Chapter III: The Kayans of Baram (2)

Nakodah Abdullah, who has traded with this country since he was a boy, and Nakodah Jalil, another experienced man, came to spend the afternoon with me. They say the origin of the Kayans coming to the Baram was this: About twenty-five or thirty years ago, there were three powerful chiefs living in the Balui country--as the interiors of the Rejang and Bintulu rivers are called--Kum Nipa, Kum Laksa, and the father of my brother Siñgauding; that Kum Laksa quarrelled with the last, and being joined by Kum Nipa, a feud arose, in the course of which the father of Siñgauding was killed. The relatives, to save the infant son, fled to the Baram with all those who were well affected to the family: some thousands came over, and singularly enough, they were well received by the Kiniahs, the original inhabitants of the country. Though they are said to speak distinct languages, they soon commenced intermarrying, and are gradually becoming one people. I am inclined to think, from their own remarks, that they must originally have come from the same part of Borneo, and that the difference of language is not greater than that which exists among the various branches of the Sea Dayaks. The other inhabitants of the river are the Sububs, on the Tingjir, and the numerous Murut slaves captured in their forays. Si-Matau, who danced so vigorously this morning, was a Subub.

I tried, by the aid of the Malay traders, to draw up a vocabulary of the language, but found that the ignorance of these men was too great to enable me to make one entitled to any confidence. I noticed that half their conversation with the natives was carried on in corrupt Malay words, and these they gave me as true Kayan expressions.

Before the arrival of the Kayans, the trade to this river was merely nominal; but they, knowing the value of the edible birds’-nests, soon changed the face of matters, as they discovered caves plentifully supplied with this article of Chinese luxury. Their houses are now built in the neighbourhood of the resort of this wealth-creating bird. Quite lately, however, they wantonly injured their own interests by taking the nests five times a year, and never allowing the birds a chance of hatching an egg; the consequence has been, that they are seeking more secluded spots, and are reported to be resorting to the numerous caves found in the mountain of Molu. The other articles of trade are camphor, wax, gutta-percha, and, lately, a little india-rubber.

They principally import gray shirtings and chintzes; the Malays, vying with each other, took one year, it is said, 50,000 pieces, and allowed the Kayans to have them on credit. Since then everything has gone wrong--debts are not paid, quarrels arise, and the caves are ruined by endeavouring to obtain the means of purchasing more articles.

In some respects, the Kayans differ in their customs from the other aboriginal tribes of Borneo. At the birth of a chief’s child there are great rejoicings; a feast is given, pigs, and fowls, and goats being freely sacrificed. Jars of arrack are brought forward, and all the neighbours are called upon to rejoice with their leader. They say that on this occasion a name is given if the omen be good. A feather is inserted up the child’s nostril, to tickle it; if it sneeze it is a good sign, but if not, the ceremony is put off to another day. I may mention one inhuman custom, which is, that women who appear to be dying in childbirth, are taken to the woods and placed in a hastily-constructed hut; they are looked upon as interdicted, and none but the meanest slaves may approach them, either to give them food or to attend to them.

Marriages are celebrated with great pomp; many men have ruined themselves by their extravagance on this occasion. Tamading, with princely munificence, gave away or spent the whole of his property on his wedding-day.

As among the Sea Dayaks, the young people have almost unrestrained intercourse; but if the girl prove with child, a marriage immediately takes place, the bridegroom making the richest presents he can to her relatives. The men, even the greatest chief, take but one wife, and, it is said, consider it shameful to mix their blood, and never, therefore, have any intercourse with the inferior women or slaves.

I have already mentioned the coffins elevated on posts; this, doubtless, extends only to the rich, the poor being simply buried.

There is another practice of the Kayans, which was mentioned by Dalton[2] as existing among those he met on the Koti river; it was disbelieved by many at the time, but it is undoubtedly true: the rich men using gold, the poorer silver, bones of birds, and even hard wood. The doctor of the _Semiramis_ steamer carefully examined a great number of Kayans, and expressed his astonishment that no injury resulted from this extraordinary practice. A German missionary has accused the Southern Kayans of certain gross usages; but I heard nothing of them, and do not credit his account--his mistakes arising, most probably, from his want of knowledge of the language.

I procured to-day a packet of the iron they use in smelting; it appeared like a mass of rough, twisted ropes, and is, I think, called meteoric iron-stone. They use, also, two other kinds, of which I did not obtain specimens. We found a little coal in the black shale on which the town is built, and they spoke of golden pebbles, most likely iron pyrites.

We had heavy rain every night; the current became stronger, and the river rapidly rose.

We went next day to visit the caves whence they get the edible birds’-nests. We pulled down in the steamer’s cutter for about a mile, and then up a narrow stream, till we could force her along no farther. We now landed to walk the rest of the way. Among our party were some who had not been accustomed to forest work, and they came arrayed in uniform and patent leather boots, thinking there was a dry and open road. Their surprise was great and not agreeable when they found muddy ground and the bed of a mountain torrent had to be traversed. Our guide struck into the stream directly, and our party broke up, some following him, while others sought a dryer way. From the stream we entered a thick wood of young trees; then again across the stream, up the bed of a mountain torrent, now partly dry; steep, slippery stones, some overgrown with moss, others worn to a smooth surface; up again, climbing the hill, over fallen trees, down deep ravines, across little streams, jumping from rock to rock, until after an hour’s hard work we arrived at a little house on the top of a hill--the neatest little house imaginable, walls and floor of well-trimmed planks, and roof of bright red shingle; it was perfectly new, and was the residence of the guardian of the cave.

I looked vainly about me for the entrance, and on asking, they pointed to a deep gully, but I could see nothing but bushes and grass; but on descending a short distance, I saw the bottom of the gully suddenly divide, leaving a rocky chasm some thirty feet in depth. A slight framework of iron-wood enabled us to get down over the slippery rocks, and we soon saw that the cave extended back under the little house, and looked gloomy and deep. Our guide now lit a large wax taper, very inferior for this purpose to the torches used by the Land Dayaks in Sarawak, and led the way. The cave gradually enlarged, but by the imperfect light we could only distinguish masses of uneven rock on either side. As we advanced towards those parts where the finest white nests are found, the ground became covered many feet deep with the guano of the swallow, which emitted scarcely any smell. We advanced nearly two hundred yards without seeing a single nest, Siñgauding’s men having completely cleared the cave the day before: it was very vexing, as we desired to see the nests as they were fixed to the rocks. The cave gradually became narrower and lower, but we continued our advance till we were stopped by its termination in this direction. Our guides observing our disappointment in not finding any nests, told us that there were a few in another branch. So we retraced our steps till we reached a passage on our left, and presently arrived at a spot where we descended abruptly some twelve feet; it was pitch dark, as the guide had gone rapidly ahead. On reaching the bottom, I put my foot cautiously down, and could find nothing: the passage being very narrow I was enabled to support myself with my hands on either side while feeling with my feet for standing ground. There was none in front, but on either edge there was just resting room for the foot; so this chasm was passed in safety. I shouted out to my companions to take care, and the guide returning, we examined what we had escaped: it was a black hole, into which we threw stones, and calculating the number of seconds they took in reaching the first obstruction, we found it about three hundred feet deep. The stones bounded on the rocks below, and we could hear them strike and strike again, till they either reached the bottom, or till the sound was lost in the distance.

We then advanced to a large hall, apparently supported in the middle by a massive pillar, which was in fact but a huge stalactite. From above fell a continued shower of cold water, which doubtless was the cause of those innumerable stalactites that adorned the roof.

We continued advancing for about seventy or eighty yards farther, the cave getting narrower and narrower till two could not move abreast. Except where the guano lay, the walking was difficult, as the rocks were wet and excessively slippery, and open chasms were not rare. In the farther end we were shown the places where the best nests were obtained: the dryest portion of the sides of the cave are chosen by the birds, and these appeared seldom to occur--I found but one inferior nest remaining. Disturbed by our movements and by yesterday’s havoc, the swallows were in great commotion, and flew round and round, and darted so near our solitary light that we were in great fear for its existence.

The natives say that in these caves there are two species of birds--the one that builds the edible nest, and another that takes up its quarters near the entrance, and disturbs, and even attacks the more valuable tenants. The Kayans endeavour to destroy these, and while we were there knocked down some nests constructed of moss, and adhering to the rock by a glutinous but coarse substance. The fine edible one looks like pure isinglass, with some amount of roughness on its surface. The best I have seen are four inches round the upper edge, and appear like a portion of a whitish cup stuck against a wall.

On examining the construction of the mountain, one’s first impression is, that all these huge rocks were thrown in heaps together; but, doubtless, water is the agent in forming these caves and the deep fissures that penetrate to the water-line in these limestone mountains.

I believe the guides took us to the smallest cave, as I am sure, from the produce of the district, that there must be many more better adapted for the swallows, or else that they must be very numerous. In fact, the guides told us that Siñgauding had several others, and that Tamawan in right of his wife had the best. As they showed no inclination to take us to the uncleared caves, we did not press them.

The person who is employed to guard this place is a singular-looking old man; they say they captured him in the distant mountains during one of their expeditions. He speaks a language unknown to them, but is now learning a little Kayan; he looks very contented, and has certainly the neatest house I have seen in Borneo for his dwelling.

On our return it rained a little, and we had, in many places, to sit and slide down the slippery rocks; we all looked, on our return from our expedition, in a very different condition from that in which we started.

Siñgauding came in the afternoon to pay me a visit, and brought with him Si Awang Lawi, the principal chief among the Kiniahs; he appeared a frank old man. They stayed for some time with me talking over various subjects connected with trade. He was very intelligent, and pressing that I should go and visit his people; but it was beyond my power. He told me, also, that a Kayan, one of a party of several hundred head hunters, had returned half starved, and reported that he was the only survivor. There was much mourning in the upper villages.

I may mention that these men have become so very conceited that they consider themselves superior to all except ourselves; and, in their pride, they have actually commenced killing the swallow, that constitutes their wealth, saying it becomes a great chief to feed on the most valuable things he possesses, regardless of the ultimate consequences.

To-morrow being fixed for our departure, I have been requested to pay Si Obong, Tamawan’s wife, a visit. I found her residing in a temporary house, awaiting the completion of the great residence that was rising rapidly, and whose progress we could watch from the ship.

Si Obong was seated on fine mats, and was surrounded by various cushions. She had passed her first youth, and had become very stout; in fact, her limbs were much too large for a woman. She wore little clothing--a couple of English handkerchiefs, still in one piece, put round her hips, hanging down, and tucked in at the side, and over her bosom she occasionally threw a loose black cloth. Her face was round, good-tempered, but rather coarse; her voice was gentle, and she wore her long black hair hanging loose, but kept off her face by fillets of white bark. The most curious part of her costume is what I must call a hip-lace of beads, consisting of three strings, one of yellow beads; the next of varied colours, more valuable; and the third of several hundred of those much-prized ones by the Kayan ladies. It is difficult to describe a bead so as to show its peculiarities. At my request, she took off her hip-lace and handed it to me; the best appeared like a body of black stone, with four other variegated ones let in around. It was only in appearance that they were let in; the colours of these four marks were a mixture of green, yellow, blue, and gray.

Were I to endeavour to estimate the price in produce she and her parents had paid for this hip-lace, the amount would appear fabulous. She showed me one for which they had given eleven pounds’ weight of the finest birds’ nests, or, at the Singapore market price, thirty-five pounds sterling. She had many of a value nearly equal, and she wore none that had not cost her nine shillings.

She was the only daughter of a chief of the highest extraction, and Tamawan owed the principal share of his influence, and perhaps all his wealth, to her. The caves he possessed were hers, and she had been won by the fame of his warlike expeditions and the number of heads that were suspended around his house. There is no doubt that the Baram Kayans are less desirous of heads than they were, and prefer slaves who can cultivate their farms, and thus increase their fortune and consideration.

Tamawan complained bitterly that his strength was leaving him, that his body was becoming of no use, and that I must give him medicine to restore him. I promised him a few tonics, at the same time pointed out to him that he was suffering from rheumatism, caught whilst sleeping in the jungle during his last expedition; recommended him to stay at home, to wear more clothing, to drink less ardent spirit, and not indulge so much in fat pork.

Si Obong offered me refreshments in the shape of arrack and preserved fruit, but of neither did she herself partake. I noticed two of her attendants, who were really pretty, being blessed with wellshaped noses and mouths, a rarity among the natives of Borneo. They both sat silent and did not exchange a word, but were ready to obey the slightest call of their mistress.

Si Obong had her arms much tatooed, and she was also ornamented in that manner from just under the hip joint to three inches below the knee. This could be observed, as her dress opened at the side. She showed me in what way she employed her time; among other things, she had made a rattan seat, covered with fine bead-work, for her expected baby. When the women go out, the child is placed in this, which is slung over the back. The baskets around, which were filled with her clothes, were also her handiwork, and were carefully made, and likewise ornamented with innumerable small Venetian beads. There appeared no want of goods here, as they were heaped in all directions; among other things I noticed were an old English lamp, half-a-dozen tumblers, four bottles of brandy, a brass kettle, and cooking pots.

After sitting there about a couple of hours, I took my leave and returned on board; and then sent Si Obong what I thought would please her, in the shape of a silver spoon, a silver fruit-knife, some gaudy handkerchiefs, looking-glasses, and other trifles. The silver articles, I heard, greatly delighted her.

The chiefs all came on board to make their farewell visit, and they were eager that I should spend my last evening with them; they carried me off, and talking was kept up till a musket shot from the ship gave notice that a few fireworks were about to be let off. The whole assemblage of several hundreds hurried to the river’s bank, tumbling over each other in their eagerness.

The rockets and blue lights filled them with astonishment and delight; the former as warlike instruments with which they could defeat their enemies, and the latter because, they said, it turned night into day. I stayed with them till ten, and promised, if possible, to return and spend a few months with them. On no other condition was I to be suffered to depart. They hinted that, united, we could soon possess the neighbouring countries between us.

Siñgauding sent me, to-day, a sword made with his own hands, a war dress of tiger-cat skin, a head-dress of the same material, with a long feather of the Argus pheasant stuck into it. The peculiarity of the Kayan sword is that it is concave on the upper side, and convex below, and is made either right-handed or left-handed. It is a dangerous instrument in the hands of the inexperienced; for if you cut down on the left side of a tree with a right-handed sword, it will fly off in the most eccentric manner; but, well used, it inflicts very deep wounds, and will cut through young trees better than any other instrument. I sent, as a return present, a heavy cavalry sword; in fact, I was nearly exhausted of the means of making presents.

I may remark that their iron ore appears to be easily melted. They dig a small pit in the ground; in the bottom are various holes, through which are driven currents of air by very primitive bellows. Charcoal is thrown in; then the ore, well broken up, is added and covered with charcoal; fresh ore and fresh fuel, in alternate layers, till the furnace is filled. A light is then put to the mass through a hole below, and, the wind being driven in, the process is soon completed.

To-day we nearly had a serious accident: one of the quartermasters, in getting into a canoe, fell into the stream, which, swelled by the heavy rains, was running swiftly by; he was carried away in a moment, but the Kayans were instantly after, and brought him back safe, though half-choked with water.

At sunrise we started on our return. All the inhabitants of the town assembled on the river’s bank to witness our departure. The steamer turned with ease, and was swept with great speed down the stream. We took a native trading vessel in tow, which assisted our steering, and reached the mouth on the following day without the slightest accident.

I hear that the exclamations of the Kayans, when they first perceived the steamer rounding the point, were--“Here is a god come among us!” others cried, “It is a mighty spirit!”

The latitude of the town is 3° 30´; the longitude, 114° 40´.

I regret I was never again enabled to visit the Baram River, as, besides the personal gratification derived, there is a great public good done, by a constant friendly surveillance over the aborigines. Many of the Kayans returned my visit to Labuan, but I was absent; it was not, however, material, as they were well treated by the colonial officers.

Whilst in Baram I could hear nothing to confirm the account that any of the Kayans were cannibals. We first heard the charge against them from three Dayaks of the tribe of Sibaru, whose residence is on the Kapuas River, in the district of Santang, under Dutch influence. I was present when they were carefully questioned, and, though their information has already appeared, I will repeat the substance.

They said that their tribe and a party of Kayans attacked, unsuccessfully, a small Malay village; but, in the fright, the body of one of their enemies was secured. Their allies immediately sliced off the flesh and put it away in their side baskets; and in the evening, while all the party were preparing their supper, they brought out the human flesh, and roasted and ate it. They saw it themselves. The Dayaks of Jangkang, on the Skeium, between the districts of the Sarawak and Dutch territories, are universally accused of cannibalism.

I do not remember having heard any other persons actually affirm that they had seen the Kayans eat human flesh, till the subject was brought up last year before the present Sultan of Borneo and his court; when Usup, one of the young nobles present, said that in 1855 some Muka men were executed at Bintulu, and that a few of the Kayans, who had assisted in their capture, took portions of the bodies of the criminals, roasted and ate them. This was witnessed by himself and many others who were then present. The Kayans had not, as a body, joined in this disgusting feast; but, perhaps, some of the more ferocious may practise it to strike terror into their enemies.

The account given by the Malays of the former system of trade pursued by the Kayans is curious. They say that when a native merchant arrived at the landing-place of a village, the chief settled the terms with him, and all the goods were carried up to the houses, and placed in a prepared spot, secure from pilferers. For a week no business was done, but the stranger and his followers were feasted at the public expense. After that, the goods were brought out and spread in the public room, and the prices fixed. The chief selected what he wanted, and the next in rank in rotation, till all the villagers were satisfied. Three months’ credit was always given, but at the appointed day the produce in exchange was ready for the trader. I imagine the Malays would be glad to return to the old system.

The Kayans were seldom very welcome guests at a small village, helping themselves freely to everything that took their fancy; but this only occurred, as a Malay shrewdly observed, in places where they were feared.

G M^c. Culloch, lith. Day & Son, Lith^{rs}. to the Queen

Published by Smith, Elder & C^o 65, Cornhill, London.

THE LAND DAYAKS.]