Headhunting Taboo’s

/ Bisaya Fables / By

Customs of the Iban during Headhunting Times

While their men are away the women

  1.  Arise early and open the windows so their men will not oversleep
  2. It is forbidden to oil their hair because their men might slip while on march
  3.  Not sleep during the day lest their men be drowsy while they walk
  4.  Scatter rice on the porch so the men will be agile in their movements
  5. Recite the following: Oh you absent ones, dodge under the high obstacles and leap over the low ones. Petrify your enemy and wave off the hands that threaten you
  6. The room must be kept neat and boxes moved against the wall lest the men stumble over them.
  7. Eat food only at meal times and then properly sitting down because the men might be tempted to chew leaves while walking.
  8. At each meal a little rice must be set aside. This assures the men will not become hungry.
  9. The women must interseperse their weaving with breaks or the men will get a cramp and not be able to run.
  10. It is forbidden to cover the face or the men will not be able to find their way through the tall grass.
  11. They must not sew with a needle or their men will stumble on the sharpened spikes pointed upward by the enemy
  12. Flowers must not be worn or the scent will be detected by the enemy.
  13. It is unlucky to break the branch which supports the back while weaving or the man’s chin will be caught on an over hanging branch.
  14. Should a women be unfaithful, the man will lose his life in the enemy’s country.

The men

  1. Must not cover up the cooking pot or their vision will become obscured
  2. The spoon must not be left standing in the rice pot or a spear will penetrate their body.
  3. The cooking pots must be close together so the men will have friends nearby in case of an attack.
  4. It is forbidden to pick out husks of rice from the pot because the enemy may also pick out a husk and kill the man.
  5. The rice must not be left with a hole in the center and quickly smoothed out so wounds will heal quickly.

Hewitt, John Tabu Customs of the Warpath amongst the Sea Dyaks of Sarawak in Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, March 1909

Many thanks to Veronica Chang Schmidt