PECULIARITIES 217 



To illustrate the way in which a chief may exert 

 influence in matters in which he has no footing 

 for the exercise of formal authority, we cite the 

 following bit of history. It is an ancient custom 

 of the Kayans to have in the house a very large 

 lampit (the mat made of parallel strips of rattan), 

 the common property of the household, which is 

 spread on the occasion of the reception of visitors 

 to serve as a common seat for guests and hosts. 

 The Kayans of the Baram, under the individualis- 

 ing influences of trade and increasing stocks of 

 private property, neglected to renew these com- 

 munal mats ; and thus the good old custom was in 

 danger of dying out. This was observed with 

 regret by an influential chief, who, therefore, found 

 an opportunity to relate in public the following 

 story. " A party of Kayans," he said, " once came 

 over from the Batang Kayan to visit their relatives 

 in the Baram. The latter dilated upon the benefits 

 of the Rajah's government, peace, trade, and the 

 possibility of fine dress for themselves and their 

 wives and of many other desirable acquisitions, all 

 for the small annual payment of two dollars a door. 

 The visitors looked about them and confessed that 

 they still had to be content with bark clothing, 

 bamboo cups, and wooden dishes ; ' but,' they added, 

 * if you come to our house you will at least find 

 on the floor a good lampit on which we can all sit 

 together.' " The story quickly went the round of 

 the Kayan villages in the Baram, with the result 

 that large lampits quickly came back into general 

 use and the good old custom was preserved. 



The Kayans have a keen sense of humour 

 and fun. As with ourselves, the most frequent 

 occasions of laughter are the small mishaps that 

 happen to one's companions or to oneself; and 

 practical jokes are perpetrated and appreciated. 

 For example, at the time when the wild pigs were 



