Salt Lake Tribune | 1913-11-02 | Page 47 | Where Livers Are Seats of Virtue, and They Build Monuments to Liars

Where Livers Are Seats of Virtue, I arid Hey Build Monuments to Liars I THE Sea Dyak, that strange race found in the Tsland of Borneo, has no idea of clear thinking; logic finds no place in lift brain, and the most contradictory opinions seem to dwell together in perfect harmony In the turbid stream of his mind. The liver, strange to relate, Is regarded by the Dyak ns tho seat of various praiseworthy qualities and emotions. Bravery is considered the highest of virtues, and when they wish to describe the great, courage of n man they say he bas a . "brave liver." Intelligence also resides re-sides In the liver, and a- man of kuowledge Is ono possessing an "enlightened "en-lightened liver." Kindness is the quality of tbe man who has a "large liver," and perseverance that of one who has a "hard liver." A Weak, undecided man is spoken of as one who has n "oft liver." Tbe Dyak is truthful and honest, and those qualities are rather unusual un-usual in Eastern races. Families are often away from their homes for weeks at a time, living in Htte huts on their farms, and though no one Is left In charge of their rooms in the long village house In the jungle, tilings arc seldom lost. After an experience of nearly twenty years In Borneo, a writer states that he knew of only two instances in-stances of theft. One was the theft, of rice. The woman who lost the ''rice most solemnly nnd publicly cursed the thlof, whoever It might be. The next night the rice was left at her door. The other was n theft of money. In this case, too, tho thief was cursed. Tho greater part of the money was afterward returned to the box Xrom which it had been abstracted. Both these Incidents show the greui dread , v which the Dyaks have of a curse. Ill 3?vcn an undeserved curse is con- 91 Fiderod a terrible thing, aud, ac- M cording to Dyak law, to curse a per- MjM son for no reason at all Is a finable Mm offence. MMt As regards their truthfulness, It is MMt said of the Dyaks that so disgraceful )MM do they consider the deceiving of 'MMt others by an untruth, that such con-duct con-duct is handed down to posterity by a curious custom. They heap up a pile of branches of trees in mem- MMt ory of the man wbfc has uttered a Mmt great lie, so that future generations MMt may know of his wickedness and MMj take warning from It. Tho persona JMM deceived start the tugong bula MMt "the liar's monument" by heapln? MMt up a large number of branches in some conspicuous spot by the side of ,Mmt the path leading from one Ylllageto lH another. Every passer-by contrlb- MMt utes to St, and at the same time jMmt curses the man In memorv of whom MMm MM The Dynks consider the adding to jH nny tugong hula thpy may pass a MMm sacred duty, the omission of which tiMMt will meet- with supernatural punish- MMM monr, and bo, however pressed foT MM time a Dyak may be. he stops to throw ou the pile some branch or Mmm twig. Believing, as the Dyaks do, in I hi? efficacy of curses. It is easy to Mmm understand how a Dyalc would dread MMM the accumulation pf curses tbat would necessarily accompany the for- MM matiou of a tugong bula. Mm From an Eastern point of view, ll the morals of tht Dyaks are good. mmm Divorce Is very uncommon after, the MM birth of a child, but where there are JMM no children, for such reasons ns in- MMM compatibility or temper or idleness, IH divorce Is obtainable by either bus- iH band or wife on payment of a small flue MMM