84 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap. 



Some of the Muruts make an effigy of the 

 crocodile from clay for use on the celebration of a 

 successful expedition. 



The Punans 



The Punans make use of all the omen-birds that 

 are used by the Kenyahs, and they regard them 

 as in some degree sacred, and not to be killed or 

 eaten. They seem to read the omens in much the 

 same way as the Kenyahs do ; but they are not so 

 constant in their cult of the omen-birds, and Punans 

 of different districts differ a good deal from one 

 another in this respect. In fact, it is doubtful 

 whether those that have mixed least with the other 

 peoples pay any attention to the omen-birds ; and 

 it seems not unlikely that the cult of the omen- 

 birds is in process of being adopted by them. 



With the exception of these birds there is prob- 

 ably no wild animal of the jungle that the Punans 

 do not kill and eat. They refuse to eat the domestic 

 pig, but this, they say, is because they know nothing 

 of it, it is strange to them. Having no domestic 

 pigs and fowls, they of course do not sacrifice them 

 to their gods, nor do they seem to practise the rite 

 of sacrifice in any form. 



They give the names of various animals to their 

 children, and they use these names in the ordinary 

 way. 



The crocodile seems to be regarded as a god by 

 the Punans — they speak of it as Bali Penyalong. 

 (This, as we have already said, is the name of the 

 Supreme Spirit of the Kenyahs.) They sometimes 

 make a wooden image of it, and hang it before the 

 leaf shelter or hut in which they may be living at 

 any time ; and if one of their party should fall ill, 

 they hang the blossom of the betel-nut tree on the 

 figure, and the medicine-man addresses it when 



