# Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society/Volume 40/An Illustrated Catalogue of the Ethnographical Collection of the Sarawak Museum—Part I, Musical Instruments

An Illustrated Catalogue of the Ethnographical Collection of the Sarawak Museum.
INTRODUCTION.
The nucleus of the ethnographical collection of the Sarawak Museum is a collection made by Mr. Hugh Brooke Low, during the greater part of his service under the Sarawak Government (1869-1886); Mr. Low made full use of his opportunities and got together nearly 500 different objects of ethnographical interest chiefly from the natives of the Rejang and Batang Lupar rivers. The collection was sent to England and for some time was exhibited at the South Kensington Museum. In 1887, however, His Highness the Rajah of Sarawak purchased the collection, and in 1891 it was deposited in the newly-opened Sarawak Museum. To this nucleus have been added by con- stant additions nearly 1,500 specimens and so recently as 1899 a competent critic was able to assert that the Sarawak Museum contained "the best and most instructive collection of Sarawak ethnography extant" ("Nature" Aug. 31st 1899, p. 415.)
Unfortunately the Museum is but rarely visited by serious students of anthropology and as with the exception of Ling Roth's "Natives of Sarawak and British North Borneo" and one or two papers by Hein (Vienna, 1890), the culture-history of the Borneans has never been adequately pictured, it seemed advisable to compile an illustrated catalogue of this fine ethnographical collection, so that those interested in the natives of Borneo might have some sort of picture of them even if a more personal acquaintance was out of the question.
Even in Sarawak, well-protected as it is against European exploitation, great changes have taken place amongst the natives within the last thirty years; the great incursion of Chinese has ​had its effects; the dominant Sea-Dyak has increased enormously in the Rejang River, driving the Kyan, Kanowit and other tribes less robust than himself before him, so that the ethnographical variety of the chief river of Brooke Low's collecting area is now sadly diminished; finally the influence of the European on the change of native habits must not be left out of account. The catalogue, then, is not begun a day too soon, reliable information on many specimens must be obtained now, or before many years it may be too late. As it is, the Srus, a tribe apparently allied to the Tanjongs, living near Kalaka, have forgotten all their old customs and culture, a fragmentary language alone remaining to suggest a less ignoble past; whilst the Tanjongs themselves, thanks to the gin-bottle and the immorality of their women are rapidly drawing near to the abyss of extinction. The project of such a catalogue as this was for some time in my mind, but the ways and means of production were difficult to find. However, at the end of 1902 the Council of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society generously came to the rescue and the catalogue will be published in parts under their auspices.
The ethnographical collection now to be catalogued cannot claim to be absolutely complete, and there are many specimens scattered amongst European Museums which are unrepresented in the Sarawak Museum. These will be alluded to in the catalogue whenever possible and specimens known to the writer but un- represented in any museum will also be noted. No particular order in the series of objects described will be observed, but each part will be produced as soon as it is ready. I have been fortunate in securing the collaboration of Dr. C. Hose, Resident of the Baram district, in at least one part of the catalogue and other local authorities have been as generous in supplying me with information as they have been in obtaining specimens for the Museum.
PART I.
Musical Instruments.
By R. Shelford. m. a., f. l. s., etc.
Curator of the Sarawak Museum.
The musical instruments of the Bornean tribes fall naturally into four main groups :—
1. Stringed instruments.
2. Wind instruments.
3. Jews harps.
4. Instruments of percussion.
They are described in this order. Each group can be subdivided into classes and under the class-headings are described the different 'species' frequently represented by more than one specimen. In addition to describing each specimen fully, I have quoted its number in the Museum catalogue and have recorded how and when it came into the possession of the museum; all measurements are given in centimetres. It will be seen that the Museum is indebted to many friends for valuable specimens; as it would be tedious to detail here all their names, I must express my thanks to them as a collective body; the names of Mr. D. J. S. Bailey, of the Sarawak service and Mr. E. W. Byrde, of the Borneo Co., cannot however pass without special notice, as to these two gentlemen I am indebted not only for many interesting and opportune specimens but also for much valuable information concerning them. My friend Mr. H. Balfour, curator of the Pitts-Rivers Museum, Oxford, has given me much useful advice and help, and his papers on musical instruments have served as models which I fear that nevertheless I have but imperfectly copied.
STRINGED INSTRUMENTS.
There are four main classes of stringed instruments amongst the in use tribes of Borneo:—
I. Primitive musical bow—perhaps the progenitor of
II. Fiddles and guitars.
III. Upright harps.
IV. Cylindrical harps.
Class I.— Primitive Musical Bow.
This instrument is used only by the Tanjongs, a small isolated tribe living at Kapit, Rejang River, Sarawak. It consists of a flattened bow (busoi) with a rattan string laid across a pot of earthenware or metal, the mouth of the pot being closed by a wooden diaphragm (aran); the handle of the bow is grasped in the right hand and the taut bow string is tapped with a short stick held in the left hand; different notes can be produced either by fingering the string or by moving the bow so that different parts of its arc rest on the wooden diaphragm closing the pot. A very fair volume of sound can be produced. Until quite recently no specimens of this interesting musical instrument had found their way to European Museums, but there are now examples in the Anthropological Museums of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The " Natural History of the Musical Bow" by H. Balfour (Oxford, 1899) should be consulted for a full and detailed account of the geographical distribution and evolution of this primitive type of musical instrument.
​ 1. Tanjong—Busoi and Aran.
a. (Plate I, fig. 1, upper specimen).
The busoi is a slightly bowed slat of hard black wood 93.6 cm long and 4.4 cm broad about its middle. One end is fretted and moulded and forms the handle, the other end has one border slightly excavated in the way shown in the figure. A strip of split rattan is strung through a hole near the handle and laced through two holes near the other end.
The aran is a disc of wood, 28 cm. in diam. with a large hole in the centre: the border for a depth of 2.5 cm has been sloped down and a dog's tooth pattern is cut in low relief on it, the back ground being stained black with soot or indigo.
Catalogue No. 59. Brooke Low collection.—This specimen has been figured in "The Natives of Sarawak and British North Borneo" by H. Ling Roth, 1886 Vol. II p. 260, and in "The Natural History of the Musical Bow" by H. Balfour (1899) p. 69. fig. 49; the latter illustration is taken from a photograph of this specimen in the possession of Sir Hugh Low.
b. (Plate I, fig. 1, lower specimen).
The busoi is of soft white wood, 82.3 cm long and 4 cm broad in the middle. The concave side has a geometric pattern cut in bas-relief, the outstanding background being stained red with dragon's blood; the handle is unstained, it is moulded and fretted forming an S-shaped curve; the opposite end has its borders notched and curved, it is stained with dragon's blood and has a rosette (buah trong) cut in it. A strip of rattan is strung through a hole near the handle and laced through two holes near the distal end.
The aran is a disc of wood 30 cm. in diam. with an incised phyllomorphic pattern surrounding a central rosette; it is not perforated. The rattan plectrum is 31 cm long. The pot over which the aran is laid is a common bazaar pot of Chinese make, light-blue in colour and glazed; 22.5 cm. diam.; 13 cm high.
Catalogue No. 1230. R. Hon. H. F. Deshon, [P. i. 03]
Class II.—Fiddles and Guitars.
This main class may be subdived into two sub-classes:— ​(A) Fiddles with straight wooden stem transfixing a resonator made from a hollowed-out coconut shell or gourd, and with one or more strings. Such are the one stringed enserunai of the Sea-Dyaks and the and the sigittuad of the Land-Dyaks and the two- or three-stringed engkerbap of the Sea-Dyaks. The performer on any of these instruments sits on the ground and holding the stem of the fiddle in his left hand rests the resonator against the calf of his left leg or else grasps with his toes the part of the stem that projects through the resonator; the string is sawed with a very simple bow (pengayat) held in the right hand; generally no sound can be produced until the string has been well moistened with saliva and even then the volume of sound is not great. The Sea-Dyaks imitate on the enserunai the dirges sung at deaths and at burial.
(B) Guitars, cut out from a solid block of wood, the resonator or being allowed out either from the back or from the front, and with from two to six strings, which are strummed with the fingers. Examples of such instruments are found amongst the Kayans, Kenyahs, Malohs, Dusuns, Malays, and Sea-Dyaks, the latter people having probably borrowed from the Malohs. The fiddle figured by Ling Roth I.e. Vol. II, p. 262 is undoubtedly Chinese; numbers of these are made in Hong-Kong for export and can be bought any day in the Sarawak bazaars. The Malay fiddle figured on p. 266. Vol. II. of Ling Roth's work is Javanese and though the instrument is described as being of Borneo make, it cannot be regarded as typical of Borneo Malays. A very similar specimen bought from a Bugis is in the Raffles Museum, Singapore.
A. FIDDLES
1. Sea-Dyak—Enserunai (Plate I, fig.2.)
a.—(Second specimen from the left.)
Stem straight, transfixing the resonator and projecting considerably beyond the head is flattened and slightly enlarged; its front border notched and moulded. The resonator is half a gourd (genok selaing), the bottom is perforated; a diaphragm of monkey skin is lashed on with a rattan binding and tightened up with wedges (Plate VII, fig. 1). The string which is of rattan ​(rotan sega) at one end is looped over the part of the stem which projects beyond the resonator and passes from this point of attachment to the lower part of the head of the stem which is deeply grooved longitudinally; the string runs along the groove and out through a hole at the side and is then wound round the head (Plate VI fig. 2); a notch on each side of the groove is evidently intended for the reception of a cross-bridge. There is no bridge for the string opposite the resonator. A bracing string of grass is present. The bow is of bamboo with a grass string. Total length of fiddle is 68 cm; diameter of resonator 9.5 cm.
Catalogue No. 55. Brooke Low Collection.
b. Stem straight of a hard dark wood, transfixing resonator and projecting considerably beyond. The head is not expanded; the front of the stem has a deep longitudinal groove for the greater part of its length; there are some shallow transverse grooves and incised lines distad and proximad of longitudinal groove by way of decoration. The resonator is half a gourd, closed by a diaphragm of wood luted on with dammar, the bottom is perforated. The rattan string at one end is looped round the part of the stem that projects beyond the resonator, at the other it is wound round a slip of wood driven transversely through the stem (Plate VII, fig. 3) there are notches on each side of the groove for the reception of a crossbridge. Two bracing strings of grass. Bow of bamboo; with grass string. Total length 60.5 cm., diam. of resonator 11.5 cm.
Catalogue No. 56. Brooke Low collection. This specimen has been figured by Ling Roth (I. e. Vol II, p. 260).
c. (1st specimenon right). Stem straight, hemispherical in section, of a brown soft wood, transfixing resonator and projecting considerably beyond it, the head of the stem is enlarged, flattened and bent forward at an angle to the stem, each side is carved in low relief with a phyllomorphic pattern and painted in three colours, red, yellow, and green. The reson tor is half a cocoa-nut shell closed by a diaphragm of wood luted on with dammar; one of the "eyes" of the cocoa-nut has been bored forming an orifice at the bottom of the resonator. The ​rattan string at one end is looped round the part of the stem that projects beyond the resonator, the other passes into a groove and round a tuning peg that traverses the stem just below the head. Bridge missing; a long and stout bamboo bow with rattan string. Total length 78 cm; diameter of resonator 11.5 cm.
Catalogue No. 974. Brooke Low collection.
d. (2nd specimen from right). Stem straight, flattened, of hard brown wood; it transfixes the resonator but does not project much beyond; the head is enlarged, its front edge is notched and carved. The resonator is made from a section of bamboo, cut just above and just below a node; the septum of the bamboo is perforated with a star-shaped hole; the top of the resonator is covered with a diaphragm of skin lashed on with rattan (Plate VII, fig. 1); the plaited band of rattan (c.) encircles the resonator at the zone of the leaf-scars. The single rattan string is at one end looped over the stem in the usual manner, at the other end is lashed round the lower end of the head, passing through a hole in the front border; there is no tuning peg. There is a wooden bridge shaped like an inverted V, resting on the diaphragm of the resonator and a grass bracing string. The bow is of rattan with a string made from a strand of the stem of the bracken, Pteris aquilina. Total length 59.7 cm.; diameter of resonator 6.2 cm.; height of resonator 7 cm.
Catalogue No. 1228. D. J. S. Bailey, Esq. [P]; from the head waters of the Undup River.
e. (1st specimen on left). Stem of soft wood, almost square in transverse section; it transfixes and projects beyond the resonator; the head is much enlarged, flattened laterally and bent back at an angle to the rest of the stem; on each side a phyllomorphic pattern (resam=Glēichenia dichotoma) is carved in deep relief. The resonator is half a cocoanut shell, one of the "eyes" at the bottom has been perforated; the mouth is covered with a diaphragm of monkey skin with the hair still on fastened with rattan lashings in the usual manner (Plate VII, fig. 1). The single rattan string at one end passes through a hole pierced in the part of the stem that projects beyond the resonator ​and is prevented from slipping through by a knot; the other end attached to the tuning peg; this transfixes the head just above the angle, and in order to expose a length of peg round which to wind the string a deep short longitudinal groove is cut in the anterior face of the head, into this the string runs, is wound round the peg, passes out through the peg hole and is knotted to the peg outside the groove (Plate VII. fig. 4). A wooden inverted V-shaped bridge is set on the diaphragm and a small slip of wood is thrust under the string just before it enters the tuning-peg groove. There is a bracing string of grass. The bow is of bamboo with a grass string. Total length 83.5 cm: diam. of resonator 12.5 cm.
Catalogue No. 1229. D. J. S. Bailey, Esq. [P. ii. 03].
Except that there is only one string this instrument might be called an engkerbap, the shape and carving of the head of the stem being very characteristic of that instrument. From the Undup River.
2. Land-Dyak—Sigittuad or Sigitot. (Plate VII, fig. 7.)
Stem a length of bamboo (tongon). Resonator a hollowed-out coconut shell with the top third cut off, it is transfixed by a piece of wood (benoah) which then passes a short way up the cavity of the bamboo stem; in the bottom of the coconut shell is pierced a quineunx of holes; the top is covered by a circular sheet of sago-palm leaf, which is not secured in any way. There is one tuning peg (thān) which transfixes the stem back to front not from side to side as in the enserunai. The single string (oōi) which is the adventitious root of some epiphytic plant is knotted at one end of the piece of wood transfixing the resonator, at the other it is wound round the tuning peg. A triangular block of wood (tikyer) stands on the diaphragm and serves to bridge up the string. There is a small bow of bamboo with a string made from a strand of the stem of the common bracken, Pteris aquilina. Total length 62 cm. From the village of Krokong, Upper Sarawak.
Catalogue No. 1277. E. W. Byrde, Esq. [P. vij. 03]
The instrument is of very simple construction, in fact it was made in about half-an-hour, the taut string serves to keep everything together, if this is slackened the diaphragm slips off ​the resonator and the resonator itself becomes detached from the bamboo stem. The Krokongs occasionally make more finished fiddles than the one described above, but there are no specimens of such in the Sarawak Museum nor have I ever seen in some instances the head of a sigittuad stem may be carved to resemble a hornbill's head.
3. Sea-Dyak—Engkerbap.
Stem straight of a soft wood, transfixing resonator and projecting slightly beyond; the resonator is half a coconut shell with a diaphragm of lizard (Varanus salvator) skin, secured by rattan lashings and wedges in the usual manner. The head of the stem resembles that in the enserunai No. 1229; the pattern has been painted red, blue, green and yellow. The two strings of split rattan are at one end tied to that portion of the stem which projects beyond the resonator, at the other they pass round two tuning pegs which are fitted as in the enserunai No. 1229. (Plate VII, fig. 4) The bow (pengayat) is of rattan with a grass string. Total length 97 cm. From the Batang Lupar.
Catalogue No. 1342. D. J. S. Bailey, Esq. [P. 29. ix, 03]
B. GUITARS.
1. Kyan—Sapeh (Pl. II, fig. 4.)
Two-stringed guitar strummed with the fingers. A large heavy instrument cut out of a block of tapang wood. The resonator has been hollowed out at the back to a depth of from 7 cm to 10 cm; the cavity is not closed by a diaphragm. The face of the resonator is somewhat convex; it is decorated with seven white discs formed of ground Trochus shells and at the base with an incised geometrical design typically Kayan in character arranged on either side of a pointed ridge. The stem is straight, thickening to the head which is carved to represent the head of a dragon (asu); a shell disc is let into the top of dragon's head. There are two tuning pegs, one end of these is roughly shaped, the other is split to receive the strings which pass through holes in the stem (Plate VII, fig. 5) and so into the split ends of the pegs. The strings are of rattan, ​at their lower ends they pass through holes in the face of the resonator and are knotted to prevent slipping through. Bridge lost.
Total length. 12.5 cm; length of stem, 46.8 cm; greatest breadth of resonator, 28.8 cm; breadth of resonator at the bottom 19 cm; greatest depth of resonator 14.3 cm.
Catalogue No. 52. Brooke Low collection.
A diminutive model of a very similar instrument is hung on the wall of a model of a Kajaman house (Belaga, Rejang R.) recently presented to the Sarawak Musuem. Ling Roth, (I. e. Vol. II, p. 261) figures a similar instrument in the British Museum, This however was made by the Long Wai, who dwell on the Mahakkam River, they are grouped by Dr. C. Hose amongst the Kayans; the Long Wai name for this instrument is impai.
2. Dusun.—Two stringed guitar(? native name) (Pl. VII, fig. 6).
This is carved from a block of soft white wood. The stem is long, square in section about its middle, expanding at its junction with the resonator and at the head which is carved and moulded; on its front face five little blocks of wood are pegged on (3-3⁠1/12⁠ cm apart), apparently to mark the fingering of the strings. The resonator which is somewhat boat-shaped is hollowed out from the back and the cavity is closed by a sheet of sago-palm leaf laced on with rattan stitchings to the wood. Both the front and the back of the resonator are perforated in their centres by two triangular holes, the apices of the triangles being conjoined. Part of the resonator is not hollowed but is produced distally as a solid piece, curved slightly upwards. A shaped ridge of wood terminating proximally in a square block is left on the face of the resonator; the two brass-wire strings are looped through holes in the ridge, pass through the square block up to the lower end of the head which they pierce and then are wound round two tuning pegs.
Total length 119.5 cm; length of stem, 67 cm.
Catalogue No. 1274. Collected by the late Dr. A. Dennys. Acquired by exchange from the Raffles Museum, Singapore. ​A somewhat similar specimen is figured by Whitehead in "Exploration of Mount Kina Balu." (1893) p. 108.
3. Maloh and Sea-Dyak—Blikan.
a. Maloh—Blikan (Plate II, fig. 3). Two-stringed guitar cut from a block of soft white wood. The resonator is hollowed out from the front and the cavity is closed by a tightly-fitting wooden lid, securely pegged on; this lid is decorated with a geometrical design painted in indigo. The end of the resonator is produced and solid, it has been whittled and fretted to form a scroll. Four triangular holes, their apices conjoined are cut in the lid of the resonator and a block of wood is left attached to the lid just distad of the four holes. The stem is quite straight, somewhat triangular in section, it is very deep from front to back in its lower (distal) portion where it joins the resonator and the back of it here is scrolled and decorated with lines of black dammar; three chevrons of dammar are painted across the back of the stem higher up. The proximal end is expanded into a head carved to represent the head of a hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) with a seed in its mouth, the neck is stained black. Two tuning pegs transfix the stem below the head. The two rattan strings distally are fastened to two little wooden spikes stuck into the wooden block on the lid of the resonator; proximally they pass through holes in the stem just over the tuning pegs, out through the tuning-peg-holes and are gripped in the split-ends of these pegs (Plate VII, fig. 5). Total length 89.8 cm.; length of stem 52 cm; breadth of resonator 15.5 cm. split-ends of these pegs
Catalogue No. 54. Brooke Low collection. Brooke Low (quoted by Ling Roth (I. e. Vol. II, p. 262), describes a blikan in use amongst Saribas and Kalaka Sea-Dyaks; in this, the head ​of the stem is actually formed from the bill of a hornbill glued on to the stem, and is not a carved representation of a hornbill's head as in the Maloh specimen described above.
Hose and McDougall, in a paper—"The Relations between Men and Animals in Sarawak" (Journ. Anthrop. Institute. Vol. XXXI, 1901. p. 198) write:—"The hornbill must be included among the sacred birds of the lban (i.e. Sea-Dyaks), although it does not give omens. On the occasion of making peace between hostile tribes, the Ibans sometimes make a large wooden image of the hornbill and hang great numbers of cigarettes on it, and these are taken from it during the ceremony and smoked by all the men taking part in it." Smaller figures of the hornbill (Penchallong—Buceros rhinoceros) are suspended in Sea-Dyak houses long during harvest feasts and food is either put into the mouths of the figures or else hung beneath them, (cf. Ling-Roth I. e. Vol. I, p. 256). There are several examples of these Penchallong in the Sarawak Museum; the birds are invariably represented as holding one or more seeds in their beaks. Amongst the Kenyahs the hornbill Anorrhinus comatus gives omens of minor importance. It is not surprising that so important a bird should figure in the decorative art of the Borneans.
b. Sea-Dyak—Blikan. Very similar to the preceding specimen, but roughly made and undecorated with carving or paint. The shape of the head suggests that it was intended eventually to carve it into a representation of a hornbill's head.
Total length, 79 cm. Length of stem, 52 cm.
Catalogue No. 1341. D. J. S. Bailey, Esq. [P. 25. viij. 03]. From the Batang Lupar.
It is highly probable that the Sea-Dyaks borrowed this instrument and its name from the Malohs; some of them at any rate assert so much.
5. Malay—Gambus, six-stringed mandolin. (Plate II, fig. 5).
The instrument is cut out from a block of mirabou (Afzelia bijuga) wood and is shaped like the European mandolin, i.e. the stem passes insensibly into the resonator and the shape of the instrument is that of a pear longitudinally bisected. Both the stem and the resonator are hollowed out from the front; the ​cavity of the stem is closed by a piece of wood nailed on, the cavity of the resonator by a diaphragm of skin, edged with blue cloth and nailed to the sides with brass-headed nails. The back of the resonator is perforated with a circular hole and the cover of the stem near its junction with the resonator is similarly perforated. This orifice is surrounded by incised lines forming a conventional flower design. A rectangalar block of wood is driven into the lower (distal) end of the resonator and through holes in this the strings pass to be attached to a cross bar of wood at its back. The stem is expanded proximally to form a curved head, the cavity of the stem is continued up into the lower part of the head, but not only is not closed in front, but the back of the head is here cut away leaving the two sides only, these are perforated with six holes for the tuning pegs; the rest of the head is solid and its sides are decorated with a phyllomorphic pattern in deep relief, in front with a phyllomorphic design in shallow relief and three brass headed nails. There are six tuning pegs (petaran) and six cotton strings. An inverted V shaped bridge rests on the diaphragm.
Total length 93 cm; greatest breadth Of resonator 16.9 cm. Catalogue No. 1207. [Pd. xii. 02.] It appears probable that this instrument has been borrowed from the Arabs. There is a similar specimen in the Cambridge Anthropological Museum obtained by W. W. Skeat, Esq, in the Malay Peninsula.
Class III.— Upright Harps.
(Plate II, fig. 6.)
These instruments, which appear to be used only by Muruts Dusuns (?) and Sea-Dyaks are roughly rectangular boxes (resonators) with a handle and an upright or a handle alone at each end. Strings are stretched in a vertical plane from one handle or upright to the other and are kept taut by upright bridges standing on the lid of the box; the addition of tuning pegs seems to be a modern development. The Murut harp is simpler in construction than the Sea-Dyak forms and its strings being looped through the handles, not tied separately as in the Sea-Dyak harps are in two parallel vertical planes instead of in one. The strings are strummed with the fingers of one hand ​whilst the lid of the resonator is tapped with the fingers of the other.
I am inclined to believe that the Sea-Dyak engkratong at any rate is derived from a stringed instrument like the enserunai through a guitar stage. In my private collection is a roughly made Sea-Dyak six-stringed guitar very like the Dusun guitar in shape but with a much longer projection distad of the resonator and this instrument is known to Sea-Dyaks as an engkratong. If the stem of this guitar was shortened to correspond in length with the distal projection and if the string were stretched between two uprights in a vertical plane the instrument would become an engkratong. It is at least curious that the guitar in this form should be known to the Sea-Dyaks only under the name of engkratong, and that it should have disappeared almost entirely from use.
Ling Roth (I.e. Vol. II, p. 260), figures a zither from S. E. Borneo in the collection of the Leyden Museum. It is a flat board with eight strings stretched across it and bridged up with a cylindrical piece of wood at each end; there is no information as to the tribe from whom the instrument was obtained. I do not consider that the instrument is connected in any way with the engkratong, and have doubts as to the correctness of the locality quoted.
1. Murut—Upright Harp. (Plate II, fig. 6, upper specimen).
A long narrow wooden box, truncate at one end, at the other tapering and produced into a handle; it is cut out of one piece of wood and hollowed out from the bottom, the cavity being closed by a wooden cover pegged on with wooden pegs. The handle is a flattened oval. Two loops of rattan (making four strings) pass through two holes in the handle to the opposite end of the instrument, where they perforate a projection from the wall of the box and are knotted to prevent slipping. The four strings are raised clear from the resonator by two upright bridges set in holes in its roof; the bridges have two notches on each side to receive the strings. The strings were originally of bemban (Donax sp.) but having been destroyed by insects, are replaced by rattan. ​Total length, 117.6 cm; greatest breadth, 7 cm. depth, 6 cm. Catalogue No. 732. Dr. G. D. Haviland coll. From the head waters of the Tengoa River, British N. Borneo.
2. Sea Dyak.—Engkratong.
a.—A wooden box roughly rectangular in shape, the lower sides rounded, a projection at each end, all cut out of one block; the cavity is hollowed out from the top and closed by a tightly fitted lid of wood securely pegged down; the lid is perforated with a triangular hole in the centre, into the terminal projections are set two large flattened handles, carved and fitted into a phyllomorphic design. A slender wooden upright is stuck into each projection just where it issues from the resonator. Four separate rattan strings pass from one upright to the other, to one they are knotted by slip-knots, to the other by double hitches. Two wooden upright bridges stand on the lid of the resonator, they are notched on one side only to receive the strings.
Total length 106 cm. resonator 41cm x 16.9 cm. x 10.1cm.
Catalogue No. 53. Brooke Low collection.
This specimen has been figured by Ling Roth (I.e. Vol. II, p. 261); on the same page Ling-Roth also figures another specimen, one handle of which is a fowl's head, the other its tail, and describes this as being in the Brooke Low collection; I have been unable to find any trace of this particular instrument in the Sarawak Museum.
(Plate II, fig. 6, lower specimen).
b.—A rectangular wooden box with a handle at each end, all cut from one block: the box is hollowed from the top and the cavity is closed by a wooden lid nailed on; the lid is perforated with a circular hole in the centre; the handles are scrolled. Into each handle is set a stout wooden upright quadrangular in section, their tops are expanded and shaped to a leaf form, one in addition has one side carved in relief. Five rattan strings pass through holes in one upright to tuning pegs in the other, over notches in an upright bridge. Resonator, 58 cm—15.6 cm—14 cm; height of upright, 29.3 cm.
Class IV.—Cylindrical Harps.
(Plate III, fig. 7. Plate VI fig. 14).
These are made from a joint of a large species of bamboo; the strings, four to twelve in number, are cut out from the bamboo but are left attached at their ends and are tightened with slips of wood thrust under them. The septa of the bamboo joint are generally perforated and to increase the resonance of the instrument a longitudinal slit or a hole is cut in it. This class of instrument is in use amongst the Kyans, the Kenyahs, the LongKiputs, the Kadyans, the Dusuns, and the Land-Dyaks. The method of performing on this instrument amongst the Land-Dyaks of the Sadong River is as follows:—
The performer sits on the ground, rests one end of the instrument against the side of his right foot and the back of it against his left thigh; the strings are struck with a short stick held in the right hand and with the left hand the player alternately opens and closes the upper and open end of the instrument; the strings can be tuned by altering the position of the bridges. Several men usually perform together and a sound like distant gongs can be produced by experts; other men accompany with the lalipok and pelonchong; the former is a portion of bamboo joint shaved down so that the wall is quite thin, one end is open and is struck against some hard substance; the latter is a piece of bamboo joint with a hole cut in the side and it is struck with a stick (Plate VI fig. 14). The Krokong Land-Dyaks still play on these harps at their festivals, the Sadong Land-Dyaks only occasionally play on them and then not seriously, whilst at Quop these instruments are merely toys made and played on by children.
1. Dusun—Tangkungang. (Plate III, fig. 7, left hand specimen).
Made from a single joint of bamboo which is cut off flush with the septa so that nothing projects at either end; both the septa are perforated. There were originally five strings arranged more or less equidistantly round the instrument; all but two of the strings broken. Total length 51.4 cm diameter, 10.5 ​cm; distance between the strings, (measured along the curve of the bamboo) about 6.5 cm.
Catalogue No. 775. Drs G. P. and H. A. Haviland coll. [P. v. 92]. From Kiou, Mt. Kina Balu. The equidistant strings and the absence of projections beyond the septa show the primitive nature of the instrument; it is roughly made and is devoid of ornamentation. I have no information as to the method of performing on this instrument, but I imagine that it is held upright between the feet and that the strings are twanged with the fingers of both hands.
In the Raffles Museum, Singapore are two cylindrical harps purchased from the late Dr. Dennys and said to be Dusun. These are much more complicated in structure than those in the Sarawak Museum example. Both have twelve strings. In one these are arranged in groups of three, four and five, in the other in a group of seven, with the other five strings round the remaining periphery; in both, the bamboo projects considerably beyond the septa and the upper tubular projection so formed is deeply notched; one of the instruments has two longitudinal slits to increase its resonance.
2. Kanowit—Cylindrical Harp. (Plate III, fig. 7, right hand specimen).
At one end (the lower) the bamboo is cut off almost flush with the septum, at the other end (the upper) the bamboo projects 4.5 cm beyond the septum and at one part still further, 11-6 cm, to form a shaped handle 7 cm. long. Round the top of the instrument runs a band of geometric pattern, roughly carved in low relief, the background stained with dragon's blood. There are only four strings arranged in pairs one on each side of a longitudinal slit in the body of the harp; this slit, which is enlarged at each end in the manner shown in the figure is on the same aspect (the front) of the harp as the handle. A band of plaited rattan encircles the harp at the levels of attachment of the strings to prevent them splitting off. The septa are not perforated. Length (exclusive of the handle) 63 cm.; diameter 11.8 cm; distance between one pair of strings and the other, measured along the curve of the instrument in front, 11 cm; measured along the curve at the back 13.5 cm. ​Catalogue No. 563. Brooke Low collection. From the Kanowit River.
This instrument could be laid on its back and whilst the handle was grasped with one hand, the strings could be strummed with the fingers of the other, but I have no information as to how the Kanowits actually perform on the harp.
3. Long Kiput—Pagang or Kantom (Plate III, fig. 7, middle specimen).
The bamboo projects 9 cm beyond the septa and is there shaved down so as to be quite thin; on these shaved down portions are carved bands of simple design, such as rows of triangles, rows of dots, rows of oblique bars, the background is whitened with chalk or else the pattern itself is chalked and the background is blackened with indigo or soot. The septa are not perforated. There are six strings arranged in groups of three, one on each side of a middle line. A rattan plait encircles the harp at the level of attachment of the strings to prevent them splitting off. Down the front of the instrument run two short longitudinal slits, end to end; at the upper end of one slit and at the lower end of the other are three incised circles, between the two a group of five incised circles; the cuticle of the bamboo immediately bordering the slits is stripped off and on these areas is carved in relief in one case a chevron pattern in the other a dog's tooth pattern, the background is black and the relief chalked. Total length 77.5 cm; diameter, 9.1 cm.
Catalogue No. 1069. R. S. Douglas Esq. [P. v. 00.] From the Baram River.
A Long Kiput harp is figured in Ling Roth's work (I.e. Vol. II, p. 262); it is from Dr. C. Hose's collection and is called a Satong.
4. Land-Dyak (Menggrat sub-tribe) Ton-Ton. (Plate VI fig. 14).
a. Made from a joint of bamboo; the bamboo is not cut flush with its septa, but at either end projects considerably; one septum is broken through. These strings or rather three broad ​strips (1 cm) are cut out from the body of the instrument on one side but are left attached at each end and are prevented from stripping off by bindings of rattan. The central strip is bridged up with a block of wood in the middle and emits a high note; the side strips are bridged up at their ends and give a much lower note; under each side strip a diamond shaped hole is cut in the body of the instrument. A short stick for striking the strings is attached by string to the harp. Length 69 cm; diam. 7.8 cm.
Catalogue No. 1295. [Pd. viij. 03.] From Piching. Upper Sadong.
b. A specimen entirely similar to the preceding. Length 67 cm; diam. 9 cm.
Catalogue No. 1296. [Pd. viij. 03.]
WIND INSTRUMENTS.
The wind instruments used by the tribes of Borneo may be grouped as follows:—
A.—Without special vibratory apparatus.
I. Shell-trumpet. ​II. Transverse flutes.
III.
Nose
IV.
Flageolets and bird-calls with up outside the instrument.
V.
21
flutes.
a directive
duct built
and whistles with a directive duct formed
Flageolets
inside the instrument.
With
B.
special vibratory apparatus.
VI. Pipes with single " beating " reed (clarionet type). VII. Mouth organs with single " free " reed (harmonium type),
Class I.— Shell-Trumpet.
Some Brunei Malays recently informed me chat made by merely knocking off the top whorl of
a trumpet, the large for calling
helmet-shell is used by them Cassis tuberosum the trumpet their buffaloes together; their name for " buyongT I can hear of no other people in Borneo
employ a
was
who
similar instrument.
Class II.— Transverse Flutes. I
know
of only
one example of
the sulieng san of the Sea-Dyaks c.
3.
type of wind-instrument, difficult to play than
more
Reed instruments. a. b.
c.
Clarionet, recorder, etc, with single vibrating reed ("beating reed.") Accordion, harmonium, etc. with single reed vibrating equally on either side of a frame (" free reed.") Oboe, bassoon, etc. with double valve both sides of which are flexible (" oboe reed.")
this
it is
STRAITS BRANCH, ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY
JOURNAL 40, PLATE I.
Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
JOURNAL 40, PLATE II.
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JOURNAL 40, PLATE III.
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JOURNAL 40, PLATE IV.
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JOURNAL 40, PLATE V.
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JOURNAL 40, PLATE VI.
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Plate VII
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Plate VIII
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* ↑ To give a concrete example of change:—It is no longer easy to obtain specimens of the niabor a variety of short sword formerly much in use amongst the Sea Dyaks, the jimpul and tilang kamaran are much more common, the former was invented less than 20 years ago, the latter only last year. Numerous other examples might be quoted.
* ↑ Dr. A. W. Nieuwenhius in "In Central Borneo" Vol. II PL LVII a Kayan girl beating with a stick on a string stretched longitudinally across a shield and bridged up with two cylindrical wooden plugs at the end; underneath the plate is printed "Het Voordragen van zangen, de overleveringen van den stam, behelzende": – i.e. the overture to a song, delivered by the assembled tribe." But there is no reference to the illustration in the text and I believe that this is merely an improvised musical instrument, and one seldom in use.
* ↑ * The Malohs whose headquarters appear to be the Kapuas river, Dutch Borneo, are an unsettled wandering people who frequently come over into Sarawak for trading purposes. Dr. A. C. Haddon, F. R. S. who measured 7 individuals finds that these had an average cephalic index of 76.2; he does not group them in any of the five classes into which he divides the natives of Sarawak, but it is likely that they fall into the Kenyah-Kayan division (cf. A sketch of the Ethnography of Sarawak, Haddon, Archivio per l'Antropologia et I' Etnologia, Vol. XXXI, 1901)
* ↑ * This tribe is placed by Dr. A. C. Haddon, (I.e.) in his group of Kalamantans.
* ↑ In any wind instrument sound is produced by causing the column of air contained in it to vibrate, and the instruments have been classified according to the means employed to produce this vibration. An outline of such a classification will help to elucidate that which I have adopted for the wind instruments of the Bornean peoples. 1. Trumpets—in these air is driven forcibly into the instrument through the almost closed lips of the player, the lips vibrating act as a partial valve and the air enters the instrument in a pulsatory manner. 2. Flutes, pan-pipes, flageolets, whistles, etc. In instruments of this class a jet of air is directed against the edge of the sound hole (technically known as the "voice") and so is cut in two, causing an interference which sets the air in the instrument vibrating and produces a musical note. a. Transverse flutes—in which a jet of air is directed by the lips against the edge of the "voice". b. End-flutes, pan-pipes—in which the jet of air is directed by the lips across the open end of a tube so as to impinge against the edge.
* ↑ Classes II— VI are all bamboo instruments.