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1、Malayo-Polynesian Races Ajvd LanguagesThe alayo-Polynesians are the light-complex- ioned, olive-colored, and straight-haired inhabitants of the islands of the Indian and Pacific oceans, from the Andamans in the bay of Bengal in the west to Easter island on the east, and from Formosa and the Hawaiian
2、 islands in the north to New Zealand in the south. They occupy also the Malay peninsula on the Asiatic continent, and partly also the island of Madagascar adjacent to the African coast. Ethno-logically and linguistically they form two great divisions, Malayans proper and Polynesians. The former chie
3、fly occupy the western islands, and the latter the groups E. of the Philippines and Booro, subdivided into Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia (in the narrower sense). The original inhabitants of all thi islands were the Papuans, a dark race, with woolly hair growing in tufts. (See Papuan Races and
4、 Languages.) The Malayo-Polynesians came from the 8. E. of Asia, occupied at first only the islands adjacent to it, and gradually extended their territory to the east, either extirpating the previous inhabitants, or driving them into the interior of the inlands and taking possession of the coasts.Th
5、eir relation to the Papuan population of these islands therefore is similar to that of the Aryans to the Dravidas of India. Some contend that Polynesia was the earliest home of these races, and that they came originally from the American continent, but the hypothesis seems untenable. Though the Mala
6、yo-Polynesian type and culture are purest and quite primitive in the eastern groups of islands, yet the character of their fauna and flora is exclusively Asiatic, and the numerous historical traditions current among the people record migrations only from the west. These traditions, together with the
7、 fact that many of the names of the islands of Polynesia proper are variations of those belonging to the Tonga and Samoa groups, point to the latter as the common source of the population of the former. On Tonga and Samoa there are traditions that the paradise and cradle of the Polynesians is the is
8、land called Bulotu or Purotu, which is probably Booro, E. of Celebes. From the great similarities existing among the languages and customs of the various Polynesian races, it is inferred that the migrations from Tonga and Samoa do not date back to very remote periods.The circumstance that the tradit
9、ions leap from Booro at once to Tonga, leaving the whole of Melanesia entirely untouched, renders it probable that the Polynesians on their departure from Booro made no large settlements on any of the islands between Papua and the 6a-moan archipelago, and that the few who chose to establish themselv
10、es on them accordingly became largely intermixed with Papuan elements. Of a similar impure type are the Mi-cronesian Polynesians. The separation of the Polynesians from the Malayans and their emigration from Booro may be tixed at about 1000 B C, as the literature of the latter was developed before o
11、ur era. and shows even then a strong mixture of Old Indie or Sanskrit elements which cannot be found in the speech of the former. The Polynesian languages, therefore, arc considered to represent the primitive forms of speech. - To the western or Malayan division of the Maiayo-Polynesian races be-lon
12、g the Tagalas or Bisayas (inhabitants of the Philippines), the Malaysof Malacca, the Achee-nese of Sumatra, the Sundanese, the Javanese, the inhabitants of Bali and Madura, the Ba-taks of the interior of Sumatra, the population of Nias and Batoo islamls, the Hovas of Mada-gascar. the Dyaks of Borneo
13、, the Mankasars (Macassars) and the Bughis of Celebes, and the Alfooras of the Moluccas and the adjacent islands To the eastern or Polynesian division belong the Polynesians proper, the Melanesians, and Micronesians. The Polynesian race embraces the inhabitants of the Samoa group or Navigators islan
14、ds, the population of the.Tomra group or Friendly islands, the Maoris of New Zealand, the Tahitians, the inhabitants of the Parotonga group or Cooks islands, the people of the Tubuai group or Austral islands, of the Low archipelago or Touamotou islands, of the Marquesas islands, of the Hawaiian or S
15、andwich islands, and of numerous isolated islands in the Pacific ocean. The most eastern island inhabited by Polynesians is Yaihu or Easter island, and the most western Tikopia or Tukopia. To Micronesia belong the islands E. of the Philippines to Ion. 18CC, and from the Marianas or Ladrones in the n
16、orth to the equator in the south. The population of the Marianas or Ladrones is in part extinct, and many groups of the Carolines are also unin-habited. The people of the Gilbert archipelago form the transition from the Micronesians to the Polynesians. The Melanesians embrace the inhabitants of the Feejee islands, of New Caledonia, of the New Hebrides, and of several of the islands extending thence to Papua, whose ethnological character has not yet been definitely established.The physical con
