Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-02-13

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washington. D. CD
To most ears Borne0 is almost a
synonym for the end Of the earth. Yet
its people are not quite so savage as
might De supposed, for they have
been subjected for years, save in the
heart Of the big island, to the fringe of
civilization that is constantly extend
ing, chiefly under Dutch and British in
Auence, through the islands Of Malay
STA.
The country, however, Is wild,
choked by a riOtous tropical growth.
The jungles of the island embrace
tremendous areas covered with huge
trees. Almost lost in this growth are
mountains under mantle of ever
green foliage. Even cliffs that else
where might stand out gauntly are
buried under blanket of vines and
ferns. The trees are noteworthy chief
ly because of their enormous size and
the way In which they are crowded to-
gether. There is little of beauty or
color. Very few bright flowers break
the monotony of green leaves and
greenish brown trunks and stems. Now
and then one encounters few reddish
berries. Orchids abound, to be sure,
but the observer on the ground Is al
most ignorant of their existence, for
they grow far up In the world of green
foliage where they may find place in
the sun.
These somber regions are still peo-
pied by scantily dressed men and WON
en- who, in their strange houses, live
in world of queer ceremonies, super
stitions and customs. The few West
erners who know primitive Borneo fear
that they see an end of it In the not
distant future, for civilization already
gives evidence of putting an end to
many distinctive customs of the Dyaks
as the chief people are called. In the
towns that have grown up along the
coasts, Dyaks are mixing with other
races, and the garb Of the West Is be-
coming more and more popular.
The passage of the last three-quar-
tiers of century has made one diff
ference in the Dyak's mode of life,
much to the advantage of the COM
munity. In the middle of the Nine
teenth century the various tribes were
in constant warfare, The odd "long
together were surrounded by stock
AIDES. Frequently the young men
would 60 on sorties against some
neighboring tribe merely that they
might add to their CHASTITY collection
of human heads, for these people were
head-hunters. BY such exploits they
gained favor In the eyes Of the Dyak
girls.
Dyak and Malay Pirates.
At that time, too, the Malay pirates
were in the height Of their power,
and many Dyak braves Joined them in
their attacks on ships in the China
Singapore trade. These ruthless al
lies made it point to destroy every
ship that came into their waters, muir
derlng a large part of the crew and
capturing the rest for slaves. Their
terrible boats, manned by from so to
so men, hid in coves and darted out on
their unsuspecting prey whose ships
were then dependent on sails alone.
Such expeditions were the delight of
the Dyaks since they not only were
highly profitable but also afforded an
easy source of human heads for their
trophy racks. The appearance of
steam war vessels put an end to this
piracy, and the growth of British in
huence In BorneO also practically put
stop to head-hunting.
The Dyak of Borneo is somewhat
taller than the Malay. but is inferior
in stature to the average European.
The men are slender, their form sug-
costing activity and endurance rather
than great strength. The women are
somewhat smaller and well proper
toned They are good-looking when
young, but show age early.
The Dyaks practice the ugly Gus
tom of blackening their teeth, this
being considered mark of beauty. A
coconut shell or piece of certain
kind of wood is held over fire until
a black juice Is forced to the surface
While still warm this waxy surface Is
| spread over the teeth. Sometimes
front teeth are filed to points. An ode
sort OF dentistry is also practiced By
some tribes. holes being drilled ii
| front teeth which are then filed witt
1 brass studs.