130 DYAK CEREMONIES. 



I must mention one case in which I was the innocent 

 victim. It happened in a Christian family whom I had 

 converted and baptized. To my great surprise and indignation 

 when the wife was confined, the house was pronounced 

 tabooed, but I entered it. I was told that I had incurred upon 

 myself a heavy fine. The wife explained that she had lost an 

 eye. It was because some one had entered the house when 

 she was born. With much difficulty and persuasion I answerd 

 her that every Christian was to give up all such superstitions 

 for we had One to protect us against such calamities. I also 

 assured them that if the child was to be so ill-fated I would be 

 responsible for it. She has since had six children none the 

 worse for it. 



The ceremony of first taking a child to bathe is called 

 by the Dyaks nganjong mandi which means to take to bathe. 

 The mother calls a maiden and asks her to catch a fowl. The 

 husband or anybody waves the fowl over the child and then 

 kills it. The maiden who is asked to catch the fowl is 

 honoured by being asked to carry the child to the bathing- 

 place. After the fowl is killed, a wing is deposited in an areca 

 spathe with some ashes. The maiden carries the child in a 

 gaudy home-made blanket, wears a gaudy sun-hat, holds in 

 one hand ignited lukai, which is the bark of the luhai tree. She 

 marches down to the bathing-place gracefully, and the mother 

 follows with a little boy armed with a spear and the spathe of 

 the areca, containiDg the ashes and the wing of the fowl. 

 When the bathing-place is reached, the wing of the fowl with 

 the ashes in the spathe of the areca, is pierced with the spear 

 and placed standing alongside the bathing place. The maiden 

 then walks gently down into the water to give the child its 

 ablutions, or rather to introduce the child to the general 

 bathing-place. They return to the house and the spear is 

 left behind. When the house is reached, beads are threaded 

 and tied round the legs, to act as eyes to prevent the child 

 from slipping. Beads are also tied round the hands in order 

 not to make a miss when throwing a spear. The lips of the 

 child are slightly besmeared with bugs in order that when it 

 chews the lips might appear red. It is made to suck the tail 



Jour. Straits Branch 



