The Dog-Motive in Bornean Art by Ernest B. Haddon

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(
113 )
THE DOG-MOTIVE IN BORNEAN ART.
By ERNEST B. HADDON.
AMONGthe inhabitantsof Borneotattooingof the body and linmbs
is verycommon,
and the motivesof the designs vary considerably. An animal motiveis readily
has it becomein nmost,
apparentin some patterns,but so conventionalised
that it is
difficult
to discoverits identity; and it is only by comparisonwith moresimple
figuresthat it can be uinderstood.
Dr. A. W. Nieuwenhuis,'foundthat it was possible to divide the inhabitants
of NetherlandsBorneo into three groups accordingto theirmethodof tattooing.
The tattoopatternsof the women should alone be studied,because the men are
often tattooed with foreignpatterns when on their travels. The three groups
are:
1st Group.
2nd Group.
3rd Group.
Bahau, Kenyah,Punan.
Bukat,Beketan.
Tribesofthe Baritoand
Melawi Rivers,and the Ulu
Ayar ofMandai River.
Patterns of dark lines in Whole bodytattooedso that The whole body decorated
the patternis leftin skinwithdarklines.
isolatedfigures.
colour.
breastand Bukat youthtattooson chest Men commence with calf of
Men haveshoulder,
afteran heroic deed, and
thighdecorated.
leg.
laterall over.
bands
Womenchieflyhandsanidlegs.
Womenhave fore-arms,
and anklestattooed.
Tattoopatternson blocks ... Pattern drawn free-hando-n Pattern drawn free-handon
skin.
skin.
Black colour only
Women tattooers
...
...
... Black colour only
... Women tattooers
...
...
... Red and black.
Men tattooers.
...
It is interestingto note that the firstgroup,in addition to the Purians,
contains the low-brachycephalicBahau-Kenyah tribes to whom the Kayans are
related; the-secondconsists of nomadichuntingpeoples; and the third contains
the dolichocephalicelementof NetherlandsBorneo. These three groups nearly
agree thereforewiththe classificationof these peoples by theirphysicalcharacters.2
Dr. Hose has stated3that the Punans do not tattoo. He was evidently
I
QuerdurchBorneo,ErgebnisseseinerReisenin denJahren,1894,1896-97und 1898-1900,
Erster Teil, 1904.
2
Cf. Man, 1905, 13, February.
VOL. XXXV.
3
J,A.I., xxiii, p. 167.
I
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ERNEST B. HADDON.-The -Dog-motive
Art.
114
referring
to the Punans in a wild state,freefromforeigninfluence,for the Punans
of the Baram Districtwho have come under Kenyah or Kayan influence,tattoo
themselvesin Kenyah-Kayan fashion.
Ling Roth,' quotes de Windt's descriptionof tattooedPunans. There is no
evidelicethatde Windt evercameacrosswildPunans,thosehe mietwerePunans who
had lived with Bakatans or Kanowits,and, fromthe descriptionhe gives,their
tattooingwas evidentlyborrowedfromthe Kanowits, who seem to belong to
Nieuwenhuis' second group. The Punans that Nieuwenhuis observed were
probablyin the same way under Bahau-Kenyah ilnfluenice
and thereforeused
theirpatterns.
Dr. A. C. Haddon2 says that the Ibans (Sea Dayaks) did not tattoobefore
theycame underKayan influence,and theythemselvesadmit,as is quite obvious,
that theyuse Kenyah or Kayan designs. The women do not tattoo or only very
slightly.
Under these circumstanceswe may regard the firstgroupas containingthe
Bahau-Kenyah-Kayanpeoples,togetherwith the Punans and Ibans, both of whom
have copied the designsof the Bahau-Kenyah-Kayanpeoples.
Dr. A. W. Nieuwenhuis3says quite definitely
that a tattoopatternused by the
men of the Bahau or Mendalam tribes,alncdcalled by themaso, " dog,"represents
eitherthe head or the whole body of a dog.
iDr.W. H. Furness,4speakingof the isolated tattoo patternsof the Kayans of
the Baram District,says, "The designs consist of extremely conventionalised
of 'dog,' 'scorpions,'and 'heads of a prawn'; these are the native
representations
namiesgiven to different
patterns: in none of themis it possible to recognisethe
after
which
it
is
named.
ProfessorAlfredC. Haddon has expressedto rne
animal
the extremelyingenious explanation,that,notwithstandingthe native names,all
thesepatternsrepresentthe head of a dog. To this I nmodestly
and most humbly
demur,and incline to the belief that it is ratherthe head of that animal which
entersso largely into all theirceremonials,namely, the pig. It may be noted,
that this same pattern,whatevTer
furthermore,
be its origin,enters into all Kayan
decoration,whetherof doors,of beams,of implements,of bead-workor of graves."
Drs. Hose and McDougall6say, " It is usual forthe Kenyah men to have one
or moredesignstattooedon theirforearms,
and shoulders. Amongthe commonest
of these designs are those knowlnas the scorpion,the prawn, and the dog. I
is said that the dog's head designwas formerly
much morein fashionthan it is at
the presenttime." They informus that the dog,though not a sacred animal,is
allowed to prowl about,in and aroundthe house,as it wishes,and no Kenyah dare
kill a dog,indeed it is rarelykicked or struck. When a dog dies in a house its
carcase is pushed out of the house and into the riverwithlong poles. The spot
IThe lVatives
of Sarawak and BritishNorthBorneo,London,1896,vol. ii, p. 90.
2
and Brown,London,1901,p. 326.
fead-hunters,
Black, Thite,
3Quer durchBorneo.
4The Home-life
of BorneoHead-hunters,
Philadelphia,1902,p. 147,
aJ.A. L, xxxi, 1901,p. 187.
2
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ERNESTB. HADDON.-The Dog-motive
115
where the dog died on the floorof the house is fencedroundforsome days to
prevent the childrenwalking over it. Although Dr. Hose says the dog is not
treatedwithany particularrespect,yet enoughregardis paid to it to enable us to
understandwhy it mightappear as a commonmotivein designs.
The Kenyah-Kayan people carve their tattoo designs on wooden blocks.
These are coveredwithsoot and an impressionis made on the spot to be tattooed.
Certaindesignsor varietiesof a designare always used to decorate a special spot
of the body. Dr. Furniessspeaks of the impossibilityof recogQisingthe animal
motive representedon the blocks; and from isolated specimens it is well-nigh
impossibleto do so.
Fig. 1 shows a tomb of a Murik woman. At each upperangle is a dog's
head and body,
M
'4"R
"SO
near the middle
........
............
ZZM
OIIN .... ........
7e
.........
.......
.......
Z'
.........
is
of the fretwork
i"oON
"I 0
anotherdog facing
RN
..............
to the right,andcit is worthnotic15"
ing,that the artist
has not been fettered by the idea
ofsymmetry.We
may regard the
wavy pattern in
the fretwork as
the continuation
oftheconventional
undulating body
and tail ofthedog.
This suggestionis
Fie,
supportedby the
figure,Taf. 36, Fig. 66, given by Kiikenthall of a Long Kiput (Kalamantan2)
tombin whichthereis a dog's head at oneend of the designat the top of the tomb,
and a tail at the other enld,the pattern being a wavy band with characteristic
small scrollsin the sinuosities,the legs have quite disappeared.
At firstsight one might think that this figureis derived fr-oma dragon;
ChineseorSiamese jars,on which the dragonis so frequentlydepicted,are foundin
considerablenumbersrightinto the interiorof Borneo. ProfessorA. R. Hein3 has
discussedthe whole question of these Chinese jars, but n-owheredoes he suggest
that the dragon has been copied by the natives of Borneo. The dog-motive
certainlvdoes,in many cases, resemblethe dragon,but it seems to be another
NIN, V:"',
'."'U3 rN
. ... ...
.....
.......
AP
gm
. . ...... .....
ON!
.....
Z-
......
... ... . ..
11"
Wl
......
.... .......
........
Mm
.........
. ......
mi
TIM
ir, T-1
--Il-o
R"'Z
2
3
in den olulkken
Forschungsreise
und in Borneo,Frankfurt
a-M., 1896.
For aii explanationof thistermsee Man, 13, 1905.
Pie bildendenKiuste beiden Pa)yaksauf 1Borneo,
Wiei), 1890.
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116
ERNEST
in BorneanAlt.
B. HADDON.-The Dog-motive
example of convergentevolution,the two motivesdevelopingalonlgtheirown lines,
moreand more similar. There is no recordedevidence that
graduallybecomiing
Chinese designs are copied by the people in the interior of Borneo. Very
occasionallyin Iban mural decorationwe findChiinesesymbolsemployed,but the
Ibans are a coast people who are ascending the rivers,and have moreoverbeen in
contactwith Chinesetradersfora considerableperiod of time.
Dr. Nieuwenhuis gives a very complete series of tattoo blocks, illustratina
the evolution of the dog-motivein Netherlands Bornleo. Fig. 2A shows what
the nativesinformedhim was a doog; iin general appearance it closely reselmbles
the animald
on the Long Kiput grave (cf. Kilkenthal); in factit mightbe taken for
a sniake,but for the legs,which are, however,not conspicuous. Fig. 2B is a
P-4i-
A
9
B
F
FIG. 2.
"dog's" head, but complicatedby scrolls. In this the teeth have been left out.
The carverhas, however,incisedthemin position,but in such low relief that they
-wouldnot appear in an impressioniof the block,thiussatisfyingthe feeling of
expectancy. Fig. 2c illustrates a still more conventionaliseddog's head, frollm
which the teeth liave quite disappeared. Ficg. 2D representstwo dogs' heads
facing right and left, one eye servingofor the two heads. Fig. 2E shows a
simplerformof D, in whichthe jaws are quite simple,and the eye has becomethe
featureof the pattern. Figs. A, B, C, D, E, are all called aso,
most imiportant
"dog." Fig. 2F is a rosettewhich,judgingby this series,is obviouslyderivedfrom
the eye of the dog's head; Dr. Nieuwenhuisdoes not say whetherthe nativesrealise
this,but he leads one to believe that they are totally ignorantof the fact. The
people of NetherlandsB1orneo,
rosettetattooedon the sbouldersof IBahau.-Kenyah
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ERNESTB. HADDON.-The Doq-mnotive
Art.
117
is foundon the same spot on all theKenlyah-Kayanpeopleof Sarawak. Amiiong
the
Ibans, Kalamalntansand Punanis,similarpatternsare found tattooed on the samle
spot. The rosettewas broughtby the KeinyahsanidKanyanson theirimmnigration
into Sarawak,and possiblyeven they,at thaittime,did not realise that it was a
conventionaliseddog's eye.
Adoptedby the Ibans it appears as a star-sbapedor cruciformi
device,which
accordingto unipublishedinformationcollected by Dr. Haddon and the figures
of a fruitor
published by Dr. Fiurness(p. 148), is called by them afterthe nanme
flower. Undoubtr
edly the Ibans
conisiderthe rosette as a floral
design, especially
as the representation of planit
forimis
is traditional
amlongthemi,but
that is no reasoll
FIG. 3.
whythis so-called
flowerdesign should not be derived from a dog's eye. The Iban inameof this
designcarriesno weight,since even the Kayan orKenyah introducersof the rosette
its orig,in.
appear to have ceased to remiember
According to Dr. Hose, the Kenyahs and Kayans immigratedinto Sarawak
sorne three hundred years ago, and thus it is niotsurprisingto findthat their
patternshave becomespecialised.
the isolated
I have not been able to obtain intermediatelinks connectiiing
tattoo designs of the Kenyahs and Kayans of Sarawak withthe designsobtained
by Dr. Nieuwenhuisin NetherlandsBorneo,
I_
_
when furtherwork has beenldone,it
thoough
is possiblethat a completeserieswill be made
out. The designs tattooedonl the forearlms
anidthighsof the Kayan and Kenyah men of
the Baram District of Sarawak are on the
whole remnarkably
well definedand constant,
Fi,G. 4.
are
aso.
called
they
of bead-workon the scabbardof a parang, we
In Fig. 3A, which is a tracinig
see a dog pattern. The representationon the right shows a verytypicaldog's
head, with a decorated upper jaw, and a simpler lower jaw. In Fig. 3B3,also
bead-work,are two dogs withinterlacingbodies. The upper jaw is complicated,
and half way along its length appears a scroll, wlhichis very characteristic;
this scrollI believe to be the representativeof the eye-tooth,which has been
accentuated and used as a decorativefeatureof the upper jaw. The ears are
and highlydecorative. The lowerjaw is si;nple,and is balanced on the
enilarged,
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1.18
ERNEs313. IIADDON.-The Dog-Vm,otiVe
itnBornean
Ant.
otherside of the head by a projectioni,
which imiay
eitlherbe the represenltation
of
the fore-leg,or the expressioniof the idea of symmetry. Above it the body
curlsaway in a sinuouscurve. The figureto the left repeats the main features
of the other. In Fig. 4 we find the embodimentof the same idea as in 3B;
the upper jaw is more decorative,
and the scroll in its middleis more
complicated; theearshave losttheir
symnmetry,
and the eye is left out.
*
The bodyis reduced,and the curve
belowthe head morenearlybalances
W.
thelowerjaw. This blockis labelled
by Dr. Hose " Tang ortng. The
E'IG. 5.
meansa 'patternl' and orang
laTnang
is the Kayanifor'prawn."' Fig. 5 shows furthercomi-plication
ill the upperjaw.
The body,representedby the upper curveto left,is shortened,and the loxverleft
curve is syimmrietrical
withthe lower jaw. This figureis a very typical Kayan or
Kenyah tattooblock. (Cf. Furness,p. 148.)
The Kayan tattooblock, Fig. 6, showsfurthermodification;the upperjaw is
and the lower
relativelyloniger,
jaw shorter. The upper etrve
on the left, representing,the
0
N
body,is now quite short,and
is symmetricalwith the lower
one.
Fig. 7 is a block used by
Lelak men. Its interestlies in
FIG. 6.
the factthat conventionalisedteethare placed on the upperjaw. This block does
not seem to be used by Kenyabs or Kayains,but it is a typeused by Kalamantans
or Punans, who have copied Kenyah-Kayan designs. As a vagary of these
designs, it shows that the Lelaks have realisedits motive,and have placed teeth
in theirproperposition.
JI--_(
C
In the decorationof
~~~~~~l,bamboo
_______
.
'1TKenyahs
:
iiIif~~~jj
I
tobaccoboxes the
and Kayalls
ve'ry
frequentlyhave incorpothedogas themotive
~~~~rated
of the design. In Fig. 8, a
rubbingof such a box,one
sees how thle(toglhas been treated; in all cases the dog is representedwith its
head looking backwards. In the two upper figures,the tail and the lowerjaw
are produieedinto beautifulinterlockingspirals,the upper jaw is decoratedwith
elaborate scrolls, and the eye-toothis plainly distinguishable. The ears are
prolongedinto delicate spirals. The two lower figures,
whichare upside down,
FIG. 7.
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E1tNEST 13. HADDON.-The
in Bor-nean
Dog-mtotive
Art.
119
have the lowerjaws differently
treated; thejaw of the one to the leftpasses right
throughthe great spiral,and terminatesin a small spiral. The upper jaws and
ears are quite characteristic.
In Fig. 9 the upper jaws
and ears are characteristically represented.The lower v
jaw is variouslytreated,in
the upper middle dog it is
turnedbackwardsand quite
short,in the lower mniddle
dog it crossesthe tail of the
animal in fronit. The
curiouscrossingof partsas
if theypassedthroughholes
in the bodies, is quite
characteristicof the art of
these people.
Mention PI
rmightherebe made of the
breaking of the straight
*
linesofthe border
pattern,
which occurs in this and a
other figures. This also is
Fi8.
a verynoticeablefeaturein
the decorative art of the Kenyah-Kayan peoples, and it gives a pleasing
appearanceof lightnessto theirdesigns.
In copyinga designit mustof necessityoftenhappen,that the space to be
decorated is not so
large as
~
in the
original,and in order
that the space may
be artistically filled,
x_
,
the design must be
7
altered to -suit the
*+
*
requiremeentsof the
*7
=
r ^- Besides the
space.
*/
alteration of the
,>
*
_
p
to fittheneeds
design
of tlle case,a patternalways loses
its
in
character successive
Fia. 9.
copyings. In Fig. 10
the animals are much cramped and distorted,and are representedwith their
jaws widelygaping,anidendingin simyiple
spirals. In the figurein the lefthand
*_
*
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120
in BorneanArt.
ERNEST 13.HADDON.-The Dog-mwtive
uipperconlier,the upper jaw is to the left,the eye-toothand scroll being,readily
in
seeni,and the lowerjaw lies to theright; both are toothed. The middlefigure,
lhas
whichthe bodyis present,likewise
its toothed upper jaw to the leftaind
the toothlesslowerjaw to the right.
The figureto the right,whichis upside
down,showsthe toothedlowerjawrto
the
left,the upper jaw, showing the
"".S^'_
|
_
clharacteristic
scroll,beilngto the righl-t.
11
is
S
very similarto Fig. 10,
Fig,.
Aand
ai-d theanirnalsbear the same relative
position to one another,and thougl
they are still more conventionialised,
is necessary. But an imlportant
chanae has takeniplace,the
110 detaileddescription
obtainedfromDr. Hose, ulu orang,
jaws are nlow called,accordingto inifornmation
that is, " head of a prawn." The dots
which in Fig. 10 representthe teeth
are in the case of the mrliddle
figure
jaw,
upper
of
the
on
sides
both
placed
,
and no doubt to the native eye
represent the annulations of the
ioaA
antenne of a prawn. What most
probably has happeinedis that in
<
suctcessive
the jaws lost their
copyinlgs
true character,and at one time,as the '=
carving,appearedto look like a prawn,
it was so-called and the name has
persisted.
FIG. 11.
Fig. 12 shows how the stage
representedby Figy.11 may become still more simplified. Here the animal to
the rightrepreselnts
the centIal dog of Fig. 11; the centraldesignis still less doglike than the corresponding
upperleft
hand designlof Fig. 11 ; whilst the
scrollpatternto the left is the vestige
of the animlalon the rightin Fia. 11.
In Fig. 12 Dr. Hose has lnotobtained
the native names fortheseaniimals.
In Fig. 13, acknowledged onl
_ WE
Dr. Hose's authority as a prawnFIG. 10.
-
pattern,the designis morecomplicated,
but the threeanimalsare still depicted
in their usual positions. On the right is an obviousdog,correspondingto the
cenitralanimialin Fig. 10. The central design inl Fig. 13 thouglhcomplicatedis
FiG. 12.
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ERNEST 13. HADDON.-The Dog-motive
in BorneanArt.
121
deciplherable. The u,pperjaw stretchesaway to the leftwith the teeth and the
scroll in the norinalpositionl,the lower jaw formsa spiral with the upperjaw of
the niextanimual. Onithe upper left angle we see the bodyof the corresponidillg
dog represenitedon the right in Figs. 10 and 11, but though the bead has
disappeared, yet the two
toothedjaws appear,the lower
_
=
S
to the left interlockinga
with
the lower jaw
of the first dog
_*
aild the upper sweeping down .
to the right. In this rubbing,
olnly the head of the cenltral
aniimyal
is called nli orang,aind
it is possible that it is this
part alone of the pattern that
they identifywith a prawn..
On the other hand it is equally
_
_
probablethat the Kenyalis aind
Kayans lhave coimpletelyforgotteln the origin of these
FIG. 13.
complicatedpatterns.
Fig. 14 shows sonmie
very initeresting
features. IIn the firstplace, the dots,
whicih in the foregoingfigures represent the teeth in position along the
conventionalisedjaws, are,in this carving,placed indiscriminately
alonigvarious
portionsof the body. The righthand animal is apparently a
A-A
dog lookilng back over its
l
J~J~J~
,
_
__
shoulder,and the twojaws are
representedfacing to the right.
,
7
I
What, by
WSV,.FA
the
light
of the
evidencein the precedingfigures,
must be regardedas the lower
jaw, is seen on the left of the
*l
_,em.
____d_
.. -*
head, and has no coninectiolnwith
the upperjaw.
If, on the other
hand, the upper jaw were
turnedforwards,
so that the eye-
tooth pointed upwards instead
of downwards,then the aninmal
FIG. 14.
would be gaping widelyas in the
toregoingfigures. In the figureon the left,the lowerjaw formsan inicipient
spiral
withthe lower jaw of the animnalon the right. The upperjaw is reversedas in
the other figure. The carver was evidentlyuniderthe impressionthat he was
carving,a do(g design,and thereforedepicted the dog on the right hand side,
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Art.
E1RNESTB. HIADDON.-The Dog-motive
122
room to carry it out on the left. Moreover he was
but did Ilot leave himnself
ofjaw withjaw, and forthis reason,
spiral interlockings
fetteredby the traditionlal
or boldlydrewhis idea of a dog,
others
partlybecause he neitherblindlyfollowed
he prodtuceda design, which varies in many respects fromother examples of
Kenyah art.
It is morethan probablethat he has been influencedby designsin whichthe
dog does look over its shoulderas in Fig. 8. It will also be noticedthat the tail of
FIG. 16.
FIG. 15.
the right-handdog interlockswith the curve of the design on the left,this curve
the body; and that the interlockingparts have dots along
probablyrepresenting
jaws.
theirleiigth,as if theyrepresentedthe teethof interlocking
In the interspacesare carvedthe head of a hornbilland a dog design. The
latter is upside-down,and is only a slightlymodifiedcopy of the tattoo patterns
of thesepeople as in Fig. 6.
In Fig. 15 one sees how far a designmuaybe complicatedand conltorted.In
the centreis a figurewith a widely
upwards,the
openinig
gapingmnouth,
1
upperjaw beilg to the left,and the
I
__
fjj((i'~(I~1'iI
1trophied
| lX//I~'
li/'lW
_______ll//
a
whereit form-s
to the ri-ght
~~~lower
spiral with the lower jaw of the
animal to the right. The hyper-
/
upper jaw of the right
h~landfigure stretches downwards
and backwards. The ears are well
representedin both animals. The
FIG. 17
body of the central animal curls
right round,and passes across the upper jaw, the t-ailand hind legs appear at
the top of the design,above the eye. The bodyof the right hand figurehas a
similar curvature,the hind legs appearing at the bottom of the design below
the eye.
Fig. 16 is a sketchof part of a drawingof a " Dayak " bamboocarving in the
k.k. Hofinuseumat Vienna, figuredTaf. 10, No. 14, by ProfessorA. R. Hein.'
One element of the patternhas been blacked in for the sake of clearness,the
-
~~~~
1/
I
Die bildendenKiinstebeiden Dayaks auf Borneo,Wien,1890.
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ERNESTB. HADDON.-The,Dog-motive
123
a runningpattern. At firstsightthe designappears
desiagnbeingrepeatedto formi
to be a floralpattern,but on comparisonit will be seen that it bears considerable
by
resemblanceto the dog-motivesof Fig. 15. This view is furtherstrenigthened
its resemblanceto the Berawan tattoo block, Fig. 17. We are, I tlhink,quite
of the conventional
that the designin Fig. 16 is a modification
in thilnking
juistified
but one would like to know the exact name of the tribe.
dog-motive,
In a publicationby J. A. Loeb'r, Jr.,' twenty-onebamboo carvingscollected
by Dr. A. W. Nieuwenhuisare figured. Many of these examples show how the
dog-designis treatedby the Kayans of NetherlandsBorneo. On Plaat XI, No. 16,
is figuredan animal design,which, oni comparisonwith variousKenyah designs
figuredin this paper, is clearly seen to be a conventionaliseddog. The design,
which is upside down,shows a verytypicalupper and lower jaw, but the body
and limbs are ratherconfusedand degraded. In Plaat V, No. 9, at the base of the
central triangle, there is an example of a dog, with widely gaping jaws, and
the body shows the
sinuous curves found on ___
the Murik sarcophagus
_-4
_
(Fig. 1), and another dog
is seen above the triangle.
In Plaat VI, No. 10, most
-
of
. -tlle ornamentation
owes its originto the dogdesign. Dogs are also to
be seen in Plaat IV, Nos.
6, 7, and elsewhere.
9'
Kalamtantan
modi,fications
of the dog-motive.
_
Kalamantan people
who have come in contact
FIG. 18.
with the Kenyahs and
Kayans have, to a certainextent,absorbedtheirculture. Fig. 18 showsthedesignon
a bambootobacco box, which,though-artistic,is degradedand obscure. One sees
that the design is based on a dog-motive,though the exact figuresare quite
of upper
indistilnguishable.In the centre facing to the rightis a representation
and lower jaws, the formerbeing very long and toothed,and the bodyextends
of the design. Facing to the left is anotherdog in which
down to the bottomn
the upper jaw alone is distinct. Rememberingthat the Kenyahs call theirown
degradedpatternsprawn designs,it is not surprisingto finldthat most of the
Kalamantan patterns of this type are also called prawn designs, and it is
more than probable,that anythingresemblingan animal motive is called by the
Kalamantans a prawn-motive.
I
Haag, 1903.
derKajan-Dajakks,
Bamboe-or,tament
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124
ERNEST
B. HADDON.-The Dog-mraotive
in BorneanArt.
This is borneout by the factthat the tattooblocks whichtheyhave borrowed
fromthe Keny'ah-Kayanpeople are termedorang,"prawn" Stucha block as is
representedin iFig. 6 could be exactly matched by a Kalamnantan
block; which
theywould call orang. Many of their blocks are evidentlyderivedfromKenyah
or Kayani tattoo blocks, and several new designs withvariousnames have thus
been formed.
Thanmodifications
of thedog-design.
Besides the mnodifications
of the rosetteunderthe names of fruitanidflowers
the Ibans have modifiedother Kenyah-Kayantattoodesigns.
The tattoo design used by the Kenyahs and Kayans for decoratingthe
forearm,has been copied and adopted by the Ibans in the same way as the
Kalamantans have done,the main difference
being,that the Ibans call the design
a scorpion(telingai).'
For this reason,the patterntendsto becomemoreand morelike the scorpioni,
but even in its Imiostspecialisedform,the eye of the dog is generallyretained.
It is hereinterestingto note,that,accordingto Mr. Shelford,the telingai or
' scorpion" design is often carved on the handle of the niaboror Ibaniparang or
sword.2
Fig. 19 shows a typical " scorpion" tattooing. Other examplesare figured
by W. H. Furness (p. 148, Figs. 1,
%_]XL
_
5), underthe Iban and Malay
name of kala, " scorpion." It is
worth noting that Dr. Furness
on the samieplate,Figs. 9, 15, calls
FIG. 193
a Kenyah tattoo design similarto
my Fig. 5, kaltaas, the " scorpion
dog." This terin requiresfurtherinvestigation;perhapsthisshouldbe kalangasn,
i.e.," patterndog."
To sum up, it appears as if the dog designoriginatedwith the Bahau-Kenyahin various migrationsfromtheirfatherlanid
in
Kayains,anidwas carried by theum
of
at
the
waters
the
or
Apu Kayan
upper
Kayan Bulunganriver. Dr. Nieuwenhuis
that ocecur
in their designs in Netlherlands
has describedthe modifications
Borneo.
In this paper I have attemptedto indicate (1) the evolutionthat has occurredin
the dog-motiveainoIig the Kelnyah-Kayangroupin Sarawak; (2) the inodifications
that have takelnplace in this motive,more especiallyin the tattoo designs,amolng
the Kalamanitantribes of the BaranmDistrict, where the design appears to be
regardedas a prawln; and (3) the degradationof the same motiveby the Ibans
of the RlejangDistrict,who considerit to be a scorpion.
I Dr. Hose informsme that " telingaimeans a reflection
such as would be seen when
lookinginto clearwater"; but Mr. Shelfordand othersgive " scorpion" as the meaning.
2 R. Shelford,
Journ.Anithrop.
Inst.,xxxi, 1901,p. 223.
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ERNEST B. HADDON.-The Dog-motivein Bornea
125
A'rt.
l
List of Illustrations.
Fig. 1.-Sarcophagus of a Murik woman,Baram District,froma photographby Dr. C. G.
Seligmann(cf.J.A.I., xxxi, 1901,pl. xv, fig.1).
,, 2.-Sketches of tattoo-blocks
figuredby Dr. A. W. Nieuwenhuis(Quer durchBorneo,
Taf. 82, p. 456).
,,
3.-A.
Diagram of the beadworkon the scabbard of a Long Sibatu Keinyalbparang,
Baram District; CambridgeMuseum.
BintuluRiver,
B. Diagramof the beadworkon the scabbardof Tubau Kayan parantg,
Sarawak. The coloureddrawingfromwhich thiswas takenwas made by R. S.
Douglas (now Residentof the Baram District)forDr. Haddon.
4.-Print fromtattoo-block,
Baram District; CambridgeMuseum.
,,,
., 5.,,,,
,,
,,
6.7.-Sketch of
Kayan, Baram River; A. C. Haddon Coll.
"used by Berawan men"; Hose Coll. Brit. Muis.
,,
,,
8.-Rubbing of carvii)gon a Kayan tobaccobox; No. .566,Sarawak Mus. This formerly
belongedto Dian Batu, Chiefof the Kayans ofthe Rejang River.
9.-Rubbing of carvingon a Kenyah? tobaccobox; Bampfylde(Coll.
,,
,,
,, Tinjar River; Camb. Mus.
,,
,,
,,
10.-
,,11.
,12,,,13.,,15.-
,,
,
,
,
,,
,,
,
,
,,
Lirong
,.
,.
.
..
Kenyah
,,
,,
,,
,,
.
..
.
.
..
..
.
.
Bampfylde Coll.
Kiinstebei
16.--Sketchof a portioni
ofa patternfiguredby Prof.A. R. Hein (Die bilden-den
den Da&yakg
auf Borneo,Wien, 1890,Taf. 10,No. 14).
,, 17.-Sketch ofa tattoo-block
"used by Lelak men,"Hose Coll. Brit.Mus.
,,18.-Rubbing of carvingon a tobaccobox; BampfyldeColl. (probablyKalamantanwith a
good deal ofKmnyahinfluence).
19.-Tattooing on the arm of an Iban, Jilai. The designwas called telingai," scorpion";
froma sketchby Dr. A. C. Haddon.
I am indebtedto the kindnessof H. Ling Roth forthe use oftheblocks,figs.7, 17,from
TheNativesofSarawak mndBritishNorthBorneo,London,1896,vol. ii, p. 85.
Figs. 11, 12, 13, are fromrubbingsmade by Dr. C. Hose, and givenby himto Dr. A. C.
me valuable
Haddon; all have notes on the patterns,madeby Dr. Hose, whichhave afforded
cluLes.
from
Figs. 8, 9, 15, 18, are-fromrubbingsmade by Dr. A. C. Haddon wheniin Kutching,
Residentofthe district.
specimensbelongingto the Hon. C. A. Banipfylde,
Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 17, are I nat. size.
Figs. 3A, 3B, 8-15, 18,are I nat. size.
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