The pagan tribes of Borneo - Get a Free Blog Here

8o PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap.
after some offensive object, e.g. tai (dung), in order
to render it inconspicuous, and thus withdraw it
from the attention of malign powers. After the
naming of a couple's first child, the parents are
always addressed as father and mother of the child ;
e.g. if the child's name is Obong, her father becomes
known as Tama Obong, her mother as Inai Obongy
and their original names are disused and almost
forgotten,^ unless needed to distinguish the parents
from other persons of the same name, when the old
names are appended to the new ; thus, Tama Obong
Jau, if Jau was the original name of Tama Obong
and thus Tama Bulan received this name on
the naming of his first child, Bulan (the moon), and
when it is wished to distinguish him in conversation
from other fathers of the moon he is called Tama
Bulan Wang. If the eldest child Obong dies, the
father, Tama Obong Jau, becomes Oyong Jau ; if
one of his younger children dies, he becomes
Akam Jau ; if his wife dies, he becomes Aban
Jau ;
Jau ;
if his brother died, he would be called
and if his sister, Hawan Jau ; and if
Yat
two
of these relatives are dead, these titles are used
indifferently ; but the deaths of wife and children
are predominant
change of name.
over other
An elderly
occasions for
man who has
the
no
children receives the title Lingo, and a woman,
the title Apa prefixed to
A widow is called Balu.
his or her former name.
The names of father and
mother are never assumed by the children, and
their deaths do not occasion any change of name,
except the adoption of the title Oyati on the loss
of the father, and Ihm on the loss of the mother.
These titles would be used only until the man
became a father. When a man becomes a grand-
father his title is Laki {e.g. Laki Jau), and this
^ It is not rare to find that a child does not know the original names of his
parents, and even husbands may be found to have forgotten the original names
of their wives.
;