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Melanauan Boats of the Dead
When the bodies of those who died from drowning were not recovered, the maritime Melanau tribe held a 'kauong'—a special funeral ceremony. For the Melanau, drowning was considered an unnatural death, and so it was believed that those who died this way would not be able to reach 'likoamo' (heaven). By saying prayers and making offerings, the Melanau instead buried statues of the deceased, called 'lepuong', in the ground together with belongings of the dead. They also built a ceremonial boat, called a 'dakan' (boat of the dead), to float away in the direction of where the drowning incident occurred. Laid on the boat were statues, equaling in number those that had died, and each bearing an oar in its hands. The Melanau carried out such a ritual so that the souls of dead could still make it to heaven.
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Coffins of the Melanauans
Despite its boat-like shape, this coffin is not the type used for floating the body away; rather it is for placing at the top of a tree.
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