The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-11-29
DUSUNS OF BORNEO.
A LITTLE KNOWN TRIBE AND IT'S
STRANGE SUPERSTtTiONS.
The Worship of the "Gusi''-Revenge
Between Tribes-The OranG Bajaus
and Their Pearl Diving Customs-A
Dusun House.

The Worship of the "Gusfs-Aeven0e
Between Tribes-The OranE BaJaus
and Their Pearl Diving Customs-A
Dusun House.
Not far from the island of Sulu, the
oriental possessions, lies the island OF
Borneo, and in the far interior OF this
island is a race called the Dusuns,
which is quite distinct from the Mo
hammedan tribes of other parts OF
the island aud which has many Gus
toms of exceptional interest. Hitherto
very little has been known about this
curious race, but it is now attracting
the study of ethnologists, and there IS
much speculation as to its history and
origin.
Opinions vary as to whether the
Dusuns are the aboriginals of North
Borneo or are descended from Chinese
who settled on the coast at period
far remote from the present era. The
race is split up into different tribes,
but all have a common language.
There are certain differences between
the language as spoken by the various
tribes, making several dialects, as It
were, of the Dusun tongue. The coast
natives know little Of these people and
their habits and customs, fact ac-
counted for in part by the circum-
stance that they look down upon them.
The coast tribes are Mohammedans,
and the Dusuns have virtually no re-
ligion; hence the lack of harmony be-
tween these residents Of Borneo. for
religious liberation Is not a leading
characteristic of the Mohammedan
faith.
The nearest thing the Dusuns appear
to have to religion is their generation
for certain jars in the possession Of the
tribe called "gusi," which are objects
Of something akin to fetch worship.
The Dusuns believe that long years ago
a man was walking along a river bank
when he saw rows and rows Of jars.
Taking up stones. he threw them and
hit about twenty of the vessels. Those
which were hit remained; the rest
melted away before his sight. These
were the beginning of the gust" which
the Dusuns believe to have such virtues
that they send for them on the occa-
sion of marriages or funerals or when
sickness or trouble Of any kind visits
a village. The arrival OF a talisman
bringing a gust to a village where
there is sickness is joyful occasion.
The Dusuns live in long houses OF
bamboo. They occupy these houses
somewhat as did the Iroquois Of the
United States in days gone by-severai
families to house, but each with its
own section Or apartment. An English
writer. Cyril c. Pike. describes a visit
to one Of these bamboo homes, which
was eighty feet long. Down the length
of one side was passage from which
the rooms for the different families
opened, and there were about a dozen
Of the apartments. On the opposite
side of the passage was raised plat
form running the entire length OF the
house. on which sat the people living in
the structure. engaged in such occupa-
tons as spinning, weaving and making
round conicaI hats. The Dusuns are
very revengeful, and feuds between
tribes are kept up for generations.
Each tries to get the last word" or
head. The matter may run along for
some years, and then a man belonging
to tribe which has feud with an
other will get lost in the jungle white
hunting or a woman will 60 to the
river for water, never to return.
Another interesting Borneo tribe Is
that Of the Orang Bajaus. living on the
coast at the head Of Labuk bay. They
are pirates and pearl hunters and live
partly in houses erected over the water,
forming a Bornean Venice. In obtain
ing the pearls the Bajaus strip and
dive into the sea, each carrying a bas-
ket of rattan cane. They remain IN
der long time and when they come up
generally have their baskets 6lled with
mud and oyster shells. The latter are
piled In the boats. and the pearls are
taken from them after they are car
red home.
When the pearl divers reach home
the shells are opened and the contents
thrown into a large iron pan OF water
The pan Ia put on the fire and slowly
heated. The contents are then placed
In a tub and allowed to remain TIL
putrened. Next the rotten
mass is taken up. small quantity at
a time. rubbed between the palms Of
the hand and allowed to drop into
clean water. where the small pearls
drop to the bottom Of the pan, ana tAs
dirty water Ii thrown out.
They'd He Grateful.