62 BRITISH BORNEO. 
This weapon is manufactured in Brunai, but is the proper 
arm of the Kyans and, now, also of the Sarawak Dyaks, who 
are Closely allied to them and who, in this as in other matters, 
such as the curious perforation of a part of their person, which 
has been described by several writers, are following their 
example. The Kyans were once the most formidable Sub- 
Malay tribe in Northern Borneo and have been alluded to in 
preceding pages. On the West coast, their headquarters is 
the Baram River, which has recently been added to Sarawak, 
but they stretch right across to phe East Coast and Dutch 
territory. 
There are many kinds of canoes, from the simple dug-out, 
with scarcely any free-board, to the pakerangan, a boat the 
construction of which is confined to only two rivers in North 
Borneo. It is built up of planks fastened together by wooden 
pegs, carvel fashion, on a small keel, or /unas. It is sharp 
at both ends, has very good lines, is a good sea boat and well 
adapted for crossing river bars. It is not made in Brunai 
itself, but is bought from the makers up the coast and 
invariably used by the Brunai fishermen, who are the best 
and most powerful paddlers to be found anywhere. The 
trading boats—prahus or tongkangs—are clumsy, badly fasten- 
ed craft, not often exceeding 30 tons burthen, and modelled 
on the Chinese junk, generally two-masted, the foremast 
raking forward, and furnished with rattan rigging and large 
lug sails. This forward rake, I believe, was not unusual, in 
former days, in European craft, and is said to aid in tacking. 
The natives now, however, are getting into the way of build- 
ing and rigging their boats in humble imitation of the 
Europeans. The prahus are generally furnished with long 
sweeps, useful when the wind falls and in ascending winding 
rivers, when the breeze cannot be depended on. ‘The canoes 
are propelled and steered by single-bladed paddles. They 
also generally carry a small sail, often made of the remnants 
of different gaily coloured garments, and a fleet of little craft 
with their gaudy sails is a pleasing sight on a fresh, ‘bright 
morning. At the sports held by the Europeans on New 
Year’s Day, the Queen’s Birthday and other festivals, native 
