Through Central Borneo An Account Of Two Years' Travel In The Land Of The Head-Hunters Between The Years 1913 And 1917 By Carl Lumholtz
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It Is
Of The Usual Dayak Pattern, And When It Becomes Worn Or Broken A New One
Is Provided, But The Old One Remains Hanging In The House.
A cradle is
never parted with, because of the belief that the child's life would
thereby be imperilled.
Should the little one die, the cradle is thrown
into the river. An unmarried man must not eat rusa nor fowls, and a
married man is prohibited from doing so until his wife has had three
children. Men should not touch with their hands the loom, nor the ribbon
which is passed round the back of the woman when she weaves, nor should a
woman's skirt be touched by a man. These precautions are taken to avoid
bad luck in fishing and hunting, because the eyesight is believed to be
adversely affected by such contact. Their sacred number is four.
An unusual game played with large tops is much practised for the purpose
of taking omens in the season when the jungle is cleared in order to make
new ladangs. The top (bae-ang) is very heavy and is thrown by a thin rope.
One man sets his spinning by drawing the rope backward in the usual way;
to do this is called niong. Another wishing to try his luck, by the aid of
the heavy cord hurls his top at the one that is spinning, as we would
throw a stone. To do this is called maw-pak, and hence the game gets its
name, maw-pak bae-ang.
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