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mentioned in Mariner’s account of the Fijians. Although this custom
prevails in the family of the high-priest of Tonga, it is plainly a
habit borrowed from their more powerful Fijian neighbours by the
Tongans, who have also adopted from them their manner of warfare.*
Section IX.—£)ƒ the Alforians, Alfourous, or Haraforas.
I must now mention the third class of black nations enumerated
in the beginning of this chapter. They are termed
Alforas and Haraforas ' by English writers, by the Dutch
Alfoers, and by some Alfourous and Harfdqfsq, The proper
name of the people is unknown, if indeed they have any
general designation belonging to them.
It is orfly of late that the Alforas have been supposed to
inhabit the interior of New Guineas Older writers Jbad supposed
the central parts of that great island pr rather'Çontineht
to be entirely occupied by Pappas. The Haraforas were
indeed mentioned by Forrest, but it is to MM. Lesson and
D’Urville that we owe the first description of them in New
Guinea. I have already cited M.. Lesson’s ; account. of their
bodily formation,f and I shall now add some further particulars
from M. Dumont d’Urville.
The Harfours of M. d’Urville are the third variety,of people
mentioned by that writer among the inhabitantst of Ifew
Guinea. I shall cite his account-.
“ Enfin, quoique beaucoup moins nombreuse , se distingue
une troisième variété d’hommes, petits, agiles, et vigoureux
comme les précédens. Mais leurs traits sauvages,. leurs yeux
hagards, leur teint fuligineux, et leur maigreur habituelle,
rappellent,à l’instant le type ordinaire des Australiens, des
Nouveaux Calédoniens, en général des Océaniens de la race
noire. Ces hommes, fidèles aux usages de leur race, pratiquent
le tatouage par cicatrices, marchent habituellement nus
ou couverts seulement d’une ceinture, et laissent flotter leurs
cheveux à l’aventure, ou se contentent de les entortiller en
mèches, comme dans les autres isles de,l’Océan Pacifique. Je
* Humboldt, p. 298. f Vol. i. p. 255.
ne doute nullement que ces derniers hommes ne soient les vrais
indigènes du pays : les Arfakis èt ieS HarfpRrs, que j ’ai eu
l’dcéâsibnMe voir, se rapportent à^Bsète^iarîété,1 ét lé fait sera
avéré'Si Pôn reconhoit un jtfur quéMëSl'habitans de l’interne
de la Nouvelle' Guinée 'Appartient aUSéba la inême famille.
“ Lee- véritables indigènes sont les-'plus misérables. La
plupart semblent'fédtàité^àïûtl état' de’»servitude, o u au moins
de domesticité.^' Il est probable iïcju’üs “sont les descendans
d’une rkee coUqÙiéb. 15 N'oüs’ùvons ‘déj'âi raconté quelles
Arfakis Mbs environs de Dorer vivent'défis dtn'ètât d’Wstilitê
■perpétuelle ’'avec lés Papous à F exception d’une1 ^pëtite
péuplad^'qui avoît fa it’aliiarifeè aVèc Ubux-bî.- Néafimoins
éeèf derniers Arfakis ne parîoiêrït ni le~ Malais, iiifle Papoua,
et les Papous ’exercent une sorte''de’ rhôfiopblé'sur les pro1-
ductions de lëUr sol.”
Thé pëopïfe térmèd Arfaki Are in h ab itan ts^ ’the mountains
of 'Affàk iüijthe interior bf Néw Guinea,: which Wténd from
the harbour of Ddrdi to the <Cap& of "Gbôd Hopëi*
M all Voÿé^ërs* in 'thé Indian Océan decribe the Har-
fëras or AlfdUrflus as'formihg a coïïsidéfablépaiîkôf^hë^popur-
lafiôi!%f all the islàhd ^Approaching thè ^ t f d à s t e r n fa rder
of the Archipelà^b. In' Bornéo, i'OelèîbéSyV'th éKMolucèas,
New Guinea, they are mentioned by Dutch, English, and
French wîitérs under tflé nàmes bf Alfbérs, Harfours, Al'fou-
¥êis, Harafétas. %othing can be more-fpdizfing tlian.the
contradictory accounts which aréP^vetfôf their physiéàl' cha-
raetbrs and manners. The only point of agreement between
different writers1 respecting them 'iâ1 the circUmsfAhce that all
represent them as very ’low in' civilisation and o f fierce' and
sanguinary habits. With respebt toHbeir physical characters
they are represented sbmetimesMs remarkably fair-1 and even
of lighter1 complekion than the P oiybesiaffs’/ éwhiïé' others,
among whom is Dr. Quby, a distrngmshed'‘,nâturaliât^,wh»
accompanied M. de Freycinet, fohhd it- difficult''to’Separate
them from the Papuas. L believe the real solution of these
contradictory and perplexing facts has been given to me by
D’Urville, Voy, de l’Astrolabe, tom. iv. 606.