J 54 
ETHNOLOGICAL NOTES. 
to the paddy crops, for its body covered no less than 
three large fields. The alarm was sounded and hun¬ 
dreds of people came rushing up to kill the monster, 
After some time this was accomplished and the 
remains of the great snake were boiled and eaten ; 
then - to borrow a Dayak phrase—‘when the sun 
was still about the height of a sengkuar}- from the 
horizon,’ the army of people moved off homewards 
amid many triumphant jubilations. The evening was 
passed in further rejoicing and festivities in honour of 
the great victory over their enemy ; and it was well 
past midnight before all the revellers turned in to 
rest. Next morning a curious calm seemed to have 
settled on the village, although it did not deter the 
inhabitants from going' about their various duties; 
soon it developed into deep gloom, no laughter and 
chattering among the children, no light-hearted ban- 
dinage among the young men ; for the spirit of the 
great snake Nabciu had visited everyone of them in 
their sleep that night and his anger knew no bounds. 
The wrathful spirit had made known to everyone that 
those who had eaten his tongue would henceforth 
become Tan Tepang , while those that had eaten his 
heart would become clever and brave, and those that 
had eaten his stomach would become dull and slothful. 
At last an old man, with the exclamaton “Akai” broke 
the oppressive silence and related his dream, which 
proved to be the same experienced by all. 
Thus the origin of this superstition among the Sea- 
Dayaks of the Undup ; and the narrator, Majeng, went 
on to say that in the memory of his father a Tan 
Tepang person was found headless in his bed ; but that 
as soon as the alarm was given the head returned 
almost immediately. This was regarded as a proof 
positive of the old story and the Undups (as well as 
other Sea-Dayaks) believe to this day that a Tan 
Tepang person (i. e. his head) travels about in the dark¬ 
ness of the night working mischief. 
A Tan Tepang person is looked upon with great 
dread ; ever} 7 evil that befalls the village is ascribed 
f Senghuar is a bamboo about 18 feet long used to drivst away fowls from- 
paddy which has been put out to dry on the platform outside a Dayak house. 
