KENYAHS AND KAYANS 73 



cooking, there is something to learn from the savages. It 

 is a fact that Indians and Mexicans prepare green corn in 

 a way superior to that employed by the best hotels in 

 New York. There is no necessity of returning to the 

 bamboo and hot stones as cooking utensils, but why not 

 accept to a greater extent the underlying principle of 

 these methods .'' 



In the evening we arrived at Long Pelaban, a large 

 Kenyah kampong, where for some time I made my head- 

 quarters. On the opposite bank of the river we cut the 

 tall grass and jungle and made camp. Soon we were 

 visited by many small boys who afterward came every 

 day to look for tin cans. With few exceptions they were 

 not prepossessing in appearance; nearly all were thin, 

 and one was deaf and dumb, but they were inoffensive 

 and well-behaved. During my travels among Dayaks I 

 never saw boys or girls quarrel among themselves — in fact 

 their customary behaviour is better than that of most 

 white children. Both parents treat the child aflfection- 

 ately, the mother often kissing it. 



The sumpitan (blow-pipe) is found in his room, but the 

 Kenyah usually prefers to carry a spear when he goes 

 hunting. In his almost daily trips to the ladang he also 

 takes it along, because instinctively mindful of enemy 

 attacks. The Kenyahs are physically superior to the 

 Kayans and the other natives I met, and more free from 

 skin disease. They are less reserved than the Kayans, 

 who are a little heavy and slow. In none of these tribes 

 is any distrust shown, and I never saw any one who ap- 

 peared to be either angry or resentful. Though the so- 



