The Mafulu Part 20

Mafulu.

Generally dark brown, often quite dark, approaching to black, and sometimes perhaps quite black. But frequently lighter, and often not what we in Europe should call dark.

I think that the above tables indicate that, though there are differences, there are elements of similarity between (i) the Mafulu people, (2) the Dutch New Guinea dwarfs, and (3) one or more of the Andamanese, Semang and Aetas; but in my comparison of the Mafulu and the dwarfs of Dutch New Guinea with the other previously known dwarf races I would specially draw attention to their similarity in shortness of stature and (as regards most of the Mafulu and a few of the Dutch New Guinea people) colour of hair; and this impels me to venture to say a few words on the larger question.

I have searched through much existing literature concerning the various. .h.i.therto discovered dwarf races of the world with reference to the question whether, even a.s.suming that these people have an original primary ancestry from which the taller negroid races also are descended, they must be regarded as having become a related type, separate and distinct from the latter, as now existing, or whether they must all be treated as merely separate local variations, each of them having failed to develop, or retrograded, and in other respects become different in type from taller negroid races among or near to whom they are found. And I am struck by the fact that, though the natural tendency to local variation in stature, shape of head, colour and other matters is brought forward in support of the latter theory, no one seems, in connection with the general question, to have noted the fact that, whilst the hair colour of negroes, Papuans and Melanesians is black, the hair of all these various dwarf people seems to be predominantly brown, and that this variation explanation, if regarded as applying to these dwarf races separately and independently of one another, involves a remarkable coinciding double variation (in stature and predominant colour of hair) exhibited by all these dwarf people as compared with the taller negroids.

On the other hand, if there has been an original separation of descendants of common primary ancestors of all the negroid races, which, through variation, has resulted in two main types, one predominantly full-sized and always black-haired, and the other always short and predominantly brown-haired, and the pygmies (negritoes and negrilloes) are to be regarded as being all descendants of the latter type, who have since for some reason become geographically separated, there would appear to be nothing remarkable in the double variation.

But in that case we are, I take it, justified in regarding the dwarf races as being a separate type, to be distinguished from the taller races; and, if that be so, there appears to be substantial ground for thinking that the Dutch New Guinea dwarf people and the Mafulu people are in part descended from people of that type.

I may also draw attention (for what they are worth as points of detail) to the facts already noted, that the Semang and Andamanese, who bury their ordinary folk under ground, adopt tree burial, and apparently, as regards the Semang, platform burial not on trees also, as a more honourable method of disposing of the bodies of important people and chiefs; and that as regards these matters the Mafulu custom is similar.

Also the very simple ideas of the Mafulu, as compared with Papuans and Melanesians, in matters of social organization, implements, arts and crafts, religion and other things may well, I think, be a.s.sociated with a primitive negrito origin.

If the Mafulu people may be properly regarded as having a negrito ancestry, distinct in type from that of either the Papuans or the Melanesians, the negrito element would presumably be the earlier one, Papuan and Melanesian infusion having occurred subsequently. Indeed it may well be believed that the negrito element is derived from an original ancestry who were probably the earlier inhabitants of New Guinea.

CHAPTER I

A Grammar of the Fuyuge Language

Translated and Edited by _Sidney H. Ray_, M.A., from the Ma.n.u.script of the _Rev. Father Egedi_, S.C.

Phonology.

I. Alphabet.

Vowels: _a, e, i, o, u_.

Consonants: _k, g; t, d; p, b, f, v; m, n; r, l; s; y_.

The vowels are p.r.o.nounced as in Italian, the consonants as in English. The sound of the Italian _c_ is also found, but is rare.

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between _o_ and _u_. Ex. _ombo(le)_ or _umbo(le)_, belly.

_G, b_, and _d_, are often preceded by a nasal, sometimes constant (and then marked in the vocabulary), sometimes variable according to the p.r.o.nunciation of individuals. For the nasals _m_ is employed before _p_ and _b_, and _n_ before other consonants.

The _i_ and _y_ are very difficult to distinguish, especially when they follow one another. Ex. _iye_ or _ye_, or _ie_, tree; _iangolo_ or _yangolo_, ear. Father Egidi wrote _j_ for _y_.

The _l_ and _r_ are very difficult to determine. Ex. _aliete_ or _ariete_, to salute; _naul'i_ and _naur'i_, my eye. In the vocabulary _l_ is used generally.

The _s_ is often _ts_. Ex. tsivu and sivu; su(le) and tsu(le gra.s.s. Also in the future suffix _t_ or _ts_. Ex. _nati_ or _natsi_, I will eat.

II. Elision.

A great number of Fuyuge words terminate in an open syllable of which the vowel is generally _e_. This syllable is usually omitted at the end of a phrase, and nearly always when the following word commences with a consonant. But if the following word begins with a vowel the final _e_ only falls away. Thus the complete form of a word is rarely used, except to avoid confusion, or for the sake of emphasis. The following are examples:

_ovo(le),_ pig: _ovol' ovoge,_ boar, _ovo momombe,_ sow.

_ifa(ne),_ beautiful: _ifa ta,_ very fine, _ifan' aka,_ less fine.

_da(le),_ who? _nu da?_ who art thou? _dal' aua?_ who is this?

_i(nde),_ to give: _ne i,_ give me, _ne ind' u,_ give it to me.

_-a(le)_, with: _andal' a?_ with what? _indiv' al' ongai_, cut with the knife.

_a(le),_ here: _a mo ma?_ must I put it here? _al' itatsi,_ he will sleep here.

_u(ne),_ and: _kitoval' u kene,_ black parroquet and white, _amb'

un' ale,_ banana and sugar cane.

Note (1). The _b_ in an elision sometimes changes to _p._ Ex. _obe,_ bud, _op'indie,_ to bud.

(2). Sometimes two syllables are elided: Ex. _taume, tame,_ from which comes _ovo ta,_ a tame pig, and _ovo taum' ifa,_ the tame pig is good.

(3). Words which do not end in _e,_ rarely elide a final vowel, and never the last syllable. Ex. _kuku,_ tobacco, _kuk' oko nei,_ give me a little tobacco; _na,_ I, _nu,_ thee, _ongo_ at the foot of, _na n'

ong' ando,_ I am at thy feet; _umbubi, wash, umbub' u,_ wash him.

(4). Some verbs in _-ri_ or _-li_ however often omit this syllable. Ex. _ivo(ri)_ to wipe, _na ga kodig' ivo,_ I have wiped the plates; _tsimi(li),_ to lick, _ama tsimi,_ lick the salt; _itu(lili)_ to split, _ol' itu,_ split the wood.

In the grammar and vocabulary the syllable which may be elided is enclosed in a bracket, and in compound words and phrases the elision is marked with an apostrophe, as in the preceding examples.

III. Vowel Changes.

1. A final _o_ sometimes changes to _u_ if the word following begins with a vowel.

Ex. _oko,_ some, a little, _kuk' oku ind' uno,_ give him some tobacco to smoke.

2. An initial _o,_ on the other hand, sometimes changes to _u_ when the preceding word begins with _a._

Ex. _ongo,_ under; _na_ ungo ando, remain at my feet.

3. The final _a_ of the word _na,_ I, becomes _e_ when it is followed by the verb _indi_ in the imperative.