The pagan tribes of Borneo - Get a Free Blog Here

THE SOCIAL SYSTEM 8i
title supersedes all others. A child addresses, and
speaks of, his father as Taman, and his mother as
Inai or Tinan, and all four grandparents as Poi.
The parent commonly addresses the child, even
when adult, as Anak, or uses his proper name.
A father's brother is addressed as Amai, but this
title is used also as a term of respect in addressing
any older man not related in any degree, even
though he be of a different tribe or race. They use
the word Inai for aunt as well as for mother, and
some have adopted the Malay term Ma manakan
for aunt proper. The same is true of the words for
nephew and niece—the Malay term Anak manakan
being used for both.
The terms used to denote degrees of kinship are
few, and are used in a very elastic manner. The
term of widest connotation is Parin Igat, which is
equivalent to our cousin used in the wider or
Scotch sense ; it is applied to all blood relatives of
the same generation, and is sometimes used in a
metaphorical sense much as we use the term
brother. There are no words corresponding to our
words son and daughter, anak meaning merely child
of either sex. There are no words corresponding
to brother and sister ; both are spoken of as Parin,
but this word is often used as a title of endearment
in addressing or speaking of a friend of either sex
of the same social standing and age as the speaker.
The children of the same parents speak of themselves
collectively as Panak ; this term also is sometimes
used loosely and metaphorically. A stepfather
Divan ;
is Taman Dong] father-in-law is Taman
forefather is Sipun, a term used of any male
or female ancestor more remote than the grandparents
; but these are merely descriptive and not
terms of address. A man of the upper class not
uncommonly has a favourite companion of the
middle class, who accompanies him everywhere and
VOL. I G