The Headhunters of Borneo

by Carl E. Bock

In 1879, Carl Bock was commissioned by his Excellency Van Lansberge, the Governor-General of the Netherlands East Indies to travel through and report on the interior of South-East Borneo. In 1881, he published his somewhat sensational account of his observations on the route from Tangaroeng to Bandjermasin, a distance of over 700 miles.
The Headhunters of Borneo is the English translation of his account and captures the spirit of one man who dared to explore the recesses of the mysterious island of Borneo. It includes descriptions of cannibalism among the Dayaks as well as his prolonged efforts to locate a tribe of men with tails, of whom he had heard.
The 30 colour plates in this book depict native artifacts, accommodation, and clothing and have probably also contributed and fueled the popular image of Borneo as a land inhabited by wild headhunters and bare-breasted women.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

342 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1986

Reviews

[Monty Milne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn’t resist this when I saw it lying on a second hand bookstall. I’d say it was worth the £2 I paid just for the rather fine illustrations alone. I’m not sure if scantily clad Head Hunters give me much of an erotic thrill (well, maybe a little…) but the text is interesting too.

Bock’s style is a bit Pooterish and I grew to rather dislike him, however. His absurd racial generalisations are only to be expected given the time he was writing, but what is less forgivable is his casual cruelty to animals. On one occasion he fires his gun into a colony of sleeping fruit bats. Once, in Africa many years ago, I stood under the dark canopy of a tree beneath a colony of fruit bats and watched in wonder as the eyes of the beautiful creatures lazily opened and blinked luminously at me in the gloom. The notion that anyone would deliberately inflict death and pain on these creatures for the fun of it is odious.

Bock did of course make collections of many of the animals he killed “for scientific purposes” but such an endeavour was useless. For one thing, the ship carrying most of his specimens sank on the way back to England. The book is a useful memorial though – even if at times I wished Bock’s shrunken head swinging as an adornment from a chieftain’s house.

[Tyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good description of a journey through the lands of the dyak tribe of southeast Borneo before the widespread introduction of modern conveniences. More of account of the journey than an anthropological reference, but the addition of Bock's own expedition drawings give the reader a better idea of the traditional clothing and dwellings of these tribes.

[Rebeca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great companion reading for a trip to Borneo: many of his observations about the flora and fauna are still pertinent and interesting.

[Candra Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book as an adventure book. It has a lot of funny elements which makes me laugh hard because of the unique activities Mr. Carl wrote, especially the way he described those activities.
This is the book I would like to reread 😊😊

[Klimbang · Rating 4 out of 5]

great review as a companion as an additional knowledge as a native of Borneo