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
An umbrella of the usual type, Chinese or Japanese, is very useful for
travel in Borneo. At times it proves of excellent service in the prahu in
case of sudden showers, and it is invaluable for protecting the camera
when photographing. But as a matter of comfort and convenience it is my
custom to have my head uncovered except in rainy or cold weather. The sun
is a great friend and health-giver, and notwithstanding well-meant
warnings and an inborn fear first to be overcome, during my journeys in
Borneo I carried my hat in my pocket. When travelling in a prahu, I do not
care for a prolonged exposure to the sun, but often I photographed for
three or four hours continuously--really hard work--in the blazing light
of the equatorial sun, without experiencing any disagreeable effect. In
the spring of 1910 I travelled in this way for three months, mostly on
horseback, through the Sonora Desert, and felt stronger for it. It is my
opinion that overfatigue, excess in eating, or alcohol are the causes of
sunstroke. I have met only one man who, like myself, discards cover for
the head--Doctor N. Annandale, of the Indian Museum in Calcutta. Although
in our present state of knowledge I agree with him that it is unwise to
advise others to do likewise in the tropics, I emphatically recommend less
fear of the sun in temperate regions, always on the supposition that one
leads a healthy and sane life.
The Long-Glats came from Apo Kayan, and established themselves first on
the River Glit, a tributary from the south to the River Ugga, which again
is an affluent to the River Boh, the outlet from Apo Kayan to the Mahakam.
Since that time the people have called themselves Long-Glit, which is
their correct name, but as they have already become known as Long-Glat,
through the Dutch, I shall use that designation.
In the kapala's house I saw a superb plank, four metres long, raised
lengthwise against the wall; one side of it was taken up with fine
carvings on a large scale, representing three pairs of dogs. This I
fortunately obtained. The kapala's father was an Oma-Suling, but his
grandmother, a Long-Glat, had taught him some kremi or kesa, the Malay
words for folklore (in Long-Glat, lawong), and I collected from him two
rather interesting tales, which are included with other folklore stories
at the end of this book. In one of them (No. 18) the airplane is
foreshadowed, and by one that could fly for a month, at that. Needless to
state, an airplane had never been heard of in those parts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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