ABSTRACT
The fields in Borneo are closely surrounded by the forest, and their agriculture is continually threatened by numerous enemies. The Dusuns and some of the Murut people in North Borneo have learnt the use of the plough probably from the Chinese colonists, many of whom in this area, in contradistinction to the Chinese in Java for instance, are agriculturalists. The people spend so much time on the rivers that it is natural that they have become skilful fishermen. In addition to hunting, the wild products of the jungle are also collected. The ordinary day’s routine, in relation especially to the work of the women in preparing the food, is described very vividly by Hose and McDougall. The Punans are nomadic forest-dwellers, but otherwise all the other pagan peoples of Borneo build a similar type of house, although there are differences in the size and the proportions.
