234 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap. 



ornate doors to the rooms. All these applications 

 involve the covering of flat or curved surfaces with 

 patterns either in low relief only or without relief; 

 and many of the designs are applied in all these 

 different ways, and all of them together form a natural 

 group. Besides these surface designs, a consider- 

 able variety of designs is used in giving decorative 

 form to solid objects such as the handles of swords 

 and paddles, the ends of main roof- beams in the 

 houses, posts used in various rites and in the con- 

 struction of tombs, the figure-heads of war-boats. 

 These, with the exception of those used in carving 

 the sword handles, which are highly peculiar, form 

 another group of relatives. The designs chased 

 upon the blades of the swords constitute a fourth 

 natural group distinct from the other two groups. 

 A fifth small group of designs is carved in the form 

 of fretwork. We propose to say a few words about 

 the designs of each of these five groups. 



(i) The designs of the first group are the most 

 numerous and most widely applied. A large pro- 

 portion of them obviously are conventionalised 

 derivatives from animal forms. Of these animal 

 forms the human figure, the dog, and the prawn 

 have been the originals of the largest number of 

 patterns ; the macaque monkey and the large lizard 

 ( Varanus) are also traceable. Some designs 

 vaguely suggest a derivation from some animal 

 form, but cannot confidently be assigned to any one 

 origin. 



A few seemed to be derived from vegetable 

 forms ; while some few, for example the hook- 

 pattern, seem to be derived from no animal or 

 vegetable form. The hook- pattern seems to be 

 symbolical of conjunction and acquisition in various 

 spheres. 



Of all the designs the derivatives from or variants 

 of the dog are the most numerous and the most 



