“Mino Pajabun.”—These are the ghosts of those who meet with an accidental death. Their name seems to be derived from a Dayak word meaning “To long for,” because it is said they pass their time in useless wailings over their hard fate.
“Mino Kok Anak.”—The spirits of women who have died in childbed. They delight to mount high trees, and to startle belated Dayaks by horrible noises as they are hurrying home in the twilight. There is also a ghost or spirit—whether “Mino” or “Umot,” I have not ascertained—known to the “Peninjaus,” which lives amid the holes of the rocks on the hills; it is called “Sedying,” and on a rainy day may be heard in its cave shivering and bemoaning as if suffering from the ague.
I have already mentioned that the custom “pamali,” called by the Land Dayak “porikh,” obtains among all the tribes, and is constantly practised. To propitiate the superior spirits, they shut themselves up in their houses a certain number of days, and by that, among other means, hope to avert sickness, to cure a favourite child, or to restore their own health. They also have recourse to it when the cry of the gazelle is heard behind them, or when their omen birds utter unfavourable warnings. They likewise place themselves under this interdict at the planting of rice, at harvest home, and upon many other occasions. During this time, they appear to remain in their houses, in order to eat, drink, and sleep; but their eating must be moderate, and often consists of nothing but rice and salt. These interdicts are of very different durations and importance. Sometimes, as at the harvest home, the whole tribe is compelled to observe it, and then no one must leave the village; at other times it only extends to a family, or to a single individual. It is also considered important that no stranger should break the taboo by entering the village, the house, or the apartment, placed under interdict. If any one should do so intentionally, he would subject himself to a fine.
The taboo lasts from one to sixteen days, according to the importance attached to the event. The animals used in the sacrifice are fowls and pigs, and I hear also that even dogs in certain tribes are occasionally employed. The fowls and pigs are eaten, but the dogs not, the blood only being required in their incantations. When a fowl is killed a taboo may last one, two, or four days; when a pig—and then it is usually a very important occasion—the ceremony may last four, eight, or sixteen days.
People under interdict may not bathe, touch fire, or employ themselves about their ordinary occupations. In conversation you continually hear even the Malays say, “It is pamali,” or interdicted by their superstitions, but if contrary to their religion they say “haram.”
I will notice a few things which the Dayaks consider must not be done by them; for instance, most are not allowed to eat the flesh of horned animals, as cattle and goats, and many tribes extend the prohibition to the wild deer. In their refusal to touch the flesh of cows and bulls they add another illustration of the theory that their religion is indirectly derived from the Hindu, or if not actually derived, greatly influenced by their intercourse with its disciples. They say that some of their ancestors, in the transmigration of souls, were formerly metamorphosed into these animals; and they slily, or innocently add, that the reason why the Mahomedan Malays will not touch pork is, that they are afraid to eat their forefathers, who were changed into the unclean animal. It has often struck me that the origin of many of their superstitions arose from the greediness of the elders; as in some of the tribes they, together with the women and children, but not the sturdy young men, may eat eggs. In other instances the very old men and the women may eat of the flesh of the deer, while the young men and warriors of the tribe are debarred from venison for fear it should render them as timid as the graceful hind.
The taboo which prevents certain families from consuming the flesh of snakes and other kinds of reptiles, most probably arose from some incident in the life of one of their ancestors, in which the rejected beast played a prominent part. It is religiously forbidden to all those intending to engage in a pig-hunt from meddling with oil before the chase, for fear the game should thus slip through their fingers. I may add, if a certain kind of bird flies through a house the inhabitants desert it; as they likewise do if a drop of blood be seen sprinkled on the floor, unless they can prove whence it came.
In addition to the incantations (Beruri) which accompany every feast (Gawei), there are special ones on occasions of sickness both in men and rice. The Dayak idea of life is this, that in mankind, animals, and rice there is a living principle called “semungat” or “semungi;” that sickness is caused by the temporary absence, and death by the total departure of this principle from the body. Hence the object of their ceremonies is to bring back the departed souls; and some of the feasts are held to secure the soul of the rice, which, if not so detained, the produce of their farms would speedily rot and decay. At sowing time, a little of the principle of life of the rice, which at every harvest is secured by their priests, is planted with their other seeds, and is thus propagated and communicated.
Sickness among mankind is occasionally caused by spirits inflicting on people invisible wounds with invisible spears; indeed, they themselves sometimes enter men’s bodies and drive out the soul. As a rule, to be ill is to have been smitten by a spirit,[8] for it is these implacable foes of mankind who under all circumstances entice forth and endeavour to carry away the souls of men. If any one in his wanderings through the jungle is wounded or killed by the spring traps[9] set near the farms to destroy pigs who may attempt to break through into the fields, it is because the spirit of the trap has caused darkness to pass over his eyes, so that he should not see the regular warning mark, consisting of two bamboos crossed, which tells of the neighbourhood of danger.
To return, however, to the incantations by which the inimical spirits are propitiated or foiled in their machinations. They are three: “Nyibaiyan,” or the ceremony for restoring health. At this only one fowl is killed; two priestesses are the actors, and they spend their time chanting monotonously; the taboo lasts two nights. The invalid and the person who prepares the magic ointment (a near relative of the patient) are the only persons subject to its restraints.