148 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



m^ ^' 



ONE OF THE GREAT UMESTONE CAVES NEAR THE NIAH RIVER 



The mast, supported by shrouds, is erected to give access to the nests of the swift on the 

 under side of the roof of the cave. These edible nests are shipped in large numbers to China. 

 The size of the cave is indicated by the man standing at the right near a shroud. 



destroyed that no joy was left in life, 

 and the Marquesans have almost passed 

 away. 



In the matter of dress, the early mis- 

 sionaries to the South Seas did great 

 harm by requiring the natives to wear 

 unnecessary clothing, which certainly in- 

 jured their health and probably their 

 morals as well. 



Indeed, it seems very difficult for the 

 white race to believe that modest be- 

 havior and morality can exist among 

 people where the body is not wholly cov- 

 ered. Yet Stevenson, writing of the Gil- 

 bert Islands, records the strict chastity of 

 the women who "went naked until mar- 

 riage," and Tylor, in "Primitive Cul- 

 ture," observes that clothes are the cause 

 and not the result of a sense of modesty. 



In contrast with the white man's ordi- 

 nary attitude toward what he pleases to 



call the "naked savage," it is interesting 

 to note that at the annual field sports 

 conducted for the benefit of the Dayak 

 soldiers at Kuching, Rajah Brooke dis- 

 tributes prizes for the "best dressed 

 Dayak" — that is, the Dayak who is best 

 dressed according to native standards 

 and to as great an extent as possible with 

 the use of native material. 



It is well understood that the correct 

 costume for a native upon official occa- 

 sion is the chawat, or loin cloth, and the 

 usual ornaments, unless he be a Malay, 

 when he would wear the more elaborate 

 Malay costume. 



For two days I remained waiting at 

 Tama Saging's farm house, for the river 

 continued to rise, rushing past in a 

 muddy torrent. The water was so muddy 

 that a pail dipped full and immediately 

 poured out would retain some of the mud 



