Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

42 RACIAL AFFINITIES paut
The descendants of aboriginal slaves would, of course,
form a large factor in the problem.
This process of absorption is, moreover, still pro-
ceeding with quite as much rapidity as in the past,
and where it appears that the numbers of the abo-
rigines are dwindling, we may rest convinced that, in
the majority of cases at all events, their gradual dis-
appearance is rather due to conversion and absorption
than to the proximity of civilisation, which in the
case of these tribes does not appear to have produced
such deleterious effects as it is said to have done in
other parts of the world/
In spite of this important exception, however, the
amount of admixture of Malay blood, even in the Jakun
group (to say nothing of the Sakai or Semang groups,
where the mixture is admittedly less), has been un-
doubtedly very much exaggerated, especially by
writers who failed to recognise the "savage Malay"
element, and regarded every approach to the Malay
type of features as evidence of civilised Malay ad-
mixture.
In conclusion we may say that, except in the
northern and some of the central states, where the
circumstances were different, the "civilised Malay"
element has not appreciably affected the racial purity
of the wild tribes of the Peninsula, the main admixture
(which in many places is obvious enough) having
been among themselves. Hence the chief forms of
admixture that are worth considering are as follows :
^ See p. 30, par. 35, of the recent 18,574 persons.
(1901) Federated Malay States Census Mr. Hale writes me that the point
Report, where we are told that the of religion often means nothing but the
returns show that there is little tend- ceremony of circumcision, and that
ency on the part of the aborigines to converted slaves of this kind often
decrease, and that they now number reverted to the jungle (on emancipa-
(in the Federated Malay States alone) tion).
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