The pagan tribes of Borneo - Get a Free Blog Here

i68 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap.
War is only undertaken after formal consultation
and many discussions between the chief or chiefs
and all the leading men. If the village primarily
concerned does not feel itself strong enough to
achieve its ends, it will seek the help of some
neighbouring village, usually, but not always one
of its own tribe. The discussion may be renewed
day after day for some little time, before the
decision to fight is taken and the time for the
expedition is fixed.
The next step is to seek favourable omens, and
two men are told ofif for this work. They repair
to some spot in the jungle, or more commonly on
the bank of the river, where they build a small
hut ; they adorn it by fraying the poles of its framework,
and so secure themselves against interruptions
by passing acquaintances. The sight or sound of
certain birds and beasts is favourable, of others
unfavourable ; but the favourable creatures must
be observed in a certain order, if the omens are
to be entirely satisfactory. If very bad omens are
observed, the men return home to report the fact,
and will make another attempt after a few days.
If the omens are of mixed character, they will
persist for some time, hoping to get a sufficient
number of good omens to counteract or nullify the
bad. When seeking for their place of observation,
their choice is determined by seeing a spiderhunter
{^Aracknotherd) fiying across the river, chirping
as it flies. When this is seen they stop the
boat, calling out to the bird, " O friend Isit, protect
us and give us success." One of the men lands on
the bank, hews out a pole about eight feet long,
cuts upon it bunches of shavings without detaching
(PI. 97) them from the pole, and thrusts one end
of it into the ground so that it remains sloping
towards the abode of the foe. While this is being
done on the bank, fire of some sort (if only a