Men and women are seen who have their eyebrows shaved to thin lines.
This is a matter of individual taste and is done only for beauty.
Neither sex makes use of tattooing, nor do they mutilate the lips or
nose, but what they lack in these respects they make up for in ear
ornaments.
When a child is very young a small hole is pierced in the ear lobes, and
into this opening a piece of twisted banana or hemp leaf is placed.
(Fig. 5a). This leaf acts as a spring, continually enlarging the opening
until the ear plugs can be inserted. Another method, sometimes employed,
is to fill the opening with small round sticks (Fig. 5b), adding more
from time to time, until the desired result is obtained. The plugs worn
by the women are of wood, the fronts of which are inlaid with silver or
brass in artistic designs, and are connected by strands of beads passing
under the chin (Fig. 6). Large wooden ornaments are also worn by the
men, but more prized are large ivory ear plugs made like enormous collar
buttons (Plates II-IV). These are very rare, since the ivory for their
manufacture must be secured from Borneo, and by the time it has passed
through the hands of many traders it has assumed a value which limits
the possession of articles made from it to a few wealthy men. A further
method of ear adornment, frequently seen among the women, consists of
beads sewed into a number of holes which have been pierced through the
helices of the ears.