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
Neither in this life nor the next are there virtuous or sinful souls, the
only distinction being in regard to social standing and earthly
possessions, and those who were well-to-do here are equally so there. With
the Katingans whatever is essential to life in this world is also found in
the next, as houses, men, women, children, dogs, pigs, fowls,
water-buffaloes, and birds. People are stronger there than here and cannot
die. The principal clothing of the liao is the tatu marks, which it will
always keep. The garments worn besides are new and of good quality. When my
informant, a native official of Kasungan, who sports semi-civilised dress,
expressed his disapproval of the poor wearing quality of his trousers to
an old Katingan, the latter exclaimed: "That matters not. Above, all new
ones!" In the belief of the Duhoi (Ot-Danums) the liao remains with the
body until the funeral-house falls into decay, perhaps for twenty years,
when it enters the soil and "is then poor." The idea of the Penihings
about life after death is vague, and they do not pretend to know where the
soul goes.
The Penihings acknowledge five souls, or batu, in each individual: one
above each eye, one at either side of the chest below the arm, and one at
the solar plexus. The souls above the eyes are able to leave their
abiding-place, but the others can go only short distances. If the
first-named depart the person becomes ill next day, the immediate cause
being that a malevolent antoh, desiring to eat the victim, has entered the
head through the top. On perceiving this the two souls located above the
eyes escape and the blian is called upon to bring them back, for unless
they return the afflicted one will die.
A fowl or a pig, or both, may then be killed and the blood collected. Some
of it is smeared on the patient's forehead, head, and chest, the remainder
being offered to antoh, both in plain form and mixed with uncooked rice,
as has been described in Chapter XIX. When a fowl is sacrificed the empty
skin, suspended from a bamboo stalk, is likewise reserved for antoh, the
meat having been consumed, as usual, by those concerned.
As another effective means of inducing the return of the soul the blian
sings for several hours during one night or more. In the Penihing tribe he
accompanies himself by beating an especially made stringed shield. It is
believed that the singer is able to see how the antoh caused the sickness:
whether he did it by throwing a spear, by striking with a stick, or by
using a sumpitan. In his efforts to restore the patient the blian is told
what to sing by a good antoh that enters his head. Without such help no
person can sing properly, and the object of the song is to prevail upon a
beneficent spirit to eject or kill the evil one so that the souls may
return.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account