22 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap. 



takes the task, and children especially are prevented 

 from touching them ; for it is felt that to touch them 

 involves the risk of madness, brought on by the 

 offended Toh or spirits of the heads. 



The fire beneath the heads is always kept alight 

 in order that they shall be warm, and dry, and com- 

 fortable. On certain special occasions they are 

 offered borak and pork in the way mentioned 

 above. 



On moving to a new house the heads are tempo- 

 rarily lodged in a small shelter built for the purpose, 

 and are brought up into the house with a ceremony 

 like that which celebrates their first installation. 

 The Kayans do not care to have in the house more 

 than twenty or thirty heads, and are at some pains 

 occasionally to get rid of some superfluous heads — 

 a fact which shows clearly that the heads are not 

 mere trophies of valour and success in war. The 

 moving to a new house is the occasion chosen for 

 reducing the number of heads. Those destined to 

 be left are hung in a hut built at some distance from 

 the house which is about to be deserted. A good 

 fire is made in it and kept up during the demolition 

 of the great house, and when the people depart they 

 make up in the little head-house a fire designed to 

 last several days. It is supposed that, when the 

 fire goes out, the Toh of the heads notice the fact, 

 and begin to suspect that they are deserted by the 

 people ; when the rain begins to come in through 

 the roof their suspicions are confirmed, and the Toh 

 set out to pursue their deserters, but owing to the 

 lapse of time and weather are unable to track them. 

 The people believe that in this way they escape the 

 madness which the anger of the deserted Toh would 

 bring upon them. 



The precautions described in the foregoing para- 

 graph illustrate very well the power for harm attri- 

 buted to the Toh of the heads and the fear with 



