34 SARAWAK ETHNOGRAPHICAL COLLECTION. 



Type 9. Spherical glazed clay beads of different colours, rang- 

 ing- in size from 6 mm. in diam. to 13 mm. Some speci- 

 mens are antique and are very highly valued. They * 

 are supposed to be of Venetian origin. 



Type 10. Cylindrical Venetian beads of glazed clay or glass, 

 generally black or dark blue in colour, with four rosettes 

 painted in different colours though generally in red and 

 yellow on them. (Plate VIII. fig. 5). Some specimens 

 are striped longitudinally, others have sinuous lines on 

 them. The generic term for these beads is lukut, but 

 almost every specimen has a distinctive name, such as 

 mata tiong (mynah's eye), lukut puni (pigeon bead), Inlut 

 telingan (hornbill bead), lukut kelum bla (striped bead). 

 Antique specimens have hi^h values placed on them, $10 

 is quite a usual price. The usual size is 15 mm. in length 

 by 5 mm. in diam. 



Type 11. Similar to the above but much larger and generally 

 spherical. Diam. about 20 mm. Antique specimens are 

 valued very highly ; one form known as lukut selcala is 

 worth as much as $100 amongst the Kyans. 

 (Plate VIII. figs. 6,7, 8, 9). 



The owners of antique beads of Types 9, 10, 11 consider 

 them to be of vast antiquity, and, in many cases, of supernatural 

 origin ; they have been handed down from one generation to 

 another so that the date of their importation is now buried in 

 some obscurity. Tribes other than the Kyans do not attach so 

 much value or importance to these antique beads, and any in 

 the possession of Sea-Dyaks have probably been looted from 

 Kyans. Kyans have definite names and definite values for every 

 form of antique bead, and they form part of their currency. 



Antique examples of Type 10 are better finished and 

 have a larger bore than modern imitations and the Kyans are 

 wonderfully acute in distinguishing between the two. 



* Weathered specimens exhibit a spiral structure; apparently the 

 clay when wet was twisted in short lengths round a rod, then shaped 

 roughly into the form of a bead and baked ; the final polishing and 

 shaping taking place after the clay was fired. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



