.JPG)
If eyes stick out like golf balls, bulbous enough to have
inspired a hideous new creature on a Star Wars set; if a head is
disproportionately small, looking like an animated sultana atop a skyscraper;
if ears are of the larger, protruding variety that give the impression of a
pair of satellite dishes in search of a cricket match, it’s probably best not
to say anything. Bodies come in all
shapes and sizes, fashions change and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There’s no such thing as ugly, only unique or
exotic.
Besides, the owners of any differently shaped or sized
features would likely have heard all the unfortunate quips and taunts. They may feel self-conscious.
The human species, when at its best, seeks rather to
concentrate on the positive, because it’s a nice thing to do.
Indeed, through fashion humans have acquired an
understanding of the available techniques for enhancing certain features or
accentuating beauty. Everybody knows
that the more robust among us can favour vertical stripes to look thinner, that
high heels for women are at least sometimes about height adjustment and that
the right set of frames can bring emphasis to well-shaped eyes.
It's not so easy for monkeys.
There’s little a female gorilla can do, for example, to make
its hands look daintier. It’s difficult
to say how a gibbon could give their lanky arms that shorter appearance, and with
the swollen red rump of a baboon… well, fashion options are not easy to
list. Monkeys are left with the singular
hope that those they come across in the forest will have the good grace not to
draw undue attention to certain, exceptional features.
In the forests of Brunei Darussalam on the island of Kalimantan
Well, they have very attractive, brown, almond-shaped
eyes. They have suave hairstyles,
brushed back, that are almost retro-1950s hip, in a good way. Their longish faces have a welcoming quality,
with an endearing heart shape to them, while their mouths are petite and
aristocratic, not at all obnoxious-looking.
Their eyebrows might not be lacking in bushiness but that could be described
as distinguished or intellectual, surely.
Nor could one speak highly enough of their nature-chosen
jackets, in coordinated earthy tones from brown to beige, tan, light orange and
grey, which give a sense of chic casualness and must belong to the very highest
echelons of forest wear. That’s
certainly something to focus on.
In Brunei
these gentle creatures live in proximity to the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan . They prefer the environs of the mangrove
forests that line the riverbanks and channels just beyond the city limits,
accessible to humans via easily arranged boat tours. The monkeys are shy, preferring to spend time
away from society at large. I don’t know
why.
In that neck of the woods are other animals to observe, such
as monkey species of less distinctive appearance and maybe large sea otters,
seen scampering along the bank. But I
digress.
The human species when at its best seeks to concentrate on
the positive, but unfortunately the human species isn’t always at its
best. Sometimes humans can be rather
cruel and biologists, apparently, are no exception.
I’m considering the insensitivity in the naming of this
particular primate: the proboscis monkey.
The word proboscis refers to a long flexible snout or trunk, or, more
specifically, a large nose.
But I ask, with a nose that’s up to ten centimetres long and
is odd for a monkey, is it entirely necessary to bring any further attention to
it by choosing such a name? It’s not
small. It’s hardly to be missed. And to add insult to injury the biologists
have placed those gentle simians in the genus Nasalis.
Meanwhile those monkeys with attractive eyes go on living
peacefully in groups, groups with overlapping territories. They are among the larger species in Asia , and pursue a diet of leaves and fruit, occasionally
insects. Unlike some other monkey
species they are rarely aggressive towards each other and tend to mingle when
one group in the forest canopy comes upon another. They certainly have great personalities, one
could say.
But unfortunately the biologists haven’t been alone in not
looking beyond the matter at the centre of things. The locals have likewise demonstrated
insensitivity towards these gentle forest dwellers. In Malay there are several names, and it’s
the colloquial one, orang belanda, in
which there may be an issue. It
translates as ‘Dutchman’.
It so happened that at the time when the first Dutch arrived
in the Indonesian archipelago, their European heritage pot bellies and
comparatively larger noses made an impression on the local people.
And while it cannot be assumed the proboscis monkey minds
being called a Dutchman, or even that the Dutch take offence at having a monkey
species named after them, the particular reference to the pot bellies and large
noses upon which the comparison relies surely has the potential to offend both
parties.
It’s as well to assume the kindly beasts remain unaware of
what the humans call them. On the other
hand, it’s difficult to say definitively just what it is that a monkey knows… I
mean, understands.
This article also published in Star Magazine, here: The monkeys with attractive eyes
No comments:
Post a Comment