The pagan tribes of Borneo - Get a Free Blog Here

I04 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap.
the hoe in the right hand and striking the blade
downwards and towards her toes with a dragging
action. In working over the patch in this careful
fashion some three weeks are consumed. In the
intervals the women gather the small crops of early
padi, pumpkin, cucumbers, and so forth, spending
several weeks together on the farm, sleeping in the
hut. In a good season this is the happiest time of
the year ; both men and women take
the keenest interest and pleasure in
the growth of the crop.
During the time when the grain is
formed but not yet ripe, the people
live upon the green corn, which they
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Fig. 13.
I
prepare by gathering the heads and
beating them flat. These are not
cooked, but merely dried in the sun,
and though they need much mastica-
tion they are considered a delicacy.
During the time of the ripening of
the corn a spirit of gaiety and joyful
anticipation prevails. It is a favourite
time for courtship, and many marriages
are arranged.
The harvest is the most important
event of the year. Men, women, and
children, all take part. The ricesparrows
congregate in thousands as
the grain begins to ripen, and the noisy
efforts of the people fail to keep them at a distance.
Therefore the people walk through the crop gathering
all ripe ears. The operation is performed with a
small rude knife-blade mounted in a wooden handle
along its whole length (Figs. 14, 15). This is held in
the hollow of the right hand, the ends of a short cross
bar projecting between the first and second fingers
and between thumb and first finger. The thumb
seizes and presses the head of each blade of corn