HANDICRAFTS 203 



course of two hours. Such a makeshift boat is more 

 commonly made by Sea Dayaks. 



Of all the interior tribes the Kayans are probably 

 the best boat-makers ; but most of them make their 

 own boats in the same way as the Kayans. There 

 are, however, a few of the Klemantan sub-tribes who 

 never attempt to make anything more than a very 

 rough small canoe of soft wood, and who buy from 

 others what boats they need. This is a curious 

 instance of the persistent lack of the tradition of a 

 specialised craft among communities that might 

 have been expected to acquire it easily from their 

 neighbours. 



For ordinary work a rough paddle made from 

 iron-wood is generally used ; the blade and shaft 

 are of one piece ; the flat blade, nearly two feet in 

 length, is widest about six inches below its junction 

 with the shaft, and from this point tapers slightly to 

 its square extremity ; the shaft is about three feet 

 in length and carries, morticed to its upper end, a 

 cross-piece for the grip of the upper hand. 



A few paddles, especially those made for women, 

 are very finely shaped and finished, and have their 

 shafts ornamented with carving of a variety of 

 designs, generally one band of carving immediately 

 above the blade and a second below the cross-piece. 

 Some of the Klemantans excel the Kayans in this 

 work, producing very beautiful women's paddles, 

 sometimes with designs of inlaid lead (PI. 92). 



House-building 



A Kayan community seldom continues to inhabit 

 the same spot for more than about a dozen years ; 

 though in exceptional instances houses are continu- 

 ously inhabited for thirty or even forty years. 

 House-building is thus a craft of great importance, 

 and the Kayans are seldom content to build their 



