314 
COMPENDIUM OF GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL 
speak distinct but closely allied languages, which are 
widely different from any of the western Malay tongues, 
and are probably compounded of some aboriginal dialects 
spoken by the indigenes and that of their conquerors. 
These are the most important of the Malay States of the 
Moluccas, but other tribes with a great variety of 
languages are found on the coasts of Ceram and in the 
smaller islands of Goram, while tribes of pagan Indonesians 
in a lower state of civilisation inhabit parts of Buru. 
The great island of Ceram, however, is inhabited by people 
who are perhaps of partly Papuan race, having frizzled hair 
and prominent features, with a darker skin and more 
lengthy limbs than the Malays. They are utter savages 
and head-hunters. Most of them are still in a state of 
absolute freedom in the mountains of the interior, but 
some have been collected in villages on the coast, and 
have become converted nominally to Christianity, while 
others are equally nominal Mohammedans. In Buru 
occurs a similar race, and also in some parts of Halmahera 
but in the northern peninsula of the latter island, and 
having their headquarters at Galela, there is a very inter¬ 
esting race, as light in colour as Malays, but tall and well 
made, with handsome prominent features, curly hair, and 
bearded. They resemble Polynesians in many respects, 
and may perhaps be a remnant of the early Caucasian 
immigration referred to on a former page, intermixed 
with the Papuan aborigines. They speak a highly 
peculiar language. They are good boat-builders, and 
wander all over the northern part of the Moluccas, collect¬ 
ing tripang and turtle-shell, hunting deer and pigs, and 
smoking the meat. They also make settlements on any 
uninhabited spot that suits them, cut down the forest, 
plant maize or rice, and seem altogether a more enter¬ 
prising and energetic people than those around them. 
