70 HEAD PRESSING AMONGST THE MILANOS OF SARAWAK. 
pressure is exerted and the child dies, but this is a rare occurrence 
as the Milanos are very fond of their children and prefer to forego 
the pressing altogether if the child protests too much. 
The most obvious result of this operation is a well marked 
depression of the forehead: there is presumably a corresponding 
uprising of other parts of the head, but being distributed more or 
less uniformly over the rest of the cranium this is not recognisable. 
Head pressed Milanos usually have a characteristic squint in both 
eyes and occasionally the base of the nose is depressed. 
Whether this custom ordinarily affects their mental ability is 
not certain though some observers believe that it really has a 
prejudicial effect: the average Milano certainly is rather a dull 
person, but the same may also be said of the Land Dayaks, who 
have never practised head pressing. 
No incantations or religious ceremonies are associated with 
this remarkable custom and apparently the only element therein 
which savours of religion is the charms which are always attached 
to the ja. The charm, called ‘Luan’ by Milanos, consists of a few 
flakes of soot scraped off from the family cooking pot: it is sewn 
up with cloth into tiny packets which are attached by strings to 
the ja. Similar charms are in use amongst the same people in other 
capacities : for instance such a charm is usually to be found tied to 
a Bayoh (medicine man) man’s drum. 
In addition to the Luan every ja is provided with a large blue 
bead which is attached to the string that goes over the head: this 
bead also functions as a charm. 
After it has once been used a Ja may not be given away: they 
are in fact kept in use through several generations. One’s neigh- 
bours are very fond of borrowing a lucky ja—one which always 
presses well—especially if it be an old one. 
This custom is now falling into disuse for the very simple 
reason that it involves too much trouble: nowadays the housewife 
has to work hard to earn a living and it is very inconvenient to have 
to suspend the sago working every few minttes in order to attend 
to a sleeping baby. 
So far as is known head pressing is not practised elsewhere in 
Borneo. Nevertheless it should be noted that heads are often 
enough unintentionally deformed slightly, we believe, as a result of 
the very hard pillow—of wood alone—on which the infant rests 
when sleeping. This fact may account for a characteristic flatness 
often noticeable at the back of a Land Dayaks head. In north-west 
Celebes where the natives flatten heads and breasts the language 
has, according to the Rev. B. Mulder, many words in common with 
Milano: and moreover they have very similar fairy tales. It is 
therefore quite possible that the two peoples have been neighbours 
or even that they are related : nevertheless it is almost certain that 
the Milanos have lived for some—probably many—centuries in 
Sarawak and if there is any relationship it must have been in very 
remote times. The following tables give a few statistics which 
Jour, Straits Branch 
