The Kelabits have official names for their National Identity Cards, but they change their names frequently and are allowed many aliases. A common name change takes place on the birth of a first child. Perhaps the child’s name is Bulan (The Moon, a girl’s name); the father would change his name to Tama Bulan, Father of Moon. Names are also chosen to suit the individual’s mood or situation in life. Young men often select names to project their future aspirations: Balang Nakrau (Tiger Roar), or Bayah Punga (The True Crocodile). In later years people may change their names to sum up their life experiences. Petrus’s grandfather, for example, had lost his favorite son. He had also found a lost patrol of half-starved and dying Japanese soldiers and led them out of the jungle to the safety of Bario, where they could surrender. On this walk he had seen many men fall down and die from exhaustion. Pedera Ulun means Life of Many Sadnesses.
To join in the name changing at an irau [a feast] one is expected to make a contribution. The offering is made earlier, and when everyone is assembled on the longhouse porch, individuals stand up to announce their new names. What is one to think of someone who calls himself Inandiu (A Place to Take a Bath) or Inantudu (A Place to Sit Down)? These two names required some explanation. A Place to Take a bath meant Refresh Yourself in My Company; A Place to Sit Down meant Visitors Are Always Welcome.
The meanings of other names were clear:
Matala Ulun Chose Life
Mulun Balang Live Tiger
Seribu Munung Many Faces
Ta Low (Penan) Short Penis
Do-Eelah Very Clever
Nap-an Aran Hidden Honor
Siron Lemalun Look at Me
Stanley’s father-in-law had one of the best– Mulun Kadangan, Eternal Light. This name had two meanings: ever watchful through the night or sexually active the whole night. Eternal Light was about seventy years old, but he refused to update his name.
—Eric Hansen in Stranger in the Forest: On Foot Across Borneo (1988)