In Borneo there are many varieties of palms. There is the nibong palm, the trunk of which is often used for the posts of native houses. When split up, it is used for the flooring. There is the sago palm, from the pith of the trunk of which sago is obtained. There are the cocoanut and betel-nut palms, and lastly a useful climbing palm—the cane, or rotan—which is exported in great quantities and used for the seats of chairs.
There are many kinds of useful woods to be found in the Bornean jungles. There is the bilian, or iron-wood, which is so valuable for building purposes, as it is practically indestructible. It will not rot in earth or water, and it is the only wood that the white ants cannot destroy. There are also many other hard woods used for the building of houses and the making of keels for boats.
The ebony-tree is to be found in Borneo. The ebony is the heart of the tree, the rest of the wood being of a light colour.
The camphor-tree is also found, as well as various trees which produce gutta and rubber of different sorts.
There are many fruit-trees, but the fruit most loved by the Dyaks is the durian. This grows on a large tree, and is about the size of a man’s head. When ripe, it is easily split open, and in it are pods in which are rows of seeds covered with a sweet pulp.
CHAPTER XII
OMENS AND DREAMS
Seven omen birds—Other omen animals—Omens sought before beginning rice-farming—House-building omens—Substitutions for omens—Good and bad omens in farming—A dead animal—Means of avoiding bad effects—Omens obeyed at all times—Bird flying through a house—A drop of blood—Killing an omen bird or insect—Origin of the system of omens—Augury—Dreams.
The Dyak is conscious of his ignorance of the natural laws which govern the world in which he lives. He longs for some guidance in his precarious farming, in his work in the lonely depths of the jungle, in his boating over the dangerous rapids or treacherous tides of the swift rivers. He is aware that injury or death may suddenly confront him from many an unexpected source. He knows that Nature has voices, many and varied, and he is convinced that if he could only understand those voices aright, he would know when to advance and when to recede. He feels the need of guidance, and he has devised for himself a system of omens.