Honey Tree Song, 5-7

Honey Tree Song, 5-7

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5. "Farming Rites and Sacrifice"

pp. 200-204 5.3 Tabur Sibaok ("Sibaok Prayer")

[Bidayuh -- Serian, 1^st Division]

p. 201	"Sibaok ... came upon a rambutan fruit tree, the sibu chanchang bibalik batang rambutan tree which grows upside down from the sky. Sibaok climbed a nearby binoh barih tree, and he leaned from it and plucked a rambutan, which he threw down to the ground. But instead it flew up to the sky. He climbed onto the rambutan tree. While enjoying the fruit, he began to climb upwards. ... He climbed far up into the sky and found that he was actually climbing down into another land. There ... the sun ... introduced him to the grandfather of the moon. ... When the grandfather of the moon was satisfied that Sibaok had learned all he had to know, he made a rope and put Sibaok in a box and lowered him down from the sky. Sibaok landed on the roof of his father’s house. ...
	Converge to us, spirits, guiding spirit of the basket for offering food for the souls, shaken for calling the souls.
	Grandmother of Ampuh, Sisok Daun, the folded leaf pierced with stakes and hung
p. 202	under the floor of the sleeping place ... .
	*... the grandmother of the gura* bird,**
	the grandmother of Santam,
	the grandmother of Padung,
	Abar Kingi, the grandmother of Padai,
	Jijeh Pesah, the grandmother of Kangkung Tikulang,
	the grandmother of Padung Slimang,
	the grandmother of Pintu Lamuh Ari, who looks after the junction of the two roads. ...
	Dara Dumon, who grows the rain; ...
	Bujang Nyangku Singa Bue, a lion mane of the river;
	Umpang Pinang Mayang Ure, an opened flower of the betelnut;
	*Ure Mayang Bujang Lanyo, an opened flower of the ijok* palm;**
	Sibaok Bibulu Dada, who is hairy chested;
	Singiang Brani Ati, whose heart is brave.
p. 203	the king of the	siluang fish
		topah fish
		semah fish
		dungan fish
		mpahat fish
	Spirit of the land of the village of Mentu, Tumuk Tumpu Tungan Tagan.
	Spirit of Nyangkang,
	spirit of Nyangu,
	spirit of Bidet,
	spirit of Pisuh,
	spirit of Lungo,
	spirit of Puol,
	spirit of Kaluh, king of the region.
	Spirit of Mahi, the father of Tanyu,
	spirit of Manoh, the father of Lapung,
	spirit of the grandfather of Nasu,
	spirit of the grandfather of Ruda.
	Spirit of the land of the village of Bunan,
	Mpas, the father of Mais,
	Mais, the father of Patin,
	Panchu, the father of Enchangai,
	Maka, the father of Panai {cf. /PANAY/ island in Philippines},
	Bel, the father of Kuang,
	Tapen, the father of Dagang,
	Baum, the father of Gireng,
	the grandfather of Tua {cf. /TUA-motu/ islands in Polynesia},
	the grandfather of Tiga,
	the grandfather of Jamat,
p. 204	the spirit of the grandfather of Dayah Kudoi,
	the grandfather of Murui,
	the grandfather of Banyai,
	the grandfather of Lian,
	the grandfather of Pachum."

pp. 212-214 5.8 Inchalan Pinibak Padi Bauh ("Blessing of the Padi at the First Day of Harvest")

[Bukar Sadong Bidayuh – Serian, 1^st Division]

p. 213	"Hear, oh Tampa, god of the land of Mentu.
	I ask for ... the multiplying medicines, ... the medicines that can make rice increase in the jar --
	the magical stones come from the betel leaves,
	the phallic stone ["a long stone considered to be an aid in bringing about fertility in humans"],
	the healing stone,
	the fishing stone for attracting fish,
	the sticking stone ["to help keep the spirit of the padi close, so that it will stick to its original owner, altho the physical body of the padi may have been of necessity sold"],
	the welding stone ["has the power to help make broken things whole"].
	I ask for ... the stone that makes things numb and tasteless, which will make the padi be tasteless when it is eaten, ... now and tomorrow. ...
p. 214	The grandmother of Gura,	{cf. p. 202}
	grandmother of Santam,
	grandmother of Santag,
	grandmother of Sungkun,
	grandmother of Magoi,
	grandmother of Ambun". {cf. /AMBoN/ or /AMBoiNa/ island}

p. 212 "The magic stones referred to in this prayer are stones which are revealed through dreams as having a particular power." {cf. the stones which are revealed through dreams as having a particular power in Californian Indian shamanism}

pp. 214-225 5.9 Pita Amen Uyan Uma ("Prayer Rites for the Farming Year")

[Kenyah -- Upper Baram, 4^th Division]

pp. 214-216	pp. 217-219
p. 214 bali plaki (‘spirit hawk’)	p. 217 bali plaki (‘spirit hawk’)
p. 215 bali isit (‘spirit spiderhunter’)	p. 218 spiderhunter
kieng (‘kingfisher’)	bali kieng (‘spirit kingfisher’)
p. 216 bukeng bird	p. 219 bukeng bird
tela>o (Grandfather Barking Deer)	Grandfather Barking Deer

p. 223 "Bali Pusa, spirit of the inner fibers of bamboo, ... straighten our limbs, straighten our bones"

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6.

pp. 238-245 6.5 Barih Ngiriyu

[Biatah Bidayuh – Serian, 1^st Division]

p.	*object*	*simile for it*
240	Kiraki {cf. /KeRAKI/ tribe in Papua} mountain	spur of the eagle
	Miringgi mountain	flat tray
	Mpunyuk mountain	dribbling damar torch
	Ntinyuh mountain	argus pheasant
	Simangat mountain	cover for a tray
	Silundu mountain	top of a honey tree
	Sidarah mountain	(having mpidang plant at its peak)
	Sibasi mountain	spur of an eagle [again!]
	Limpayong mountain	color of the fur of the barking deer
	Garu mountain	(outstretched)
	Tamai mountain	hanging set of gongs and drums
	Lanyo mountain	snail with its horns raised
	Pekan mountain	stump of the jantang tree
	Silabau mountain	hanging edges of a woman’s skirt
	Sinuwi mountain	(barely visible in mists)
	Silabat mountain	(jointed with the clouds)
	Menyuku mountain	thread unwinding
	Gilam mountain	(is also called Kumpang mountain)
	Kaladan mountain	hand of bananas
241	durian tree	kiladan tree
	lansat fruit	alin fruit
	rambai fruit	offering platform
	poisonous tubuh fruit	small cooking-pot
	umak fruit	mpusoh sour fruit
	sago palm	to belong to the long-tailed monkey
	betelnut vine	wild sintaguh plant
	coconut palm	thorny palm
	ijok palm	wild ijok palm
	headhouse	hand of padi bananas
	sea water	melting lead
	house top	boat
	woven atap leaves	dead pasah bamboo
	hair	sticky rubber
	ear	betel leaf
	eye	lime powder
	hand	giring betelnut
	body	spear
	teeth	chisel

	*if __ is finished*	*then use __ as substitute*
242	food supply	pinang plant
	betelnut	sintaguh leaves
243	lime powder	ground cockleshells
	tobacco	dedah moss
	girls for company	"the company of the long-tailed female monkey that lives on the boulders." {cf. [Bodish legend of] female monkey as ancestress}

	*__ tree*	*is __*
	gintah	sleeping-place for monkey
	pean	perching-place for hornbill
	alah fruit	nesting-pace for white stork

	*the __*	*maketh sudden sound like unto __*
244	grandfather	bear
	son	argus pheasant
	husband	porcupine

p. 239 "the soul’s sickness is cause by bad unlucky young girls"

p. 240 "the bad luck is ... as a young pheasant; the bad luck rests on top of the head" {would this imply that Maya deities depicted with birds atop their heads are bad-luck bringers?}

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7. "Building and Journeying"

p. 265 7.1 Mipis Indu Tungkang Ramin Ato Ntangan Bauh ("Blessing of the Chief Post Erected for the new Longhouse")

[Bukar Sadong Bidayuh – 1^st Division]

"oh Tampa, ...

Let us both cast away the curses of the __ ."

rasek grass

lalang grass

bilamai grass

bintihung grass

girayan vines

pp. 266-270 7.2 Gawai Panggah ("Blessing of the Head House")

[Biatah Bidayuh – Kuching, 1^st Division]

p.	*__ fruit*	*is eaten by __*
268	durian	humans
269	sinu	monkey
	jaring	sambhur deer
270	sirangan	" "
	tumis	snails
	murus	owl

p. 269 "offerings of rice mixed with lime juice to feed the spirits of all abandoned houses."

pp. 274-278 7.5 Balian Utan Ping ("Song of Utan Ping")

[Kenyah -- Upper Baram, 4^th Division] ("Utan Ping, an adventurous women")

p. 275	"Utan Ping puts on full wardress, ... Utan Ping, she of Apoi Nian, in her walk treads like the tiger -- ... Utan Ping, in her boat designed with stripes like the nawan snake, coming up the river they call Telang Usan ... --
p. 276	Slowly the great Kau rock crumbles into pieces before the movement of her boat ... . ...
	Sharply darting everywhere are the eyes of Utan Ping. Truly, the great Tujo rock breaks apart before her path".

p. 279 7.6 Tivai Tai Buau ("Prayer for Journeying to Find a New Home")

[Silat Penan – Upper Baram, 4^th Division]

"Bale Asi, spirit of the Kingfisher bird"

"Bale Pengulung, spirit of calling omen birds"

"Bale Ke>eng, spirit of omen birds"

"Bale Plaki, spirit of the hawk"

"Bale Telejan, spirit of the Crested Jay"

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Carol Rubenstein : The Honey Tree Song : Poems and Chants of Sarawak Dayaks. Ohio U Pr, Athens, 1985.