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
My prahu leaked so badly that we had to bail it out constantly, and the
men were the worst in my experience, lazy and very inefficient, only one
of them being strong and agile. Not until eight o'clock in the evening did
we reach our destination, the kampong Buntut Mangkikit. In beautiful
moonlight I put up my tent on the clearing along the river bank in front
of the houses, perhaps for the last time in a long period. The roar of the
rapids nearly two kilometres distant was plainly audible and soothing to
the nerves, reminding me of the subdued sound of remote waterfalls,
familiar to those who have travelled in Norway. However, the kiham at this
time was not formidable and comparatively few have perished there, but
many in the one below, which, though lower in its fall and very long, is
full of rocks. The nights here were surprisingly cool, almost cold, and
the mornings very chilly.
A Kahayan was the only person about the place who could speak Malay. The
kapala presented the unusual spectacle of a man leaning on a long stick
when walking, disabled from wasting muscles of the legs. I have seen a
Lower Katingan who for two years had suffered in this way, his legs having
little flesh left, though he was able to move. The kapala was a truthful
and intelligent man who commanded respect. His wife was the greatest of
the four blians here, all women; male blians, as usual, being less in
demand. Her eyes were sunk in their sockets and she looked as if she had
spent too many nights awake singing, also as if she had been drinking too
much tuak. She had a staring though not unpleasant expression, was devoted
to her religious exercises, and possessed an interesting personality.
A majority of the women was disinclined to face the camera, one of them
explaining that she was not ashamed but was afraid. However, an example in
acquiescence was set by the blian and her family. She wore for the
occasion an ancient Katingan bodice fitting snugly around the body, with
tight sleeves, the material showing foreign influence but not the style of
making. Another woman was dressed in the same way, and a big gold plate
hung over the upper part of the chest, as is the prevailing mode among
women and children. Gold is said to be found in the ground and the
Katingans themselves make it into ornaments. Many of the men wore chavats.
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