Bark Canoes among the Jakuns 

 and Dyaks. 



By Dr. W. L. Abbott. 

 (See Plate I, fig. 2). 



As no one seems to have noticed the use of bark canoes in 

 Malaya, the following note may be of interest : 



In July, 1902, during a trip up the Bum pin Kiver in 

 Pahang, I saw the Jakuns using some roughly made conoes of 

 bark. It was meranti bark as well as I can remember. Their 

 use was said to be confined to the Jekati and Keratong tribu- 

 taries of the Ulu Eumpin. 



They were but little trouble to make and the Jakuns 

 brought down large cargoes of Rattans and other jungle produce 

 in them. They did not always take the trouble to take them 

 back up stream again, or to repair them when split or damaged, y 



I did not measure any of these "rapakof," as they are /v 

 called in the Eumpin, but they w T ere 4 or 5 metres long. ' 



I sent a specimen to the National Museum in Washington, 

 but it warped very much out of shape when drying. 



The bark is removed from the tree in one large sheet. 

 The ends are cut square and stitched up with small rattan. 



Ribs are placed transversely about 18 inches apart, and 

 straight sticks are lashed transversely across at corresponding 

 places to hold the sides in position. A large split rattan 

 encloses the edge of the gunwale. The sewn ends are freely ^JT 

 cauled with mud or clay. 



^In July 1907, I found similar canoes in use among the 

 Dyaks of the Semundung and Ulu Sempang Rivers, West Borneo, 

 Slightly more roughly made if possible — a thick spongy bark 

 is used containing much resin (?) The same bark is much used 

 as flooring by Malays and Dyaks. The Malays said it was the 

 bark of bintangor bata (f) 



Jour, Straits Branch, R. A. Soc, No. 49, 1907. 



/^ 



