Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-02-13
sorneo Women Preparing for Harvest Festival.

ing for Harvest Festival.
Boards are tabu among Dyaks, and
the young men spend great deal OF
their time carefully pulling out hairs
Quicklime is also rubbed on the face
to destroy the hairs. The dislike of
facial hair goes even farther among
some tribes In which both the men and
the women shave the eyebrows and
pull out the eyelashes, a practice
which gives their faces a verify va
cant expression.
Many Families In One House.
A Village" among the Dyaks Is a
one-house affair. Twenty-Five or thirty
or even more families live together I'M
der one roof in ''long house." This
structure Is built on hardwood piles
which raise its floor six, or eight, or
even twelve feet off the ground. A
notched log at each end furnishes
means of ingress and egress.
Both the roof and the outer walls
are matched with palm leaves made
into huge shaggy shingles. The
houses are built in straight line with
a horizontal ridge pole and sloping
sides which extend practically to the
floor level Near the bottom, how
ever, sections of the roof are hinged
so that they may be raised and propped
up to admit air.
Outside the roof along the length Of
the house the floor is continued to
make wide uncovered veranda or
wooden terrace. Rice and clothing
IRE placed on this veranda to dry and
numerous odd jobs, such as the sharp
ening of tools by the men, dying by
the women, are performed on this
open-air structure. Ironwood is usual
floor because of its resistance to the
weather.
Just inside the roof from the ex-
posed veranda is the covered veranda
or ruai which also extends the entire
length Of the house. The floor there
with rattan. No partitions obstruct
the ruai and 1t Is usually a cool place
where the Dyaks love to lounge, talking
or engaging in some indoor occupation
such as weaving cloth or mats, chop
ping firewood or even building boats.
Thick mats of cane and bark cover
the floor. Slabs of stone are let into
the floor opposite the quarters of each
fanny to form small fireplaces. Above
these hearths, among the savages, is
displayed the owners collection of hui
man heads.
How Dyaks Fish.
The Dyaks eat much fish which they
catch in a variety of ways. They make
fish traps of bamboo and rattan which
they set in streams. They also use
nets. The most popular of these is the
jola, circular net with weights about
the edge, which they cast. Sometimes
these nets are as much as 20 feet
across. A high degree OF skill is shown
in casting the jola, so that all the
outer edge touches the water at once.
The weights cause the net to close
about the fish underneath, and she
catch is hauled up by rope, one end
of which is attached to the net while
the other is tied firmly to the throw
er's wrist.
Fishing with the aid Of tuba root is.
however, the favorife method Fishing
parties are organized on large scale
and the expeditions become gala events.
All of those who are to participate
take bundles of tuba root, nets and
spears to some river selected for the
enterprise. The first step is to build a
fence of stakes from bank to bank
save in the center where an opening
| is left into an enclosure which VIII
| trap fish attempting to escape. Then
| the bundles of tuba root are loaded
| into canoes and taken several miles
| up stream. Several canoes are beached
| and filed with water and in them the
root is soaked, beaten and wrung. Be
| fore a great while the canoes are filed
with whitish, soapy liquid. The re
manning canoes are manned and then
the poison solution is emptied into the
stream. Fish, stupefed by the tuba,
rise on all sides. The larger ones are
speared while the smaller are caught
| up in nets by the women and children
amid much excitement. The fish swim
ming down stream to escape the poison
are caught by the fence and trap
Great quantities of fish are taken in
these drives, the surplus being dried
for future use. The poison does moi
affect the food value OF the fish.