244 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap. 



are largely animal derivatives ; but the artists 

 themselves seldom are aware of the derivation, 

 even when the pattern bears the name of its animal 

 origin ; and as to the names of all, except the most 

 obvious animal derivatives, even experts will differ. 

 The frog, the young bird, the human form, and the 

 lizard are the originals most frequently claimed. 

 Parts of the animal, such as the head or eye, are 

 commonly repeated in serial fashion detached from 

 the rest of its form. And in many cases it is, of 

 course, impossible to identify the parts of the pattern, 

 although it may show a general affinity with un- 

 mistakable animal patterns. One such pattern very 

 commonly used in dyeing is named after Agi bulaUy 

 the large shrew {Gymnura) ; but we have not been 

 able to trace the slightest resemblance to the 

 animal in any of the various examples we have 

 seen (Pis. 131, 132). 



We are inclined to suppose that the I bans have 

 copied many of their cloth-patterns from the Malays 

 together with the crafts of dyeing and weaving. 

 For their technique is similar to that of the Malays 

 all over the peninsula, and the same is true of some 

 of their designs. Only in this way, we think, can 

 we account for their possession of these crafts, 

 which are practised by but very few of the other 

 inland peoples. The fact that plant derivatives 

 predominate greatly over animals in their designs, 

 whereas the reverse is true of almost all other 

 tribes, bears out this supposition, for the Malays 

 are forbidden by their religion to represent animal 

 forms, and make use largely of plant forms. 



Tatu 



Tatuing is extensively practised among the 

 tribes of Borneo. A great variety of patterns are 

 used, and they are applied to many different parts of 



