In the belief of the
Katingans, the departed soul is guarded by a benevolent spirit, Dewa, and
it is reported from certain tribes that female blians are called by the
same name. A party of Malays caught a snake by the neck in a cleft of a
stick, carried it away and set it free on land instead of killing it, but
whether this and similar acts are reminiscent of Hindu teaching remains to
be proven.
At the end of August we arrived in Bandjermasin, where several days were
spent in packing my collections. For many months I had been in touch with
nature and natural people, and on my return to civilisation I could not
avoid reflective comparisons. Both men and women of the Mahakam have
superb physiques; many of them are like Greek statues and they move with
wonderful, inborn grace. When with them one becomes perfectly familiar
with nudity and there is no demoralising effect. Paradoxical as it may
sound, the assertion is nevertheless true, that nothing is as chaste as
nudity. Unconscious of evil, the women dispose their skirts in such
fashion that their splendid upper bodies are entirely uncovered. Composed
of one piece of cloth, the garment, which reaches a little below the knee
and closes in the back, passes just over the hips, is, as civilised people
would say, daringly low. It is said that the most beautiful muscles of the
human body are those of the waist, and among these natives one may observe
what beauty there is in the abdomen of a well-formed young person.
It is an undeniable fact that white men and women compare unfavourably
with native races as regards healthful appearance, dignity, and grace of
bearing. We see otherwise admirable young persons who walk with drooping
shoulders and awkward movements. Coming back to civilisation with fresh
impressions of the people of nature, not a few of the so-called superior
race appear as caricatures, in elaborate and complicated clothing, with
scant attention to poise and graceful carriage. One does not expect ladies
and gentlemen to appear in public in "the altogether," but humanity will
be better off when healthful physical development and education of the
intellect receive equal attention, thus enabling man to appear at his
best.
CHAPTER XXVIII
AN EARTHQUAKE - ERADICATING THE PLAGUE - THROUGH THE COUNTRY NORTHEAST OF
BANDJERMASIN - MARTAPURA AND ITS DIAMOND-FIELDS - PENGARON - THE GIANT
PIG - THE BUKITS - WELL-PRESERVED DECORATIVE DESIGNS - AN ATTRACTIVE FAMILY
I decided to travel more in Borneo, but before undertaking this it was
necessary for several reasons to go to Java. In Soerabaia I had my first
experience of an earthquake. Shortly before two o'clock, while at luncheon
in the hotel, a rather strong rocking movement was felt, and I looked at
the ceiling to see if there were cracks which would make it advisable to
leave the room. But it lasted only a few seconds, although the chandeliers
continued to swing for a long time. At other places clocks stopped, and I
read in the papers that the vibration passed from south to north, damaging
native villages. In one town the tremors lasted three minutes and were the
worst that had occurred in thirty-four years, but when the disturbance
reached Soerabaia it was far less severe than one experienced in Los
Angeles, California, in April, 1918.
As is well known, the government of the Dutch Indies expends millions in
eradicating the plague, which is prevalent in portions of eastern Java. In
addition to exterminating the rats, it is necessary to demolish the bamboo
huts of the natives and move the inhabitants to new quarters. Houses of
wood are erected, lumber for the purpose being imported from Borneo in
great quantities. That the efforts have been crowned with success is
indicated from the reports issued in 1916, showing that plague cases had
been reduced seventy per cent.
Returning to Bandjermasin toward the end of October, I began to make
arrangements for a journey to Lok Besar, in a hilly region of the
Northeast at the source of the Riam Kiwa River. This kampong had recently
been visited by the government's mining engineer, Mr. W. Krol, on one of
his exploring expeditions. At first glance it might seem unpromising to
make researches in a region so near to a stronghold of the Malays, but as
he was the first and only European who had been in the upper country of
that river, there was a fair chance that the natives might prove of
considerable interest. It was a matter of five or six days by prahu from
Bandjermasin, followed by a three days' march, and I decided to return by
a different route, cross the mountain range, and emerge by Kandangan.
Accompanied by Mr. Loing, the surveyor, and the soldier-collector, I
started from Bandjermasin on November 1. To travel by the canal to
Martapura can hardly be regarded as a pleasure-trip, as mosquitoes and
flies are troublesome. Half a year later I went by the road to the same
place under more cheerful conditions, and though the day was overcast, the
flooded country just north of the town presented a picturesque appearance.
Rows of high-gabled Malay houses, with narrow bridges leading out to them,
were reflected in the calm water, and beautiful blue morning-glories
covered the small bushes growing in the water. Along the road were forests
of melalevca leucodendron, of the family of myrtaceae, from which the
famous cajuput-oil is obtained. It is a very useful, highly aromatic, and
volatile product, chiefly manufactured in the Moluccas, and especially
appreciated by the Malays, who employ it internally and externally for all
ailments. They are as fond of cajuput-oil as cats are of valeriana.
Early in the afternoon the prahus landed us at Martapura, which is
renowned for its diamonds and once was the seat of a powerful sultanate.
The fields, which have been known for a long time, cover a large area, and
the diamonds found in gravel, though mostly small and yellow, include some
which are pronounced to be the finest known to the trade.
