Image: A Melaya Captain from Voyages and travels into Brazil and the East-Indies, 1640-1649

Description: The Malayans as they are not so much addicted to trading as the Chinese, live for the most part upon fishing; their boats are made after the Indian [Indonesian] fashion, with large sails [tanja sails]. They have also a governor of their own, who lives in the Rhinoceroses Gracht, whereabouts most of them have their dwelling-places. They wear light callicoes or silks, though some of their women of fashion use flowered and striped silk; their hair, which is very black, they tie behind in a knot, but the men wear apiece of cloath about their heads. Those few merchants that are among them, are next to the Chinese, accounted the cunningest traders; the houses of the Malayans are but very indifferently built there, being covered with leaves, and planted round with coco-trees. They have a custom of chewing the Bethel [pinang] leaves continually, and take tobacco through sugar-canes lackered over with stone ball.
Title: Voyages and travels into Brazil and the East-Indies, 1640-1649 : containing the exact description of the Dutch Brazil and divers parts of the East-Indies, their provinces, cities, living creatures and product, the manners, customs, habits and religion of the inhabitants with a particular account of all the remarkable passages ...
Credit: Internet Archive identifier: voyagetravelsint02john
Author: Johannes Nieuhof
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No