242 HILL DYAK CHILDREN. 



of which two on each arm are the favourite numbers. 

 Their dress is the " bedang" of the Sakarrans, with the 

 rattans and appropriate ornaments, as among the women 

 of the Sea tribes. Silver or gold is, however, never seen 

 amongst them, their poverty effectually preventing any 

 display of this kind. 



Amongst the tribes on the western branch of 

 the Sarawak river, the dress of the women is in- 

 creased by the addition of an article, called by them 

 " Saladan :" it is made of a bamboo, split, flat- 

 tened, pared thin, and dyed black : being thus pre- 

 pared, it is fitted to the body, and secured in its form 

 and position by brass wires passing across its breadth, 

 which also serve for the purposes of ornament : they 

 are placed at the distance of about one inch apart 

 from each other. Girls begin to wear it at the age 

 of five or six years, and as it is too small to be 

 taken off and on, being made on the body, it is only 

 removed by destroying it, when the condition of the 

 wearer renders a larger one necessary. 



This curious article of dress is confined to the tribes 

 of Sarawak, called Singhie, Sow, Serambo, Bombuck, 

 and Peninjow, who in their dress also differ from the 

 other tribes of the Hills in this, that their women wear 

 no beads for ornament, and the men only those of two 

 colours black and white. Transparent beads are not 

 esteemed by any of the tribes I have visited ; small and 

 opaque ones alone being valued by them. The colours, 

 most in demand, are the two above mentioned ; but 

 yellow and red are also much sought after. The girls of 

 the tribes on the western branch of the Sarawak river 



