As there
was nobody to interpret I was reluctantly compelled to dispense with her
demonstration, although I had found it interesting to watch the strange
expression of her eyes as she sang and the trance-like appearance she
maintained. Another noticeable fact was the intense attachment of her
dogs, which centred their eyes constantly upon her and accompanied her
movements with strange guttural sounds.
With the Murungs, six teeth in the upper front jaw and six in the under
one are filed off, and there is no pain associated with the operation. The
kapala had had his teeth cut three times, first as a boy, then when he had
one child, and again when he had four children. The teeth of one of the
blians had been filed twice, once when he was a boy and again when he had
two children.
If a man has the means he is free to take four wives, who may all be
sisters if he so desires. As to the number of wives a man is allowed to
acquire, no exception is made in regard to the kapala. A brother is
permitted to marry his sister, and my informant said that the children
resulting from this union are strong; but, on the other hand, it is
forbidden for cousins to marry, and a still worse offence is for a man to
marry the mother of his wife or the sister of one's father or mother. If
that transgression has been committed the culprit must pay from one to two
hundred rupias, or if he cannot pay he must be killed with parang or
klevang (long knife). The children of such union are believed to become
weak.
When twelve years of age girls are regarded as marriageable, and sexual
relations are absolutely free until marriage; in fact, if she chooses to
have a young man share her mat it is considered by no means improper. If a
girl should be left with child and the father cannot be found she is
married to somebody else, though no man is forced to wed her. Marriage
relations are very strict and heavy fines are imposed on people at fault,
but divorces may be had provided payment is made, and a widow may remarry
if she desires to do so.
When a person dies there is much wailing, and if the deceased is a father
or mother people of the same house do not sleep for three days. The corpse
remains in the house three days, during which time a root called javau is
eaten instead of rice, babi and bananas being also permissible. The body
is washed and wrapped in white cotton cloth, bought from Malay traders,
and placed in a coffin made of iron-wood. As the coffin must not be
carried through the door, the house wall is broken open for it to pass on
its way to a cemetery in the utan.
