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
The doctor of Long Iram, who had been here one year, told me that no case
of primary malaria had come to his notice. What the Malays call demum is
not the genuine malaria, but probably due to the merotu, a troublesome
little black fly. One of his predecessors had collected 1,000 mosquitoes,
out of which number only 60 were anopheles. There was framboisia here, for
which the natives use their own remedies. The temperature at the warmest
time of the day is from 90° to 95° Fahrenheit; at night, 75° to 80°. There
is much humidity, but we agreed that the climate of Borneo, especially in
the interior, is agreeable.
It was extraordinary how everything I had brought on this expedition was
just finished. The day before I had had my last tin of provisions; the
milk was gone except ten tins, which would carry me through to Samarinda,
a four days' journey; the candles were all used; the supply of jam
exhausted; tooth-brushes no longer serviceable; my clothes in rags.
Fortunately I had more stores in Bandjermasin. The rot-proof tents which I
bought in England were to some extent a disappointment because they
deteriorated even though not in actual use, or possibly because of that
fact. On account of the delay caused by the war the bulk of my
considerable tent outfit was not unpacked until two years after purchase.
It had been carefully kept, but was found to be more or less like paper,
and only a small portion could be used. One tent served me throughout
Bornean travels, but finally the quality of the fabric became impaired to
a degree which necessitated constant patching; it was made to last only by
the exercise of great care and with the aid of a fly, three of these
having been used on this expedition. If a journey to a country
climatically like Borneo is planned to last only a year, rot-proof tents
may be recommended on account of their light weight and great convenience.
The enterprising Kenyahs offered to sell me the model of a raja's
funeral-house which seven of them made while there. Most of the material
evidently had been brought with them. It was an interesting sample of their
handicraft. At the house of the first lieutenant I was shown several
similar models, some with unusual painted designs, which were eloquent
testimonials to the great artistic gifts of this tribe. I also bought a
small earthen jar. One of the natives who was able to speak some Malay
said that such ware is common in Apo Kayan and is used for cooking rice.
The poison for the dart of the blow-pipe is also boiled in earthenware
vessels. The jars, which are sometimes twenty-five centimetres in
diameter, are protected on journeys by being encased in rattan netting.
The Kenyahs are perhaps the most capable of all the natives of Borneo. Of
the one hundred and seventy-nine visiting members of the tribe, only one
was afflicted with the skin diseases so prevalent among many of the other
Dayaks, and, according to Doctor J. M. Elshout, syphilis is not found
among those of Apo Kayan.
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