A DYAK GENESIS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1062, 27 February 1911, Page 8

A DYAK GENESIS.

The inhabitants of British North Borneo havo many versions of,the story of tho Creation, but tho following account is probably that which is accepted most widely among non-Christian Dyaks. According to this story, tho supreme deity—called Petara, gave birth to a son, at tho beginning of things. The. child was without limbs, and was consequently thrown into a pit, where ho becdmo Pntaug Gana, tho God of tho Earth. The second child was/a girl, but she had no nose, so sho was flung into a river, becoming Rajar Jewata, with dominion over the fishes. Tho third child was inhuman in shape,.and it was placed on the bough-of a tree, where it became an orchid. The fourth child, a girl, was cut to pieces, and tho bits becamo padi, pumpkins, and other plants. The fifth child —a boy—became Sm Anda, and lives in the heavens, while the sixth became birds and beasts. ' '-..,'.

. Tho sovonth child,'called Davang Petri, was a girl. 1 All her brothers and sisters lived on charcoal, but sho<alone refused to cat it, crying night and day.' Finally she obtained seeds for planting nadi, a single seed being about tho size of n largo ; mango.' ■ She. married a man, and with her husband farmed tho land. . Tho work could not have been very'laborious, ns tho padi- was' only Wanted once,. and lived for many years, bearing fruit continually. Tho baskets for tho padi could walk to the, farm, and on their arrival there the nadi jumped into them of its own accord. Tho filled baskets then walked.home again, and the.helnful grain, when it was boing dried, would jump up «ml down tho husk itself. One day Dayang Petri took a. winnowing basket anil began to reap tho padi'herself, but this rash net caused the n'adj to stop reaping itself, and, what was'morp. ennsod it to givo only ono crop beforo it died as it does to-day. '