Title: Women of all nations, a record of their characteristics, habits, manners, customs and influence;
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Joyce, Thomas Athol, 1878-1942 Thomas, Northcote Whitridge, 1868-
Subjects: Women
Publisher: London, New York (etc.) : Cassell and Company, limited
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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confidence aremen who have assumed the dress, voice, andhabits of women. These emasculated crea- much in the same way as described in connection with the Achehnese of Sumatra. There is the same preliminary Marriage discussion of the terms of theCustoms. , i ii 1, J marriage contract: the bride-groom is escorted to the brides house by aband of comrades, or he receives the bride inhis own home. The young couple are smearedon the forehead and breast with glutinousrice stained yellow with turmeric, and areexhorted by an ancient man or woman of thetribe to increase and multiply. At a Sea-Dayak wedding there takes place the cere-mony of hlah pinang, or splitting the betel-nut. One or two betel-nuts are di\-ided into 1/6 WOMEN OF ALL NATIONS eight pieces, which are supposed to repre-sent the husbands responsibihties, and theseare laid on a plate. Another betel-nut isdivided into seven pieces representing thewifes duties ; these are put on the sameplate, which is then covered with a cloth and

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PhotO^vapIt hy H.H. Hu Ranee of Sara7vak. LAND-DAYAK BORICH OR FEMALE WITCH-DOCTORS.Bundles ot curative charms are attached to their bead necklets.They are believed to control evil spirits and all diseases. placed on one side. After a decent inter\althe cloth is removed and the pieces of betel-nut are examined : should there be morethan fifteen pieces, prosperity for the youngcouple is assured, but should there be fewerthen disaster is prophesied. The whole pro-ceeding is nowadays nothing more than amere ceremony, and fifteen pieces of betel-nut are always to be found on the plate ; butperhaps at some former time the officiating priest or priestess by sleight-of-hand addedto or subtracted from the number, the actionbeing determined by the nature of the feethat was paid. Divorce is common—steriUty, incompati-bility of temper, or even a dream of ill-omen,being sufficient cause for a separation.It is no unusual thing among the Sea-Dayaks for a young bachelor to visit atnight the couch

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