The pagan tribes of Borneo - Get a Free Blog Here

HANDICRAFTS 203
course of two hours. Such a makeshift boat is more
commonly made by Sea Dayaks.
Of all the interior tribes the Kayans are probably
the best boat-makers ; but most of them make their
own boats in the same way as the Kayans. There
are, however, a few of the Klemantan sub-tribes who
never attempt to make anything more than a very
rough small canoe of soft wood, and who buy from
others what boats they need. This is a curious
instance of the persistent lack of the tradition of a
specialised craft among communities that might
have been expected to acquire it easily from their
neighbours.
For ordinary work a rough paddle made from
iron-wood is generally used ; the blade and shaft
are of one piece ; the flat blade, nearly two feet in
length, is widest about six inches below its junction
with the shaft, and from this point tapers slightly to
its square extremity ; the shaft is about three feet
in length and carries, morticed to its upper end, a
cross-piece for the grip of the upper hand.
A few paddles, especially those made for women,
are very finely shaped and finished, and have their
shafts ornamented with carving of a variety of
designs, generally one band of carving immediately
above the blade and a second below the cross-piece.
Some of the Klemantans excel the Kayans in this
work, producing very beautiful women's paddles,
sometimes with designs of inlaid lead (PI. 92).
House-building
A Kayan community seldom continues to inhabit
the same spot for more than about a dozen years ;
though in exceptional instances houses are continuously
inhabited for thirty or even forty years.
House-building is thus a craft of great importance,
and the Kayans are seldom content to build their