CHAPTER VII 



ON THE ISAU RIVER — ^A KENYAH CHILD's FUNERAL — ^A 

 GREAT FISHING EXPEDITION — CATCHING FISH BY POI- 

 SONING THE RIVER — TAKING OMENS — ENTERTAINING 

 SCENES 



A REPORT came to me that the people of kampong 

 Long Isau (Long = sound; Isau=a kind of fruit) were 

 making preparations to catch fish by poisoning the river, 

 and that they were going immediately to build traps in 

 which the stupefied fish are caught. I decided to go at 

 once, and a few hours later we were on our way up the 

 Isau River, a tributary to the Kayan, at the junction 

 with which lies Long Pangian. We made our camp just 

 opposite the kampong, which has a charming location 

 along a quiet pool formed by the river at this point. The 

 natives here and on the Kayan river above Long Pang- 

 ian are Kenyahs. Our presence did not seem to disturb 

 them in the least, nor did the arrival of some Malays 

 from Long Pangian, who had closed their little shops in 

 order to take part in the fishing. 



The chief was a tall, fine-looking man, the personifica- 

 tion of physical strength combined with a dignified bear- 

 ing. He readily granted permission to photograph the 

 women coming down to the river to fetch water. The 

 Kenyah women wear scantier attire than those of any 

 other tribes of Borneo — simply a diminutive piece of 

 cloth. It was picturesque to see these children of nature 



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