Seventeen years among the Sea Dyaks of Borneo; a ... - Sabrizain.org

DYAK RELIGION 207
storm, accompanied by lightning and thunder, and both
girls were turned into rocks.
4. In the Saribas River there is a Batu Kudi, of which
the following tale is told : Some
men and boys were
watching a monkey crossing the river on a creeper which
hung
low down over the water. The tail of the animal
touched the water, and one of them laughed, and said :
" The end of his waist-cloth (sirat) is wet ; why was he so
foolish as not to tie it round his waist ?" At this remark
all laughed, and a terrible storm came on, and they were
turned to stone.
There is a similarity about all these stories. In each
some animal is made fun of and laughed at by human
beings. This incurs the displeasure of the gods, whose
anger is shown in the same way — a terrible storm, thunder
and lightning, and the turning of the offenders into stone.
There are, however, other Batu Kudi of which different
stories are told, but these are not so common. For
instance, in the Skrang River there are two large black
boulders which are said to be a brother and sister who
were guilty of the crime of incest ; and in the Sebuyau
River there is a collection of rocks said to be the inhabi-
tants of a whole village, who were guilty of a serious
breach of the law of hospitality, and refused to give food
and shelter to some travellers.
The moral of these mythical tales is good. All sin is
displeasing to the gods, and will meet with deserved
punishment, but specially are they angry when they see
human beings ill-treat and ridicule dumb animals.
These Batu Kudi are not worshipped. Offerings of
food are sometimes seen hanging near them, but these are
not made to the " stones of wrath," but to the gods of
whose displeasure they are the testimony.