The
application of salt or tobacco juice makes them drop off, and the wounds
are less severe, but few persons have the patience to wait after
discovering a leech. The animal is not easily killed. The Dayaks always
remove it with the sword edge and immediately cut it in two.
On our return to our old lodging-house near Kaburau I spent a week making
ethnological collections from the Kayan, who brought me a surprising
number, keeping me busy from early until late. Before continuing my
journey up the river I decided to go down to Tandjong Selor in order to
buy necessary provisions and safely dispose of my collections. The Kayans
were glad to provide prahus, the keelless boats which are used by both
Dayak and Malay. The prahu, even the largest size, is formed from a
dugout, and to the edge on either side are lashed two boards, one above
and overlapping the other. This is accomplished by threading rattan
through numerous small holes. As these are not completely filled by the
rattan, they are plugged with fibre and calked with damar to prevent
leakage.
In order to travel more comfortably we lashed a prahu at either side of
mine, while many of the natives who took advantage of the occasion to
visit the shops in town, tied theirs at the rear of ours. It was a gay
flotilla that proceeded down the river, the Dayaks singing most of the
time, especially the women who accompanied their husbands, a number of
them sitting in my large but crowded prahu. The women never seemed to grow
tired of the Mae Lu Long, a jolly song which I had several times heard
them singing when returning from the fields in the evening. Its words are
of a language called Bungkok. The Kenyahs have the same song, and when I
sang it to the Penihings on the Upper Mahakam they also understood it.
These Kayans (Segai) are able to sing in the following six dialects or
languages: Bungkok, Tekena, Siudalong, Siupanvei, Lepoi, and Lui Lui.
[Musical notation:
KAYAN WOMEN'S SONG
(On returning from the fields)
Lively.
Mae lun long son dong min ma - i min kam lam (Repeat)]
At times as they paddled along, the men would sing without words, but more
impressively, a song which until recently was used when the Kayan returned
to a kampong from a successful head-hunting expedition. Though the Dutch
authorities evidently have stamped out headhunting on the Kayan River, and
have even destroyed the heads that were hanging in the houses, smashing
them throwing them into the river, the Kayan still speaks of the custom in
the present tense. Even one or two of my companions were credited with
having taken part in such expeditions.
To-day the young men sing the song of the returning head-hunters more for
the fun of it, but the enthusiasm of all waxed high when the paddlers took
it up. Those who did not paddle would reach out for the large trumpets
which, as part of my collections, were lying in my prahu, and blow them
with full force as an accompaniment, just as these instruments formerly
were used on real occasions. A deep, strong bass sound is produced which
resembles the distant whistle of a big ocean steamer. The men at the rear
would join in with wild shouts like those made by American cowboys, most
of them rising in their prahus to be able to give more impetus to the
paddles. The powerful strokes of our enthusiastic crew made my prahu jump
with jerky movements, and we progressed rapidly, arriving early in the
afternoon at Tandjong Selor. This time I was made comfortable in a
government's pasang-grahan that had just been completed, and which was far
enough from the main street to avoid disturbing noise.
[Musical notation:
KAYAN HEAD-HUNTERS' SONG
(On returning from a successful raid)
Vae vae-ae vo vae vo ae vo ae-ae-ae-ae vo vae (Repeat)]
I had found the Kayans very agreeable to deal with, and later had the same
experience with many other tribes of Borneo. They ask high prices for
their goods, but are not bold in manner. Though I made no special effort
to ingratiate myself with them they always crowded round me, and sometimes
I was compelled to deny myself to all callers regardless of their wishes.
When I was reading or writing it was necessary to tell them to be quiet,
also to stop their singing at night when my sleep was too much disturbed,
but they were never offended. Presents of fruit, fish, mouse-traps, and
other articles which they thought I might like, were constantly offered
me. The women, free and easy in their manners, were ladylike to a
surprising degree. In spite of having had ten teeth of the upper jaw filed
down and the remainder coloured black by the constant chewing of betel,
they are literally to the manner born.
The controleur told me that his large district, the northernmost part of
Dutch Borneo, called Bulungan, comprised "about 1,100 square miles." He
estimated the number of inhabitants to be about 60,000, roughly speaking,
50 to each mile, but the population here as elsewhere follows the rivers.
The Dayaks are greatly in majority, the Malays inhabiting the Sultan's
kampong and a couple of small settlements in the vicinity. He had
travelled a good deal himself and taken census where it was possible. His
statistics showed that among the Dayaks the men outnumber the women
somewhat, and that children are few. In one small kampong there were no
children. The same fact has been noted in other parts of Borneo. The hard
labour of the women has been advanced as a reason. Doctor A.W. Nieuwenhuis
believes that inborn syphilis is the cause of the infertility of the Bahu
on the Upper Mahakam.
