Ot Danum

Abstract

Ot Danum, spoken over a rather extensive area South of the Schwaner Range on the upper reaches of the rivers of South Borneo, Epple states to be closely related to Ngaju. The language spoken by the Ot Siang and the Ot Murung tribes, localised to the North-East of the actual Ot Danum region (to the North of Purukchau) closely agrees with Ot Danum, according to Epple. Siang, for which Den Hamer mentions a number of words (27) is nothing but Dusun Maanyan. A few manuscript Ot Danum wordlists are in the library at Jakarta (29). Epple occupied himself most intensely with the study of Ot Danum: a manuscript translation of the Old Testament is in the library of the Basle Mission, as well as a translation of the Gospel according to St. John. A microfilm of these manuscripts is available since recently in the Royal Institute. A grammatical sketch of Ot Danum, compiled by Epple, is in keeping of his daughter Sister Amanda Epple at Fellbach, Germany, together with other material, like spelling books, proverbs and sagas. In Helbig’s recent bibliography of Borneo (321) it is stated that a manuscript dictionary by Epple was to be found in the archives of the Basle Mission, but this was not confirmed upon inquiry at this locality. The Protestant mission published a christian tract in Ot Danum (322), and one in Siang Dayak (323) which closely resembles Ot Danum. For Siang Dayak a wordlist is to be found at Jakarta (29).