Camphor forests

1929

Most of all I wanted to see the forests of camphor trees [Cinnamomum camphora Nees & Eberm.]. Taiwan is the native land of camphor. At altitudes reaching up to 1900 metres there are large forests which consist almost exclusively of camphor trees. From their leaves and fruits camphor oil is extracted by distillation over heat, whereafter it is subjected to a very complicated treatment, a refinement carried out in government factories. The camphor trees are not cultivated, only exploited; but measures are beng taken for a rational renewal of these trees by setting apart the most valuable forests. A number of complicated products are manufactured from the extract. The chemistry of camphor has been worked out in detail, but is kept secret and is one of the governmental monopolies of Japan.

We travelled into the mountains along a narrow-gauge railroad in small cars, so-called pushcarts. ^[1] The small cars are pushed by Malayans and the travellers are quickly transported at a speed of 15-20 kph into the mountain heights.

We stopped at night in a reservation near the railway line, which the aboriginal tribes who live on this reservation are forbidden to cross. The following morning we went to visit the Malayans. They live in huts raised on piles for protection against wild animals and insects. Such huts have peculiar wooden eaves. This reminded me of the pole dwellings of Asturias [Spain]; the latter are more solid and placed on stones but have similar over¬hangs of stone or wood. Buildings in western Georgia are also essentially similar.

Remarkable braided work is made by the Malayans: baskets, panels and screens. The inhabitants live mainly on wild fruits, wild berries and hunting. Evidently, the ancient inhabitants of southern tropical Asia, Paleo-Asia, were similar. They are distinctly different from the Japanese and reminded me of some of the Indians of North and South America. ^[2]

1. Photo from Vintage Formosa. [↩]
2. There is considerable controversy over Taiwan as a possible source for the Austronesian people. I am even less competent to comment on this than I am on the domestication of rice. However, Archaeologists Find Evidence of Origin of Pacific Islanders is one press report, while Polynesian origins: Insights from the Y chromosome gives an alternative scholarly point of view. [↩]

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