SOUTHLAND MUSEUM

Southland Times, Issue 17476, 3 April 1915, Page 3

SOUTHLAND MUSEUM

ADDITION TO COLLECTION.

PRESENTATION BY THE MAYORESS

A very valuable addition to the Southland Museum collection, was made on Wednesday, when the Mayoress, Mrs McFarlane, formally handed over to Mr J. Crosby Smith, one of the honorary curators, a model of a dyak house such as arc used for dwelling places by tho natives of Borneo. The model was accompanied with a number of household implements and some samples of native clothing and in view of the fact that the effacing influence of civilisation is rapidly spreading through the country the model is likely to become more valuable ns time goes on.- It may be explained that the land-dyak houses are built on bilian posts, a particularly hard wood obtainable in Borneo and proof against white ants. A log notched for steps gives entrance to the house. A hand rail is fitted on cither side to guard against accidents. From the top of ttie ladder one steps on to a long verandah divided into three parts, the the highway from one end of the house to the other, the centre of the verandah is used for receiving guests, entertainments. or feasts, and tho outside used for any tiling connected with the preparing of the paddy, as the mortar and pestle. Above the verandah planks and palm leaf roofing are stored. The outside edge of Hie verandah is walled with sago leaf or planks to which bee hives are often fastened.

Each dyak family lias a room which has a door which opens on to the verandah highway. The room is a combination of kitchen, living room, and bedroom. At tho front of the room is a square space which is filled .with earth to a depth of six inches, which forms the lire place, where all the cooking is done. The smoke ascends to the top of titc house, preserving both the roof and the rice. The shelves over the fire place are used for storing both cooking utensils and firewood. The centre of the room corresponds to the living room and bedroom. Tho Dyaks sleep on mats made of cane and hark. First a large mat is spread out and 1 lien a smaller one on the top for each member of tho family. The cradle sometimes seen In the room is only used in the day time. At tho back of the room is a narrow space next to the open verandah on which, according to Dyak custom, bachelors sleep. Each room is fitted with a window or skylight at the back, the window being part of the sloping roof arranged so that it can be propped up. Similar hinged openings are fitted to tho front verandah and attic above the living room. This attic is rpached by a notched log serving the purpose of a ladder. In this attic are kept vegetables. fruit, and rofan and anything else the Dyaks wish to be kept out of reach of the children. Sometimes, if the house is very full, bachelors are asked to sleep in the attic, but children or married people never sleep in the attic. About the centre of the attic is placed a large round bin for storing the rice. Above the attic Is a loft with a rather gaping flooring. In this left baskets of all kinds and verandah mats are stored. The open verandah at the back is used for bleaching and drying pepper, fish, fruit, and vegetables. Here also clothes are dried, and children may be seen playing. The roof and sides of the house are covered with sago leaf, which should last eight or ten years without needing repair. The height of the verandah from the ground is usually nine feet, sometimes loss, while the height from the extreme top of the roof to the ground is about 35 feet. Underneath the house pigs and poultry act as scavengers. Before building a dyak house custom demands a rather wearisome and lengthy preliminaries. Nothing can be done till there are favourable omens, the call of birds or animals heard in a. certain order and direction, guiding the Dyaks to the required site and directing them to commence operations at a particular time. All the material has to be collected and prepared. The actual building operations once started may not take longer than a month. The model house was made by a land Dyak and represents in a small scale almost in every detail the full size house. As these houses are usually very long, extending to tiiirty or forty doors, this two house model may be regarded as a section, although two door houses are sometimes built.

In handing over the model the Mayoress expressed her- high appreciation of the Museum and its value to the community. She wished the curators to accept the model and sincerely hoped that their many labours would be rewarded with success in gathering together a collection of exhibits worthy of the town and the province.

Mr Smith said that the curators would be pleased to receive the gift. They alroadv had a considerable collection of exhibits, but their most pressing need was a museum building. As yet they had nothing in the nature of the model, although they had a number of island curios, but he believed it would be very valuable as it was his opinion that in half a. century's time civilisation would have spread over the islands and such models would be difficult to procure.