imitating, in a ludio;ougrtoanner,itbev-actibnslof the' there-are not
wanting performers o^htbis ^description,- r wh<S ^ r^ ioM % j!dbeet" their- w it
against alltfelasses, of iSoeietyjiandieVmce-' a considerable'd'egjfe^bfd’o^J^rfi^ur.
~ uThese?are, the oniyrpubli^exhihitions^ o£i the-femafe sM ^h u t
dances byjtheripfen.are humeroiu^1riand''contribute'to the state^df'tthe B e -
reign and^hiefs. Among theses 'th e Gdmbuh, with a shield oh^h^.arm,
gracefully, .raises^ the dodot (orpetticoat) with" the other- hand; ;i * the*>Niutra,
having: a bj3W «and.iairow in the harid,;‘ goes' -through: the; mo t i o n f x - e r -
ci^Cj . stringing und unstringing it to the sdund of thejgdmelan,' Both-fbr'fw
their-limbs. and body intorltlfe) most-graceful postures^ a&'they^sjgfy^bye
pw^g^srioniRt-chiefsman'arearranged-bnjthriyside' of theRpai|§‘age
through w h i c h i s to pas?.,..Bothdiie GAmhu^rApJ^iigr/i- are ip’illaiJM'ta
H .upwards, while,^thh -dodot ;hangs -tsrtherrground'fen-'dnfe&iieiki I the
Tp^nnpr of full dress, shewing the‘Jcne'e" ori the1 other.bt^het^bpdfCs^ are
generally coveted WithbyeUowi»powder,' and frdm rround- their sears hang-'suspended
in fron% strings- (ffothh-yourig rrieldti flowCrs.* -c
arh^Gdmbuh are~bcqasipnally.empleyed totexhibit beforedhetprinCfe^-w-Men
yritha-fe/lfin their-right ban chand a shield ondheir left arm,ol^ey1gO through
all their .evolutions to. the -sound ;of music.
But thet^hjef description, of -male performers KaTe^ih^BiRsSiMmB'dM^HoT
~Beks@r6ng'gengi who have flowers, shields, 'or serpents-;i_ru tteai^hhisd^pand
i-n dancing-seem to -resemble- the- South'Sea Islanders, though fm^rerelfegant
itt 'their 'attire, and perhaps^inore graceful imitheir/‘motions.^ Ip'leith'er^miVe
onycoyering-abpye the waist; but' the.yellow, andjsometimek^^aipb^der
which!,is upon t^e body, gives it an appedmncecvexjklikhdfesgJ£^ l [ ^ #rm
Beh&a Idmmg is applied-do?*the petfyidiiefs,' who ron- publie'Aays&s'rnount
from their hprs.$s. and go through the exercise of the spbag'fpr -th e’ amu sem Snt
of; fhgiprince. Another. description ‘ of performers1 are'- termed“?WncftStiifig ;
fKgir art consists in throwing-the1 spear into itfee/air, and catching' it- againFas
it faUs-with,,great dexterity. Similar exhibitions ’of - these -p erson srcombating
With, sticks» ealled^^g;, bwere.formerly common.'
, In (the, domes tie? circle,/the women andr elderly people are partial to a
ppciilmr, amiiseroent tetmed'Sintrehi which paints very forcibly ith©' rations
theyTpossessl of th e , power of music* Almyor. girl, 'properly attiied and
skilled pi the dance, is placed under a reversed, basket:which ds .carefully
covered, with cloth. Hound it music and song-are struck uj$iby; all present,
those who do not play on any instrument, or who do hot-sing, joining rin
I beating
beating time- by!,clappingvtheir^apds.f c'V^ien-the-excitemen1i has continued-;
giTffinTpntfy. longitorhe? isupppsfeddo!jhaye qffeqtedv the. charm, the basket is
seek > a n d; it.he ■;boy< ohgjiArisin^ from, undeE.ih. apparently uncqnsci- ,
atisJom^at'isbdiping;'" moves- and.d3fo.ceS |jracefupy.butvW5Iytly, in unison with
the music. At riength-l tired out, jjhei> dancej^falkj and seems: to1 sink into
:gobpp,and wKe^^awakeneda.pf.etepdsshot^.tq.-rrecpllecti any .thing .that-, has
|R e d , ’Thp*pprfectkn.vpi£^ the, performer’s, giving
Himself up iso^compietelyt^thepowepiof musi^as-lto be charmed by it;- and
! p e r f e c t l y S e p s e t o t:
3 &ar,;the,,aniusenientJ.prihdipally<bpwe.Yer ^©f :ehildr,en;,va cocoa-nut shed is
carved withfhe features,. o£-a man, and affixed.tqiifh.e top.of a reversed,
basket, coV,ered-with a Thjs.baske|^ after being forborne time exposed ,
frw ƒhgfwAyafV a.- river .or under a Targe. tree^inj, or.der*, as|f i^suppo^ep,hat
,s@me if^np.ernaturalj spirit ’ may ifentei^., in,tp‘^;it,u is j(brQugh.fe-ir'again into the -
.hpuke; and rockedi-aocQUlin'g.to the-swaying motion ofi; the^ JavarLdabce.by^two
Kildrep, to the music1 of _ the ,gdmelan. An amusement; of this.kind is termed
JwindiMg.i..
^Lgfilts and^tournaments Qmdtang) .formi- a favourite-- gnd constant diversion n
w|ithefthe;Iavans : they^arej exhibited, principally’in .theLd&m alun, .ox great
sqpare, imj%bnti of the -krdton or palace, and compose ah esgeptial part of
ceremony ,ofojthts pdsar <senen^ oh, the day! in .which, the sovereign. and
Regents appear, in public. This, with,, the sovereign, ,is Saturday 5,4with the ,
. chiefs,XM’qndayUOn fhd-afi;e'rnopn, of-tHik^'ay.- all the princes, .nobles, and
public:ofl|ders,' assemble, ^and arranging.themselves.in .tlidiplaces, assigned,!0
.fheir respective ifanks, await the coming out of the soyerexgn,^ who,(as soon
-as.he^descends-from the setlngel mounts a horse richly caparisoned, and,rides
fdnnd the war ingen, trees, the several chiefs joining in his suite ^she passes
the circle.' - Several- of the chiefs, and particularly: theft sons and youthful
^iationS, then join in pairs, tillingrahd striking their long arid blunted spears
as^theylpa^^e sovereign". The .same, tiling is observfe^o^. ^he afternoon of
pyery Monday, at:th5'.papitals of the different province? .throughout: the
island, where the natiye-igovernment ^ndiinstitutions are .at all .preserved.
The assemblage of- people on these occasions is-frequently very great. The
trappings and housings ’of tHe^orses are extremely rich,‘ and the riders
-perform ibeir’ ffeats wittf some c^xtierity, being seldom unhorsed.* At tfe,
. iY- - ' , I ■ . conclusion
It has alreajJj:bee?^noticed,,.that the.island is pleuti&lly.supj.liea with a fine,.breed o f
emallkprses. Almost every petty chief and public officer is mounted, and those Tfho possess
the