HEAD-HUNTING
The custom of head-hunting at one time prevailed to a great extent among
the Dyaks. In the old days no Dyak chief of any standing could be
married unless he had been successful in obtaining the head of an enemy.
For this reason it was usual to make an expedition into the enemy's
country before the marriage feast of any great chief. The head brought
home need not be that of a man; the head of a woman or child would
serve the purpose quite as well.
There were certain ancient customs which necessitated the possession of
a human head. When any person died, the relatives went into mourning.
They put away their ornaments and finery, and these were tied together
in bundles. At the feast in honour of the dead, these bundles were all
undone, and the men and women were allowed to wear their ornaments
again. Some man cut the string with which they were tied up, but before
he could do such a thing, it was necessary that a human head be brought
into the house, and it was usual for the man who had obtained that head
to take a leading part in the ceremonies and cut open the bundles. It
was also customary to make an offering of a fresh human head to the
spirits when a new village house was to be built.
But these customs are not now universally observed. At the feast in
honour of the dead, the headman of the house generally cuts open the
bundles of finery that have been put away, and at the building of a new
house, the killing of a pig is supposed to satisfy the demands of the
spirits.
It is presumed that a man, who has secured a human head, must
necessarily be brave. But this need not be the case at all, for, as I
have already mentioned, the head may be that of a woman or child. Again,
the heads need not be obtained in open warfare. Very often the head of
an enemy is taken while he is asleep. Nor is it necessary that a man
kill his victim alone with his own hand. Frequently many of his friends
help him to kill some unfortunate man whom they have waylaid.
In the old days an expedition, that one tribe intended to take against
another, was announced at one of their feasts, when the village was
thronged with guests from far and near. Some great chief would advance
his reason for the desired attack. Either some of his people had been
slain and revenge was called for, or else they required a human head to
enable them to put off their mourning. Or perhaps they wished to build a
new house, and required some human heads to offer to the spirits of the
earth. Or, possibly, he himself wished to marry, and wanted a head as a
proof of his valour in the eyes of his lady-love. Among the crowd who
listened, there would be many who wished to follow him on the war-path.
The women would urge their husbands, or lovers, or brothers to go. The
chief would choose a certain number to form a council of war. These
would discuss the matter, and it would be decided when the party was to
start for the enemy's country, and how much food each man was to take
with him.
Then the War Spear would be sent round to the neighbouring villages, to
let all know of the expedition. A man would bring the spear to a long
Dyak village house, deliver his message, and return, leaving the spear
to be carried on by one of the men in that house to the next village,
and so on. At once the men in that house would get their war-boats
ready. They would furbish up their arms, and sharpen their weapons, and
decorate their helmets and war-jackets.
The costume a Dyak wears when going on the war-path, consists of a
basket-work cap, decorated with feathers, and sometimes with human hair,
a sleeveless skin or cotton jacket, and the usual Dyak costume of the
waistcloth. For weapons, he has a sword. This may be of foreign or of
their own make. It is a dangerous weapon at close quarters. He also has
a spear consisting of a long wooden shaft of some hard wood with a steel
spear-head, which is tied on firmly to the shaft with cane. For
defensive purposes the Dyak has a large wooden shield, about three feet
long, which, with its handle, is hollowed out of a single block of wood.
It is held in the left hand, well advanced before the body, and meant
not so much to receive the spear-point, as to divert it by a twist of
the hand. It is generally painted in bright colours, and often decorated
with human hair.
Sometimes the shaft of the spear is a _sumpit_ or blow-pipe. This is a
small wooden tube about eight feet long. The smoothness and straightness
of the bore is remarkable. The hole is drilled with an iron rod, one end
of which is chisel-pointed, through a log of hard wood, which is
afterwards pared down and rounded till it is about an inch in diameter.
The dart used with the _sumpit_ is usually made of a thin splinter of
the _nibong_ palm, stuck into a round piece of very light wood, so as to
afford a surface for the breath to act upon. These darts are sharpened
to a fine point, and are carried in neatly-carved bamboo quivers.
The poison for these darts is obtained from the _ipoh_ tree (upas).
Though the wound made by the dart is very slight, yet so potent and
deadly is the poison, that death follows in a very short time.
The Dyaks do not attack a village if their approach has been discovered,
and the people are on the defensive. Under these circumstances, they
content themselves with cutting off stragglers, or hide near the
water-side for people who are going to bathe, or on their way to examine
their fish-traps. These they attack unawares, cut down, take their
heads, and escape into the jungle before the alarm is given.
When fighting, the Dyak warriors gather round their chiefs and defend
them bravely. Relatives often cluster together for mutual help. When one
of them is killed, rather than allow the enemy to take his head, they
decapitate him themselves, and bring his head back.
On the return from a war expedition, if the people of any particular
boat have secured a human head, word is sent up to the Dyak village
house, as soon as the boat reaches the landing-stage. The men remain in
the boat, and wait there, till all the women-folk come to it dressed in
their best. The excitement is great, and there are continual shouts of
triumph as the women, singing a monotonous chant, surround the hero who
has killed the enemy and lead him to the house. He is seated in a place
of honour, the head is put on a brass tray before him, and all crowd
round him to hear his account of the battle, and how he succeeded in
killing one of his foes.
[Illustration: ON THE WARPATH]
The Dyaks value very highly the heads taken in war. They hang them over
the fireplaces in the long open verandahs of their houses, they make
offerings to them, and they believe that the souls of those whom they
have slain will be their slaves in the other world. I look upon it as a
remarkable fact worthy of record, that two great Dyak chiefs, who became
Christians--one the Orang Kaya of Padih, Saribas, and the other, Tarang
of Krian--should have taken such a decided step as to refuse to
treasure their enemies' heads any more. They were both men of position,
with a great reputation for bravery. Two of the grandchildren of the
Orang Kaya were at my school at Temudok for some time. A son of Tarang,
Tujoh by name, worked as my Catechist in Krian for several years. While
so many Dyak Christians are most unwilling to give up all their old
heathen customs, these two Christian Dyak chiefs happily took up the
right attitude, in such an important matter in the eyes of the Dyaks as
head-hunting.