THK^KAYANS OF THE NORTH-WEST OF BORNEO. 149 
of Borneo and also to other countries, but in the extra¬ 
ordinary custom universally adopted by the male Kayans, 
they differ from all other tribes of the Archipelago. It 
is said however that a like custom is practised by some 
of the inhabitants of the West-coast of South America. 
On males arriving at the age of puberty or more com¬ 
monly before marriage, the Utang is adopted and with¬ 
out this marriage does not take place. It consists of a 
round pin (frequently two or three) of wood, bone, brass 
or gold, about an eighth of an inch in diameter passed 
horizontally through the gland of the generative organ, and 
projects about a quarter of an inch on each side j when more 
than one is used they are placed transversely Ihe Utang 
is adopted through all the divisions ol the Kay an tribe, but 
with its purpose or origin they appear to be unacquainted.* 
The Kayan name for God is Tanangan whom they hold 
to be invisible and supreme, they have no idols nor any ap¬ 
parent representation of the deity, no priests, no castes, nor 
any ostensible ceremonial system of religion. They impli¬ 
citly believe in an existence hereafter, though independently 
of their avowal of such, the practise universally adopted by 
the tribe of disposing of their dead above the ground proves 
their belief in the immortality of the soul Holding these 
ideas unconnected with the gross superstition and priest 
craft of the other tribes of the Archipelago, it is well that 
they have not fallen victims to that pernicious and demora¬ 
lizing system of delusion, Mahometanism. That they have 
not is partly, attributable to their dislike and prejudice 
against the Malays and their religion, but more on account 
of their great partiality for the flesh of swine, the use of 
which all the persuasion of the Malays cannot induce them 
to abandon, and which, though not one of the most pleasing 
traits of the Kdyan character, is certainly one that ministers 
most to their happiness. 
After death the Kayans very stupidly keep the body 
in the house from four to eight days and even some¬ 
times longer $ generally the first day after death it is put 
into a coffin, scooped from the trunk of a tree, and 
carved according to the importance or means of the le- 
* The same or a similar custom appears to prevail in Pegu and some other 
uarts of the Indo-Chinese peninsula, as we find it alluded to and variously 
described by several of the older voyagers. It appears to have origina ed 
in a desire to check unnatural crimes and vices, and it is probable that the 
introduction of all such custom*, including that of circumcision itself, wa« 
connected with this object, either directly or symbolically. -En, 
