Through Central Borneo: An Account of Two Years' Travel in the Land of the Head-hunters Between the Years 1913 and 1917, Volume 2 |
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able according animal antoh appear arrived asked bamboo became began birds blian blood Borneo bring brought called carried child cloth cook custom dancing Dayaks dead dogs Duhoi eaten father fish five floor four front fruit give ground hand head head-hunting heard hole hunt husband journey Kahayan kampong kapala Katingan Kayan killed kind known ladang later leaves live Long-Glats look Mahakam Malay mats metres months morning mother natives night paddi parang passed Penihings placed prahu present Punans raja rattan regard remained rice river Samba Saputans seen serve seven side similar Soerabaia souls spear stones strong sumpitan tail taken told took tree tribes Upper usual walk wanted wife woman women young
Popular passages
Page 266 - It is neither acid, nor sweet, nor juicy, yet one feels the want of none of these qualities, for it is perfect as it is. It produces no nausea or other bad effect, and the more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop. In fact to eat Durians is a new sensation, worth a voyage to the East to experience.
Page 254 - ... and early next morning, while it is still dark, they come singing. The people of the kampong waken, array themselves in their best finery, and go to meet them, the women wearing their newest skirts and bringing pieces of nice cloth to present In the jungle of southern Borneo near the Sampit River. to the conquerors. The man who cut the head carries it suspended from his neck until it is taken from him by a woman who gives him the cloth to wear instead, possibly as a badge of heroism. It makes...
Page 258 - ... is considered a far better guardian than the wooden figures called kapatongs, which play an important part in the life of that tribe. Any fear of resentment on the part of the liao (departed soul) residing in the head is precluded by their belief that the Katingan anto gave him the order to watch. " If no heads are brought in there will be much illness, poor harvest, little fruit, fish will not come up the river as far as our kampong, and the dogs will not care to pursue pigs," I was told by...
Page 352 - A woman carrying a betel box is believed to watch well because when chewing betel one does not sleep; but in her case there must always be a male kapatong near by, for a woman alone is not sufficient protection. Betel makes the mouth and lips beautiful in the estimation of the natives, therefore many kapatongs are seen with betel box in hand.
Page 253 - ... found living in one kampong. About twenty years ago there was much fighting in these remote parts of Borneo among Penihings, Saputans, Penjabongs, and Bukats, each tribe making head-hunting raids into the dominions of another, and all being constantly exposed to the fury of the Ibans from the north. Head-hunting raids may include assaults on kampongs, but very often they are cowardly attacks on small groups of unsuspecting people, men, women, and children. The heads thus secured appear to be...
Page 259 - Three such trips are made in a day and usually a bath is taken on euch trip. sourceful, reliable, and intelligent, and may serve also as interpreters. In his report on a journey to the Katingans in 1909 Captain JJM Hageman says: "By nature the Dayak is a goodtempered man. The head-hunting should not be charged against him as a dastardly deed; for him itisanadat (religious observance). In the second place, he possesses very good traits of character, as evidenced by his hospitality and generosity....
Page 305 - ... Algonquins of the Isle were the most trustworthy and intelligent of all the Algonquins met by the French. They never broke a contract made with the French officials, or traders. Their pledged word could always be depended upon. They belonged to that superior class of savages of whom Chateaubriand writes : "We may safely affirm that the better specimens of savages are much superior to the lower examples of civilized people."* The Monsoni. An Algonquin clan carrying the totem of the northern •Ojibways....
Page 260 - Loving their liberty in a high degree they prefer not to be ordered. The cowardly manner in which they cut heads is no criterion of their courage." It would not be in accordance with facts to suppose that head-hunting has altogether been eliminated in Borneo. It is too closely identified with the religious life of the natives, but in time a substitute probably will be found, just as the sacrifice of the water-buffalo supplanted that of slaves.
Page 445 - The Murung says that each person has seven souls, called brua, six being distributed as follows: one at the top of the head, one in each eye and knee, and one in the navel.
Page 320 - ... with them about the feet of the others. Some cut mats in pieces, ignited them, and struck with those. A woman came running out of the house with a piece of burning mat and beat me about my feet and ankles (my trousers and shoes were supposed to be white), and then went after others, all in good humor and laughingly. She next exchanged firebrands with a man, and both struck at each other repeatedly. This same custom is used at funerals with the Ot-Danums on the Samba, and the explanation given...