The prospect was not pleasing. The under kapala of
the district, a native official whose title for the sake of convenience is
always abbreviated to the "onder," at once exerted himself in search of a
large boat belonging to a Malay trader, supposed to be somewhere in the
neighbourhood, and a young Dutchman who recently had established himself
here as a missionary was willing to rent me his motor-boat to tow it.
After several days of preparation, the river showing no sign of rising, we
started in an unusually large prahu which was provided with a kind of deck
made of palm-leaf mats and bamboo, slightly sloping to each side. It would
have been quite comfortable but for the petroleum smoke from the
motor-boat, which was sickening and made everything dirty.
In 1880, when Controleur W.J. Michielsen visited the Katingan and Samba
Rivers, the kampongs consisted of "six to ten houses each, which are lying
in a row along the river bank and shaded by many fruit trees, especially
cocoanut palms and durians." A similar description would serve to-day. The
large communal house as known in most parts of Borneo does not seem to
obtain here. Communal houses of small size were in use ten years
previously and are still found on the Upper Samba. Their gradual
disappearance may be explained by the fact that the government, as I was
informed, does not encourage the building of communal houses.
Whatever the reason, at the present time the dwelling is a more or less
flimsy structure, built with no thought of giving access to fresh air, and
sometimes no provision is made for the escape of smoke from the fireplace.
But the people are very hospitable; they gladly received us in their
houses, and allowed me, for purposes of ventilation, to demolish
temporarily part of the unsubstantial wall, which consisted of bark or
stiff mats. The high ladder is generally provided with a railing leaning
outward at either side.
The Katingans are shy, kind-hearted natives, the great majority of them
being unusually free from skin disease. No illness was apparent. With some
of the Lower Katingans the calf of the leg was below normal size. This was
the case with three women in Pendahara, and also with a blian who
otherwise was a stout man. All the men have a large representation of the
full moon tatued on the calf of the leg, following the custom of the
Ot-Danums, Murungs, and Siangs. As far as I ascended the river the Upper
Katingans rarely have more tatuing than this, but the Lower Katingans are
elaborately ornamented, chest and arms being covered with illustrations of
familiar objects.
