Two Sea-Dyak Legends. 



By the Revd. Edwin H. Gomes, m.a. 



There are many fairy tales and legends known to the 

 Sea-Dyaks of the present day. These seem to be handed down, 

 by word of mouth, from generation to generation from ancient 

 times. 



These stories may be roughly divided into two classes: — 



I. Those which are purely fabulous and related as such, 

 and are simply meant to interest and amuse, and in these respects 

 resemble the fairy tales familiar to us all ; and 



II. Those which are believed to be perfectly true, and to 

 have actually taken place, and are the traditions respecting their 

 gods and preternatural beings. These form in fact the Mytho- 

 logy of the Dyaks. 



To the first class belong a large collection of stories corres- 

 ponding to the Adventures of Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit. In 

 the Dyak tales, the Plandolc and the Kekura (the mouse deer and 

 the tortoise) act always in concert, and their combined intelli- 

 gence is victorious over the rest of the animal world. To this 

 class also belong the numerous stories related of Apai Samu- 

 mang the Dyak type of cunning and wiliness — and Apai Saloi — 

 the typical Dyak fool. 



To the second class belong the many and varied adventures 

 of Klieng, the great hero of ancient times, and his wife Kumang, 

 the Dyak Venus, as well as the traditions relating to the gods 

 believed in by the Dyaks of the present day. To these must be 

 added certain stories which give a reason for some of the curious 

 customs observed by the Dyaks. The two Dyak Myths which 

 follow belong to this latter class. 



R. A. Soc.No. 40, 1903. 



