BY THE REVD. W. HOWELL. 
63 
•conducts the operation. The mixing of this particular 
dye is supposed to be very difficult and perhaps only one 
in lifty knows much about it. The woman who becomes 
the recognized authority on this subject takes the name 
of “ Orang tan nakar tau ngar,” which means “ She who 
knows the secret of measuring out the drugs in order to 
•obtain the rich colour,” and for this work she is well 
paid, the usual fee being a small jar (tepayan), a sacred 
.stone ( plaga ), a small bell (grunong), and a brass ring 
(.chincliin tenibaga). Some of the “ professors” affirm that 
they learnt the art from the fairy goddesses such as 
Kumang, Indai Abang, etc. With some Sea-Dayak tribes 
they even go so far as to make offerings to these goddesses, 
asking their help in the difficult work of dyeing the cotton 
red (ngar or nakar ubong). The woman who undertakes 
this particular kind of dyeing, first of all gets a piece of 
steel which she bites in order to strengthen her soul. 
This steel is called kris samengat. They make a great 
deal of fuss over the work of laying out the thread on the 
platform ( tajcu ), and the business of it is called the kayau 
indu or “ warpath of the women.” 
As students of Dayak life know well, the Sea-Dayak 
bachelor in order to win the affections of a maiden must 
needs get a head first, similarly the Sea-Dayak maiden 
to win the affection of a bachelor must needs be accom¬ 
plished in the arts of weaving and dyeing. 
To Kain or pua mata can be added ubong mata or the 
unripe thread. 
We may now continue the description of the process 
of dyeing the thread and weaving. After the thread has 
been rolled up into a ball, it is stretched in the loom to 
ascertain the length and breadth of the cloth to be 
woven; this process is called mungga. This being 
ascertained the thread is carefully taken out of the loom 
as it is, and fixed to the tangga ubong or “ the ladder of 
the thread,” to be tied ( kebat ) with the thread of the 
fibre of the lemba lily. This first process of kchat is to 
retain the white colour for the future pattern. After 
this is done the kebat thread is taken out of the tangga 
ubong and dipped into engkerbai water, and then dried. 
This, as mentioned above, gives a pink colour. After it 
is quite dry the thread is fixed again to the tangga ubong 
and kebat again for the second time. This second kebat 
is to retain the pink colour for the pattern, and is called 
