Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-11-05
MANY STRANGE PEOPLES
MISSIONARY AND
TEACHER WRITES HOME
Miss Emma Olson Tells of Her Work
and Customs of the Many Tribes
That Interest Her

Inc CENSOR Is privileged 10 use the
subJoined letter written from Singa-
pore, China, by Miss Emma Olson, to
the Ladies Home Missionary Society
of Viroqua:
Living as do among Japanese, Chi
.nese, Siamese, Malays, Javanese, Gin
galese, Tamils, Sikhs and dozen other
folk of every caste and color, a people
whose weddings, funerals, feasts, man
ner of dress and so on, are each a suf-
ficient theme for long letter, you will
readily understand that delay in the
letter writing is not due to a lack of
subject matter but rather to the old
fashioned excuse of time, time, time"
Besides mingling daily with these var
ious sights and sounds. had the privi-
lege recently, of spending a short time
in British North Borneo. Again, as
often before, have had reason to ex-
claim: ''Oh for the talent of Kipling"
But alas, even so, any description, how
ever vivid, could not adequately portray
the actual thrill of interest awakened
in the various tribes who inhabit this
beautiful island.
The Dyaks, who are not unlike the
American Indian in general appearance,
are now the dominant race in Borneo.
They are well built people, not tall,
the average height being five feet, three
inches. The nose is somewhat fiat, the
hair straight with no curl in it. Like
most orientals, they have a peculiar
fondness for jewelry and gaudy wear
ing apparel. Silver chains, bracelets,
ankle-bands, medals, wire corselets,
rings in the nose and ears as well as on
the toes and fingers, usually complete
the outfit of these simple and apparent
ly happy people. On festal occasions,
the addition of piece of cloth, vary
ing in colors from the brightest green
TO the most dazzling scarlet, is often
thrown loosely over the shoulders and
does indeed make them look very at
tractive, especially the little folks.
When the children are young, the lobes
of the ears are pierced, and by the
insertion Of heavy lead or copper
rings. the lobes become so distend-
cd as TO hang down to the shoulders,
and with elderly women even lower.
The pyak village is a communal es-
tablishcient II does not consist of sep
arate huts occupied by any one family,
but of large common rooms. can
think Of no better resemblance to a
Dyak house than an enormous and ex-
ceedingly storm tossed tobacco shed
supported on poles twelve feet above
the ground. The means of ascent to
the house is by the trunk of tree with
notches cut in 1t "a most difficult, steep
and awkward ladder. The common hab-
itaticn, crude as II is enormous, meaEs-
ures as much as FIVE hundred feet In
length. The front room 10 the entire
length of the building. The back part
of the house Is divided by mat partitions
into the private apartments OF the var
ioue families. The front room is Oc-
cupied by the widowers and unmarried
men, as only those with wives are en-
titled to separate rooms. Other occu-
pants, besides men. women and chill
dren, are dogs, cate, monkeys, fowls
of all descriptions and, choicest of all
to these people, is the one article COM
mon to every typical Dyak house, name
ly dozens of CHASTITY, human skulls sus-
pended from the cross beams by means
of few strands of hair.
s., The Dyak custom of head hunting Is
founded on the same principle as scalp
hunting among the American Indians.
A young man finds il difficult to obtain
wife until he can present at least one
head to the object of his heart as token
of his proves, but it is quite immater-
ial whether that head be that of a
man or woman, old or young. II a Dy-
ak loses near relative it becomes his
duty to obtain head, for until this il
accomplished and a head feast has been
given, the family must remain in mourn
ing. Thus head hunting has become
an obligatory duty as well as natural
instinct. For all this, the Dyaks are
not as savage looking as you naturally
would conclude. The term childish is
not at all inapplicable. Hence, with
proper treatment, they submit very
readily to being taught and disciplined.
Missionary enterprise in Borneo is
still in its pioneer stage. The church
of England and the Roman Catholics
have churches and schools at Kuching,
the capital of Sarawak. and at various
other stations throughout the island.
At SIbu, on the Rejang river, there is
an American Methodist Episcopal Mis-
sion, established in 1900 to look after
the welfare of few Foo Choo Chinese
quite materially until now there are
eight schools and seven churches, the
number of native christians numbering
about four hundred
In Borneo, as elsewhere, the Chinese
are very progressive, and well they
deserve every opportunity, too. One
cannot be long associated with the Chi
nese people until the idea entertained
by 80 many at home, that they are
merely rascals and thieves, is dispelled.
tbs true, that like many Asiatics.
truth is often minus quality. Never
theless, their wonderful capacity for
work; their power of accommodating
wealth. their peculiar physical and men
tai endowments, their hospitality and
comparative liberality are by no means
+" be dispised. In short, the Chinese
u.ople are an excellent race and poor
show would these Eastern countries
make without their energetic presence.
Slow at times to be sure "a character
istic which even Europeans assimilate
in the tropics; but let me assure you
that even though we may be slow, we
plod along very steadily.
School is in session practically the
entire year with the exception of a
months vacation in January and an
other in August. Being loyal to King
George VII, even missionaries do not
stop for Thanksgiving, and what seems
almost worse, is teaching school on the
Fourth of July. But never mind, the
stars and stripes go up just the same
and American patriotism crowns the
closing hours of the day with mirth and
good cheer, after which every one adj
nits that after all, Sunny Singapore is
al right. In so many respects, we are
iar more favorably situated here than
my of our fellow workers in the neigh
,oring islands.
TIKI, 81 ~ l..