THE GOD OF WAR.

Myths and tales of Indonesia are very diverse, because the people comes from hundreds of ethnic groups, each with their own way of beliefs.
Some groups that were isolated from the rest of the World until recent centuries have their own myths still free from foreign influences.
This myth is an animistic belief related to Borneo's abundant bird species. Birds have the faculty of flight, envied by man, that they only need to flap their wings and fly away from danger, yet that simple action warns man from the dangers these birds perceived.
In Iban floklore, SING'ALANG BURUNG's thoughts were recorded as follows: "I am the ruler of the SPIRIT WORLD and have the power to make men successful. In all work you undertake YOU MUST PAY HEED TO THE VOICES of sacred birds."
SING'ALANG BURUNG was the bravest god of war and in his earthly form, disguised as a bird, the Brahminy kite, he conveyed messages to the Ibans.
Ancient Iban Woodcarvings and Wooden War Shields depict this bird as a Sign of Invisibility. It is the state bird of Sarawak.
Today in Kenya and Iban this bird has been usurped by the supreme Avian god in both cultures: the RHINOCEROS HORNBILL. These magnificent birds fly in a flock at dusk across the Kinabatangan River in Eastern Sabah. They are distinguishable by the rapid succession of their roaring calls and the whooshing sound of their wings and white tip of their tails, when they are in route to their nests in the trees bordering the River.
The RHINOCEROS HORNBILL are in size between 91 and 122 centimeters long and are named after their reddish yellow horns protruding upwards beyond their whitish beaks. This horn, made of keratin, is hollow inside and slightly larger in the male species.
To the Dayak community, it represents a sign of virility and male dominance, derived from its habit of imprisoning its mate in a dark hollow and emergent primary forest tree at breeding time. Usually the nest is placed in such holes near the top of the forest canopy and the entrance is sealed by their own droppings. The nest is almost glued together with just one hole, through which the incubating female bird can receive the male's regurgitating food deliveries and for her excretion purposes. Beyond this nest, the bird builds an outer nest of mud which soon is baked hard. The female bird and her eggs are thus well protected from raiders such as monkeys and snakes.