Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

102 AUSTRALASIA.tioiis, so opposed to the spirit of Islam, shows what little influence is reallyexercised by the oiBcial religion of the country.Nevertheless, at the beginning of this century the rigid sect of the OrangPuti, or "White Men," also known through their proselytising zeal as " Padri,"like the Portuguese missionaries, became powerful enough tooverthrow the kingdom.About 1820 these eastern " AVahabites," whose reform consisted chieflyiniibstaiuiug from tobacco, betel, and strong drinks, reduced the high-priest andKing of Menangkabao to such extremities that he was fain to call in the aid of theDutch, at first allies, presently masters.The Jlalay inhabitants of the upland vallej's and plateaus south of Padanggreatly resemble the Battas, without, however, showing any traces of cannibalism.The Korintjiors (Korinches) settled about Mount Indrapura; the Rejanges(Piejangs), " guardians of the frontier" between the provinces of Palembang andBenkulen ; the Pasumahs of the district dominated by the Dempo volcano ; lastly,towards the southern extremity of Sumatra, the Abungers, or " Highlanders," andthe LamjDougers, or •' Lowlanders," all appear to have formerly enjoyed a highdegree of civilisation. From their ancestors they have inherited a writing systemderived, like that of the Battas, from the Sanskrit characters, and all can still readand write.In the forests here and there occur colossal statues, which, strange to say,present neither the Hindu nor the Malay type. Amongst several Rejang tribesthe mothers flatten the nose and compress the skull of their children, and thepractice of filing the teeth is very prevalent. According to Van Hasselt, theLampong Abung peoples come from Menangkabao. Amongst them marriage isalso exogamous, and the price of the wife is relatively so high that the husbandtakes years to work off the charge. But on the other hand she becomes his slave,and the jewels and coins with which she is decked on the wedding day all belongto him. Later he also indemnifies himself by the sale of his own daughters. Theeldest brother is required to take over all the widows of the family ; but thewomen of the iijjper classes usuall3f marry, as in Menangkabao, according to thematriarchal system, and retain possession of the land and offsj)ring.In the coasttowns,where Islam has prevailed over the primitive heathendom, unions arecontracted in the Arab fashion. The married alone are buried with honour, forthey are the " parents of the people ;"all others are thrown to the bush.The natives of the Siak, Jambi, and Palembang districts, on the east coast, arefor the most part immigrants from the neighbouring islands, being the descendantsof traders who founded factories about the river mouths. On these coastlandsHindu influences long survived, thanks to the proximity of Java, whence colonistscontinued to settle in Palembang down to the middle of the sixteenth century.In general the usages on this seaboard differ little from the Javanese, and eventhe current speech retains many words introduced from the neighbouring island.In the interior dwell a few thousand Orang-Kabu, believed to represent theaborigines gradually driven inward from the coast. They lead a wandering lifein the midst of the forests ; but physically they differ little from their Malay