. The pagan tribes of Borneo; a description of their physical, moral and intellectual condition, with some discussion of their ethnic relations. all the greatrivers, driving out many of the Klemantan com-munities, partly by actual warfare, partly by theequally effective method of appropriating to theirown use the tracts of jungle most suitable for thecultivation oi padi. The fighting quality of the individual Kayan, theloyalty and obedience of each household to itschief, the custom of congregating several longhouses to form a populous village upon some spotcarefully chosen for its tactical adv
. The pagan tribes of Borneo; a description of their physical, moral and intellectual condition, with some discussion of their ethnic relations. all the greatrivers, driving out many of the Klemantan com-munities, partly by actual warfare, partly by theequally effective method of appropriating to theirown use the tracts of jungle most suitable for thecultivation oi padi. The fighting quality of the individual Kayan, theloyalty and obedience of each household to itschief, the custom of congregating several longhouses to form a populous village upon some spotcarefully chosen for its tactical advantages (generallya peninsula formed by a deep bend of the river),and the strong cohesion between the Kayans ofdifferent and even widely separated villages,—allthese factors combine to render the Kayans com-paratively secure and their villages immune fromattack. But though a Kayan village is seldomattacked, and though the Kayans do not wantonlyengage in bloodshed, yet they will always stoutlyassert their rights, and will not allow any injurydone to any member of the tribe to go avenging of injuries and the necessity of 158. pLAm 91. KEN YAH AND KAYAN SWORDS AND SHEATHS. CHAP. X WAR 159 possessing heads for use in the funeral rites are forthem the principal grounds of warfare ; and theseare generally combined, the avenging of injuriesbeing generally postponed, sometimes for manyyears, until the need for new heads arises. Thoughan old dried head will serve all the purposes of therites performed to terminate a period of mourning,yet it is felt that a fresh head (or heads) is moredesirable, especially in the case of mourning for animportant chief. When an old head is used in these rites, it iscustomary to borrow it from another house orvillage, and it is brought to the house by a party ofwarriors in the full panoply of war, who behaveboth on setting out and returning as though actuallyon the war-path. It may be said generally that Kayans seldom ornever wage war on K
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectethnolo, bookyear1912
