Through Central Borneo; an Account of Two Years' Travel in the Land of Head-Hunters Between the Years 1913 and 1917Lumholtz, Carl
History
Through Central Borneo; an Account of Two Years' Travel in the Land of Head-Hunters Between the Years 1913 and 1917
Lumholtz, Carl
Borneo -- Description and travel; Ethnology -- Borneo; Natural history -- Borneo
Further, she must not eat an animal which has lost one or both eyes, nor
one the foot of which has been crushed, nor an animal of strong odour
(like civet cat, skunk, etc., not an offensive smell to these natives);
nor are she and her husband permitted to gather rubber, nor may wood be
gathered for fire-making which has roads on it made by ants. She must not
drink water from a back current, nor water which runs through a fallen
tree. A pig may be eaten, but if it has a foetus inside that must be
avoided. The husband also observes all these tabus and precautions.
The Penyahbongs rise before dawn. Fire is made, primitive man's greatest
comfort, and they seat themselves before it awaiting daylight, the woman
brings her child near it, and all smoke strong native tobacco. Without
first eating, the man goes out to hunt for animals, usually alone, but if
two or three go together they later separate. The hunter leaves his parang
at home, taking only the sumpitan. He may not return until the afternoon.
Small game he carries home himself, but when a large animal has been
killed, as wild pig, deer, bear, large monkey, he will leave it in the
utan for his wife to bring home. In case of a rhino being slain he will
remove the horn, but the woman will cut up the animal and take it home,
unless it is too late, when she postpones the task until the next morning.
The husband is fond of singing, and, accompanying himself by striking the
rattan strings attached to the back of a shield, he may occupy himself in
this way until the small hours of the morning. Women make mats in the
evening, or do work of some kind, and the young people may play and sing
for a while, or they may listen to the singing of the lord of the
household; but gradually all go to sleep except the wife.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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