LEST WE FORGET

Restrictions During Headhunting

I am reposting an old observation about restrictions (pemali) which were practised by the people of Balau, Dau and Undup of more than a hundred years ago. I am doing this in case some of us missed it before. I feel this is important for all of us as it is a part of our heritage and and have made us the Ibans that we are today. Banting was a very early missionary post. So early in fact, that when the other Ibans upriver in the interior were practising their original religion, they always mentioned Banting. In the pengap, when the Iban gods visited the gawai celebrants in the interior, they commented on the places that they were passing through, including Banting. This was what they said when they Ngerara Menua passing Banting


Nama nyin Banting, 
Luching tetaing, inggar memunyi!
Nya ga laman Ini Manang sembiang pulai hari!

(Why?!! There is Banting,
Where bells ring lustily!
That is the place where Grandma Medicene Woman prays without spending a night!

This meant that Banting is a very old missionary settlement. As the Ibans of the interior did not understand the Christian religion, they thought that priests with long flowing robes were powerful medicene women. When medicene men became very effective and "powerful", they sometimes would cement their status and change their sex and become women. Thus the idea of hairy Europeans and Asian priests donning their priestly clothes fitted nice nicely with the Iban understanding of his cosmos. In the olden days too,  when communication was difficult, according to Iban customs, it would be considered  quite impolite if people congregated for a special function or if one  pays a visit and not spend a night there. But in Banting it looked strange because the priests and their flocks congregated and then soon afterwards returned to their respective places.

DYAK PEMALI (RESTRICTIONS)

FLORENCE E. HEWITT

Dear Mr. Editor,

      A few weeks ago I had the privilege of spending a holiday at the charming little Mission Station of Banting, where, as you will know, the largest community of Sea Dyaks in the world is to be found.While there, many things of interest came before my notice some of which I think you might like to hear.

      Every day and at any hour people were to be seen at the Mission House: perhaps it was for medicine they had come, but quite as frequently their visits were intended as friendly calls when they would sit, as if time were of no consequence, discussing with their mission friends the local topics of the day.Then in the evenings accompanied by my kind hostess Mrs. Dexter-Allen and our friend Miss Hall I was able to make a better acquitance with the natives by visiting them in their own homes.

      Unfortunately, at this particular time only the women were in Banting as the men had been called out to the ‘seat of war’: yet it was this very fact of the absence of the men which brought to our notice the interesting customs enumerated below.

      It was only natural at such a time- with husbands and lovers parted from them- that the absent ones should be the constant theme of the ladies, and ever in their conversation with us they were wont to speak of those on the warpath: on one occasion an anxious wife asked us whether by means of a tropong (telescope) we could discern the state of affairs ‘at the front’.

      Quite accidently one day we made the interesting discovery that whenever Sea Dyaks go forth to wage war, it is customary for the wives in their absence to fulfil certain conditions in order to preserve the lives of their husbands.A woman came up to visit us bringing as a small present a little bag full of a padi preparation (letup) something like our English popcorn.This she said she would make every day until her husband returned, and early every morning she would scatter some about the verandah, and just as the elastic popcorn lightly skips and bounds from the hard wooden floor, so while she follows this rule will her husband be agile when running from danger or when pursuing the foe.I may mention incidentally that she then proposed that my hostess should resort to this same plan to ensure the safety of the absent host then away with the army!

      Another time I had occasion to remark on the untidy condition of the ladies’ hair (very unusual amongst Dyak women) and this too I found was to be attributed to a like cause, as will be seen below: and the afterwards we learnt many more of these interesting customs for we had daily opportunity of observation for ourselves how religiously these duties were performed.I am indebted to Miss Hall for the full particulars given below of the taboo followed by the men on the warpath and their women-folk at home.

      For the women:-

      1 . . . . . They must wake up very early in the morning and as soon as it is light open the windows; otherwise the men will oversleep themselves and not hear the warning cry of the begau (panic).The windows are opened early so that it may be light and bright for the men to set out on the march.

      2 . . . . . It is mali (forbidden) to put oil on the hair or the men will slip when walking on a batang.

      3 . . . . . The women must neither sleep nor doze during the daytime or the men will be drowsy when walking.

      4 . . . . . They must cook and scatter popcorn on the verandah early each morning.Thus shall their husbands be agile in their movements.At the same time the women sing a verse:-

      Oh kamba, enti tinggi surok,

       Enti baroh, perjok

      Munsoh suroh ngenong

      Awak ka baka ditanggong,

      Baka disengkutong.

Which is being interpreted is-

      “Oh, you absent ones,

      If any high thing overhanging

      Impedes your progress, dodge under it –

      Any low thing, jump over it.

      Petrify your enemies:

      So that they may be caught unaware.”

      5 . . . . . It is forbidden to bathe in the usual way, wetting the petticoat, for should the kain become wet and heavy so will the men feel heavy in body and unable to walk or run quickly.

      6  . . . . . The rooms must be kept very tidy, all boxes being placed near the walls, for should they cause anyone to stumble, then will the men fall when walking or running and thus they may be at the mercy of the enemy.

      7 . . . . . They must eat food only at meal times and then properly sitting down; otherwise their husbands will be tempted to eat leaves or earth when on the march thus provoking the amusement or even contempt of their friends.

      8 . . . . . At each meal a little rice must be left in the pot and this must be put aside so that the men may always have something to eat and never go hungry.

      9 . . . . .On no account must the women sit long enough to get cramp whilst weaving the kain; otherwise the man also will become stiff and be unable to rise up quickly after sitting or to run away.

      To obviate this, the women intersperse their weaving operations by frequent walks up and down the verandah.

      10 . . . . . It is forbidden to cover up the face with a blanket or the men will not be able to find their way through tall grass or jungle.

      11 . . . . .They must not sew with a needle for the men will tread upon tukak (sharpened spikes of belian wood or bamboo placed point upwards in the ground by the enemy).

      12 . . . . .Flowers must not be worn nor scent used; otherwise the movements of the men will be revealed to the enemy by their smell.

      13 . . . . . It is unlucky to break the kain apit (the piece of leather or bark of tree with which the women support their backs when weaving).Should this occur, the men will be caught by the chin on some overhanging bough.

      14 . . . . . Should a wife prove unfaithful while her husband is away, he will lose his life in the enemy’s country.

      For the men:-

      1 . . . . . They must not cover up the rice when cooking, or their vision will become obscured and the way be difficult to see.

      2 . . . . . The spoon must not be left standing up in the rice pot; otherwise the enemy will so leave a spear sticking in their bodies.

      3 . . . . . During cooking time, should the pots be a distance apart from each other, they must be connected by sticks; so will the men have neighbours near should they be surprised by the enemy. It is customary, however, to put the pots close together.

      4 . . . . . It is mali to pick out the bits of husk from the rice before eating; otherwise the enemy will in like manner pick out that man from a group.

      5 . . . . . As the rice is taken from the pot, the cavity thus left in the food must immediately be smoothed over; otherwise wounds will not heal quickly.

      6 . . . . . It is unlucky to sleep with legs crossed or touching those of a neighbor lest the spears of the enemy smite the unfortunate offender of this taboo.

      It is perhaps somewhat doubtful whether the men as a whole obey these rules, but certain it is that the women of Banting followed the restrictions herein imposed; and, moreover, at other villages which I had the pleasure of visiting we found exactly the same state of affairs.

      Doubtless some will smile at the credulity of these ignorant people and yet, as we all know, magical superstitions held their sway in the minds of our fellow countrymen in mediaeval times: and even to-day it would not be difficult to find many who are bound by superstitions not less gross than those dealt with here.In fact we might parallel the Dyak pemali by the following taboo existing among our own people:-

      It is unlucky to see the blades of knives crossed on a table; crossed knives are invariably followed by a quarrel.

       It is unlucky to hear the howling of a dog through the midnight hours for it will surely be followed by the wailing of mourners.

    And there are several others which I can call to mind without being able to assign an interpretation:-

      Cut your nails on Sunday and you’ll have a present on Monday.

      Don’t look at a new moon over your shoulder.

      On the whole, it seems to me, Mr. Editor, that the Dyak pemali should have a stronger claim on our consideration than has the apparently meaningless magic of our uncultured countryfolk.

      With apologies for so lengthy a letter,

Yours sincerely,

Florence E. Hewitt.