human agents; and fuch notions conftitute the religion 
of the inhabitants of the Poggys. Sometimes a fowl and 
fometimes a hog is facrificed to avert ficknefs, to appeals 
the wrath of the offended power, or to render it propi¬ 
tious to fome projected enterprife; and Mr. Belt was 
informed that omens of good or ill fortune were drawn 
from certain appearances in the entrails of the victim. 
But they have no form of religious worlhip, nor do they 
appear to have the moft diftant idea of a future ftate of 
rewards and punilhments. The mode of difpofing of 
their dead bears a refemblance to that of the Oraheitans. 
Very Ihortly after death the corpfe is carried to a certain 
place appropriated for the purpofe, where it is depofited 
on a fort of ftage, called in their language Rati Aid; it 
is dreffed with a few beads, or fuch ornaments as the per- 
f’on was accuftomed to wear in his life-time; and, after 
ftrewing a few leaves over it, the attendants leave the 
ground, and proceed to the plantation of the deceafed, 
where they fell a few trees of his planting, and return to 
their homes. The corpfe is left to rot, and the bones 
fall to the ground. 
Among a people whofe manners are fo Ample, whole 
wants are fo eafily fupplied, and whofe poffeflions are fo 
circumfcribed, we are not to look for any complex fyftem 
of jurifprudence : indeed their code of laws may becom^ 
prifed in a few lines. Their chiefs are but little diitin- 
guilhed from the community, either by authority or by 
property ; their pre-eminence being chiefly difplayed at- 
public entertainments, of which they do the honours. 
They have no judicial powers; all difputes are fettled, and 
crimes adjudged, by a meeting of the whole village. In¬ 
heritance is by male defeent; the houfe or plantation. 
