The pagan tribes of Borneo - Get a Free Blog Here

I90 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap.
heads, and of the tradition that the taking of a head
is necessary for the termination of a period of
mourning. This second suggestion is stronglysupported
by the fact that Kayans, Kenyahs, and
Klemantans occasionally, on returning home from a
successful raid, will carry one of the newly taken
heads to the tomb of the chief for whom they are
mourning, and will hang it upon, or deposit it within,
the tomb beside the coffin. The head used for this
purpose is thickly covered with leaves (daun isang)
tied tightly about it. It is possible that this thick
covering was first applied in order to disguise the
fact that the head is that of an enemy, and that the
sacrifice of the life of a domestic slave, originally
demanded by custom and piety, has been avoided
by this process of substitution.
We have suggested above two different origins
of the custom of taking the heads of enemies. These
two possibilities are by no means mutually exclusive,
and we are inclined to think that both substitutive
processes may have co-operated in bringing about
this custom.
It seems probable that the taking of heads was
introduced to Borneo by Kayans when they entered
the island, probably some few centuries ago, and
that the Klemantans and other tribes, like the Ibans,
have adopted the custom from their example.
We will conclude this chapter by questioning
yet another of the stories, the frequent repetition
of which has given the tribes of the interior the
reputation of being savages of the worst type,
namely, the story that it is the practice of Kayans
to torture the captives taken in battle. This evil
repute is, we have no doubt, largely due to the
fact that very few Europeans have acquired any
intimate first-hand acquaintance with the Kayans
or Kenyahs ; and that too often the stories told by
Sea Dayaks have been uncritically accepted ; for