The pagan tribes of Borneo - Get a Free Blog Here

CHAPTER VIII
LIFE ON THE RIVERS
With the exception of the Punans and some of the
Muruts who inhabit the few regions devoid of
navigable streams, all the peoples of Borneo make
great use of the rivers. The main rivers and their
principal branches are their great highways, and
even the smallest tributary streams are used for
gaining access to their /a^^ fields. It is only when
hunting or gathering jungle produce that they leave
the rivers. Occasionally padi is cultivated at a
distance of a mile or more from the nearest navigable
stream, and a rough pathway is then made
between the field and the nearest point of the
river. Here and there also jungle paths are made
connecting points where neighbouring rivers or
their navigable tributaries approach closely to one
another. In the fiat country near the coast, where
waterways are less abundant than in the interior,
jungle tracks are more used for communication
between villages. Where a route crosses a jungle
swamp, large trees are felled in such a way that
their stems lie as nearly as possible end to end.
Their ends are connected if necessary by laying
smaller logs from one to the other. In this way
is formed a rude slippery viaduct on which it is
possible for an agile and bare-footed man to walk
in safety across swamps many miles in extent.
But the jungle paths are only used when it is
131