1 84 THROUGH CENTRAL BORNEO 



and though the husband may become angry, he only 

 uses his tongue, never strikes her, and he has no polyga- 

 mous inclinations. Divorces, though permissible, do not 

 occur, because there is a natural feeling against illicit 

 relations with the husband or wife of another. More- 

 over, the rest of the community would resent it. Bang- 

 sul, who had been there seven years, had never heard of 

 divorce. 



When a man is near death his family and others gather 

 around him to see him die, but without attempt to restore 

 him to health. When dead his eyes are closed, he is 

 washed, and a new chavat of fibre as well as a new shirt 

 of the same material is given him. Tobacco is put in his 

 mouth, four cigarettes on his abdomen, and on his chest 

 and stomach are placed sago and cooked wild pig or some 

 other meat for him to eat. Four bamboos filled with 

 water are set upright near by. His sumpitan with its 

 darts, poison for the darts, the parang, shield, and his 

 musical instruments if he has any — in short, one sample of 

 everything he had is laid down by his side. What little 

 else may be left goes to the widow. When a woman dies 

 she is treated in the same way, but the nose flute is the 

 only instrument that accompanies her. 



A tree is cut down and from the log a dugout is made 

 in which the corpse is placed, a board being loosely fast- 

 ened as a cover. This coffin is placed on a simple plat- 

 form in the utan. There is no feast attending this rite. 

 I visited the burial-place (taaran) of Tamaloe on the other 

 side of the river about a kilometre away. It was diflicult 

 to find, for the small space which is cleared of jungle 



