SKETCH OF nORNEO. 59 



' In reliicion, the Dayak acfcnowledge ihe su«^ 

 premacy of the m>iker of the worLI, whom ihey 

 term Devata or D.^watta, sliïÓ. to whom they ad- 

 dress prayers as its pres(»rver. They liolii parti* 

 Ciilar kinds of biids inhiiirh veneratioiK, 'and draw 

 om MIS from the sounds ^vhich they uftcr aud 

 froiii their fiights. One o? the prkicipal of these 

 i* alarge species of white-heade<i kit^'.which prejs 

 (on fish, snakes and vermin. By sonie, they are 

 said to huid the sun and raoon ia particular 

 V€neration, and to worship tbem, but when Mr, 

 Burn interrogated them on this point., they 

 ste-ïdily denied it. ïn all their wars, journies, 

 and in short all matters of i-nportance, they pay 

 the utmost attention to the o mens of birds, 

 and sometimes too they endeavour to penetrate 

 the secrets of futi»rity hy Consulting the entrails 

 of birds. Their ceremonies ofareligious kind 

 are few, but raany of thom are dreadfully bar^ 

 barous. 



At thebirth of a child, during the parturitioa 

 ih^y summon a conjurer, who is ter»ne(^ Balian, 

 instead of a niidwife, aud v\ho, instead of lending 

 any assistance to the woman, beats a gindang, 

 aud sings to it tiU the chiid is born. 



With regard to their funercal ceremonies, the 

 C0fpse is placed m a coiSu^ and ^eiuaius io the 



