Full Circle
Day 111: Nanga Sumpa

I am introduced to his friend Badan, who is, at eighty-six, one year older than the headman. He says their tattoos were done many years ago and very painfully, using the traditional method of soap, a pin and soot from the fire.
Both Badan and Along are old enough to remember the time when head-hunting was part of the Iban way of life. They witnessed it as recently as the Second World War and the emergency with Indonesia. The heads would be smoked and there would be a festival to celebrate the event. But the chief dismisses the practice now. 'It was useless. Not good. It was only to show you were stronger than the next man.'
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PALIN'S GUIDES
- Series: Full Circle
- Day: 111
- Country/sea: Malaysia
- Place: Nanga Sumpa
- Book page no: 160
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