64 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap. 



chiefs and elder men generally achieves unanimity 

 in giving its verdict. 



The omens thus obtained are held to be the 

 answer vouchsafed by Bali Penyalong to the prayers 

 which have been carried to him by the spirit of the 



If the answer obtained in this way from one pig 

 is unsatisfactory, they will often kill a second, and 

 on important occasions even a third or fourth, in 

 order to obtain a favourable answer. Unless they 

 can thus obtain a satisfactory forecast, they will not 

 set out upon any undertaking of importance. 



After any ceremony of this kind the body of 

 the pig is usually divided among the people, and 

 by them cooked and eaten without further ceremony. 

 But we have seen that, after the ceremony in 

 preparation for an expedition, the bodies of the 

 young pigs whose blood was scattered on the altar- 

 post of Bali Penyalong were fixed upon tall poles 

 beside this altar-post and there left ; and this seems 

 to be the rule in ceremonies of this sort, though it 

 is not clear whether the carcases are left there as 

 offerings to the hawks or to Bali Penyalong, or 

 because they are in some sense too holy to be used 

 as food after being used in such rites. 



Probably Kenyahs never give to the spirits in 

 this way the whole body of a large pig, but only of 

 quite small pigs, and in this they are probably 

 influenced by considerations of economy. 



It may be said generally that Kenyahs do not 

 kill domestic pigs simply and solely for the sake of 

 food. The killing of a pig is always the occasion 

 for, or occasioned by, some religious rite. It is 

 true that on the arrival of honoured guests a 

 pig is usually killed and given to them for food ; 

 but its spirit is then always charged with some 

 message to Bali Penyalong. It is said that, when 

 the pig's spirit comes to Bali Penyalong, he is 



