X WAR 189 



the Klemantans (the latter probably having imitated 

 the former in this), and does not occur among the 

 Kayans. The Kenyahs themselves preserve the 

 tradition of the origin of the taking of heads ; and 

 the suggestion is further borne out by the legend 

 of Tokong, which is widely known, but is probably 

 of Kenyah origin (see Chapter XVII.), accord- 

 ing to which the frog admonished a great Kenyah 

 chief that he should cease to take only the hair of 

 the fallen foe, but should take their heads also. 



A second plausible view of the origin of head- 

 taking is that it arose out of the custom of slaying 

 slaves on the death of a chief, in order that they 

 might accompany and serve him on his journey to 

 the other world. We have pointed out several 

 reasons for believing that this practice was formerly 

 general, and that it has fallen into desuetude, 

 but is hardly yet quite extinct. It is obvious that 

 since the soul of the dead man is regarded as 

 hovering in the neighbourhood of the body for 

 some little time after its death, it would be felt that 

 the despatch of a companion soul was not a matter 

 of immediate urgency ; and considerations of 

 economy might well lead the mourners to prefer 

 capturing and killing members of some hostile 

 community to slaying one or more of their slaves, 

 highly valued and sometimes affectionately regarded 

 as they are. It would then be felt that the relatives 

 of the deceased should continue to display signs of 

 mourning until they should have discharged this 

 last duty to their departed friend. The next step 

 would be to supplant the practice of capturing a 

 member of a hostile community, and bringing him 

 home to be slain, by the simpler, less troublesome, 

 and more merciful one of slaying the enemy on the 

 field of combat and bringing home only his head. 

 In this way we may, with some plausibility, seek to 

 account for the origin of the practice of taking 



