6o PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap. 



beak of the helmeted hornbill {^Rhinoflax vigit) is 

 sometimes carved into the form of the canine tooth 

 of the tiger-cat, and a pair of these is the most 

 valued kind of ear-ornament for men. Only elderly 

 men, or men who have taken heads with their own 

 hands, may wear them. One of the popular dances 

 consists in a comical imitation of the movements of 

 the hornbill, but no special significance attaches to 

 the dance ; it seems to be done purely in a spirit of 

 fun. Young hornbills are occasionally kept in the 

 house as pets. 



We know of no other bird that plays any part in 

 the religious life of the Kenyahs or affects them in 

 any peculiar manner. 



The Pig 



All Kenyahs keep numerous domestic pigs, 

 which roam beneath and about the house, picking 

 up what garbage they can find to eke out the scanty 

 meals of rice-dust and chaff given them by the 

 women. It seems that they seldom or never take 

 to the jungle and become feral, although they are 

 not confined in any way. 



The domestic pig is not treated with any show 

 of reverence, but rather with the greatest contumely, 

 and yet it plays a part in almost all religious 

 ceremonies, and before it is slaughtered explana- 

 tions are always offered to it, and it is assured that 

 it is not to be eaten. We have seen that, in the 

 rites preparatory to an important and dangerous 

 expedition, the chief was washed with pig's blood 

 and water, and that young pigs were slain before 

 the altar-post of Bali Penyalong, and their blood 

 sprinkled on the post and afterwards upon all or 

 most of the men of the household. It is probably 

 true that Bali Penyalong is never addressed with- 

 out the slaughter of one or more pigs, and also that 



