CHAPTER XI 



HANDICRAFTS 



In any account of the arts and crafts of the Kayans, 

 the working of iron claims the first place by reason 

 of its high importance to them and of the skill and 

 knowledge displayed by them in the difficult opera- 

 tions by which they produce their fine swords. 

 The origin of their knowledge of iron and of the 

 processes of smelting and forging remains hidden 

 in mystery ; but there can be little doubt that the 

 Kayans were familiar with these processes before 

 they entered Borneo, and it is probable that the 

 Kayans were the first ironworkers in Borneo, and 

 that from them the other tribes have learnt the 

 craft with various measures of success/ However 

 this may be, the Kayans remain the most skilful 

 ironworkers of the country, rivalled only in the 

 production of serviceable sword - blades by the 

 Kenyahs. 



At the present day the Kayans, like all the other 

 peoples, obtain their iron in the form of bars of iron 

 and steel imported from Europe and distributed 

 by the Chinese and Malay traders. But thirty 

 years ago nearly all the iron worked by the tribes 



^ The Malays of Bruni and the other coast settlements have, of course, used 

 iron, and perhaps to some small extent forged it, since the time when they 

 adopted Arab civilisation ; but they have not at any time practised the smelting 

 of iron ore. Between three and five hundred years ago the principal currency 

 of the people of Bruni consisted of small oblong flattened pieces of iron 

 known as sapanggal (about 2 x i x ^ inches) bearing the Sultan's stamp. This 

 iron was probably obtained from Chinese and other foreign traders, and was 

 worked up into implements. 



VOL. I 193 O 



