60 Field Museum of Naturae History — Anth., Vol. XII. 



strands of beads passing under the chin (Fig. 6). Large wooden 

 ornaments are also worn by the men, but more prized are large ivory 

 ear plugs made like enormous collar buttons (Plates II-IV). These 

 are very rare, since the ivory for their manufacture must be secured 

 from Borneo, and by the time it has passed through the hands of many 



FIG. 6. 



woman's Ear plugs. 



traders it has assumed a value which limits the possession of articles 

 made from it to a few wealthy men. A further method of ear adorn- 

 ment, frequently seen among the women, consists of beads sewed into 

 a number of holes which have been pierced through the helices of the 

 ears. 



Both men and women file and blacken the teeth. When a boy or 

 girl has reached the age of puberty, it is time that this beautifying 

 should be done. There is, however, no prohibition to having it per- 

 formed earlier if desired. The candidate places his head against the 

 operator and grips a stick of wood between his teeth while each tooth 

 is filed so as to leave only the stump, or is cut or broken to a point 

 (Plate XHa and b). When this has been successfully accomplished, 

 what is left of the teeth is blackened. 



The color is obtained in two ways. The more common method is 

 to place a piece of metal on one end of a bamboo 1 tube, the other ex- 

 tremity of which rests on glowing coals. The smoke from the charring 

 bamboo is conducted through the tube to the cold metal on which it 

 leaves a deposit or "sweat." This deposit is rubbed on the teeth, at 



1 A variety known as balakdyo is used for this purpose. 



