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
Eighteen Dayaks were brought here from Bangkal. Of these, nine were
Tamoan, the tribe of the region, eight Katingan, and one Teroian (or
Balok) from Upper Pembuang. They were measured, photographed, and
interviewed. One man looked astonishingly like a Japanese. The name of the
tribe, Tamoan, also pronounced Samoan, means to wash. The tatu marks are
the same as those of the Katingans. At present these natives have only six
kampongs, three of them above Sampit. Cultivating rice was very difficult,
they complained, on account of the poor soil and wet weather. The lake has
few fish and they cannot be caught except when the water is low. There are
no large serpents here, and neither snakes, dogs, nor crocodiles are
eaten; but the rusa is accepted as food. Fruits, as the durian and
langsat, are rather scarce.
Fire is made by twirling, and these natives use the sumpitan. They know
how to make tuak, crushing the rice, boiling it, and then pouring it into
a gutshi until the vessel is half full, the remaining space being filled
with water. In three days the product may be drunk, but sometimes it is
allowed to stand a month, which makes it much stronger. If there is no
tuak there can be no dancing, they said. Many remarked upon the expense of
obtaining a wife, the cost sometimes amounting to several hundred florins,
all of which must be earned by gathering rubber. The tiwah feast is
observed, but as to legends there are none, and their language and customs
are disappearing.
These Tamoans are disintegrating chiefly on account of the ravages of
cholera. About forty years previously an epidemic nearly extinguished
Bangkal, and there was another in 1914. The result is that the population
has changed, people from other kampongs, at times from other tribes,
taking the places of the dead. At the kampong Sembulo there appear to be
no Tamoans remaining, the Malays having easily superseded them.
Although my journey to the lake yielded no evidence to substantiate the
legend connected with it, because I found no Dayaks left "to tell the
tale," still, satisfaction is derived even from a negative result. Having
accomplished what was possible I returned to Sampit, arriving almost at
the same time a sailing ship came in from Madura, the island close to
northeastern Java. It was of the usual solid type, painted white, red, and
green, and loaded with obi, a root resembling sweet potatoes, which on the
fourth day had all been sold at retail. A cargo of terasi, the well-known
spicy relish made from crawfish and a great favourite with Malays and
Javanese, was then taken on board.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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