ANIMISTIC BELIEFS 87 



pang Bunga Nketai married Papau {Harpactes 

 diardi) ; and, lastly, Indu Bantok Tinchin Mas Ndu 

 Pungai Lelatan Pulas married Kotok [Lepocestes). 

 He had also one son, Agi Melieng etc., who 

 married the daughter of Pulang Gana, the god 

 of agriculture, her name being Indu Kachanggut 

 Rumput Melieng Kapian. 



It was amusing and instructive to hear this 

 I ban rattle off these enormous names without any 

 hesitation, while another Iban sitting beside him 

 guaranteed their accuracy. 



In the olden days, it is said, there were only 

 thirty-three individuals of each kind of omen-bird 

 (including Singalang Burong). But although these 

 thirty-three of each kind still exist, there are many 

 others which cannot be certainly distinguished from 

 them, and these do not give true omens. It would 

 be quite impossible to kill any one of these thirty- 

 three true representatives of each kind, however 

 much a man might try. 



Nevertheless, if an Iban kills an omen-bird by 

 mistake, he wraps it in a piece of cloth and buries it 

 carefully in the earth, and with it he buries rice and 

 flesh and money, entreating it not to be vexed and to 

 forgive him, because it was all an accident. He then 

 goes home and will speak to no one on the way, and 

 stays in the house for the rest of that day at least. 



The I bans read omens not only from the birds 

 mentioned above as the son-in-law of Singalang 

 Burong, but also from some other animals. And 

 it is interesting to note that they have made a verb 

 from the substantive burong (a bird), namely, 

 beburong (to bird), i.e. to take omens of any kind, 

 whether from bird or beast. An excellent account 

 of the part played by omens in the life of the I bans 

 has been given by Archdeacon Perham in the paper 

 referred to above, and we have nothing further to 

 add to that account. 



VOL. II G 



