PECULIARITIES 203 



be said to expose themselves unclothed. The same 

 is true of most of the other tribes, with the exception 

 of the men of Kenyah and Klemantan communities 

 that inhabit the central highlands ; these, when 

 hauling their boats through the rapids, will divest 

 themselves of all clothing, or will sit naked round a 

 fire while their waist-cloths are being dried, without 

 the least embarrassment. 



There is no Kayan word known to us that could 

 properly be translated as justice or just, injustice or 

 unjust. Yet it is obvious that they view just 

 conduct with approval and unjust with disapproval ; 

 and they express their feelings and moral judgments 

 by saying laconically of any particular decision by a 

 chief, tekap or nusi tekap. But the word tekap is 

 of more general application than our word 'just,' 

 and might be applied to any situation which evokes 

 a judgment of moral approval ; for example, on 

 witnessing any breach of custom or infringement of 

 tabu a Kayan would say nusi tekap ; tekap, in short, 

 is applicable to whatever is as it ought to be. 



Specialised terms for moral qualities of character 

 and conduct are, however, not lacking. A just and 

 wise chief would be said to be tenang\ but this word 

 implies less purely a moral quality than our word 

 justice and more of intellectual capacity or knowledge 

 or accuracy ; the word is more especially applied as 

 a term to describe the quality of a political speech 

 which meets with approval. The word haman means 

 skilful, or clever, or cunning, in the older sense of 

 capable both physically and intellectually. A man 

 who fights pluckily is said to be makang, and the 

 same word is applied to any daring or dashing feat, 

 such as crossing the river when it is dangerously 

 swollen. To disregard omens would be makang2\.so ; 

 it seems, therefore, to have the flavour of the word 

 rash or foolhardy. 



Saioh means good in the sense of kindly, pleasantly 



