How the Kadayan Tells Time
Tom’s Note: This article describes, in the first four and a half pages, an incomprehensible (to me) discourse complete with mathematical equations about how the Kadayan tell time. I have elected to use the second half which shows how nature informs the Kadayan.
Buna picula the Loofah flower
The loofah flower is a plant of the family that also includes melon, squash, cucumber and pumpkin. It is often planted among the swidden rice field and eaten as a vegetable. During the daylight hours, the flowers remain tightly closed. (kacup, rapat sakali). During the last hour before sunset, the flowers partly open (satanah buka) At the time of sunset, the flowers fully open (buka kamban). Informants tell that in the early days the people returned home when the flowers partially opened (satanah buka).
Phases of the Sun
The phases of the sun are told as: Matahari kaluar-the sun comes out; Matahari nayak-the sun rises; Matahari mananah-the sun passes its zenith (noon); Matahari turun-the sun falls; Matahari masuk- the sunsets.
Anin Punay or the Wind of the Emerald Dove
The Anin Punay is a steady wind that blows strong and calmly interspersed with showers. It blows, especially in the morning. The wind brings the doves to feed on the fruits of the sadaman and marakit when they are ripe and falling in mid-June and into July. The birds also use the stars.
The Emerald Dove is a shy ground bird frequenting the areas of older and secondary forests. The bird is common throughout the year but is subject to local migrations. The Kadayan identify the bird as punay tanah. The male is termed punay kapur or lime pidgeon while the female is termed punay lamba indicating the colours are duller and resemble the leaves of the Lamba plant.
Kadayan informants tell that each year the Emerald wind brings the Emerald Dove to the area in time for the slashing of vegetation with parangs (machete) in preparing the rice fields. The association between the time to begin the serious clearing of the rice fields and the arrival of the Doves is not a simple one. A number of these birds arrive about four months before the clearing but are not considered omens because the wind has yet to blow. It is when the birds are present and the Emerald wind blows that rice slashing begins in earnest.
The Constellations
The first sign of rice cultivation is the rising of the Pleiades (karitaka) just above the horizon in the morning. The villagers cannot tell if the constellation has risen because the dense vegetation blocks their view. Rather, they have to ask people coming upstream if the constellation has risen.
When this first constellation has passed the zenith just before dawn, it is considered to mark the beginning of the first short dry spell (panas karitika). This period could last for a few short days to two weeks.
Following the constellation of Kartika (Pleiades), the constellation of rahan appears. This is the distinct V in the constellation of Taurus. This begins a very brief rainy period called panas rahan.
The next constellation is called binkasan ( a spear or pig trap). The constellation consists of two parallel rows of stars, one of which is the belt of Orion. (The author doesn’t say where the second parallel row is). When the constellation passes its zenith, another dry spell occurs which is called panas binkasan.
The preparation of the rice fields begins with the rise of the Pleiades and ends with the appearance of Orion. The constellation of Taurus tells of the dry and wet periods. The Emerald wind also informs on when to start the burn. Each day is marked by the opening of the loofah flower. When Orion appears the rainy season is on the way.
Found in the footnotes:
There is a Kadayan oral tradition in the Labu River Valley concerning the Pleiades (Kartika). Long ago, this constellation had seven stars. One day, Awang Simaun ( a major figure in the Brunei and Kadayan folklore) was looking at the stars and wondering what they were made of. Realizing he would not be able to learn what substance they were from where he was in Brunei, Simaun decided to shoot one down to see what they were made of. For a blowpipe(sumpitan) he uprooted with his hand a palm tree considerably larger than the normal ones. With a mighty breath, Simaun blew the pith out of the palm tree readying it for use. He then inserted a dart which he wedged very tightly with pieces of wood. With this weapon, he gave a tremendous blow, the dart flying up to the Pleiades knocking down one of the seven stars leaving only six. The fall of the seventh star is described in a Kadayan pantun:
There were seven stars now there remain only six/One fell in Majapahait/my body is sick racked with fever/then did I know gold was not enough.
The symbolic meaning of this particular pantun, as expressed in the last two lines indicates the importance of young people in love being together. The surface meaning of the first two lines is not connected in any way to the symbolic meaning of the last two lines.
From: Kadayan Ideas of Time by Allen R. Maxwell in Sarawak Museum Journal December 1979
A copy of our book A History of the Sarawak River Valley early times to 1840 is available as an e-book on Amazon.com