62 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap. 



underside of the liver. The various lobes and 

 lobules are taken to represent the various districts 

 concerned in the question on which light is desired, 

 and according to the strength and intimacy of the 

 connections between these lobes, the people of the 

 districts represented are held to be bound in more 

 or less lasting friendship. While spots and nodules 

 in any part betoken future evils for the people of 

 that part, a clean healthy liver means good fortune 

 and happiness for all concerned. 



The underside of the liver, which alone is sig- 

 nificant, varies considerably from one specimen to 

 another, and this must prevent any very definite 

 and consistent identification of the parts with 

 the different districts of the country. The rule 

 generally observed is to identify the under surface 

 of the right lobe [Arti toh) with the territory of the 

 party that kills the pig and makes the enquiry ; the 

 adjacent part of the left lobe (Sunan) with the 

 territory of any party involved in the question which 

 adjoins that of the first party ; and the under surface 

 of the caudal extremity [Arti arkat) with that of any 

 remoter third party (see Fig. 79). If the ridge that 

 runs up between the right and left lobes is sharp, it 

 indicates that there will still be some bad feeling 

 (or, as they say, the swords are still sharp). A 

 gall-bladder which is long and overlapping indicates 

 more trouble between the parties to the right 

 and left ; but one which is sunk almost out of 

 sight in the substance of the liver is a sign that 

 no further trouble is to be expected. The grooves 

 on the under surface of the right lobe stand for the 

 waterways and, if they are strongly marked, imply 

 freedom of intercourse. Notches at the free edges 

 stand for past injuries suffered (the scars of wounds 

 received, as it were) ; and if these are equally 

 marked in the several parts they indicate peace, 

 because it is implied that no balance of old scores 



