126 THROUGH CENTRAL 1U)RNE0 



front of the house where the rubber gatherers Hved, but 

 this had been done a day or two before the feast, the statue 

 in the meantime having been covered with white cotton 

 cloth. Several metres of the same material had also been 

 raised on poles to form a half enclosure around the main 

 object. The feast had many features in common with the 

 one we had seen, as, for instance, dancing, and a good deal 

 of Malay influence was evident in the clothing of the 

 participants, also in the setting. Nevertheless, the cere- 

 monies, which lasted only about two hours, were not de- 

 void of interest. 



The men, manifesting great spontaneity and enthusi- 

 asm, gathered quickly about and on the badak, and one 

 of them took the rubber man by the hand. This was fol- 

 lowed by pantomimic killing of the badak with a cere- 

 monial spear as well as with parangs, which were struck 

 against its neck. The man who was deputed to kill the 

 pig with the spear missed the artery several times, and as 

 blood was his first objective, he took no care to finish the 

 unfortunate animal, which was still gasping fifteen min- 

 utes later. 



An old woman then appeared on the scene who waved 

 a bunch of five hens, to be sacrificed, whirling them 

 over and among the performers who were then sitting or 

 standing. The hens were killed in the usual way by cut- 

 ting the artery of the neck, holding them until blood had 

 been collected, and then leaving them to flap about on the 

 ground until dead. Bkx^d was now smeared on the fore- 

 heads of the principal participants, and a young woman 

 danced a graceful solo. 



