. The pagan tribes of Borneo; a description of their physical, moral and intellectual condition, with some discussion of their ethnic relations. orn to the parents. Some of the Klemantans (Barawans and Lelaksin the Baram) practise a curious symbolic ceremonyon the adoption of a child. When a couple hasarranged to adopt a child, both man and wifeobserve for some weeks before the ceremony allthe prohibitions usually observed during the latermonths of pregnancy. Many of these prohibitionsmay be described in general terms by saying thatthey imply abstention from every action that maysuggest diffic
. The pagan tribes of Borneo; a description of their physical, moral and intellectual condition, with some discussion of their ethnic relations. orn to the parents. Some of the Klemantans (Barawans and Lelaksin the Baram) practise a curious symbolic ceremonyon the adoption of a child. When a couple hasarranged to adopt a child, both man and wifeobserve for some weeks before the ceremony allthe prohibitions usually observed during the latermonths of pregnancy. Many of these prohibitionsmay be described in general terms by saying thatthey imply abstention from every action that maysuggest difficulty or delay in delivery ; the handmust not be thrust into any narrow hole to pullanything out of it; no fixing of things with woodenpegs must be done; there must be no lingering onthe threshold on entering or leaving a room. Whenthe appointed day arrives, the woman sits in herroom propped up and with a cloth round her, in theattitude commonly adopted during delivery. Thechild is pushed forward from behind between thewomans legs, and, if it is a young child, it is putto the breast and encouraged to suck. Later itreceives a new THE SOCIAL SYSTEM 79 It is very difficult to obtain admission that aparticular child has been adopted and is not theactual offspring of the parents ; and this seems tobe due, not so much to any desire to conceal thefacts as to the completeness of the adoption, theparents coming to regard the child as so entirelytheir own that it is difficult to find words which willexpress the difference between the adopted childand the offspring. This is especially the case ifthe woman has actually suckled the child. Proper Names The child remains nameless during the first fewyears, and is spoken of as Ukat if a boy, Owing if agirl, both of which seem to be best translated asThingumybob; among the Sea Dayaks Ulat (thelittle grub) is the name commonly used. It isfelt that to give the child a name while its holdof life is still feeble is undesirable, because t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectethnolo, bookyear1912
