THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



121 



A GROUP ABOUT THE COCKING MAIN : SARAWAK 



The man in the central foreground of the picture wears a mat made from a tiger skin; it is 

 ornamental when he is standing and comfortable when he sits down. 



Many of the young people of the Land 

 Dayaks are finely developed physically, 

 but the women deform their arms and 

 legs with great coils of heavy brass wire, 

 which must be exceedingly uncomforta- 

 ble to wear (see pages 113 and 130)- 



PAIN GLADLY ENDURED TOR FASHION* 

 SAKE 



One evening, in the head house, a girl 

 sitting next to me had a bad sore on her 

 arm caused by the chafing of the wire. 

 To my query if the wire did not hurt, she 

 replied that it did hurt very much ; 

 whereupon an old woman observed that 

 the wire was nevertheless very beautiful 

 and very much the fashion, intimating 

 strongly that I might hold my peace and 

 not interfere with matters that did not 

 concern me. 



Traveling through the Land Dayak 

 country, as elsewhere, is by means of the 

 rivers and jungle paths. In this district 

 I was fortunate in being able to travel 



with two of the Residents on the occasion 

 of their official visit, thus enjoying the 

 opportunity of seeing the people at their 

 best. 



On our journey to the village of 

 Tmong we found ourselves, as darkness 

 was approaching, at the end of naviga- 

 tion on a little stream, with our destina- 

 tion an hour's walk distant through the 

 jungle in the rain. We could have re- 

 mained at a near-by village ; but as great 

 preparations had been made for our 

 reception, it was decided, in order not 

 to cause disappointment, that we must 

 push on. 



The prospect was not pleasant, for in 

 twenty minutes it was impossible to see 

 anything ; one could only follow the noise 

 of the man in front. Soon, however, we 

 were met by parties of young men bear- 

 ing great flaming torches of bamboo, who 

 glided along the path, the red glare of 

 the torches enhancing the physical beauty 

 of smooth, brown skin and fluent muscles. 



