New-York tribune., 1896-12-06

THE DYAK IN WAR AND PEACE

lHE III AN IN VAN AMI IE<>NE.
When il comes to war the Dyak poet knows
how to he grand in his turn. His heroes are
mighty with spear and sword and the fight
sweeps hither and thither across the plain of
heaven like one of the scenes of the Had
When the army marches back after the battle
it is not along the plain Of high heaven as
imagined by the Japanese. but through gloomy
jungles like those of Bornco. through solitudes
uninhabi' cd full of weird sounds" Thus it is
evident that the Dyak legends have no historic
background and that the Dyak is now what he
has been ever since the separate life of his race
began. Yet this very hero story of a war
waged by mortals against the gods is curious in
It's parallels with the more studied verse OF
other races. The principal warrior. handsome
enough in his person. is as crooked and
sooty as Nulcan in his Disguise and IT is In this
disguise that he wins the Dyak Venus When
he loses his wife through the agency OF some
visitors from her celestial home his mishap is
not unlike that OF the Northern Vulcan. Way
land the Smith. AS it happens that the Dyak
story is in this more nearly complete than
the fragmentdry Morse poem 1T is worth look
ing at for its suggestveness. 1t includes a
visit TO the Dyak Hades, and If it were told in
full would doubtless comprise references to the
narrow unsteady bridge which the Dyaks. like
the Persians Arabians and medieval Chris
tians. place in the way by which souls must
pass to the other world. II only illustrates the
confusion Of races and myths in BOrneo to OBJ
serve that while the Dyaks have so many
thoughts in common with distant peoples. they
know nothing of that furious beast Cerberus,
while their neighbors the Mianaus. are quite
familiar with him. They say, however that he
has only two heads Like Homer. they appear
to have no name for him.
While the past seems to them in all its details
like the present. yet they look back to 1t with
affection Their only wealth. in their own eyes,
aside from the heads Of slain enemies. are the
jars and gongs and articles of personal adorn-
ment which descend to them heirlooms Until
they came in touch with European civilization
they had no conception of land as permanent
property. though even lonely beetree in the
jungle was carefully reserved to the man who
discovered it, Their hatred OF theft was re-
markabe and this crime is the above all
others which receives attention in their Hades.
But they abandoned old farms and took new
ones with no thought that land could have any
value of its At the same time in their
occasional mgrations the older men took the
utmost care Of ancient jars which to a civilized
man seemed Of little or no worth. On these
they set fabulous price. and 1t was by their
estimate Of these that they reckoned the value
of their other possessions. In the epic already
mentioned ii is spoken of as something wonder
full that house should be good enough to be
worth one jar But this is not strange when
pieces Of this ancient earthenware in good con-
dition are held at $500 each. and occasionally
as high as $500 or $1,000. Many zone of
beadwork owned by the women is also held at
an incredible price, apparently for no other rca-
son than that it is an heirloom. This way Of
estimating things is equally marked among
other tribes. Sentiment has as much to do with
ii as among civilized people who amass ancient
books and old furniture at fancy prices An
tiquity is confessedly the main element in the
valuation OF the ugly jars which they prize
They say that their ancestors bequeathed them
to the tribe. and they never part with them ex-
cept for others Of equal value owned by another
tribe. Once in the time of Rajah Sir James
Brooke, some Sea Dyaks went on mission to
England. The RaJah took their precious Jars
as security for their good conduct. and on their
return. when these were restored, they blessed
every Antu (spiriD under the sun. moon and
stars, for their good fortune in again receiving
these jars each Of which they value as much
child" Some Jars were supposed to have
the magical power Of increasing the quantity OF
anything placed in them over night One in par
ticuar Is mentioned in this book which was
supposed to enhance the curative properties OF
any herbs placed in 1t: and another which be-
longed to a certain native Sultan was said 10
give forth mournful sounds on every occasion
OF impending misfortune in MS family. Add to
these superstitions that the pottery is not an
cestral with the Dyaks nor indeed with any of
the present known inhabitants Of the island.
and the whole matter becomes as complicated
as some of the crazes for curious or antique
things among civilized people. The Dyaks make
no mistake on one point however, a point on
which wiser people are sometimes careless
Their Jars are all unquestionably old. Not even
the Chinese. those expert imitators. have at
tempted to counterfeit this yenerated bric-a-
brac
The jars are said to have been taken long ago
from the tombs Of q now extinct people This