153 THE KAYANS OP THE NORTH-WEST OP BORNEO. 
latives. Day and night during the time the body is kept 
in the house, lights are placed at each side of the coffin, and 
should they happen to get extinguished it is considered most 
unfortunate ; also during four or five days after the corpse 
has been removed torches are kept at the place where it lay. 
Previous to removal, a feast is prepared, and part of the food 
is placed beside the corpse; the relatives devour the remain¬ 
der ; removal takes place soon after, and, although the body 
is invariably much decomposed, the nearest relatives, especi¬ 
ally women, express their grief in a most inconsolable man¬ 
ner, and, with cries most pitiable, long and affectionately hug 
the coffin, and with their faces on it inhale the odour, and 
continue doing so until it reaches the place of disposal, 
which is in the loft of a small wooden house on posts about 
12 feet high. The tombs of the chiefs are built of hard 
wood sup orted by nine massive posts from twelve to four¬ 
teen feet high, and which with the other parts are elaborate* 
ly carved. Several articles which belonged to the dead per¬ 
son arc conveyed to the tomb with the corpse, but are not 
deposited with it. On the death of a person the relatives 
directly lay aside all apparel of foreign manufacture, and wear 
only a kind of bark cloth instead, for a prescribed number of 
days after the funeral. 
Amongst the Kayans there are more ceremonies observed 
at tne birth and naming of children than at marriage, the per¬ 
formance of which is not encumbered by many formalities. 
1 he man on selecting his bride makes presents to her, and 
if these are accepted iiy her p .rents and others connected, a 
day is appointed for her removal to the house of her future 
guardian ; but, independent ot the presents, it is necessary 
on the part of the bridegroom to present the bride with a 
presen Ded number of beads of different sorts, which are 
made into a necklace and worn by her as a badge of wedlock. 
i he dress of the women consists of an oblong piece of 
cloth variously ornamented, called Kombong; it is tied by 
two of the corners about the loins and encompassed by a 
girdle of beads j it reaches to near the ankles, but leaves 
part of one of the legs uncovered. The higher classes have 
generally a second one reaching to the knees and tied on 
the opposite side. Ihe Malay strong is also common 
amongst them. They wear the hair divided in front as Eu¬ 
ropean women generally do, and round the head is worn 
a hi let of yellow bark cloth, scarlet woollen cloth, or any 
other kind fancied by the wearer. In the house seldom any 
