Dogs vs. Cats

Unlike the previous villages we’ve visited, Nek Doyan is dominated by Christian/Dayak people, not by Muslim/Melayu people. The difference is immediately obvious when you look at the animal population. In Melayu villages, there are very few dogs, and no pigs, but plenty of cats. In Dayak villages, there are lots of dogs and pigs, but fewer cats. My Muslim coworkers (like most Muslims) strongly dislike dogs and pigs, and are actually afraid to be within a 10-food radius of a dog. I think it is difficult for my friends to live in a Dayak village because of the dog issue. I, on the other hand, prefer the Dayak villages because there are fewer rules – Non-Muslims are allowed to drink alcohol, non-Muslim women can wear any clothing they’d like, and Dayaks seem to have a more flexible perspective of the world (at least this is my analysis).