December rjth, 1921.] Proceedings. xi. 



The frequencies and energy changes are altered by solvents 

 but not by intermediate compounds. 



Ordinary Meeting, December 13th, 192 1. 

 Mr. T. A. Coward, M.Sc, F.Z.S., F.E.S. {President), in the 



Chair. 

 A vote of thanks was passed to the donors of the books upon 

 the table. 

 Miss Laura B. Start, M.Ed., read a paper entitled : — 



*'Sea Dayak Fabrics and their Decoration." 



A part of the group of Iban cloths collected by Dr. A. C. 

 Haddon, during the Cambridge Expedition to the East Indian 

 Archipelago in 1899, was exhibited, and the method of pattern 

 production as well as the symbolism of the patterns discussed 

 by Miss Start. 



The Iban excel in weaving, growing, preparing and dyeing 

 the cotton they use. The warp is stretched in a frame, the parts 

 of the web w^hich are to remain undyed being protected by 

 wrapping a bunch of the warp threads with a dried strip from 

 a fibrous leaf, Curciligo latifolia. The process is repeated 

 several times for multi-coloured designs. 



The loom used for weaving is of the most primitive type. 

 The web is looped over a warp beam which is attached to any 

 two upright posts, the other end being looped over a breast 

 beam to which a back strap is fastened. The woman sits on 

 the floor with the back strap round her waist and thus manipu- 

 lates the tension on the web. The raising of alternate groups 

 of thread or threads is effected by 



(a) a shed stick, and 



(b) a " single " heddle. 



A sword-shaped " beater-in " is generall}^ used and a spool, 

 often as long as the web is wide, carries the w^eft thread or 

 threads. 



Cloth woven in these looms generally has the warps in pairs 

 — or threes — not doubled, and the weft is nearly always a double 

 one or sometimes even 3 or 4 parallel threads form' one pick. 

 The result is a ** poplin weave " in which the warp forms the 

 surface. This of course gives the dyed warp pattern full effect. 



Patterns are produced in other ways to a small extent, free 

 spools similar to those used in Indo-China being adopted occa- 

 sionally. Tribal badges are sometimes used at the back of the 

 klambi or jacket, and are either worked in the brocade method 



