________________
JOLE, 1390.1
THE ABORIGINES OF SOKOTRA.
193
The usual dress of the women is an indigo-dyed cotton garment with very wide sleeves high round the neck and reaching only a little below the knees in front, while behind it trails on the ground. Beneath this is often worn a petticoat of the coarse blankets of goat's hair which they themselves weave. The dress is sometimes kilted at the knees and continued round the waist by a girdle; and a loose cloth is sometimes thrown over the shoulders. Round their necks they wear necklaces made of red coral, coloured glass, amber, or dragon's-blood tears, with sometimes a string of dollars to each ear; they wear also three, and sometimes foar, earrings, made of silver, and about three inches in diameter; two are worn on the upper, and one on the lower part of the ear. They wear the hair done up in two plaits which hang down their back, but in front the hair is cut to form a fringe across the forehead. They go unveiled.16 converse freely with the other sex, and are anything but moral.
Crime is of rare occurrence among the Beduins, and quarrels seldom terminate in death to either party; which may in some measure be owing to their having neither fire-arms nor weapons of any other description, excepting sticks and stones. In general they may be considered as a lively, generons race: but the most distinguishing trait of their character is hospi. tality, which is practised alike by all. and is only limited by the means of the individual called ou to exercise it.
They have a great variety of modes of salutation. Two friends meeting will kiss each other on the cheek or shoulder six or eight times, then shake hands, kiss them, and afterwards interchange a dozen sentences of compliment. They have also the same singular and awkward mode of salutation which is practised at Kishin, where they place their noses together, and acco D pany the action by drawing up the breath at the same time through the nostrils audibly. Male and female relations, in public, salute each other in this manner. Those of different sexes. who are merely acquaintances or friends, kiss each other's shoulder, except in case of the princi pal individual of the tribe, whose knees the females salute, while he returns the compliment on their foreheads. The old men salute children in the same manner.
The prevalence of kissing among the Soķotrans is a notable point of contrast between them and the Soma), amongst whom this mode of salutation is unknown. The latter fact is noted by Darwin in his “Expression of the Emotions." Burton, too, in his book on Zanzibar, says :+ Yet even amongst the Somâl, if you attempt to salute a woman--sapposing you have the right--she will draw back in horror from this act of incipient cannibalism.'
Wellsted estimated the population of the island at about 4.000. or four individuals to the square mile.
As for occupation; the men pass their time in tending their flocks and herds, in collecting dragon's blood and aloes, and in occasional visits to the town, where the two latter productions, with ghi (clarified butter) are exchanged for dates, jowari (holcus sorghum, or sorghum vulgare) and clothes. The principal employment of the feniales abroad is looking after the flocks; at home they make ghi, card and spin wool, which they afterwards were into camelines or blankets-generally dark brown or light gray in colour, with a fringe at the ends.16 In addition to their domestic daties - as with most other barbarons pations - much of the toil conseqnent on their pastoral mode of life, falls principally on them; and at the close of the day, after securing their flocks, the wives havo frequently to proceed with their children on their backs a distance of several miles, to fill and bring home skins of water, while their husbands remain with no other occupation than smoking or sleeping.
16 During one of any riaita to Kishin I luul tho plusasnre of being a good special of a Sokotran lody, wife of the Governor of Sokotr. She was a tall, bandsomo young woman, with very fair skin. a pleasant expression ani. remarkably graceful, majestic gait. Sac wore over her faen a veil or black met with me-hea abont half an inob square, which did not at all conceal ber features from the view
1 I once purchased three or four of the Crom the criginal mauufactures, at the rate of oan rupes aub. giving at the same time some presents of glass borde parchased ac Ads
