IDEAS OF THE SOUL 47 



It will be gathered from what has been said in 

 the foregoing pages that the life after death is 

 regarded as not in any way very different from this 

 life, as neither a very superior nor an inferior con- 

 dition ; although, as we have said, those who die 

 a violent death are believed to have a rather better 

 lot, and suicides a worse fate, than others. Social 

 distinction and consideration, especially such as is 

 achieved by the taking of heads in war, is carried 

 over into the life after death ; and men are anxious 

 that outward marks of such distinction should go 

 with them. This is undoubtedly one of the grounds 

 for tatuing the body. Among the Kayans a man's 

 hands are only fully tatued when he has taken a 

 head ; while the social status of a woman is 

 marked by the degree of fineness of the tatuing.^ 

 It follows that death is neither greatly feared nor 

 desired ; but an old man will sometimes affirm that 

 he is quite ready or even desirous to die, although 

 he may seem cheerful and fairly vigorous. 



The Kayans believe in the reincarnation of the 

 soul, although this belief is not clearly harmonised 

 with the belief in the life in another world. It is 

 generally believed that the soul of a grandfather 

 may pass into one of his grandchildren, and an old 

 man will try to secure the passage of his soul to a 

 favourite grandchild by holding it above his head 

 from time to time. The grandfather usually gives 

 up his name to his eldest grandson, and reassumes 

 the original name of his childhood with the prefix or 

 title Laki, and the custom seems to be connected 

 with this belief or hope. There is no means of 

 discovering whether the hope is realised. The 

 human soul may also, in the belief of all the peoples, 

 be reincarnated in the body of almost any animal ; 

 but opinions in regard to this matter are very 



^ It is believed that the tatuing on the woman's hands and forearms 

 illuminates for the ghost dark places traversed on the journey to the other 

 world. 



