The pagan tribes of Borneo - Get a Free Blog Here

234 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap.
ornate doors to the rooms. All these applications
involve the covering of flat or curved surfaces with
patterns either in low relief only or without relief;
and many of the designs are applied in all these
different ways, and all of them together form a natural
group. Besides these surface designs, a considerable
variety of designs is used in giving decorative
form to solid objects such as the handles of swords
and paddles, the ends of main roof- beams in the
houses, posts used in various rites and in the construction
of tombs, the figure-heads of war-boats.
These, with the exception of those used in carving
the sword handles, which are highly peculiar, form
another group of relatives. The designs chased
upon the blades of the swords constitute a fourth
natural group distinct from the other two groups.
A fifth small group of designs is carved in the form
of fretwork. We propose to say a few words about
the designs of each of these five groups.
(i) The designs of the first group are the most
numerous and most widely applied. A large proportion
of them obviously are conventionalised
derivatives from animal forms. Of these animal
forms the human figure, the dog, and the prawn
have been the originals of the largest number of
patterns ; the macaque monkey and the large lizard
( Varanus) are also traceable. Some designs
vaguely suggest a derivation from some animal
form, but cannot confidently be assigned to any one
origin.
A few seemed to be derived from vegetable
forms ; while some few, for example the hookpattern,
seem to be derived from no animal or
vegetable form. The hook- pattern seems to be
symbolical of conjunction and acquisition in various
spheres.
Of all the designs the derivatives from or variants
of the dog are the most numerous and the most