DAILY LIFE 119 



regular rhythm. As each one lifts her pestle, she 

 deftly sweeps back into the pit with her foot the 

 grain scattered by her stroke. 



After pounding the padi for some minutes with- 

 out interruption, one woman takes a winnowing pan, 

 a mat made in the shape of an English housemaid's 

 dustpan, but rather larger than this article, and 

 receives in it the pounded grain which the other 

 throws out of the pit with her foot. 



Both women then kneel upon a large mat laid 

 beside the mortar ; the one holding the winnowing 

 pan keeps throwing the grain into the air with a 

 movement which causes the heavier grain to fall to 

 the back of the pan, while the chaff and dust is 

 thrown forward on to the mat. Her companion 

 separates the rice dust from the chaff by sifting it 

 through a sieve. A considerable quantity of the 

 dust or finely broken rice is formed by the pounding 

 in the mortar, and this is the principal food given to 

 the pigs. The winnowed grain is usually returned 

 to the mortar to be put through the whole process a 

 second time. The clean rice thus prepared is ready 

 for the cooking-pot. 



The winnowing and sifting is often done by old 

 women, while the younger women continue the 

 severer task of plying the pestle. In the Kayan 

 houses the mortars are in many cases double, that 

 is to say, there are two pits in the one block of 

 timber, and twopairsof women work simultaneously. 

 In the middle of the afternoon the whole house re- 

 sounds with the vigorous blows of the pestles, for 

 throughout the length of the gallery two or more 

 women are at work beside each room, husking the 

 day's supply of rice for each family. 



For the women of all the peoples, except the 

 Punans, the husking of ih&padi is a principal feature 

 of the day's work, and is performed in much the 

 same fashion by all. The Kenyahs alone do their 



