146 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 







the kayan sword dance, showing how the; warrior attacks his enemy 



AND FlNAIvEY TAKES HIS HEAD 



The man at the left is playing the keluri, a reed instrument of bamboo tubes, giving rather 



pleasant music (see page 135). 



I noticed that Tama Saging had five 

 other tebukus hanging from the bamboo 

 box containing his tobacco. 



Before I left Claudetown, word had 

 been received from up the Baram River 

 that the taking of omens for the planting 

 of the rice fields was about to begin, and 

 that in consequence the houses would be 

 malan, or tabu, which meant that no 

 stranger could enter them nor the occu- 

 pants start on a journey during the next 

 three or four weeks, while the ceremonies 

 were in progress. 



The Resident cautioned me to ascertain 

 carefully before entering Tama Saging's 

 house if such were the condition of af- 

 fairs with him, for in that case I would 

 have to content myself with the hospi- 

 tality of a Chinese trader. 



Upon explaining the situation to Tama 

 Saging, he exclaimed that his people 

 were not like those in other communi- 

 ties. He would only take two or three 



days for observing the omens and would 

 not begin for ten days yet, anyway ; so I 

 was quite at liberty to enter his house, 

 where he saw that I was comfortably 

 settled, with my numerous impedimenta, 

 in the veranda or gallery opposite his 

 room. 



Visitors are always quartered in the 

 gallery, which forms, on the river side of 

 the long house, a common passageway for 

 entrance to the row of rooms on the other 

 side. As the eaves are low, the gallery is 

 well protected from the rain and is really 

 the best place to sleep. 



Tama Saging's hospitality was perfect ; 

 but he took his time to decide whether he 

 could go up river with me, and I suspect 

 that he wanted at least to make sure that 

 I would not prove a burdensome travel- 

 ing companion. 



This precaution of finding out if Tama 

 Saging's house were tabu before enter- 

 ing it, provided an interesting illustration 

 of the care that Rajah Brooke has taken 



