Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-07-05


IL we call Australia a continent. as
many wise men do, then Borneo would
lie the largest island in the world. /
need not tell you where It is, nor that
the equator runs through it so that it
!: warm country.
There are 8 great many different
tribes in Borneo, with different Ian
guages and different forms of pagan
Ism, OF all these it is well to know. but
for the present 1 shall take ND the time
In telling you about the Dyaks.
The Dyaks arc divided into two
great tribes, the sea Dyaks and the
land Dyaks. The latter are a fierce,
wariike people; and until the civilized
nations sent ships to punish them, the
the former were the most daring and
cruel pirates in the world. The
Dyaks of both tribes are not
so dark as our Indians They
are of medium height. and no men
In all the world surpass or even equal
them in strength and activity. While
so fierce and cruel, the Dyaks might be
called handsome people, The strong
est men rarely have any beard. and but
for the dress, it would be difficult to
tell the sexes apart.
The land Dyaks-even the women
tattoo their arms and breasts, but the
sea Dyaks never disfigure themselves
in this way, SO that it is easy to tell
them apart. One of the things that
surprised me most among the land
Dyaks was the fact that all the chill
dren, boys and girls, had the most
beautiful white teeth ever saw while
the teeth of the grown up people were
as black as ink. and shone as if they
had been japanned. The stain for the
teeth is produced from the sap of a
native tree, and the staining is great
event among these people. 1t is usual
ly followed by feast, for it marks
that period of life when the girl is to
be regarded as a woman and the boy as
a man.
All the men, women and children
among the land Dyaks delight in adorn-
ing their arms and ankles with rings of
brass and coils of copper wire. The
reason the sea Dyaks do not use these
ornaments is that if they upset their
boats the load of metal would cause
them to sink.
Although considered savages. the
Dyaks build comforta BILE houses, live in
villages ruled over by a chief. and they
are wonderfully skillful in working
iron ore into steel blades. Their swords
are only exceled by the famous blades
OF Toledo and Damascus, and they not
only make sharp, bright swords, but
they are SO expert in using them that
hand to hand they have beaten the best
English soldiers.
There is great deal of swampy
country in the land of the Dyaks, in
southeastern Borneo, and these OBJ
stacles to travel are overcome, not by
boards or bridges, such as we have,
but by means of ropes swung from tree
to three, or from bank to bank. The
people cross these slender bridges with
a rapidity and ease that would amaze
our best tight-rope dancers Women
with unconcern carry great loads over
these ropes. and they cross them like
squirrels, with their children strapped
to their backs. They use no balancing
poles, and even little tots of children
run over these ropes, or swing from
them, seemingly as secure as if they
were on the solid earth.
wanted to cross one of these bridges
in order to make journey, but did
not dare undertake it. There was
nothing left for me but to trust my one
hundred and fifty pounds weight to
Dyak guide. He took me on his back
with an ease and confidence that ought
to have treasured me, but it did not.
closed my eyes and held my breath, but
that man carried me across on a rope
hundred feet in length and not much
thicker than a clothesline, and he
would have carried my rife and bag
gage at the same time had I not vio-
lently protested.
The women are skillful in weaving a
strong and firm cloth from the fibres
of native plant, and though there is
no need to burden themselves with
heavy garments, their attire is becom-
ing and picturesque. The children.
like all the children of these tropic is
lands. go nearly naked, but they have
great fondness for wearing garlands
of bright-hued flowers about their
heads, and they often make most be-
coming capes of the same beautiful but
frail materials.
have seen the boys and girls of every
land, but do not think l ever met any
so slender graceful, active and tireless
as the young land Dyaks. They i'm
pressed me in their movements and
with their peals of musical laughter. as
being intangible from the descendants
of the fairies, of whom l had delighted
to read as child. One of the great
charms of the Dyak women and young
folks is their hair. 1t is black. thick.
glossy and we'll cared for. and where
allowed to flow freely over the back it
frequently touches the ground.
Unlike most savage races. the Dyak
men treat their women with much af
lection and do not throw on them the
great burden of the work. The women
are good cooks, and all the Dyaks are
great eaters, as are most people who
take a great deal of exercise. These
people have idols, yet they believe that
there is only one true God, but they
have innumera BILE evil spirits, and they
have a horror of going near a grave q.
night. particularly the grave of a rela-
tive or friend.
While they are afraid of dead friends,
they like to have the trophies of dead
foes near them. AS 1 have told you,
they are great fighters, and they are
ALWAYS at war with their neighbors.
The great purpose of their battles is
to ret heads-that is, they cut off the
heads of the enemy slain in battle. and
bear them to their villages in triumph.
The heads are preserved by being
smoked. In every village of the land
Dvaks there is large building known
as ..the head house. In this are stored
- ,-+ha heads taken by the pres