195 



only other type of artificial * dwelling recorded being tree-shelters. 

 The Pangan of the Ulu Cheka have, therefoi-e, even when they have 

 advanced far enough to build a dwelling which may be dignified by 

 the name of a house, clung to the old Negrito plan of building on the 

 gi'ound and have not adopted the pile-dwelling type of house of their 

 Malay and Sakai neighbours. Each house consisted of a single room 

 and, apart from the fact that there was no kitchen (dapor) or inner 

 room and that it was built on the ground, the Pangan dwelling in its 

 shape, method of construction, and materials was not unlike that of 

 the poorer class of Pahang Malay. The walls were made of sheets of 

 bark of the Tcepoiuj tree stretched over the framework of the house 

 while the roof was thatched with leaves of the chuchoh palm. In 

 one hut visited, which will serve as an example of the others, there 

 was a space of bare earth reaching from the door to the wall at the 

 back, and occupying about one-thii"d of the floor space : in the middle 

 of this a fire was burning, which was made of small logs placed 

 radially. The rest of the earth floor was covered in by a sleeping 

 platform of split bamboo I'aised about six inches from the ground on 

 a rude framework of saplings or small branches. On the platform 

 were lying a few pandanus mats, not unskilfully made, but without 

 any ornamentation. Sevei-al broken pieces of blow-pipes and one 

 whole specimen were stored under the platform. Various house- 

 hold utensils such as water-gourds, and cooking pots, the latter 

 bought from Malay or Chinese tradeis, were ranged along tlie wall at 

 the back of the hut and in one corner were a couple of large meshed 

 carrying baskets of hemban. At the time of the writer's visit there 

 were only four men and a woman with a baby in the settlement, 

 the other inhabitants, women and children, having gone oft' into the 

 jungle to dig for roots. 



No opportunity of visiting the settlement near Kuala Cheka 

 presented itself, but they said that they also had a clearing and from 

 their description their houses seemed to be of the same type as those 

 of the Ulu Cheka people. 



DRESS AND ADORNMENT. 

 The Pangan men all wora T-bandage loin-cloths of native bark 

 cloth or of European cotton stuff, supported by a string of vegetable 

 fibre or split rattan tied round the waist. Above this a long cord, 

 made either of the plaited rliizomorphs of a fungus called akar batu 

 or of the plaited fibres of a palm, was wound several times tightly 

 round the body with its ends tied together. This cord was often 

 used for holding a sheathless parang or working knife, which thus 

 hung with its naked blade against the thigh and buttocks. Necklaces 

 and bracelets of several single strands of alcar batu were common, 

 the former being tied in front so as to leave an end depending. 

 Other than these the men were wearing no ornaments. The women 



* Rock shelters ai'e of teu made use of. 



