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fgarbarli College l^ibrars

FROM

THE FUND OF

Mrs. HARRIET J. G. DENNY,

OF BOSTON.

Gift of $5000 from the children of Mrs. Denny,
at her request, "for the purchase of books for the
public library of the College.**

PAGAN RACES

OF THE

MALAY PENINSULA

^&^m.

s ^ ^ ■

PAGAN RACES

OF THE

MALAY PENINSULA

WALTER WILUAM SKEAT, M.A.

LATK OP THK riOKRATKD MALAY STATU CIVIL 8KRV1CK
AimOR OP * MALAY MAGIC* AND * PABLIS AND POLK-TALCS PROM AN EASTERN POR£ST '

AND

CHARLES OTTO BLAGDEN, M.A

LATK OP THE STRAITS SETTLKMINT8 CIVIL SERVICE

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS SPECIALLY TAKEN
FOR THE WORK

IN TWO VOLUMES
VOL. II

l^onlion

MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited

NEW YORIC : THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
1906

All rightt reserved

^^'

iTbo^coT?

MAR 15 1^07

CONTENTS

PART III.— RELIGION

CHAPTER I

PAGS

Birth-Customs and Beliefs . . . . i

CHAPTER II
Maturity Customs and Beliefs .28

CHAPTER III
Marriage Customs and Beliefs . • SS

CHAPTER IV
Burial Customs and Beliefs - ^9

CHAPTER V
Music, Songs, and Feasts. 117

CHAPTER VI
Natural Religion and Folk-lore . 173

vi CONTENTS

PART IV.— LANGUAGE

CHAPTER I

Present State and Future Prospects 379

PAGE

CHAPTER n
Taboo and Other Special Forms of Speech 414

CHAPTER HI
Past History and Relation to Other Languages . 432

APPENDIX ....... 473

COMPARATIVE VOCABULARY OF ABORIGINAL

DIALECTS 507

Supplementary List

Grammatical Notes ....

PHOTOGRAPHS ILLUSTRATING LOCAL GROUPS
INDEXES .....

765
769

777
831

ILLUSTRATIONS

Hot Spring in the Selangor Jungle . . Frontispiece.

TO FACE PAGE

Sketch by Baron Miklucho-Maclay of Semang Heads (by him

called " Sakai "), the Central One showing Face-Paint 38

Sakai of South Perak, showing Face-Paint and Nose-Quill 39

Drawings by Wray showing Difference of Pattern between Sakai

Man and Woman . •42

De Morgan's Drawings, showing Types of Face Decoration (Sakai

and "Semang") -43

Sakai of South Perak, showing Face-Paint (two specimens) 44

Sakai Child having Face- Paint applied . 45

Engaged Sakai Children with Uncle .60

•Young Sakai Girl .61

Newly- married Couple, Woman with painted Head- Band and

Nose-Quill, Ulu Itam, Perak . .64

Dancing at Che Tupei^s (the Squirrel's) Wedding, Rantau Pan-

jang, Selangor . . .65

Party with Musical Instruments at the Squirrel's Wedding, Rantau

Panjang, Selangor . -65

Party of Aborigines dressed (in Malay Clothes) for a Wedding . 70
Large Bell-shaped Mound of Clay used in the Mound-Marriage

Ceremony . -71

Marriage Decorations of plaited Leaf Strips -71

Sakai Man's Grave (S. Perak) . .96

Sakai Woman's Grave (S. Perak) -97

Bcsisi Soul- Wallet . .108

Jakim Graves at Kumbang .114

Semang Jews'-harp .122

Fan-shaped Palm-leaf Beaters used by Semang . .122

Pangan Group in Dancing Dress, Kuala Sam, Ulu Kelantan 123

Sakai Men playing Nose- Flutes . .136

Sakai using various Musical Instruments 137

vii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

TO FACE PAGE

Sakai Women and Child performing Dance-Music .138

Sakai Women Dancing (S. Perak) .138

Sakai Group at Lubo' Klubi, Ulu Langat 139

A Jakun Orchestra, showing Flute, Fiddle, Bamboo Guitar, and

Drums of Malay Pattern, Ulu Batu, Selangor 144

Musical Instruments -MS

Stringed Bamboo or "Guitar" of the Mantra .145

^ Headdress of Besisi Man (on left), Woman (on right), worn to

conceal the Face at Ceremonial Dances .146

\ Strange Wooden Dance- Wand carried by Besisi Man at Cere-
monial Dances . .146
V Pa' Nanti, the late Batin of the Besisi, Kuala Langat, Selangor . 147

• Model made by a Besisi Chief to illustrate the Songs . 1 70
< Group of Aborigines with Fiddles, Chabau, Malacca 171
' Group of Aborigines with Fiddles, Chabau, Malacca -171

Pandak the Were-Tiger (on the Right) . .228

Markings of Men representing Demons in the Tembeh Ceremony

for exorcising the Cholera Demon . .288

* Plot of Ground marked out for the Ceremony of exorcising the

Cholera Demon .288

PHOTOGRAPHS ILLUSTRATING LOCAL GROUPS
KELANTAN

PACE

E. Semang (or Pangan), Kuala Aring, Kelantan (two specimens) . 777

KEDAH.RAMAN
Group of Semang or Pangan at Jarum, Kedah- Raman Border 778

KEDAH

Semang of Siong, Kedah 778

Skull of Semang Skeleton, as viewed from above -779

Skull of Semang Skeleton — Side View . -779

PERAK

Semang of Grit (or Janing)

Two Semang of Grit, with European, N. Perak

Semang of Grit, North Perak

Sakai of Kerbu or Korbu, Perak

780
781
782
782
783

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Group of Sakai at G. Kerba or Korbu -784

Sakai Family, Ulu Bikum, near Bidor - 7^S

Ulu Berang, Perak. A very old Sakai . .786

Group of Aborigines, Berang, Perak -787

SELANGOR

Sakai Group at Ulu Kali ..... 788

Batin or Tribal Chief (on Left) with his Following, Bukit Prual . 789
The Batin's eldest Son, Sungei Ledong, near Kuala Seleh, Ulu

Klang ....... 790

Group, Kuala Seleh, Ulu Klang -791

Group, Kuala Seleh, Ulu Klang -792

Group, Bukit Lanjan, Selangor . -793

Group of Aborigines, Kuala Seleh, Ulu Klang, Selangor . - 794

Group, Bukit Lanjan . . -795

Group at Pra' Lantei, Klang ..... 796

Women at Pra* Lantei, Klang . .796

Group at Ayer I tarn on the Klang River above Damansara, half-
way between Damansara and Kucheng -797
Sakai, Lepoh, Ulu Langat, about Four Miles up the Langat from

Klubi ....... 798

Sakai at Lepoh, Ulu Langat . -799

Sakai, Lepoh, Ulu Langat — Batin on Right 800

Group at Ulu Lui in Ulu Langat, showing felled Trees in Front

of Dwellings . . . . .801

Group at Ulu Lui, in the Ulu of the Langat River 802

Ulu Lui, Ulu Langat (taken at 6.15 p.m.) 803

Group at Dusun Tua, Kajang, Selangor .... 804

Group at Sungei Cheow, on the Langat (Ulu Langat District) . 805
Aborigines drawn up in "War" Formation (!), at Jugra, Kuala

Langat ....... 806

Group of Blandas, Kuala Langat .... 807

PAH AN G

Group of Jakun, with Chief on extreme Right, Kuantan . 807

Jakun of Kuantan, Pahang, sitting down, with Chief holding

Blowpipe of the rare Kuantan Pattern .808

Aboriginal Woman supposed to be Seventy Years Old, Kuantan,

Pahang ....... 809

Group of Ulu Jelai Sakai, Pahang, a Tribe of pure Sakai Type . 810
Group of Aborigines, Ulu Klau, Pahang .811

UST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

NEGRI SEMBILAN

PACK

Man, Wife, and Child, Jakun Type, Hills north of Seremban,

Sungei Ujong .812

A Jukrah (Subordinate Chief), Hills north of Seremban, Sungei

Ujong .812

Jakun, Hills north of Seremban, Sungei Ujong . .813

Jakun Women, Hills north of Seremban, Sungei Ujong ■ .813

Jakun, Hills north of Seremban, Sungei Ujong . .814

Group taken in Jungle, Jelebu . .814

Jakun Boys, Hills north of Seremban, Sungei Ujong .815

Jakun Women, Hills north of Seremban, Sungei Ujong . .815

Jakim Group from the Langkap Pass .816

MALACCA
Group of Jakun, Malacca District

817

JOHOR

A Group of Jakun, Ulu Batu Pahat, Johor
Ulu Batu Pahat, Johor .
Three Jakun Women, Ulu Batu Pahat, Johor
Jakun Children, Ulu Batu Pahat, Johor .
Three Jakun Boys, Ulu Batu Pahat, Johor
Yoimg Jakun, Ulu Batu Pahat, Johor

818
819
820
821
822
823

SELANGOR BLOWPIPE PATTERNS
Rubbings from Besisi and Blandas Blowpipes

824-829

MAPS

Sketch Map showing the Distribution of the Languages of the

Aborigines of the Malay Peninsula. To face page 386

Sketch Map of Principal Sakai Districts

Sketch Map showing the Position of the Mon-Annam Dialects of

Eastern Indo-China .....

Sketch Map showing the Position of the various Groups related

to the Mon-Annam Family ....

Sketch Map showing the Distribution of the (Aboriginal) Numeral

Systems .......

PAGE

394
440
442
454

Map of Southern Indo-China

To face page 831

RELIGION.

PART III.

CHAPTER I.

Birth-Customs and Beliefs.

By far the most important and interesting contribu-
tion hitherto made to our knowledge of the birth-
customs of the three wild races dealt with in these
volumes, whether Negrito, Sakai, or Savage Malayans,
is contained in the remarks of H. Vaughan- Stevens
upon the means by which (according to the Semang)
the body of the living but unborn child is provided
with a soul. The word " living '* is used in order to
distinguish between the ** spirit of life" (**jiwa") and
the soul (** semangat "), which latter (it may be helpful
to say at the outset) is used throughout this book (as
throughout Malay Magic) in the cultural sense of
Tylor's definition (which agrees far more closely with
our own mediaeval ideas of the soul than with its
modern conception as transfigured by the ideas of
Christianity). Although Vaughan-Stevens' account
still awaits corroboration from explorers among the
Semang (and is therefore printed in small type), it
is none the less eminently credible, for the idea of
comparing the soul to a bird, or of identifying
it in some way with a bird, is of world-wide dis-
tribution,^ and is well known to the Malays, who
call the soul the ** pingai " bird, and in their magical

* For references, see Rev. de PHist. des Religions y xxxvii. 385.
VOL. II B

2 BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

invocations address it with the word ** kur," used in
calling chickens. The Semang woman is said to carry
about with her a bamboo receptacle, in which she
keeps the soul-bird of her expected progeny ; this bird
is really the vehicle of her child's soul, and she is
expected to eat it to enable the soul of her child to be
developed. The whole of this part of the subject is
fraught with great interest, and would reward the
most careful investigation by future observers.

Among the Sakai a professional sage-femme is to
be found, who enjoys certain special privileges, and
is the owner of a species of medicine-hut to which
any of the expectant mothers of the tribe may retire
when their full time has come. Another point about
the birth-customs of the Sakai is that a special water-
receptacle of bamboo called ** chit-nit," which is
decorated with a special design, is employed in the
purification of mother and child.

Finally, among the Jakun, or aboriginal Malayans,
we find the greatest development of the custom of
** roasting " the new-made mother over a fire (an Indo-
Chinese practice which is general among the Malays,
by whom it is called ** salei-an "), as well as a system
of birth-taboos which regulate the diet and the move-
ments of both parents.

I. — Semang.

Among the Semang of Kedah the mother was
usually placed at birth in a sitting posture, and
was then preferably treated with a decoction made
from the root of a creeper called **chenlai," which
had to be sought upon the loftiest mountain ranges ;
but in default of this, a potion was concocted from the
leaves of the ** Igngkuas '* and Citronella or lemon

CHAP. 1 GENERAL REMARKS 3

grass. The afterbirth ('* uri ") and appurtenances were
buried in the leaf-shelter close to the family hearth.^

I may add that at birth a measurement is taken
from the infant's navel along the umbilical cord to
its knee, at which point the cord is severed with a
sharpened sliver of Eugeissona or ** bfirtam."

Both on the east and west coast the great majority
of the names given to the children were of Malayan
origin, and were taken from natural objects, especially
from trees and plants, though they occasionally took
the form of attributes appropriate to the individual,
e.g. " Panjang," i.e.'' Long."^

The following is the account given by Vaughan-
Stevens of the Perak Semang : —

Birth and the Name-tree.'

Birth is usually an easy matter. An old and experienced woman assists the
mother. A bamboo or young tree-stem is cut short at a height of about i^ or
2 metres from the ground, and placed so as to lean diagonally either against the
hut- roof or any other suitable object. A log of wood or thick segment of bamboo
is then deposited at the foot of the sloping stem, so as to serve as a seat for the
patient, who rests her back against the stem. There is no application of pressure
or manipulation, only the sage-femme (** til-til-tapa-i ") presses the patient's hands
a little behind her back flat on the ground.

WTien the child is bom, it is received by the sage-femme, and a knife made
from the blossom-stem of the bertam (* * chin-beg " = Eugeissona tristis) palm is em-
ployed to sever the umbilical cord, at a distance of a *' span's-breadth " (** tSpa ")
from the body. The child's name will have already been decided by the
father, who takes it from some tree which stands near the prospective birth-place
of the child. As soon as the child is born, this name is shouted aloud by the
sage-femme, who then hands over the child to another woman, and buries the
afterbirth, usually — and formerly always — underneath the birth-tree or name-tree **
of the child. As soon as this has been done, the father cuts a series of notches in
the tree, starting from the ground and terminating at the height of the breast.*

The mother generally rests for three days, but even after two days begins to
move about again. No bandages, etc., are used.

The posture of the mother is said to be ** imitated from that of Kari," and
the sloping tree-stem is ** the tree against which he leans." The cutting of the

* V. Appendix. — Anderson,/./.-^, vol. iv. p. 427.

2 ** A more simple and natural mode ^ Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 112-113.

of bestowing names cannot well be im- * The name-tree cannot l)e identical

agined than that adopted by the Semang. with the birth-tree, which is different

Theyarecalledafterparticulartrees; that for males and females {ib. 116), and

is, if a child is bom under, or near a coco- contains the unbom souls ; whereas the

nut or durian, or any particular tree, name is selected from any tree at will,
in the forest, it is named accordingly." ' Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 112.

BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS

notches is intended to signalise the arrival on earth of a new human being, since
it is thus that Kari registers the souls that he has sent forth, by notching
the tree against which he leans. These notches are called << tangkor. " ^

Trees thus '* blazed " are never felled. Any species of tree may be a name-
tree for a child of either sex. The Western Semang, who live in clearings
where there are no big trees, take such names as " Pisang" (Banana), " K'ladi "
{Caladium or yam), "Kuang" (an abbreviation of Mengkuang), ** Rambei,"
<< Rambutan," <*Durian," etc, for the most part Mala3ran fruit names, although
they frequently also take the corresponding names in Semang. The Eastern
Semang (Pangan) take only Semang (Menik) names, and in this respect have plenty
of choice, as their dialect has a name for every species of tree in the forest.'

The child must not, in later life, injure any tree which belongs to the species
of his tree. For him all such trees are taboo, and he must not even eat of their
fruit, the only exception being when an expectant mother revisits her birth-uee.

Among the Eastern Semang (Pangan) it was an ancient custom for an
expectant mother to visit the nearest tree belonging to the species of her own
birth-tree, and hang it about with fragrant leaves and blossoms, if she hap-
pened to be able to reach its branches, or deposit them at the tree's foot, if the
tree was too big for them to be suspended. This, however, was mere custom,
and in no sense compulsory.

The Soul-bird.3

In depositing the flowers at the foot of the tree, she takes care that they arc
not laid upon the spot where the afterbirth had been buried. The reason for this
(as given by the Eastern Semang or Pangan) is that the soul of the expected
child, in the form of a bird, will recognise the tree by the aspect of this very
spot, and will there wait until it is killed and eaten by the mother.

Even though the real birth-tree itself may be many miles distant, 3^t every
tree of its species is regarded as identical with it. The bird, in which the child's
soul is conveyed, always inhabits a tree of the species to which the birth-tree
belongs ; it flies from one tree (of the species) to another, following the as yet
unborn body. The souls of first-bom children are always young birds newly
hatched, the oflspring of the bird which contained the soul of the mother. These
birds olDtain the souls from Kari. If the woman does not eat the soul-bird
during her accouchement, her child will either be still-bom or will die shortly
after birth. To explain bodily malformation the Semang declare that the bird
•*chim-iui" or " til-til-tapa " must, when it was being killed, have fallen upon
a kind of fungus called the *** tigress* -milk' fungus"* (Mai. " susu harimau*'),
which is the young soul of a tiger which rests quietly in the earth until the
tigress has cubs, when it springs up and is eaten by the tigress, who thus obtains
the souls of her cubs.^

The souls in the *• tigress'-milk fungus " (*• susu harimau **) * are always a pair,
male and female, so that one fungus suffices.'' If the bird ("chim-iui") falls
upon one of these fungi the tiger-souls escape, and since they are in their
natural state inimical to man, they remain so in the bird. Thus when the
woman eats the soul-bird, the tiger-souls and the human soul battle together
in the unborn body, which thus becomes crippled or dies outright. Yet even

* ** Tangkor" is probably a cock- * Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 114.
neyfied spelling of **tangkok" = Mal. • ** Susu harimau," in Malay=
**takok" (notch). tigress' milk. In Semang=** napas-

* Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 113. taiyo" or tiger-soul (V.-St.).

3 Ibid. 1 1 3- 1 17. ' According to the Sakai (Blandas)

* According to Vaughan-Stevens it is as well as the Semang (Menik) the
a <* mushroom," but it is in reality the tigress always produces a pair of cubs
"sclerotium of a fungus," wrt5p Ridley, (V.-St.). The same notion is found
J. v., which view is here followed. among the Malays.

CHAP. I NEGRITOS OF PERAK 5

when the embryonic human body dies in consequence of a fight of this kind,
the ▼ictory as between the souls nevertheless remains with the one that is human.
The tiger-souls in these fimgi are not the souls of tigers already deceased, but
newly-developed souls derived from a stock which Kari has created and scat-
tered abroad upon the earth like seeds. ^

All creatures that are inimical to man obtain their souls from poisonous fungi,
whereas harmless creatures obtain their souls from harmless fungi.

When an adult man (or a woman who is not pregnant) partakes of a poison-
fungus, containing the soul of a harmful beast, the beast-soul attacks the human
individoal quite as violently as if the attack were made by a creature that was
adult, but in the case of an expectant mother, the beast-soul attacks the soul of
the un-bom child because it is the weaker. If the soul-bird falls upon a poison-
fungus, which contains a beast — the soul of some beast or reptile, other than
that of a tiger — such as, for instance, that of a snake — the latter bites the body
of the unborn child, but it is not certain whether the child will necessarily die or
not. Some slight protection is afforded by the appropriate design upon the birth-
bamboo carried by the mother, this design being capable of repelling such
attacks, although during the birth a tiger-soul thus repulsed may revenge itself
upon die mother. Hence in cases of difficult birth the Puttos were always
called in to assist, since they were able, by means of special charms, to avert
these attacks as well as the others.

Phosphorescent fungi, such as give light by night, contain the unborn souls
of night-beasts, and give out Ught in order to show the female where to find the
so»il she is looking for. Many kinds of beasts have many young at a time,
and for these whole groves of fungi shoot up when required.

The West Semang no longer believe in the soul-bird, and even employ the
bird itself as food ; but the East Semang (Pangan) only kill the bird on behalf of
their women-folk. In addition, they believe that the souls of Malays, Chinese,
and Siamese were obtained from another kind of birds corresponding to the
physical peculiarities of these several races. Before they leave the presence of
Kiui the souls sit in the branches of a big tree behind his seat and there wait
until he sends them away. What their shape is the Semang do not know ; they
only know that it does not resemble the human form, and that this latter is only
attained in the body. After the death of their human embodiment the souls
which possess a human shape can no longer return to Kari to pass into new
bodies, but have then to wait in a different place. Since the soul never dies,
the soul-birds themselves do not die until they have fulfilled their mission ; nor
can they be shot by mistake ; the arrow will miss them, until their predestined
slayer should happen to shoot at them.*

According to another tradition, the souls of fish are contained in riverside
grasses and bushes, every species of fish having its corresponding species of plant.
The same is the case with sea- beasts. Birds fly behind the mountains when the
sun goes down and into the country of the Sen-oi ; there they eat certain
unknown fruits, and in this way obtain souls for their eggs. The only excep-
tions are the birds called "chim-iui*' and •' til-til-tapa." These need no souls,
since they themselves are human souls in the visible shape of birds. When they
require life for their eggs, i.e. when they are ready to fetch more human souls,
they eat the fruit of the man's or woman's birth-tree, as the case may be. When
one of these birds dies a natural death, it is because of the death of the child in
the womb, but opinions are divided as to what may be the fate of such an
undeveloped soul. Some, however, think it returns to Kari, and becomes re-
embodied in another bird, the eating of whose flesh brings twins to another
Semang woman, just as if she had eaten the soul -bird with an egg.

Whenever an East Semang (Pangan) dies, his birth-tree dies soon after. If,

* Vaughan- Stevens, iii. 114. '^ Ibid. p. 114.

BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS

however, the tree dies first, this is a sign that the owner's death will follow.
Hence big and strong trees are selected as birth-trees. And when one Semang
kills another, except in war, he avoids the other's birth-tree, for fear it will fall
on him. '

The Birth-bamboo.*

The birth-bamboo (as has already been said), is an internode, or hollow shaft
of bamboo (minus the knots or ** joints") which is covered with magical designs
intended to serve as charms against sickness and nausea, and is carried by
pregnant women, hidden under the girdle, in order to prevent any strange man
from seeing it. The magical designs on it are incised by the husband, and an
enceinte woman without a birth-bamboo is regarded in much the same way as a
woman in Europe would be who lacked a wedding-ring.

The patterns of the birth-bamboo represent the child in the mother's womb.
They are described more fully in the chapter on ** Decoration."

Within this receptacle (the birth-bamboo) the expectant mother keeps the
bird, her eating which is believed to introduce the soul into her unborn child.
The expression used by the Semang of Kelantan to describe a woman who has
hope of ofifepring is ** machi kawau," i.^. **she has eaten the bird." ^ The flesh
of the bird in question, however, is not eaten all at once, but piecemeal, being
kept in the birth-bamboo and replaced when eaten by one or two bones, until
the child is bom, when they are thrown away.

** Til-til-tapa," the bird which brings male souls, is the smaller Argus-pheasant ;
that which brings female souls is called ** chim-iui," [which probably stands for
**chim yui," or the **bird that brings" (the soul)]. Twins arise from eating the
soul -bird with an egg. In such a case there is only one birth-tree.^

The severance of the cord may be effected either by one of the women or by
the child's father. It is performed upon a block of soft "jelotong" (" juletong")
wood called "potong pusat."^

No implement of iron may be used for the purpose, a bamboo knife called
"sembilu"^ being the instrument generally used, though knives called "tapa"
("tappar")^ are also manufactured (for this purpose exclusively) from the leaf-
stem of the bertam-palm. In former times a white (spiral) shell was employed.

The East Semang (** Pangan "), like the Sakai, sling
their children from the bough of a tree, when they
are working close by, but not when they are working
at any great distance.^

* Vaughan-Stevens, iii. Ii6, 117. place Vaughan- Stevens described these
' Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 115, 116. knives as being made from the stem of

Cp. Griinwedel in V. B, G, A. xxiv. the bertam-palm, in another (as here)

466, 467. from the Blatt-haut or leaf - stem

' Literally, "eat bird." (midrib of the leaf). The latter is of

* Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 116. course correct, the bertam being, as

* This is a Malay expression signify- Bartels rightly remarks, a stemless
ing " cut navel " [i.e, cut navel-string), palm. He adds that the Semang call
which of course is a name describ- this palm "chin-beg," that Vaughan-
ing the action, not the implement. Stevens had sent five specimens of the

* According to Vaughan - Stevens "tappar" {v. Fig. 6), and that they are
"semilow" {sic) which is merely the narrow slivers sharp)ened at the point
Malay "sembilu," a "sliver" or like a pen-knife, and measuring from
"splinter," mis-spelt and slightly 16.2 cm. to 19 cm. They are all of
modified in course of borrowing. Semang origin. Z.f, E. xxviii. 190.

' Bartels here remarks that in one * Ibid, p. 201.

CHAP. I SAKAI OF PERAK

Tembbh.i

The Tembch (Temia or Tummiyor) in the intervals between the times for
feeding them leave their children by themselves on the floor of their airy
dwellings.

Very often, however, they deposit them in a hammock consisting of a stretched-
out '* sarong" (Malay = cloth skirt, or wrapper) and sling them up under a screen
of leaves, which can be completely constructed in about twenty minutes. This
is partly done to set the mother free for cooking and preparing meals, but more
so because such a position makes it pleasanter and more comfortable for the
child, who is besides much better protected from the attacks of land-leeches,
ants, centipedes, and scorpions. It is therefore prompted by care for the child,
and is not due to any carelessness or neglect. At night the child's swinging
cradle is never (even among the Orang I^ut) suspended from a tree, for fear of
leopards.

According to Vaughan-Stevens (iii. 102) the average number of children bor
to a Tembeh cannot be put higher than two per man.

II. — Sakai.

A Sakai (Blandas) sage-femme is, as might be
anticipated, more reluctant to give information about
her art than even the magician, although the latter is
far more secretive than the ordinary tribesman, the
getting of information from whom is in itself a suffi-
ciently hard task. The following account is from
Vaughan-Stevens : ^ —

The sage-femme's house is easily recognisable, since it is invariably built on a
level with the ground, whereas all the other houses of the tribe are raised from 4
ft. to 6 ft. (1.2 m. to 1.8 m.) above the soil.^ If she has a husband still living
(which very seldom happens), she has two huts, one of the ordinary type in which
she and her husband live together, and the other which serves as her medicine-
hut and which is invariably built upon the ground. No man may on any pretence
enter her medicine-hut or even approach it too closely, and even in passing it he
must do so at a little distance. Women, however, may enter it whenever they
happen to be in\nted, but children again are forbidden to do so, for fear of their
doing some mischief.*

Nevertheless these huts are not intended solely for the sage-femmey since they
also serve as a special retreat for women at child-birth, and the latter are allowed
to remain there for fourteen days after delivery. In the days when the Sakai
were more numerous, these medicine-huts were much larger.

* Z.f. E. xxviii. 201. in order to distinguish it from other

* Ibid. p. 164-197. houses and so protect it from trespass.
3 Ibid.\>, 165. Various reasons were Vaughan-Stevens further remarks that

pven to Vaughan-Stevens for this, e.g. the door (in this class of hut alone)

( I ) that the sage-femme was old and was lower than the head of a grown-

weak ; (2) that when the hut was built on up person, and that the walls and roof

the ground, the demons ("hantu") could were contracted in size and thick, to

not insinuate themselves under the floor. prevent men from seeing into it.
More probably, however, it was so built ^ Z. f. E, xxviii. 165.

8 BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

The profession of the sage-fenwu was to some extent honoured by her being
freed from taking any share in the work of the tribe, although she nevertheless
obtained her full share of the produce. One of her duties consisted in taking care
of children of the tribe in the absence of their mothers, for although none of the
children might formerly venture to enter, their mothers would bring them into
these huts whenever they had jungle-work before them and had a burden to
carry upon their homeward journey.

If the settlement did not possess a hut of this kind, the children were often
slung up above the ground to keep them out of mischief.^

The sage-femme was a person of little importance as compared with the
magician, except when performing her official duties. Nevertheless, she shared
with the magician the privilege of being allowed to put on the white points in
the face-painting, it being held that any unprivileged person who did so would be
killed by lightning.

Again, the midwives of the Sakai, Besisi, and Kenaboi tribes further had an
identical fiice-painting which they were privileged to wear whilst discharging
their functions, the pattern differing from the usual one which they wore in tifieir
private capacity.*

Up to the commencement of confinement, the Sakai women make no change
in the routine of their daily life. An enceinte woman is treated as being in a
respectable and enviable condition ; she mingles openly with the men, even when
in a state of advanced gestation, and apparently lacks any sort of perception of
the propriety of retirement, though at the same time this publicity does not imply
any immodesty on her part, or the least intention of making her condition
known to the bystanders.*

When she has gone some months a Sakai woman girds herself with a band which
is called *<anu," and which is carried round the waist and fastened at the back." ^

Among the Sakai women miscarriage in the third or fourth month was fairly
general. Whenever this happened the remains were simply buried without
ceremony.*

When a Sakai woman feels the first pang (** t'ran "), she lies down, and does
not get up again until her child is delivered.^

When her time has come, the sufferer lies upon her back with a cushion or
bundle placed under the knees, so as to raise them slightly. A female friend (or
the husband, when no other assistance is obtainable) squats down close beside
her on the right. Another woman squats down at the sufferer's feet to receive
the child, the latter resting her heels upon the floor and pressing them against
the knees of this second assistant.^

There is no professional * sage-femme.^

At the instant the cord is severed the child is given its name. The child is
then washed with " mdrian " water, wrapped in a cloth, and handed back to the
mother, w

* Z.f,E, xxviii. 1 66. "^ Bartels observes, that from the
2 Ibid, xxvi. 1 54 seqq. For further description it is clear that the second of

information regarding the face-painting the two assistants does not squat but

of the midwife and her charges, see must kneel upon the ground.

below, p. 48 (under " Body-painting "). ^ Bartels points out that this con-

* Z,/. E. xxviii. 184. tradicts what we have already been

* Ibid. p. 185. told, viz., that Vaughan - Stevens

* Ibid, p. 186. obtained a good deal of his informa-

* ** Delivery " is called, according to tion from professional sage-femmes^ and
Vaughan-Stevens, *'anak kasihk'luar." that they possessed a special kind of
This, however, is merely bad (ver- hut.

nacular) Malay, meaning to "bring ^ Z.f.E, xxviii. 188.

a child forth " (Z./. E, xxviii. 188). »<> Ibid, p. 192.

CHAP. I SAKAI OF PERAK

The ioge-femme possesses a special receptacle called "chit-nAt,** which
serves at one and the same time for the purification of the child and its
mother.

This *'chit-nat'* is a segment of bamboo, which has had a piece amounting
to aboat half its circumference cut away both at top and bottom. The remaining
halves have in each case been left, forming projecting spouts, which are rounded
off at their free ends, and have their straight edges " toothed " or indented.
One edge of each of these projections has six, and the other seven such in-
dentations. The body of the tube is so chosen that the two dividing cuts are
made next to {i,e, above and below) two adjacent nodes, one of which serves as
the bottom of the tube, whilst the other (at the top) has been excised. The
tube has a circumference of 22 cm., and a length of 56.5 cm. excluding, and a
length of 76 cm. including, the two projections. These latter are decorated with
two rows of zigzag lines, whilst two double longitudinal stripes run from end to
end of the body of the tube. One pair of these double stripes is distinguished
by horizontal cross-lines ; the other pair is connected by a zigzag line. Be-
tween the adjacent sides of two pairs of stripes further zigzag lines are intro-
duced. The outlines are distinguished by black and white dots.''

A special kind of bamboo receptacle, which is equally decorated, is employed
for filling the "chit-nAt" with water (Fig. 11).

[Bartels remarks : **This bamboo is only 29 cm. in length by 13.3 cm. in
circomference. At the top it is cut horizontally through the node (* between
two adjacent intemodes \ at the bottom just below the next adjacent node, so
that the node forms the bottom of the receptacle. For half its circumference at
the top it is cleanly cut, for the other half it is cut in sharp scallops. The
upper portion (of the tube) is plain, the lower covered all round with black
and white dots as big as peas. Vaughan -Stevens gives a description of the
pattern which he says he found on this *chit-n&t,' but which, in fact, is not
to be found on it. He must have confused it with something else. His
description, however, runs as follows: * The figures on this *• chit -nit" are the
••riong*' and **b^tong"(?) rattans of the Tabong-story. Commencing at the
open end, the triangular figures are Tuhan's finger-prints. The flat {lugenden)
crosses with the line bisecting them are the thorns of the ** rotan b*tong "
(**butong'*). This figure represents the "rotan belong," the spirals which run
along it representing the thorns, and the cross -lines combine the idea of a
quantity with that of a plant thus crossing itself. Above this in the middle is a
row of "b^tong" thorns, and below that the "rotan riong." The latter*s
prickles are naturally much shorter. Spirals of white and black (or red) dots
were scattered throughout the entire pattern, according to custom, but no
explanation was obtainable.' "]

A very peculiar implement is employed by the Sakai (Sen-oi) for severing
the umbilical cord. Three specimens in the Berlin Museum resemble what is
called a ** fox-tailed " saw, only that they are much smaller, their length being
8.4 cm., 9.3 cm., and 9.2 cm. respectively. They are cut out of wood, and
have an elegant handle, which diminishes down to a small " talon "-like pro-
jection, united to a wooden blade, which is furnished on one side with rough
!»w-like teeth from 0.6 to 0.7 cm. deep. One of these knives has a double row
of saw teeth. This implement is called "semika" ("smee-kar "), and is also
used for decorating the **chit-n&t," as described above.^

The second of the two assistants now lays the patient upon a clean mat and
then goes out. Her companion meanwhile takes the afterbirth, and (should the
child prove to be a boy) ties it up in a cloth and suspends it upon a tree, where
ii is left. If, however, the child happens to be a girl, the afterbirth is buried
somewhere without further ceremony in the neighbourhood of the house. The

J Z.f.E. xxviii. 193. 2 jii^^ p, igi.

lo BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

reason given for this difference of treatment is that the women are obliged to
remain in the house, whereas the men lead an open-air life, and do not remain
in one place like the women.'

In order lo accelerate her recovery the patient has for ten successive days to
take a warm infusion called *'m£rian s^jok." In some cases a bandage of
beaten tree-bark is applied in the same manner as the ordinary bark loin-cloth.
This, however, is not always the case.'*

For ten days she is forbidden either to drink, or wash in, cold water. For
her purification she uses another kind of " chit-n4t," though this too has to be
filled from the bamboo receptacle described above. ^

[Bartels adds, that this **chit-n&t" is furnished, like the preceding one, with
projections at each extremity which extend more than halfway round the
circumference of the bamboo. The free edges are carved into elegant double
curves. The bamboo is cut through, as before, in close proximity to the nodes,
though in this case the receptacle is made from a piece of three intemodes
instead of one. The upper node and the three central ones are excised right
up to the circumference of the bamboo, the vessel thus forming a simple tube
as before. The fourth node is retained and serves as the bottom of the vessel.
It contains a small hole which is, however, probably unintentional. Its length,
with the projections, amounts to 177 cm., without them to 153 cm., and its
circumference is 193 cm. The projections in this case are plain, but from end
to end of the body of the vessel run two longitudinal stripes, one of which is
barred with horizontal lines, the other is crossed by zigzags. Both bars and
zigzags each contain four parallel and longitudinal rows of dots, in the
outer rows the dots being white, whereas in the two inner rows they are
black.]*

The extremity of the umbilical cord falls from the newly-born infant after a
few days, and is then simply thrown away.

For a whole lunar month, however, the child is washed every morning with
water out of a special **chit-nAt" (Fig. 14), which is filled from the bamboo
receptacle already mentioned*

[Bartels adds: "This particular * chit -nit' differs from the rest in being
furnished at the lower end with two long prongs. Each of these prongs
measures 11.4 cm. in length by only 1.7 cm. in breadth, whilst the remainder
of the vessel measures but 23 cm. in length, with a circumference of 13.8. This
' chit-nit ' is cut exactly like those which are formed from a single intemode,
except that it has no projection at the top, and in place of the projection at the
bottom has the two aforesaid prongs. These latter are plain, but the remainder
of the vessel is covered with vertical rows of black and pale red dots about as
big as the tips of the fingers."]

For the mother's purification a second ** chit-n&t " is filled (with water) from the
bamboo filler, and the sufferer washed with a warm infusion of **merian."^

[Bartels adds: **This * chit-nit* is the longest of them all. Like the
former, it is cleanly cut round half of its circumference only (at top and
bottom), and hence it possesses similar projections to those already described.
These two projections do not exactly correspond to the same two halves of the
circumference respectively, and hence their long axes do not meet, but run
parallel to each other. With these projections the receptacle is 185.5 <^™* ^°
length, without them 157.5 cm., its circumference being 23.5 cm. The free
edges of the projections are carefully carved and adorned with delicate indenta-
tions. In other respects, except that of ornamentation, it exactly resembles the
receptacle already described. As regards its ornamentation, the projections are

1 Z.f, E, xxviii. 195. the Malays.— Ridley.

2 Ibid, p. 196. "Mfirian" is Dis- * Z.f,E. xxviii. 196.

sochata br<ute'**a^ and is also used by * Ibid, p. 197. * Ibid, p. 194.

SAKAI OF PERAK

decorated with cross -lines, which have oblique lines running between them,
whilst a longitudinal stripe, interrupted only by the cross-lines, runs from end to
end of the body of the receptacle on either side. As in other cases, the
outlines are distinguished by black and white dots."]

Should the mother die during confinement, and the child be either still-born
or die immediately afterwards, they are both wrapped in one shroud and laid in
one grave together, the child being placed on the mother's breast, with its face
downwards* *

For the five or six days following her confinement the patient is only j)er-
mitted to eat Caladiums or yams,' rice, and bananas. Chillies and hot highly-
spiced broth are very strictly forbidden.

The mother, after delivery, is usually able to move freely about the house
again within five or six hours. After three days she is fit to go out again as usual. ^

The Sakai (Blandas) mothers often pluck out the wing and tail-feathers of
young hombills which the men have procured, and give their infants the quill-
ends to suck. This not only entertains and quiets the children, but in some
undefined way is believed to bring them good luck.*

For travelling short distances the children are carried astride the mother's
hip.^ The Sakai sling up their small children on the hut-wall (in a basket or
hammock made of bast •) for two or three hours together, so long as there is no
fear of tigers.'

For sleeping the mother lays her infant across her breast, taking care, how-
ever, to make the position as comfortable as possible for the child. ^

Of the firuitfiilness of Sakai women, Vaughan- Stevens remarks that it appeared
to be a general rule that out of about six children one would be still-bom, and
two of the remainder would die within the first three years.

Those women who have only one or two children, especially if one of the
latter is bom after a long interval, are, however, as a rule, successful with them.

The largest number of children (in one family), to take a single example, was
sixteen, out of which twelve died before they reached maturity, and of these
seven died before they were a year old. Five of them were boys and eleven girls.

Child-bearing generally continues up to the age of about forty-two years,

* Z. f. £. xxviii. 196. [It is not Sakai ceremony described by Vaughan-

quite clear whether this refers to the Stevens as following birth is the

Sakai or to some other tribe.] fumigation of the child by swinging it

' V^aughan-Stevens here has ** kadi," through the smoke of a large fire. See

a mbtake for ** k'ladi," a kind of Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 107.

yam. ^ Z.f. E. xxviii. 200.

^ Z. f. E. xxviii. 197. For a description of a Sakai ham-

Bartels here adds that, as Vaughan- mock - cradle, see Vaughan - Stevens
Stevenshasalreadytold us that the Sakai in Z. f. E. xxix. 190. Vaughan-
women remain out of sight for fourteen Stevens attaches, however, a quite
days after delivery, he may be speak- exaggerated importance to the fact
ing here of some former custom. It that the pole from which the cradle
may, however, I think, be safely said was slung was not made fast, but
that there rarely is a fourteen days' oscillated to and fro on the top of the
limit amongst any of these savage partition walls. This arrangement is
tribes. The husband's difficulties are, found in many parts of the Peninsula,
in his wife's absence, so much in- and, so far from being at all extra-
creased, that he would certainly not ordinary, is simply due to the exercise
permit so unnecessarily protracted a of common sense, there being no reason
seclusion, even if the woman herself whatever why the pole should be made
desired it, which she would certainly fast,
not do. '^ Z.f. E. xxviii. 201.
Z.f. E. xxviii. 201. Another * Ibid. p. 202.

BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS

though there was one case in which a woman gave birth to a child at fifty.'
Elsewhere we are informed that the average namber of children in a Sakai fiunily
is four.*

Namb-giving.

In writing of the '* tuang-tuang " (** tuntong ") ceremony as performed by the
Sakai, Vaughan-Stevens says : ** The children received their names from their
parents in accordance with dreams, in which there appeared, for instance, either the
floor of a hut, the track of a tiger in the jungle, a tree, insect, river, or the like."

According to the same authority, the name of each individual is represented
by the pattern of the headband which he (or she) wears. His account, however,
is neither altogether clear nor altogether consistent. He says : •• The patterns
painted on the headband (worn by the Sakai) represent the name of the indi-
vidual. They are worn by men and women alike, but not by those who are
unmarried, and who are not yet therefore entered into the tribe." '

Namk-burning.

The magician exercised great power over the tribe through the fturt that he
could deprive a recalcitrant member of the tribe of his (or her) "name.** In
such a case the magician went in full state to the house of the offender, and there
solemnly burned the headband of the person concerned, who by this means was
completely excluded from the clan. Should, however, the rehabilitation of the
offender be desired, the medicine-man, after first painting a new headband with
the same pattern as before, went (accompanied by all his colleagues then living
in the settlement) into the house of the penitent, who afterwards gave a feast

Formerly there were many figures for the patterns, which followed, however,
no fixed rule. The objects represented were those offered by the jungle, but the
exact forms were very much left to fancy, and the colour of the patterns was
fugitive. The bands thus painted were only worn for one particular festive occa-
sion, and were then thrown away.*

In speaking of some fifteen Sakai women, whom
he saw at Kampong Langkor on S. Kerbu, De la
Croix says that almost all of them carried a child
astride of their hips/

^ Z./ E, xxviii. 202. because they very often accompany the

2 Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 102. men on the chase in order to bring

3 Z.f, £, xxvi. 161, 162, where we home the booty or to seek roots on the
read: **As the painted headbands way ; and whenever they stay at home
might only be worn on special occa- they are recognised by the demons,
sions, the black lines (or * demon *- who have previously seen them in
lines) were not retained on the head- their husbands' company, as protected
bands of the lay members of the com- by the patterns of the latter ** ( !).
munity (of either sex), and only the red And yet again, on p. 162, we are
pattern with black dots was aJlinved," told that the women wore headbands

But, on the other hand, cp. p. 163, though only on occasion,

where we are told that *'the women * Z.f.E, xxvi. 163.

wear no figures on their headband Sy * De la Croix, p. 336.

CHAP. I . SAVAGE MALAYS OF SELANGOR 13

III. — Jakun.

Blandas. — Of the birth-customs of the Blandas no
account is yet to hand. I have, however, at different
times, when visiting their encampments, taken down
some of the charms employed against Birth-demons,
of which the following are specimens : —

Charm against the Langsuir.

Langfaui, Langhua !

Your beak is stumpy,

Your feathers are cloth of silk,

Your eye« are ** crab's-eye " beans,

Your heart a young areca-nut,

Your blood thread in water.

Your veins the thread for binding on cock's-spurs,

Your bones twigs of the giant bamboo,

Your tail a &n from China. ^

Descend, O Venom,* ascend Neutraliser,

Neutralise the Venom in the bones, neutralise it in the veins,

Neutralise it in the joints,

Neutralise it within the house, neutralise it within the jungle.

Descend, O Venom, ascend Neutraliser,

And lock up this Langsuir.

Descend, O Venom, ascend Neutraliser.

Whilst repeating this charm rub the sufferer
(**sapu-kan orang sakit itu") with the leaves or the
root (*' isi '') of the ** kelmoyang." ^

The Langhui is a birth-demon corresponding to
the Malay Langsuir (there probably being a close
philological connexion, if not identity, between the
two names). The Malay Langsuir is believed to be
a demon which has sprung from the ghost of a woman
who has died in child-birth. The description appears
to fit some kind of night-hawk or owl.

Another charm which I obtained from the Blandas
was indended to subdue not only the Langsuir, but

* The idea is that a spirit may be ^ May be either Chamacladott ^
controlled if the elements of its (sup- Homalomena^ or Alpinia conchigera^
posed) origin are known. Griff. {Scitaminea:) ; probably the

• I,e. pain. latter = Mai. **lengkuas ranting."

14 BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

the Bajang, a familiar spirit well known to the Malays
and Blandas alike.

Charm against the Bajang.

CM, O Bajang Langsuir,

Thou sprangest from a woman that died in childbirth ;

O Bajang Langsuir,

Thou betel-quid of Baginda AH.

The reference to Baginda Ali is due to the super-
ficial Mohammedan influences, which have reached
the Blandas through the medium of the Malays.

Yet another charm given me by the Blandas was
intended for exorcising the Polong, a familiar demon
which is classed with the Bajang and Pel^sit of
the Malays.

Charm against the Polong.

As the chisel is broken, as the adze-helve is broken,

Broken in chiselling this fallen tree- trunk,

Even so break the bones of your jaws, the strings of your tongue,

And [only] when I retire, may ye go forward.

Ye who came from the sea, return to the sea,

Ye who came from the crags, return to the crags,

Ye who came from the soil, return to the soil.

Thence is it that ye sprang, O Familiar Demons.

The Pontianak is a birth -demon of a different
kind, and this charm too I picked up from the
Blandas.

Charm against the Pontianak.

O Pontianak, still-bom one.

Die and be crushed 'neath the banked-up roadway !

[Here are] bamboos,^ both long and short,

For cooking the Pontianak, Jin, and Langsuir.

Remain, Pontianak, among the Tree-shoots !

Remain, O Jin, among the Epiphytes !

And lodge not here, O Langsuir !

Lodge not here, O Jin !

Lodge not here, O Pontianak !

^ A comparison with Malay charms, a child who has died at or before birth,

from which this is evidently borrowed, The two bamboo- vessels, the long and

shows that **buloh*'( = bamboo) is prob- the short, are naturally required, the

ably the correct reading. The Lang- long one for cooking the liver of the

suir is, as has been said, the ghost of mother, the shorter for that of the

a mother who has died in childbirth ; child, the "Jin" being probably inter-

the Pontianak or Matianak, that of polated. Cp. Malay Magic, p. 320.

CHAP. I SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 1 5

Lodge not here, O Deep-forest Demon !

Lodge not here, O Jungle Demon !

O Jungle Demon, return to thy jungle,

O Deep-forest Demon, return to thy Forest-depths.^

The last of these charms collected from the
Blandas was employed for exorcising the ** Caul-
demon/' when the caul was being removed.

Charm against the Caul-demon.*

Shoots of Salak-palm, shoots of Ranggam-palm ;

Caul like a bridle, Caul like a casting-net ;

Caul that art bound, now be thou loosened ;

Caul that art tied up, be thou unloosened ;

Caul that art noosed, be thou unloosened ;

Caul that art anchored, be thou unloosened ;

Caul- fiend that lodgest here, be thou unloosened ;

O fiends and devils, be ye unloosened ;

O fiends from the Forest-depths, be ye unloosened ;

O fiends from the Per'pat Rock, be ye unloosened ;

O fiends from the Banyan Hill, be ye unloosened ;

O fiends from the Kempas-tree, be ye unloosened ;

O Caul-spirit, Demon that cam'st from the ocean.

From Levin and Lightning, from drizzling and mizzling Rain,

Return to Malim Putih, to Malim Sidi,^

'Tis not by me that this caul is unloosened,

But by Malim Putih, by Malim Sidi.

Besisi. — Among the Besisi (of the Kuala Langat
District) the traditional hire of the sage-femme was
two dollars in money, '* or a white jacket." If no
person of professional experience was obtainable, her
place would be usually taken by the invalid's mother
or even her husband. The mother's mosquito-curtain
was decorated all round with the leaf-hangings used
on all ceremonial occasions, and when the child was
born the mother underwent a ceremonial bathing, and
would then be brought out from time to time and
seated with her back to the fire and kept extravagantly
warm — ** roasted,'* as it is called, a practice which is
found among the Malays. An infusion was also made

* Cp. i. 153. ^ The Caul-demon was believed to lick up the sufferer's blood.

' Both known to the Malays in connexion with To' Batara (or * * Petala ")
Guru, the Malay name of Shiva (see Malay Ma^c^ p. 85),

i6 BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

from the roots of a creeper called **akar mSrian,"^
and was administered to her as a potion, and this
course was continued for about five or ten days, after
which the woman would resume her ordinary avoca-
tions.

Mantra. — Upon the birth-customs of the Mantra
Borie remarks that their children are delivered and
cared for in the usual manner ; a few days after birth
the head of the child is shaved ; it is not the object
of any superstition until it is old enough to be able to
distinguish its father and mother. If the child is ill
they rub it with lime and turmeric. As to the mother,
she remains in the house several days after her con-
finement. When she is strong enough to resume the
ordinary occupations of the household, she must first
purify herself by bathing, and by doing so she acquires
the right to re-appear.^

In addition we are told by Logan that when a
Mantra mother was in labour, a cup of water was
charmed and administered to her. The juice of
certain leaves (**pamanto" and **pamadam") was given
to the child, while a charm was repeated.^ A name
was given to the child at the moment the umbilical cord
was cut, and this was retained until marriage, when a
second name (*'gglar") was bestowed, which was
ever afterwards used in lieu of the first. These
customs, however, were not inflexible. The birth-
name was sometimes superseded (as being unlucky)
before marriage, when misfortunes happened to the
child, and the second name of the parents frequently
gave place to the name of the eldest child with the

* Dissochata bracleata. which is in the Mantra dialect, is

2 Borie (tr. Bourien), pp. 80, probably not quite accurate, and the
81. sense is therefore uncertain, though a

3 Logan's version pf this charm, good deal can be made out.

CHAF. 1 SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 17

prefix Pa' (Father) or Ma' (Mother). The latter
was considered a peculiarly pleasing mode of address,
parental feeling being no doubt found, in many cases,
to be stronger than personal vanity. A similar
custom prevailed amongst the Malays of Naning,
Rembau, and the states of the interior, and had been
probably imported from Sumatra, from whence this
portion of the Peninsula was directly colonised. In
this connexion Logan observes that the importance of
proper names in carrying us back to remote times
in a people's history, is well known to the antiquary
in Europe. Amongst those aboriginal tribes of the
Peninsula whose native language has nearly dis-
appeared before the modern Malay, the inquirer often
finds in the names of places and men the principal
monuments of antiquity. It is probable that these
names are really words of a language once spoken,
although the significance of most of them has been
lost.^ The examples of names which he collected
(and which included the names of all the relatives and
acquaintances of his informant) Logan regarded as
an additional proof of the fact that neither Hinduism
nor Islamism has impressed these tribes, save in some
cases in a slight and superficial manner. No people
ever zealously embraced these religions, without the
names of the gods of the former and the prophet and
apostles of the latter being largely appropriated by them.
Lists of Malayan names exhibit many Mohammedan
and a few Hindu ones, but the greater number are
pure Malayan or ante-Malayan.^

Finally we have evidence of the Malayan practice
of " roasting " the mother in the statement that the

» /. /. A. vol. i. p. 323.* 8 Ilfid. pp. 323,* 324.*

VOL. II C

i8 BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part hi

Mantra placed the wife near the fire in order to drive
away the evil spirits who were believed to drink
human blood whenever they could find it.^

Benua-Jakun. — Of the Benua we are informed that
the wife's mother generally acted as midwife, but
when absent the husband himself supplied her place.
At birth a string to which pieces of turmeric, "bunglei,"
etc., were fastened, was bound round the neck of the
infant as a charm. During the third month of preg-
nancy the magician or ** Poyang " visited the mother,
performed certain ceremonies, and bound a charm
round her waist in order that all might go well with
her and the child. On the occasion of the birth of
the first-born child a feast was generally given by the
tribe.^

By Vaughan-Stevens we are told that the magician attending at a birth
crouches beside the reclining woman and massages her, repeating an incantatioB
as he does so.'

From the same authority we learn that a decoction believed to alleviate
birth-pains was made from three roots the '* white'* and the *' black ramuymn,"
and the ** peranchu," which are boiled and administered as a potion. Vaughan-
Stevens adds that the Benua women were, as a rule, three days in labour ; and that
after delivery they were required to lie down for ten days, during which time they
were attended by other married women. One child out of ten in the present genera-
tion was said to die within three days ; and nearly half the remainder (especially the
girls) before puberty. The supply of milk from the mother was very small indeed,
and the child continued to suck until the mother's breasts were dry.^

The knife used by the Benua for severing the umbilical cord was made from the
hard exterior of a segment of bamboo. It was a sliver measuring 36. 5 cm. in length
by I cm. in breadth. At one end the sliver was indented and truncated just above

^ J, /. A. vol. i. pp. 270, 271. This continuedat intervals until the accouche-

practice is also found among the Besisi ment is over. In protracted cases, the

{g,v, antCy p. 15). woman is laid upon her stomach, and a

* J, /. A, vol. i. pp. 270, 271. Cp. fire kindled near her to excite the pains.

Newbold, vol. ii. pp. 406-407: *'No In order to facilitate the expulsion of

assistance is rendered, except occasion- the afterbirth, she is made to stand over

ally by the husband, if present, during the fire. Seven days afterwards, the

the act of parturition ; not even by one mother performs ablutions, and returns

of the sex ; nor is any preparation made to her conjugal duties." <* Puar " is

to alleviate the pangs. ... An extract the name of many wild gingers {Scita-

only, procured from the root and leaves minca) : see p. 1 3, i». 3, ante. For "si-

of a shrub called, by the Jakun, luseh" read '<salusoh,"cp. p. 25, f>|/^
's^useh,' or *puwar,' is given towards ' Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 143.

tb* <*nd of the peri'yJ '*'' gestation, and * V. B, G. A, xxiv. 468.

CHAP. I SAVAGE MALAYS OF JOHOR 19

as intemode ; at the other end it was cut through at right angles to its axis and
sharpened at the edge. Vaughan-Stevens adds that the operation was performed
by a woman of the tribe without any special ceremony. *

Name-giving.

Names are sometimes given at birth, but in such
cases are changed at the age of puberty.*

Treatment of Children.

Benua mothers carry their children in a sling of
bark-cloth, which is passed over the child's back, over
one of the mother's shoulders, and under the other,
the ends being knotted.'

When the child is too small to hold on by embracing
the mother's neck with its arms, it is carried behind
her back, with its legs clasping her body. It is never
carried on the hip, except in cases where the practice
may have been learnt from the Malays.*

The food (of the Benua children) was eked out with
hog's grease from about the third or fourth day of
their existence. This might be owing to the habit of
not weaning children till they were two, three, or even
sometimes four years of age. It was no uncommon
spectacle to see an infant of a few weeks and a fat
nursling of two years at the breast together. Indulged
as the children were during their infancy, they had no
sooner arrived at an age when their labour was of the
least use, than they were made to assist their parents

* Z,f.E. xxviii. 190. In the same * /. /. A. vol. i. p. 271.

context a wooden knife, assigned ^ Z.f. E. xxviii. 201.

to the •* Orang Utan," and used for the * Ibid, But this begs the question,

same purpose, is described. It had the If the Benua -Jakun, as there seems

general shape of a common kitchen every reason to believe, are mainly of

knife, and measured 26. 5 cm. in length, Malayan origin, there seems no reason

its blade was 1.6 cm. in breadth, and why the custom should not be in-

the bock of the blade was 3 cm. thick. digenous among them.

20 BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part in

in different employments. The effect of this train-
ing was that the young Benua men and women were
highly robust and active compared with the Malays,
and capable of enduring with cheerfulness an amount
of labour from which the latter would shrink.^

Jakun. — We now come to the Jakun, properly so-
called, of whose birth-customs. Captain Begbie, an
old writer on the Peninsula, observed that when a
woman was in labour, the Jakun took a round piece
of wood, which they fastened at both ends in a shed
The woman was laid upon this, face downwards and
pressing upon the abdomen, until the child was bom.
Meanwhile the husband kindled a fire before her,
which was supposed to be of essential service, and
performed the office of midwife ; and after the child
was born, the woman was put close to the fire. To
this account the same writer added that the Jakun
named their children simply from the tree under which
they happened to be brought forth.*

On the other hand, Favre has recorded that no
assistance was ordinarily given to lying-in Jakun
women ; their physicians or Pawangs were not per-
mitted to appear in such circumstances, and midwives
were not known amongst them. It was reported that
in several tribes, the children, as soon as born, were
carried to the nearest rivulet, washed and brought
back to the house, where a fire was kindled, upon
which incense or benzoin was thrown, when the child
was passed over it several times. Favre adds that
we know from history that the practice of passing
children over fire was in all times much practised
among heathen nations ; and that it is still practised
in China and other places. A few days after the birth

1 /. /. A, vol. 1. p. 267. ' Begbie, pp. 13, 14.

CHAF. I SAVAGE MALAYS OF JOHOR 21

of the child, the father gave him a name, which was
usually taken from the name of some tree, fruit, or
colour.^

Food-taboos.

A considerable number of food-taboos are found
among the Jakun ; e.g. among the tribes dwelling on
the Madek River in Johor, of whom D. F. A. Hervey
has related a curious superstition that prevailed among
them, which, so long as the children were unable to
walk, prevented their parents from using as food
certain fish and animals, but as soon as the little ones
had acquired the use of their legs, this restriction was
removed, and the parents were once more able to
indulge in what had so long been forbidden ("pan-
tang "). Should this superstition fail to be complied
with, and should any parent eat of any of the forbidden
creatures during this period of restriction, the children
were supposed to be liable to an illness called "busong,"
which arises, according to the Malays, from ** swollen
stomach " ('* prut kSmbong ").^ The following was the
list of fish and animals which were forbidden under the
above circumstances : —

Fish.— The ** n5m,'' the **b6gahak,*' the **sgng-
arat," the ** tOman," and the " sgbarau/'

Animals. — Deer of all kinds, both the sambhur
(''rusa") and roe-deer (** kijang ") ; chevrotins, e.g.
the mouse -deer (**p'landok"), and the ** napoh '' ;
the wild pig (the ** jokot " and the ** babi ") ; fowls and
eggs ; the lace lizard ("biawak"), the large water-lizard
(*• ggriang *') ; the land-tortoise (** kura-kura"), and a
variety of the preceding called "baning," which is larger

' /. I. A. voL ii. p. 264. dropsical inflammation of the stomach

' Hervey describes this as a species (ascites), the symptoms being accurately
of diarrhcHL It is, however, rather a described by the Malay phrase.

22 BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part hi

and has a flatter shell ; the " biuku," resembling the
" p6nyu tuntong '' (sic, ? the freshwater turtle), a small
tortoise called " jahuk/' etc.^

The rest of this account of Jakun birth-customs is
taken mainly from the German publications embody-
ing the work of Vaughan-Stevens.

BlRTH-CUSTOMS.«

Enceinte Jakun women, unlike the Sakai, withdraw when strangers (even if
members of their own race) are present, and hence, though not perhaps in-
tentionally, they attract much more attention than the Sakai women, who do not
trouble themselves about their condition.^

A Jakun husband, if he can avoid it, never goes out of the sight of his wife,
when she is in this condition. This circumstance often causes difficulties when
men are wanted either as bearers or guides. Through the presence of the man the
well-being of the child in the mother's body is believed to be somehow furthered.

A Jakun woman during pregnancy occasionally carries with her a shell-shaped
piece of wood to protect her unborn child. ^

Another Jakun custom was that a bundle of ijok (" ejoo") fibres were hung
up in a public place, in order to warn passers-by that there was a woman in
travail in close proximity. These ijok fibres consist of the black fibrous covering
of the base of the leaf-stalk of the sugar-palm {Arenga), Bundles of these fibres,
as big as a child's head, were always kept by the women in readiness for such a
purpose. Any man who saw this sign would at once turn back again. ^

The treatment of the umbilical cord consisted in measuring it off from the
child's navel to its knee, and there tying it fast with a string (preparatory to
severing it).^

^ y. R, A, S.y S. B., No. 8, p. Bartels does not seem to have quite

1 20. caught the point of Vaughan -Stevens's

2 Z,/.£. xxviii. 185-198. remarks here. The meaning of the

3 Vaughan • Stevens adds that the passage (as personal investigations have
Jakun women during pregnancy are in shown) is that the exact point at which
no way restricted as to diet. This the cord ought to be severed is deter-
statement, however, is certainly in- mined by measuring off it a length
correct, the fact that their diet is re- equal to the child's thigh-bone (hip to
stricted having been observed by D. F. knee) — this standard of measurement
A. Hervey and others. giving the point required. I may add

Vaughan - Stevens seems to have that it is not at all clear from the con-
considered this ** shell -shaped" piece of text of what tribe Vaughan-Stevens is
wood as something imusual, but there here speaking. The remark has been
can be little or no doubt that what he introduced with other matter concerning
saw was the ordinary "waist ornament" the O. Laut, but evidently in error,
(shaped like a fan-shell or a heart as as it contradicts the statement about the
the case may be, made either of wood, O. Laut on page 191 (line 18). It
coconut-shell, or silver, according to must, however, as it is identical with
the parents' means) that is worn by the Malay custom, either refer to some
female children up to the age of five Malayizing or Malayan tribe, probably
or six, and which may easily have to the Jakun. I think, indeed, there
been carried by the mother as a can be very little doubt that it refers to
charm in anticipation. these latter, as it thus gives effect to
^ Z,f,E. xxviii. 188. the otherwise pointless remark on
^ Ihid, p. i8q page 191 of the same passage.

CHAP. I SAVAGE MALAYS OF JOHOR 23

If the child be a boy, the umbilical cord is then tied to one of his father's
« throwing stones," preferably to one with which his father has already killed
an enemy. It is then dipped in sea-water and washed, and hung up to dry in
the smoke. When dry it is carefully guarded, together with the stone, until the
boy is grown up. At hb marriage the stone is made over to him to be carefully
kept, since such a stone never misses its mark. '

Sex Omens.^

In order to ascertain the probable sex of an expected child the Jakun women
wait until they dream of a certain number, a circumstance which invariably
occurs, since they retire to rest filled with expectation of it.

For the (successive) number of nights thus dreamed of (commencing with the
next night that follows that of the dream onwards), the woman sits up the whole
mght (in company with as many female friends of riper years as she likes) until
(between sunset and sunrise) she hears the cry or note of some particular bird or
beast. The first cry plainly heard by the entire company decides whether the
expected infant is to be a boy or a girl. If the cry is heard on the right side of
the company, it will be a boy, if on the left, a girl. If, on the other hand, the cry
clearly comes from the front and not from the sides, great tribulation prevails,
since the child will not live to grow up. Since, however, the wish is father to
the thought, this is seldom, if ever, reported as occurring. But worst of all is
the cry heard from behind, which indicates that the child will either be still-bom
or will die shortly after birth. In such a case an exclamation of pain from all
present warns the husband to rise and drive away the unwelcome originator of
the cry. When this has been done and the cry is heard again either on the right
hand or the left, the danger is averted. ^

Since, however, according to the older rules, the houses of the women always
had the sea behind them, the younger people would declare positively that it was
the sea that had made the noise in question, and that the women had made
a mistake. Or else the husband entered his boat and rowed in the direction of
the cry, and since it could only have been that of a bird, he hunted it back for
some distance towards the side, so that it might be heard from the side again,
and the expectant mother might be calmed. The husband had the power of
averting the evil, so long as he only drove it sidewards away from the front,
should it happen that his wife would not accept the well-meant fictions of her
female friends, to the effect that the cry came from the required direction.*

If, as may be taken for certain, the Jakun once really believed in these
omens, they have certainly outgrown them in most cases at the present day.
It is quite possible that they may still trouble some of the women, but from the
fact that these well-meant Hctions on the part of the woman's friends are admitted
to be such, it may be inferred that the retention of the ceremony at present has little
more than the strength of ancient custom. Moreover, its retention may perhaps
be further favoured by the fact that on the following day there is given a small
feast to which all the neighbours are invited. This feast is called the ** Little
Forage," whilst the richer and more complete banquet which follows the birth of
the child is called the ** Big Forage." The marriage feast again is called, inter
aliay the ** Double Forage," and the funeral repast the " Last Forage."*

Before leaving this subject it is interesting to record the Jakun belief that
phosphorescent jelly-fishes in the sea were the wandering souls of men awaiting
the impending birth of a child in order to try and enter its body.*

The practice of abortion was well understood by the Jakun women. It was
procured in order to avoid the labour which the bringing-up of the child would
entaiL It was, however, very seldom practised, for if it was discovered by the

» Z./. E, xxviii. 195. « Ibid. p. 185-187. ' Ibid. p. 185.

< Ibid. ^ Ibid. 6 Ibid. p. 187.

24 BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part hi

husband, he had the right of giving his wife a sound drubbing with a club, and if
in such a case he accidentally killed her, he was not brought to justice for doing
so. In the case of a premature delivery, a sort of council of tagt-femwus or
elderly women might be called to try whether the woman had procured abortion.
If she were found guilty, she was delivered over to her husband for punishment.
He was not, however, compelled to punish her, and if he forbore, she escaped
without a penalty.'

When an unmarried Jakun girl had recourse to procuring abortion, she
entirely lost all position and status in the clan. She was despised by the other
women, and scorned as a bride by the men ; and finally she exposed herself to
the disgrace of being chastised by her parents.^

No cranial deformation is practised by the Jakun. *' The heads of the
children are left in their natural shape and are not compressed in any way." '

The average number of children bom to a Jakun is three. ^

Treatment of Children.*

The Jakun never leave their little children alone, as the other tribes do.
Wherever the parents go, the mother carries the child, the £sither helping her
when there are several children, and she has no female relation or friend at hand
to a»ist.

The Jakun women carry their children slung at their backs in a sling made
either of cotton stuff or bark-cloth. The sling is passed round the lower part of
the child's body and back and over the mother's breast, an additional strip being
frequently passed round the mother's forehead.

The child's legs are turned upwards towards the front, in line with the
mother's hips.

If the child wants to suck, it is pulled round to the breast, and not fed (as
among the Sakai) by throwing the breast over the shoulder — except perhaps in a
very few cases when the breasts of a Jakun mother who has given birth to a
very numerous progeny have become abnormally developed. A Jakun child
may also be seen sucking with its head pushed forward under the mother's arm.

The Jakun women declare that in former times they never carried their
children on their hips as the Sakai and Malay women do. Now, however, they
have adopted the practice, which they have borrowed, as in so many other cases,
from the tribes in their vicinity.'

The Jakun seen by Vaughan-Stevens declared that they (like the O. Lant)
had never seen twins. If twins were to be bom, they would be regarded as an
advantage, since later on there would be two children to help with the work.
The fiither, however, would feel an uncertainty, as to whether some other man
had not helped him.^

Vaughan-Stevens describes another almost obsolete custom of the Jakun
women, which is still, however (he says), occasionally practised. This is that
whenever a Jakun woman loses her first-born, if the latter happens to be a boy,
she pulls off the wrapper of cloth which she wears by way of undergarment and
puts on a loin-cloth of tree-bark in its place. Over this bark girdle cotton-doth
might be worn, but the bark-cloth must be worn immediately next the skin, and
that until a full month had elapsed since the child's death, after which it might
be discontinued.^

' Z./. E, xxviii. 1 86. mentioned, however.

* Ibid, * Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 102.

' IHcL xxix. 180. From the con- * Z.f,E, xxviii. 199-201.

text this passage appears to apply to ' Ibid. p. 200.

the Jakun. The name of the race ^ Ibid,

referred to «n thi* ^"npA'^-ior is not ** Ibid, p. 199.

CHAP. 1 MALA VAN SEAGVPSIES 25

Orang Laut or Sea-Jakun.

0. Laut, Sletar. — The solitary statement that we
possess as to the birth customs of the Orang Laut,
S'letar is to the effect that their children were only
welcomed to the world by the mother's joy.^

0. Laut, Sablmba. — Logan informs us that among
the Sabimba the husband alone assisted at births.
To aid parturition a decoction of " salusoh " leaves
was administered, and blowing out of the mouth
(** s^mboran '') was also practised as among the Malays.
A fire was kindled near the mother to scare away
evil spirits. A decoction of the leaves of the
" m^ngkuas " was also given to the mother. The
umbilical cord was cut with a knife or sliver of rattan
(" s2mbilu rotan "), and powdered turmeric applied. On
the third day the mother was bathed in water mixed
with a decoction of "kamaso" leaves, followed by an
application of the juice of limes. She then resumed
her wanderings in the jungle in search of food, her
child being bound closely under her arm with its mouth
to the breast. It did not receive a name till it was a
few months old. The children of the Sabimba were
never beaten.*-

0. Laut, Muka Kunlng. — Of the Muka Kunings we
are told that a midwife (**bidan*') assisted at births, and
received four thousand rattans on the first occasion of
the kind in the family, three thousand on the second,
two thousand on the third, and a thousand for any
subsequent birth. The only medicine employed was
a decoction of the bark of ** kayu pangar," which was
administered to the mother, and a decoction of the
root which was given to the child.'

» /. /. A. vol i. p. 344* « Ihid, p. 298. ^ find, p. 338*

26 BIRTH-CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS partiii

0. Laut, Beduanda Kallangr* — At child-birth among
the Beduanda Kallang the mother drank a decoction
of the leaves of mangrove trees (** bakau ") that had
fallen from the trees and floated on the water, and
the child was given a little of the expressed juice of
the fruit of the ** k'luna." ^

Orangr Laut (no locality specified). — The rest of this
account of the birth-customs of the Orang Laut in
general is taken from Vaughan-Stevens, who gives no
means of identifying the tribe.

Each family group of the Orang Laut contains one or more old women who
follow the profession of sage-femme. Their status varies, and they are paid by
means of a present.^

When delivery took place on board a boat, the space available was naturally
very restricted. Hence the patient was either supported in an upright position
or laid face downwards upon one of the boat's transoms which had been tem-
porarily broadened by the addition of cross-pieces. Behind the patient squatted
a woman, who held her fast at the back, whilst a second, whose duty it was to
receive the child, and also to wash it as soon as it was bom, sat in the bottom
of the boat.'

The Orang Laut cut off the umbilical cord shorter than the Jakun. Their
standard of measurement is three ** breadths " of the bamboo knife used for the
operation, the blade of the latter being required to be of the same breadth as the
sage-femme' 5 middle finger.**

Among the Orang Laut the mother half an hour after her confinement washes
herself in the sea, and after a few days returns to her duties. In a case which
they regard as being so natural, the Orang Laut apply no special treatment ;
for about a month, however, the mother has the region of the abdomen bound
round with a cloth skirt (** sarong") in place of the loin-cloth which up to that
time she had been wearing. *»

A considerable amount of noise is made by the O. Laut as soon as a child is
bom to them. All present unite in shouting and in beating anything which will
make a noise, the greater din that it makes the better. The hubbub lasts for about
ten minutes at the shortest to half an hour at the longest, and is especially intended
to scare away any evil spirits which might otherwise attack either mother or child.
As soon, however, as the cord is cut, the demons are thought to have lost their
opportunity. In the intervals of the din the old woman who has assisted at the
delivery blows upon the child, but this, however, is no charm, or at least is not so
regarded by the O. Laut.*

According to the Orang Laut, the flying lizards of the Peninsula look out for
births, and cause young newly-arrived souls to enter into the bodies of new-born
children, by which means they at once obtain possession of their future
embodiments. They regard these flying lizards as subordinate to the great blind
Flying Lizard of their legends, which keeps watch over the [Life-] stone, for

> /. /. A. vol. i. p. 300. * Ibid, p. 198.

* Z, f, E, xxviii. 164, 165. ^ Ibid, p. 192. Sic, The practice of

' Ibid. p. 189. blowing upon the child is, of course,

^ ijkid. P* 191* St wide-spread magic ceremony.

CHAP. 1 MALAYAN SEA-GYPSIES 27

which express puqx)se the Creator made it. They have the power of flying from
earth to the unknown Void in order to make arrangements with this Lizard-chief
of theirs. No Orang Laut will kill these small reptiles, since its companions (he
believes) would be sure to avenge its death, by refraining from pointing out the
next bom child of the offender to the soul which had been appointed for it.*

Moreover, these small fljring lizards have the power of turning themselves
into crocodiles at will. The crocodile and the shark are regarded as brothers,
and whenever a fljring lizard learns from its Chief that any person's stone (re-
presenting his soul) is soiled and buried, the former is commissioned to convey
the order for the death-penalty to the person concerned, and to execute it. This
mission it accomplishes either in its own shape or in that of a snake (whose form
it can assume at vrill when on land), in that of a crocodile (when it is in the water),
or through any other agent whatsoever. Hence whenever an Orang Laut dies
from the bite of a snake, or is seized by a crocodile or shark (the most probable
forms of death according to their manner of living), or sucked down and drowned
through some invisible agency, the Orang Laut all agree that it was the doing of
the small flying lizard acting under the orders of the big blind lizard (that
watches the life-stone).^

The Orang Laut women when suckling their children do not throw the breast
over the shoulder, though they often pass it sideways under the mother's arm.
Like the Jakun mothers, they do not wean their children until their breasts
are dry. There is seldom too little milk at first. In such an event the child
would be fed by one of the mother's friends or relations, though this would not
be held to constitute a closer relationship between the foster-child and the
children of its foster-mother. The women do not retire out of sight when the
child is being suckled.'

The birth of a child is signified by means of a split stick, in the cleft of which
a leaf is jammed. If the child is a girl, the stick retains its bark, if a boy the
stick is peeled.^

No steps were taken to procure abortion. Such an abomination would have
been considered impossible.^

The Orang Laut deny that child-murder has ever been practised among or even
been charged to them. They are amply supplied with food, and the children are
early taught to forage for themselves, so that they were not subjected to any
such temptation. As among the Jakuns, twins are almost unknown.*

» Z.f. E. xxviii. 187. * Ibid, p. 198.

« Ibid, p. 188. 5 7j,v/. p. 186.

' Ibid. p. 201. ^ Ibid. p. 200.

CHAPTER II.

Maturity Customs and Beliefs.

If we differentiate as we ought the practice of
tattooing (i.e. of decorating the person with punctured
designs filled with pigment) from the various forms of
scarification and raised cicatrices or keloids, we shall
feel a considerable measure of doubt as to the extent
to which any form of tattooing, properly so called,
exists among the tribes of the Malay Peninsula. It is
true that several writers of some authority employ
(loosely, as I think) the word "tattooing" in speaking
of the face-decoration of some of the Semang and
Sakai tribes of Perak ; and it is true that one of these
writers (Miklucho-Maclay) even describes the opera-
tion as being performed with a needle,^ but in none of
these instances, not even in the latter, is the modus
operandi described, and in default of evidence of this
kind, we can only say that there is no adequate state-
ment of tattooing as known to these tribes.* Of the
practice of skin-scarification, on the other hand, as
well as of face-painting, there is abundant evidence,
and, unless the contrary fact can be proved, it is safest
to suppose that most of the writers mentioned above

» /. R, A, S.^ S, B,, No. 2, p. 214. effect that "among the Perak Sakai
^ Since penning the above, Mr. tattooing is met with," though all
L<^nard Wrav hp*' v-itf^r me *'> the details as to its form are still wanting.

CHAF. II GENERAL REMARKS 29

have carelessly used the word " tattooing " as the
equivalent of skin-scarification, a confusion which it
would be easy to parallel from the writings of travellers
in other savage countries. If this explanation, which
to me appears to be the one that will best fit all the
facts, be accepted, the next question to be considered
is whether such " tattooing " as exists should properly
be classified as a custom of Negrito or Sakai origin.
That it is not a custom of Jakun origin may be
taken as certain, since none of the purer Jakun
tribes, so far as our information goes, ever practise it.
It therefore almost certainly originated either among
the Semang or among the Sakai, and the balance of
evidence seems to show that it is not indigenous
among the Semang. Of all the Negritos that I saw
in Kedah and Kelantan, only one (a woman who
displayed some traces of Sakai admixture) showed any
evidence of it. And if we go further afield, to the
nearest spot whence collateral testimony as to the
customs of the Negritos may be obtained, i,e. to
the Andaman Islands, we find that none of the tribes
there practised this method of decorating the skin of
the face, and that the ** Jarawa" tribe apparently did
not tattoo any part of the body/ On the other hand,
the cultural focus of this practice appears to be in
the valley of the Plus in Ulu Perak, a district mainly
under the influence of the Sakai.

To return to the former question, that of real
tattooing, I may quote in support of a similar con-
clusion the opinion expressed by Mr. L. Wray, who
has recently written me that with regard to the place
of its origin, he believes it (as I do) to be a Sakai,

» Cp. Man's Andamamu^ p. 113, note to p. Ill, "the Jarawa do not
" the £ace is never Uttooed " ; and also tattoo."

30 MATURITY CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

and not a Semang custom — firstly, because he has
never seen it on a Semang, and secondly, because
tattooing would not show on the nearly black skin
of the Negrito.^

Of the prevalence of some form of tattooing or
scarification in Pahang I have not yet been able to
get corroborative evidence, but one or other of these
practices was certainly found among the Sakai tribes
of Ulu Langat in Selangor, who were not long since
described as a ** tattooed " race.^

On the whole, therefore, it seems best to conclude
that both these customs, whether tattooing or scarify-
ing are of Sakai origin, and that even where we find
them established among the Semang, they are really
exotic.

It may, I think, be very reasonably suggested that
most forms of body-paint employed by these tribes
may have originated in the application of (i) magical
designs to the body; and that out of the most commonly
used forms developed, on the one hand, (2) the so-
called ** tribal marks " (where indeed these can be pro-
perly established), and (3), on the other, merely deco-
rative designs.* The bulk of our information on the
subject comes from Vaughan - Stevens, but it is
admittedly an eclectic account, and it would certainly
be the height of rashness to attempt to build upon this
flimsy foundation until the necessary material comes
to hand for checking it. Quite apart from any ques-
tion of his methods, Vaughan-Stevens himself declares

> This second reason is not by itself, above, but class (3) is not wide

of course, conclusive. enough, some of the designs employed

* J. A. G. Campbell, p. 241. being undoubtedly love -charms in-

s Vaughan-Stevens classifies these tended to make the person of the

designs as follows : — (a) Tribal marks, wearer attractive; it is also probable that

(^) charms against spirits, {c) mere magical designs (V.-St's class (^) ) pre-

decoration. This classification is very ceded tribal marks (his class {a) ), which

much on the same lines as that given were probably developed out of them.

CHAF. II GENERAL REMARKS 31

(p. 150) that it is now a very rare thing to meet
with the old and correct designs. Here and there in
remote tribes the women are still in the habit of
painting their faces, but the patterns are very often
employed solely for ornament, and are either a mere
improvisation of the individual, or incorrect or
abridged imitations of the old original design, while
frequently the private totem {sic) of the family has
replaced the original pattern of the tribe.^

This custom (of body-paint) is of much wider
distribution than that of scarification. This may per-
haps be due to the fact that the marks of the latter
are indelible, whereas the painted designs can be re-
moved at a moment's notice should there be any
apprehension (always a lively one in the hearts of
these timid aboriginal races) of ridicule on the part of
strangers who do not practise it.^

Accordingly we find that there are very few, if any,
wild people of the Peninsula who do not, on special
occasions at least, indulge in the practice, many of
them being tribes which no doubt formerly practised
scarification or tattooing.

It is to be seen among Semang, Sakai, and Jakun,
but more especially among the Sakai. The colours
used are black, white, red, and occasionally yellow,
which last two appear to be of equivalent value from
a magical point of view.

By the same method of weighing the evidence, I
should be led to classify the custom of perforating
the nose-cartilage (with the wearing of the nose-bar
or nose-quill) as a Sakai practice, for in this case too
the Andamanese evidence is of a negative character,*

' Cp. Z./,E, xxvi. p. 150. ' "In this [non-pcrforation of the

s Ibid, nose-cartilage] the Andamanese differ

32 MATURITY CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS paietiii

whereas this identical custom is certainly found almost
everywhere among the purer Sakai tribes, even in the
east coast states {e,g. Pahang, where a nose-ring is
sometimes substituted for the quill), and as far south
as Ulu Langat in Selangor, where the Orang Bukit
were described by Campbell, in the passage referred
to above, as a race that ** put skewers through their
noses," ^ and probably yet further south as far as N^^
Sembilan. On the other hand, the practices of filing
and blackening the teeth are widely -spread customs
which are found (generally speaking) throughout the
whole of the Malayan region, and the custom of ear-
boring is practically universal.

Shaving the head, with the exception of a top-
knot, which is often temporarily removed at puberty,
may be seen among the Semang, but so rarely that
it may be regarded as borrowed from the Malays,
amongst whom it is common enough. With regard
to the Sakai and the Jakun there is very little
evidence, though, if we may judge from phot(^raphs,
the latter certainly practise it to some extent. The
apparent system of totemism reported by Vaughan-
Stevens, which is given below (p. 62), rests on most
unsatisfactory evidence, which can only have come, I
think, from the use of ** leading questions."*

I. — Semang.

Nose-boring.

Kedah Semang. — The boring of the nose-cartilage
is, as already explained, most probably a Sakai custom

greatly from their neighbours the Nico- enable them by the time they are full-

barese, who not only flatten the occi- grown to insert a wooden cylindrical

puts of their children in infancy, but instrument three-quarters of an inch

from the period of puberty, blacken thick." — MsLn*s Afufamanese, p. 115.
their teeth, and perforate the lobes of ^ J. A. G. Campbell, p. 241.

their ears to such an extent as to ^ Cp. pp. 258-260, if^a.

NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 33

which has been borrowed by the few Semang who are
now found practising it.^ It was not practised at all by
the Semang of Kedah, nor did we see any examples of
it among the Pangan of Kelantan. I was told, how-
ever, that some of the Belimbing tribes (Pangan) were
in the habit of passing pieces of stick or stems of
grasses through a perforation in the cartilage. None
of the Negritos, however, that I saw, either on the
east or west coast, showed the slightest trace of it.

Perak Semang. — It is also said to occur among the
Semang of Perak.

Ear-boring.

Kedah Semang. — This is a custom of both sexes.
It is said to be performed in the case of girl-children as
soon after birth as possible, the lobe being bored with a
porcupine's quill, or some such article, and the hole en-
larged by inserting a rolled-up strip of cloth or banana-
leaf on ordinary, and of licuala (*' palas ") leaf on festive
occasions." Boys also occasionally have a hole bored in
one lobe only, in which they carry the native cigarette,
as is the practice, I believe, in Burma and elsewhere.
I did not see any of the Kedah Semang actually wear-
ing an ear-quill, though it has been recorded in Perak.

Tooth-filing.

Kedah Semang. — In Kedah the teeth were fre-
quently filed, the six front teeth of the upper jaw being
thus treated, as among the neighbouring Malay tribes.
This filing is performed by means of a smooth piece
of sandstone from the nearest brook, and is said to be

* Vide p. 1 50, ante. this custom, the roll of * * palas " is called

* In the Belimbing district of Ulu **gerinching.'* The Pangan of Jelei(Pa-
Kclantan, where the Pangan practise hang) wear incised bamboo ear- plugs.

VOL. II D

34 MATURITY CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

performed at the age of puberty irrespective of sex,
probably not long before marriage, as is the practice of
the Inland Malays, from whom they learnt it.

The six front teeth of the upper jaw of a Semang
skull brought home by the writer were filed, the filing
being of the ** concave " kind (in which the front part of
the teeth is filed away, so that the teeth thus treated
become concave instead of convex).

In the Ulu Kelantan district the various Pangan
tribes are also alleged to practise tooth-filing,^ and some
of them are even said to blacken the teeth. I think,
however, that with very little doubt, both this Pangan
practice of tooth-filing and that of blackening the teeth
(especially the latter) must have been of Malay origin.
This last practice, at all events, is exceedingly rare
among the wild tribes, though it is common enough
with the Malays. Most of the Semang that we
measured had had their teeth filed as described, but
not one had them blackened.

Other Forms of Initiation.

All the Semang without exception deny that they
ever circumcise or incise, except of course when they
become converts to Mohammedanism.

Scarification or ** Tattooing''

Kedah Semang, — The actual practice of tattooing
properly so called {i.e. skin-puncturation) is, so far as
I was able to ascertain, unknown to the Negritos
of Kedah, and even with regard to scarification the
evidence is of the scantiest character, and it would

* V.-St mentions that he saw filed Pangan or Eastern Semang" — Z./ E.
teeth among some " very black people, xxix. p. 1 80. The filing is performed in
who lived on the boundary of the Kelantan, as in Kedah, with sandstone.

mAF. II NEGRITOS OF KEDAH

perhaps be nearest the truth to surmise that such
af the Perak Semang as practise it, have adopted it
from neighbouring tribes of Sakai. At Belimbing
in Ulu Kelantan, however, I was told that among the
Pangan of those parts certain " marks " (scarifications)
wrere worn on the face, the design being scratched in
3n the skin by means of a thorn (" duri "). The
marks on the forehead were more or less vertical, and
those on the cheek horizontal ; but sometimes the
design is only temporarily marked out with charcoal.
I did not, however, see any Semang who were so
marked, though I saw a large number who were not.

At Siong (in Kedah) the wife of the tribal chief
(who, however, came from the Plus district in Perak and
had Sakai blood in her) had four distinct scarifications
upon the left cheek, with similar faint marks on the
right cheek also. These marks, which were not quite
borizontal but slightly divergent, started from the nose
and were carried across the cheek, each of them form-
ing a dark-red (almost black) stripe across the skin,
looking like the cut of a whip-lash. She told me
that these marks on her face were made when she was
quite young and living in the valley of Ulu Plus. The
finely serrated edge of a sugar-cane leaf was drawn
lightly across the skin excoriating it, after which soot
or powdered charcoal was rubbed into the incision.
She assured me at the time that it was a tribal mark,
the object of which was that any member of the tribe
who bore it might be known to their friends whenever
they met in a distant part of the country.

Although, however, marks of this kind may often
merely be (as is indeed indicated by my informant's
reply), of the nature of local ** fashions,*' such as serve
to distinguish the people of one district from the

36 MA TURITY CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS paxt ii

people of another, not only in Asia, but in most parts
of the world, not even excepting the continent of
Europe, this need not preclude their use as magic.

Perak Semang. — The foregoing information, which
was given me by the Kedah tribes, tallies closely with
De Morgan's account of what he calls " tattooing,"
which from the importance of the subject is worth
quoting verbatim : " The Semang and Sakai tattoo
themselves differently " ^ (for a fuller account see
twelve illustrations in L' Homme, ii. 555). ** Some
draw (parallel or divergent) black lines upon their
faces, starting from the nose and continuing across the
cheeks or the forehead. These designs are frequently
unsymmetrical : frequently too they are only found on
one side of the face. These adornments are as frequent
among men as among women, and are indelible. They
are produced by lightly raising the skin and intro-
ducing beneath it colouring matter such as soot or
powdered charcoal.*'^

Body-paint.

Kedah Semang. — The custom of painting the body
is indulged in rather for purposes of magic than for
those of mere adornment, as it so often is among the
Sakai. The facts are as follows. Among the Semang
of the east coast in Ulu Kelantan I was told that the
Pangan of Belimbing had the habit of tattooing or
scarifying both their cheeks and their foreheads, but
that occasionally, in lieu of this, they merely marked
out the design with charcoal.

^ Elsewhere this same writer (viii. ire "), and do not necessarily imply any

296) states that the Semang women identity of design,
tattoo and paint themselves "in the ^ De M. vii. 412; Z'/f^ww^, ii. 581;

same manner" as the Sakai. The words, ajid/. /^, A. S., S. B., No. 2, p. 214

however, are very vague (**elles se (of the Pangan, whom M.-Maclay mis-

tatoaent et peig^ent de la tnhne mani- calls Sakai).

NEGRITOS OF KEDAH

Further, in Kedah one of the women of the tribe
n explaining to me that the decorative designs of the
>amboo combs worn by Semang women were intended
"or repelling various evil influences, volunteered the
nformation that similar patterns were sometimes
tainted on the women's bodies, for a similar (i.e.
fuigicatj object, these latter being not therefore solely
Jie outcome of local whims or fashions.

I saw, besides, among these Kedah Semang, a
;pecies of yellow unguent (said by the wearer to be
)ure coconut-oil) applied to the cheeks, the tip of
he nose, etc., by the men, who informed me at the time
hat they only wore it by way of decoration. At the
ame time, in describing the love-charm called
* chindwai," they explained that the application of oil
o the face and breast was for purposes of magic, and
his I believe to have been the original motive of all
Kxly-paint practised by the Semang.

In substitution for the yellow colour when coco-
lut-oil is unprocurable, the Semang obtain a similar
)igment from the wild ** saffron " or turmeric. Among
he Pangan of Ulu Kelantan this latter is converted
by mixing with lime) into a sort of burnt-red ochre.

Hence we see that at least three colours, black,
ellow, and red, are certainly used by the Negritos,
nd to these white (obtained by slaking a little shell-
ime) should be added.

On the other hand, it is not clear, from our
xisting information, whether any kind of red ochre
5 obtained among the Semang (as among the
>akai), by the grinding down of lumps of iron ore
•r hematite.

Perak Semang. — In the account of Semang traditions
here is perhaps an allusion to the supposed origin of

38 MA TURITY CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

body -paint in the story of the charred stick which
Kamoj, the ruler of the damned, is said to have
adopted as his emblem, in place of the burning brand
which he received from Kari.^

So too Vaughan- Stevens records that the Semai^
were in the habit of marking their bodies with charooal
for medicinal, {i.e. magical) purposes, wherever any
pain might be felt.*

With reference to the Negritos of Perak, Dc
Morgan mentions the fact (referred to above), that they
both ** paint and tattoo themselves in the same manner**
as the Sakai, but his phrase is extremely vague, and
he gives no further details. Vaughan -Stevens, on
the other hand, declares that " to the Negritos, both
painting and tattooing are unknown."*

II. — Sakai.
Nose-boring.

Perak Sakai. — Colonel Low has informed us that the
perforation of the cartilage of the nose (through which
porcupine's quills are worn) is the distinguishing
characteristic of the Orang Alas (i.e. the Sakai) of Ulu
Kinta* in Perak.^

From other sources we learn that the Sakai of
Perak are in the habit of perforating the septum of
the nose, through which they insert the quill of a
porcupine or a bar of some other material (wood or
bone) which is not unfrequently decorated with in-
cised rings.

It appears further that they occasionally wear in
the same way a rolled-up piece of banana-leaf. This

* V^iighan-Stevens, iii. 131. ♦In original ** Ulu Kantu."

^ Ihid^ * /. /. A, vol. iv. p. 429 ; q).

3 Ibid. J. R, A. 5.. 5. B., No. 4, p. 3a

Sakai of South Pkkak. showinc; Kace-Paint and Nose-Quill,

; 'ol. II. p. 39.

CHAP. 11 SAKAI OF PERAK

latter, however, is not worn for ornamental purposes,
but is intended, as in the case of the ear-hole, to
enlarge the perforation of the cartilage.^

Ear-boring.

Parak SakaL — The women sometimes wear a porcu-
pine's quill passed through the perforation in the lobe
of the ear. Wooden arid other ear-studs or plugs and
ear-rings are, however, not uncommonly substituted.*

The foregoing account is corroborated by Colonel
Low, in the passage quoted above, and Hale, who
states that they also "wear the same things" {i.e.
pwcupine's quills, etc.) in their ears, and there appears
to be a tendency to enlarge the perforations. Mr.
Hale observed two women wearing rolls of cloth as
large as his little finger, and he found great difficulty in
abstracting one of these rolls, which fitted very tightly.*

So, too, in a recent letter to me, Mr. L. Wray
observes that ear-studs or plugs made of decorated
bamboo, and with a diameter of i^ in. (31 mm.), are
worn by the Sakai of Perak, who occasionally insert in
them both leaves and flowers.

Tooth-filing.

Perak SakaL — There is some doubt as to whether
the practice of filing the teeth obtains among the
Perak Sakai. De Morgan says that the teeth (of
the Perak Sakai) were magnificent and were never
filed, and that he frequently inquired of Sakai chiefs
whether this practice existed, but that they as often
denied it.*

* Vide vol. i. p. 156. ' Hale, p. 293; cp. Rev, (TEthn.

' De Morgan, vii. 414 ; V Homme ^ i. 44.

u. 586; and for the kind of earrings, * De Morgan, vii. 412; VHommey

etc., which are worn, vtde\o\. i. p. 156. ii. 582.

40 MA TURITY CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part in

In spite of this evidence it would, of course, be
strange if the Sakai had in no case picked up what is so
common a custom of the Malays. But I have not so
far found any mention of it by other authors.

Mr. L. Wray, however, writes me that he has seen
at least one Sakai woman whose teeth were filed after
the manner of the Malays. She was living with a
tribe of Sakai near Chenderiang, but as she had once
been a slave in a Malay house, it might have been
done by Malays. In the same district he saw a woman
whose teeth had been blackened.

Other Forms of Initiation.

There is no record either of circumcision or any
kindred rite among the unconverted Sakai.

Scarification and Tattooing.

Perak SakaL — There appears to be very little
evidence of the practice of tattooing proper among the
Sakai, beyond Mr. L. Wray's statement already quoted,
but De Morgan's account almost certainly holds
good at least of the methods adopted for scarification.
The same author goes on to explain that the face-
marks to which he refers are found among the wilder
tribes only, their more civilised kinsmen (who are in
closer touch with the Malays), having long dis-
continued the practice. De Morgan himself observed
it (in Perak) among the hill-Sakai of Changkat
Kerbu, and also among those of Changkat Gochan,^
as well as in other places. Baron Miklucho-Maclay,
on the other hand, remarks (though in reality he
only saw Pangan), that while he saw no ** Sakai " or

1 Pc M. viii. 225.

CHAP. II SAKAI OF PERAK 41

Semang man tattooed, he found most of the '* Sakai "
women so adorned, and always in the same style.
Figure 2, Plate III. [of M.-Maclay's article] shows
the arrangement of the simple design with which in
childhood they embellish their cheeks and temples.
The operation is performed with a needle, and the
design is first marked out with resin.^ Maclay's
account certainly describes a method which may refer
to regular ** tattooing," though we must not be led too
hastily to conclude (from the mere fact of a needle
being employed) that puncturation, and not scarifica-
tion, was the method actually practised.

Vaughan - Stevens, again, though he must have
had ample opportunities of studying the question, is
far too uncertain as an observer for us to feel sure to
which process he actually refers. All the information
that he gives is contained in the meagre statement that
in the case of the Sakai (Senoi), Besisi, and Kenaboi
the chiefs had the same pattern as the ordinary man,
and that the chiefs of the Tembeh had, when their
clan - mark (.'^) was tattooed, a further special tattoo-
pattern denoting their rank ** tattooed " upon the breast
or the arm. They alone were tattooed, whilst to the
Negritos {i,e. Semang and Pangan) both tattooing
and body-paint were unknown.^

Of other authorities upon the Sakai of Perak, (i)
Hale, though he could hardly have failed to see it, if
it was there, unfortunately in his paper makes no
reference whatever to the subject.

(2) De la Croix relates that, of some fifteen
Sakai women belonging to Kampong Chabang whom
he met at Kampong Langkor (S. Kerbu), some of

' M.-Maclay \n/./^.A.S., S.B., No. Batang Padang Sakai did not tattoo or
2, p. 214. Ace to Fasc, Mai, 37, the scarify. * Z./ E, xxvi. 157.

42 MATURITY CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

them had lines tattooed ^ upon their cheeks, which he
thought might be tribal marks. Two of these lines
were parallel, and were drawn from the top of the ear
to the nostrils ; two more started from the bottom of
the ear, and terminated at the corners of the mouth ;
and besides these there was a small vertical tattoo
design between the eyebrows.* Some Sakai men
from another Sakai village close to Kampong Chabang,
had the same tattoo-marks on the face that he had
noticed among the women.^

(3) To these may be added the statement of De
Morgan, viz., that at Changkat Riam (in the interior
of Perak) he ** first saw people who were actually
tattooed." The tattoo-patterns **of the men were
less elegant than those of the women, who were
sometimes entirely covered with indelible black lines
and red paintings." *

On the other hand, we have the first clear and
decisive account from Colonel Low, who remarks that
the Malays of Perak divided the Sakai into three
classes— the ** Tame Sakai," the '* Hill Sakai" of Ulu
Bertang, and the Alas (**Allas ") of Ulu Kinta.^ This
last tribe differed from the other two in having adopted
the custom of . . . tattooing the face and breast by
means of a sharp piece of wood, and filling the
punctures with the juice of a tree.®

The next really reliable statement upon the
subject comes from Mr. L. Wray, who in writing to
me recently remarked as follows : — ** The Sakai of
Perak practise tattooing, the lines being made by

^ By "tattooed" may be meant « Colonel Low,/./. /^. vol. iv. p. 429.

"scarified." Mr. Cerruti has also since written me

2 De la Croix, p. 336. ^ lb. p. 338. that the skin is " pricked " with a

* De Morgan, viii. 211. "b^rtam" thorn, and p>owdercd char-

* In original **Kantu." coal rubbed in.

// '^

%if^' \

u
z

Q
o

e <

c
o

..^r^--

I. Vouiig Sakai man of " Lolx)u Kcia" (S. Kinla). 2. Young Sakai man of Changkat Korba
(S. Korbu). 3. Young Sakni man of Changkat Kiam (S. Korbu).

4 5 «

4. Young Sakai man of Changkat Chano (S. Korlui). 5. Young Sakai man of Changkat Gochang
(S. Korbu). 6. Young man (S.lmafi) of Changkat Pongflra (S. Piah).

7 8 9

7. Young Sakai woman of Changkat Kiam. 8. Young Sakai woman of Changkat Chabang

(S. Kaya). 9. Young " Semang " girl of " Changkat POngSr.^ " (S. PiahX

10 II 12 De Jlfitrg'ttK.

10. Young "Semang" woman of Changkat Pongora. it. Sakai woman of Changkat Korbu.
12. " Semang " woman of " Changkat POngdrS."

De Morgan's Drawings, showing Types of Face Decoration (Sakai and "Skma
W. //. /. 43-

CHAP. II SAKAI OF PERAK 43

pricking the skin with a thorn, and then rubbing in
powdered charcoal. I was told by a Malay that a
tribe at Sungei Raya in Kinta employed red lines as
well as the bluish ones produced by the charcoal, but
he did not know what pigment was used. The lines
are mostly to be seen on the face, but sometimes
rings are tattooed round the fingers. The marks are
usually confined, however, to a few lines on the
forehead. A favourite device is a diamond -shaped
pattern in the centre, with one or two vertical lines
on each side, though often there is only one line,
running from the roots of the hair down to the tip of
the nose. I enclose some sketches I made in Batang
Padang. All were on the forehead where not other-
wise shown. The marks do not appear to be tribal,
since members of the same family have different
designs. I have certainly never seen scarification on
a Perak Sakai. Raised cicatrices on the bodies of
some of them I have seen, but there was nothing to
lead one to suppose they were not the result of
accident."

In spite of this apparently strong consensus of
evidence, I must still repeat the warning that
(although there clearly is some form of real tattoo-
ing, i.e. skin-puncturation, practised in the Peninsula),
yet what many of the observers from whom I have
quoted are wont to call tattooing, is certainly no
more than scarification, or even perhaps nothing
but mere face-paint after all.

Body-paint.

With regard to body-paint, the information to
hand is more satisfactory. Its existence among the

44 MA TURITY CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part in

Sakai of Perak is noted by Hale, Swettenham, De
Morgan, Vaughan-Stevens, and others;^ and among
the Senoi of Pahang by Clifford and Martin. The
pigments used agree pretty well, as to the colours
used, with those employed by the Semang, but are
made of varying materials.

De Moi^an states that the Sakai of Changkat
Gochan and S. " Krou" (in Perak) used to manu-
facture their white pigment from lime obtained from
the shells of the Melania, and that they usually ap-
plied the product thus obtained in a circular stripe on
the right cheek.^ When black, the pigment is ob-
tained from charcoal, when red, from the fruit of the
anatto or Bixa orellana, which is cultivated for the
purpose.^

The anatto (Mai. **kasumba"), however, being
of modern introduction, cannot have been the original
object from which the red pigment was obtained, and
there is accordingly some question as to what sub-
stance may have preceded it. Vaughan - Stevens
describes it, somewhat vaguely and from tradition
only, as a species of red earth, but in his Cave-dwellers
of Perak Wray refers to the apparent use of hematite
in this way, and there can I think be very little doubt
that this conjecture* is correct, and that a species of
red ochre, obtained from some of the numerous forms
of iron-ore so widely distributed in the Peninsula,
originally formed the red pigment of the Sakai.
Hematite does in fact to this day form a very popular

* De Morgan, viii. 211; Swett. p. charcoal, a vegetable red, and white

228 ; Hale, p. 243. china clay. These are mixed with oil,

2 De Morgan, viii. 225. and the feces and sometimes the breasts

' Cp. Wray's Cave-dwellers, p. 43, of women, and occasionally the men,

for an almost identical statement : are painted with patterns with lines and

"The three colours used by the modem dots. This is only done on occasions

Sakai for painting their persons are when they wish to add to their charms.**

<
a.

? t

Cerruti.

SaKAI CiULU HWING FACK-PmNT APPLIKD.

Vol. II. /. 45.

CHAP. II SAKAI OF PERAK 45

red body-paint with the Peninsular Malays, who give
it the name of " Batu Kawi." ^

On the other hand, there is yet one other (un-
recorded) means of manufacturing red pigment, by
treating wild turmeric with lime — a process which
has already been mentioned in dealing with the
Semang.

A general description of the designs is given by
Dc Morgan, who observes that the Sakai of Changkat
Riam» more especially the women, were sometimes
entirely covered with indelible black " tattoo "-marks
and red paint. This paint would dissolve in water,
and was only applied on feast days. Some of the
women had their bosoms covered with concentric red
circles, whilst others painted their bosoms all over and
applied simple designs, consisting of straight or broken
lines, to their cheeks, arms, and thighs.^

The remainder of this account of body-paint is
taken from Vaughan-Stevens : * —

The Sakai, Besisi, Kenaboi, and Tembeh declare that they are descended
from one and the same stock, but that their separate tribes had each inhabited an
island before the joint migration to the Peninsula, under the *' Chief with the
Iron Finger-nails " (*• Berchanggei Besi "), took place. From this joint migration
must, however, be excepted the Tembeh, who had long l)efore migrated separately
to the Peninsula.

^ In corroboration of this view, This statement is correct, with the

cp. Z. f. E. xxvi. 152: ** As re- exception of the statement — assuming

g^tfds the materials with which the the identification made above to be

painting was effected, the Sakai are correct — that the material for the

unanimous in saying that the red pig- original red pigment was not obtain -

ment now in use is of recent intro- able in the Peninsula. I myself have

duction, and that they formerly used a more than once met Selangor Malays

red earth, which was not, however, who imagined, from the name of this ore

obtainable in the Peninsula. The (** Batu Kawi" or '*Kawi stone"), that

anatto has long been in use, but is it was imported from the '*Langkawi"

described as an inferior substitute for Islands, north of Penang, and some

this earth- pigment, the colouring pro- similar belief may easily lie at the

duced by the anatto being alleged to root of this reported statement of the

fade in alx>ut the course of an hour. Sakai.

The black (pigment) is prepared from '•* De Morgan, viii. 211; cp.

charcoal, the while from lime, both L^ Homme ^ ii. 555 (for illustrations),

being mixed with the sap of plants." ^ Z. /. E. xxvi. 150-157.

46 MA TURITY CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS fart hi

The tradition of this tribe is very vague, yet it is agreed that they lived for a
long time separated from the other branches of the tribe. It appears that during
this interval they learnt ** tattooing " fix>m another race, and afterwards substi-
tuted face-paint for "tattooing."'

For each of the three tribes (Sen-oi, Besisi, and Kenaboi) there existed a par-
ticular pattern, which was identical as regards the design and the mateiiils
employed, but which varied in form. In each of the three tribes one and the
same tribe-sign served for all the members of the tribe, from the chief downwards
Only among the Sen-oi there was a special breast-pattern both for men and
women. Moreover, among the Sen-oi, too, the magician, the midwife, and
their patients were excepted from the rule. Thus the following rules became
established : —

( 1 ) The magician or medicine-man in each of the three tribes wore, during
an exorcism, paint suitable for the occasion ; at other times he wore his ordinary
paint, each of the three tribes having a special one for the purpose.

(2) So, too, the midwives wore a special face-paint whilst in discharge of
their office, but at other times the usual one of their tribe.

On the other hand, the midwives of all three tribes wore, whilst in discharge
of their office, one and the same pattern.

(3) The young mother and her new-bom child each wore, according to die
day and the condition of their health, a series of face-paint, which in the cue
of all three races was the same.^

The three curves on the cheeks of the Besisi are only variants of the ancient
tribal mark of the Besisi and Sen-oi, which consisted of three stripes.

The magicians constructed variants from the old pattern of the Besisi wfatdi
corresponds to the present Sen-oi pattern (No. 9), only the Sakai (Sen-oi) patten
lacked the stripe which goes from the under lip to the chin.

The Sen-oi magicians afterwards added this stripe to the old pattern (Nob 9).
The Besisi then went further aHeld and chose the tiger pattern (No. 5), whilst
the Kenaboi took the three curves worn by the laymen of the mother tribe
(No. I ), and applied two of them in front and over the third, which remained in
the old position that it had among the Sakai (No. 8).

The patterns of the medicine-men (sorcerers) were only put on when they
were in office ; on every other occasion they wore the painting of the lay members.

In the case of the Sen-oi, Besisi, and Kenaboi the chiefis wore the same
pattern as the ordinary man, but the chiefs of the Tembeh wore, since their clan-
mark was '* tattooed," a special tattoo-design in addition, to denote their rank,
punctured on the breast or the arm. They alone were " tattooed."

The Sen-oi magicians wore no breast-pattern, neither did the midwife nor the
new-made mother.'

In addition to the above information, Vaughan-
Stevens procured drawings of the following pat-
terns : —

( 1 ) Pattern of a Kenaboi man — three narrow black stripes on white ground —
a variant of the three red stripes of the Sakai man-pattern {q.v,)

(2) Pattern of a Besisi man and woman.

(3) Pattern of a Kenaboi magician (as well as that of a Sen-oi).

(4) Face-patterns of children of all three tribes, etc, etc.*

1 Z. f. E. XX vi. 150. 3 Ibid, p. 157.

2 Ibid, p. 151. * Ibid ; cp. also VHomrne^ ii. 555.

HAP. II SAKAI OF PERAK 47

Elsewhere ^ we read that : —

The red colour is always laid on with the finger, and the breadth of the stripe
therefore always less in the case of a woman than in that of a man.

The black and white stripes are produced by dipping into the paint the little
icks which serve as brushes.

The longer sticks (**chin-karr"), which are 4 J cm. long, are used for
tinting on the black lines, two or three of which are applied in close proximity
' means of two or three sticks which are held in the fingers simultaneously. The
laller stick ("ching-al"), which b 5^ cm. long, and has four teeth, is used to
It on the white points ; it is held vertically between the fingers. The black
gment (charcoal) and the white (lime or earth) are mixed with the sap of a
eeper, which makes the colours stiff and sticky so that they do not run.

The implement with which the magicians and midwives apply the white points
called ^'smi-kar.** When anyone but the magician or the midwife uses this
stniment, he will be struck by lightning. One of these instruments obtained by
aughan- Stevens was made of tortoise-shell, and was 4 cm. in breadth ; the other,
hich was long and saw-shaped, was of wood, and measured 6 cm. in length.^

With this implement the points are more regularly produced than is possible
ith the brush, but the alternate black and white dots which are sometimes met
ith are applied so carelessly and irregularly, that without exact information as to
hat the pattern should be the design which is intended can hardly be recognised,
his arrangement does not appear in face-paints, at least not in the old tribal
ittems, although many &imilies have adopted them for their patterns. The
floured stripe which, running along the bridge of the nose, forms the centre of
le pattern, is carried dovm on to the upper lip, if there is no moustache to hinder
, bat otherwise it ends at the tip of the nose, leaving the septum free.

The beard indeed seldom interferes with the carrying out of the design, as the
akai have very little, and frequently pluck out the few hairs they possess, but
here the hair of the beard does hinder, the red pigment only is applied, and the
hite and black are filled in in imagination.

When the occasion for which the pattern was applied is past it is perhaps
'ashed off, but more often what part of it has not already disappeared is rubbed
ff. The red disappears completely in a single night, the white dots fall off, and
ie black streaks only make the face, which is dirty without them, a little darker.
Tie face-paint of the child is only washed off by the midwife so long as her
elp is required ; whether it is afterwards washed off or not depends on the
lother.

The dead should never have any paint left on the face. In the case of
nyone who had died whilst the face was painted, the colour had to be washed
ff before burial could take place ; the mourners at funerals did not paint their
ices.*

Face- and Breast-paint of a Sakai^ Man.

The paint applied to the breast of the Sakai men represented a fern (a sort
f polypodium). During the marriage ceremony (whether of the Sakai, Besisi,
r Kenaboi) the fronds of this fern were bruised in water and squirted over the
fide and bridegroom, and this assured the pair many children. The fact that,
Ithough the marriage ceremony among all three of these tribes was the same, the
•akai alone adopted this painting of the breast as their tribal sign, might lead us
3 infer that the Sakai face- paint was really the ancient paint of the Sakai race.

The dots and line of the face-paint represent another fern, with the juice
f which the youths were sprinkled before they entered the ranks of men and
light many.

* Z,/, E. xxvL 152-158. 3 "Senoi" (i>. Central Sakai) in

' find. p. 153. original, throughout this passage.

48 MA TURITY CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

Facb-paint of a Sakai^ Woman.

With regard to the five streaks which the £Eu:e-paint of the Sakai
shows in contradistinction to the three streaks of the men, there is a traditioo
explaining this difference.'

The breast -paint of a Sakai woman may be applied by the mother, bat
only after the midlife has given up her charge ; generally spei^ng, the duldren,
whether boys or girls, often wear till marriage the red stripes with whidi thqr
paint themselves, often with the help of a mirror obtained by barter, thoog^i
they may not apply the black streaks and white dots themselves.

As regards the breast -paint of the Sakai women, it should be mentioned
that the streak running downwards is generally carried yet further do¥m, so as to
follow the natural development of the breast. The pattern represents the same
fern as the pattern of the men.'

Old women, who are past child-bearing, omit the lower stripe running firom
the under lip to the cheek, as well as the breast-paint, since these designs re-
present hope of children.

The differentiated pattern of the midwife — who is always an old woman — was
invented because, ** although she is old, she is always seeing to duldren."

Face-paint of a Young Mother.

A Sakai woman who has just brought forth a child paints her fiice every day,
commencing from the child's birthday, until one lunar month be past If the
moon is invisible, the days are counted approximately. Whenever a Sakai
mother applies the particular pattern designated for this purpose, the breast*
paint appropriate to a Sakai woman is omitted.

Face-paint of a Midwife.

A Sakai midwife paints her face when she awakes from sleep, just as does the
new-made mother whom she is tending, the time during which her services are
required being usually three or five days. On every other occasion a midwife
bears the face-paint of her tribe ; only that she omits the breast-paint as soon
as she enters on her functions as midwife.

When another woman, not a midwife by profession, helps during a confine-
ment, she too puts on the face-paint of a midwife, so long as she is discharging
a midwife's functions, but as soon as her help is no longer required, she again
takes on the full paint of the woman.

The Sakai women are the only ones that paint the breast.^

Face-paint of Children.

The patterns of the children — which were stripes carried from the eyebrows
to the tip of the nose, black in the case of girls, red in that of boys ; in the latter
case there were also two slanting red streaks from the under lip to the chin — were
applied by the midwife only as soon as the child was bom ; so long as the midwife
was in attendance the painting was renewed every morning, but it ceased as soon
as she went away. The mother could then, if she wished, apply the ordinary
tribe pattern, with the addition of the black nose-line in the case of a girl.^

The children may not wear the narrow black lines till they are married —
through marriage, according to ancient custom, the youth becomes a man — for the
children might become unlucky should they pluck up the ferns along with other

* " Senoi " in original. * Z./. E, xxvi. 154.

3 Ibi(L p. 155. * Ibid, 6 Ibid, p. 158.

SAKAI OF PERAK 49

plants in plajring, and as they would thus break the peace which the magicians
in ancient times had made with the spirits of the fern.

This account was obtained from the lay members of the tribe, but the
magicians only affirmed that the custom had been introduced to make a dis-
tinction between the unmarried and the married. In the councils of the race in
old times an unmarried male might not take part, as he was not " man " ; but in
days when it became a more difficult matter to obtain a wife, the contempt of the
bachelor was forgotten, as well as the original intention of the face-paint In
Older to impress upon the children, however, that they might not pluck up the
•aid fern, they were told, according to the version of the magicians, the story
given above.'

Elsewhere ^ (in his description of the " tuang-
tuang " or **tuntong" ceremony) Vaughan- Stevens
writes of the Sakai (Blandas) as follows : —

Whenever the bamboo "stampers" ar$ to be used for an exorcism the whole
dan collects together. The men sit upon'tbe ground around the magician, who
stands in the centre facing towards the rising sun or moon. For, very frequently,
although not always, these assemblies are held at night-time and by firelight.
The women and children sit behind the men. The men have their faces painted
and their hair pushed back from their faces, so that the demons may see the face-
patterns, and in consequence retire.

Before leaving the Sakai, it should be remarked that the Sakai women keep
themselves very much apart during their monthly purification, and all of them
remain at home on such occasions, or at least as near home as possible ; many of
them even close the house-door. This is not, however, for shame, since the
husband is always admitted. They themselves do not know why they do so, and
the custom is probably derived from some forgotten superstition.'

To this it may be added that they employ a special kind of bamboo receptacle
called **chit-ndt" (" chit-nort ") for their purification upon such occasions.*

Of the pattern of the bamboo receptacle just described we are told that
its decoration represents a plant, which, according to the sage-femmc, does
not grow in the district now inhabited by the tribe. In former times it was laid
in the water employed for purification. At the present day the pattern of this
flower is only used to "destroy" {t,e. to neutralise) **the blood." If the blood
be not thus ** neutralised," the Blood Demon (" Hantu Darah") would spring
from it and creep forthwith to the woman's body and stop her courses, and so
prevent her from bringing healthy children into the world.*

* Z.f.E. xxvi. 157-174. receptacle (or cup). The whole area

* IHd. p. 148. of its outer surface is painted with an
' Ibid, xxviii. 170. ornamental design, consisting of two

* Ibid. p. 171. Bartels adds narrow stripes with right - angled
that the receptacle figured in the interior counter - projections, between
illustration is only 38.5 cm. in length which are inserted irregular five-rayed
and 18.3 cm. in circumference. It is stars. The outlines of the pattern
a circular segment of bamboo, which are formed by alternative black and
has been cut short just below a node white dots. Vaughan - Stevens has
at the top (so that the upper end of copied the *• orthodox" pattern on a
the vessel b left open), and again just piece of bamboo with the aid of a
below the next node at the bottom (so medicine -man, but the pattern is not
that the lower end is closed). Hence quite identical with that produced.

it is well suited for use as a water * Z. f, E, xxviii. 172.

VOL. II E

MA TURITY CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part iii

The men have nothing to do with the Hantu Danh,^ and say, *< We know
nothing about it, ask the sage-femmey Even the magicians, who are responsible
for all other medicines which the latter employs against the demons, would not
acknowledge this antidote against the Blood Demon. No Sakax man vrill touch
this receptacle (**chit-n&t"), which is usually kept planted in the ground by the
waterside. It can be made very quickly when required, and the pattern is voy
quickly washed off by the rain. They have no great objection to the "chit-nit"
being seen by strangers.'

Unmarried Sakai girls employ for their purification a water-vessel called
•* ka-pet " (" karpet"). Since these vessels, in order to be fully efficadoos, sbonki
have been incised by a magician of the old school, they are only found amoi^
the wild Sakai tribes who do not speak Malay.'

III. — Jakun.

BesisL — I never once heard of a single case of
tattooing, scarification, nose-boring, circumcision, or
even of incision, being practised by the Besisi,
although I made the fullest inquiries among them.

They related to me, on the other hand, a tradition
explaining their reason for not adopting the practice

1 Literally, ' * Blood Demon" = Malay
" Hantu Darah."

* Z,f. E, xxviii. 172. Bartels adds
that the painting is performed with
the instruments used for severing the
umbilical cord. The ornamentation of
the other **chit-n4ts," of which more
will be said later, is the exclusive
privilege of the magicians, who em-
ploy in making them a special kind
of instrument, closely resembling a
curry-comb. They are cut out of a
flat piece of horn (Fig. 2), and have a
hole at the top for suspending them
when they are being carried. They
broaden out towards the bottom, and
their lower edge is furnished with
rough, tooth -like projections. The
greatest width of the larger one is 5.3
cm., and its height is 5 cm. ; the
smaller one being 3.5 cm. by 4.6
cm.

' Z.f. E. xxviii. 173, 174. Bartels
adds here that Vaughan - Stevens has
sent two specimens of this vessel, one of
them (Fig. 3) being obtained from the
Senoi (pure Sakai tribes), and the
other (Fig. 4) from the Kenaboi. The

former is a short segment of the stem
of a bamboo cut short just bdow
a particular intemode (at the top),
and again just below the next, so that
the vessel dius formed Ls open at the
top and closed at the bottom. It
measures 28 cm. in length, and 13
in circumference, and its surface is
decorated by three narrow parallel
stripes formed by a kind of leaf-
pattern. The second is like the first,
a simple segment of bamboo measur-
i'^g 39-5 cm. in length by 17.1 cm. in
circumference. It is also decorated
with three stripes, of which only two,
however, are formed by the leaf-
pattern, the third apparently represent-
ing a downy leaf- stalk. The design
represents a plant whose root- end is
shown near the mouth-opening of the
vessel. The discrepancy in the designs
shows that a design does not lose its
efficacy through slight mistakes of the
operator, such as may be caused by
hurry, even though the identification
and explanation of the pattern may be
made much harder through such slips,
if not absolutely imposidble.

CHAP. II SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 51

of Circumcision, which they ascribed to the invulner-
ability of one of their tribal ancestors.

Ear-boring, on the other hand was, as among the
Malays, freely practised, the stalk of a flower, such as
the fragrant "champaka," being not infrequently
inserted in the perforation.

Face-paint, however, was very generally employed
by them, and the pigments used for it appeared to be in
the main identical with those adopted by the Semang
and Sakai, i.e. white, obtained from lime ; yellow,
obtained from turmeric ; and red, obtained from the
juice of the anatto.

The only form of paint that I have myself seen
among the Besisi consisted in daubing the face with
the aforesaid pigments (white, yellow, or red), these
being manufactured, in addition to the usual materials,
from such others {e.g. "bSdak*' or rice-powder) as the
growing familiarity of the Besisi with Malay civilisation
might suggest. No special pattern was employed by
them, and I never saw any distinct traces of the elaborate
system of body-paint described by Vaughan-Stevens.
The latter, however, as usual, gives no localities or
any other facilities for checking his statements, and I
can only suggest that he probably got his ideas about
the Besisi from some other tribe in their neighbour-
hood with whom there had been more Sakai admixture.

I give his account, nevertheless, for what it may be
worth, in the hope that it may assist some future
investigator to work out the subject more completely
in the future.

It runs as follows : ^ —

The Besisi magician puts on a pattern borrowed from the leaf of the
"chindweh rimau," or ** tiger chindweh," which is a small, juicy, robust plant

J Z.f. E. xxvi. 156.

52 MATURITY CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part hi

not yet fully identified. When nibbed to a pulp and smeared on the body,
especially the breast, it b believed to give a man the power to overcome a
tiger.

The fresh leaf with its peculiar markings gives an exact replica of the fiice-
paint of a Besisi magician. The veining on the upper side of the leaf is of
such a pale yellowish-green that it almost has the effect of white, and thus forms
a sharp contrast to the very dark greenish-gold stripes of the leaf.

No one leaf is marked exactly like another. The patterns are manifold ; in
some cases stripes traverse the entire leaf. In a good light the ground colour of
the leaf appears, as has been said, of a greenish-gold, but on the under side of
the leaf the corresponding parts appear a dark reddish-brown ; held up to the
light the green of the upper side merges into the reddish-brown.

The under side of the leaf is very soft and smooth, but the upper side is
plentifully covered with very fine hairs.

The dark reddish-brown lines which glimmer through from the under ade
correspond in fact to tlie red and black of the fiice-paint designed for the tiger
in conjuration ceremonies, and at the same time to the recognised &ce-paint
of the BesisL

These stripes are said to correspond to the stripes on the sldn of the tiger,
the red colour not being distinguished from yellow.*

Mantra, — There is very little information on the
subject of maturity customs available with regard to
the Mantra of Malacca. Logan, however, records
the fact that the teeth of the bride and bridegroom
were filed with a stone before the day of marriage.*

Montano states that the Mantra (Sakai) usually
file the lower edge of the upper canine teeth, but
does not connect it with any ceremony.'

Jakun of Johor. — D. F. A. Hervey, in writing of
the Jakun on the Madek, says that one chief
characteristic which distinguished the Madek tribe
from other Jakun tribes was the absence of any
rite resembling circumcision ; whilst the Sembrong
tribe practised incision, but did not circumcise.* The
Madek people, however, relate that they used once
to observe the custom, but it was given up owing to
certain untoward circumstances, which befell the tribe
two or three hundred years ago, as follows : on one
occasion when the rite was observed, several of the

* Z.f,E, xxvi. 156. -* A. D. Machado tells me that in-

2 Logan in J. I. A, vol. L p. 323*. cision is still practised among the Jakun

3 Rev, cTEtkn. i. 44. of Ulu Batu Pahat, in Johor.

CHAF. II MALA VAN SEAG YPSIES 53

tribe died of the effects. It was ascertained that the
knives used for the purpose had been accidentally
placed in a vessel containing upas poison (** ipoh "),
the poison with which their blowpipe arrows are
habitually tipped ; and from that time forward the
observance of the rite was discontinued.^

Corroboration of the foregoing account may be
obtained from the statement of Logan, who in
writing of the Benua (or Jakun) of Johor, remarks
that circumcision was not practised by them. A
single incision or slit was made by the Benua, but
not by the Berembun tribes.*

Names were sometimes given at birth, but these
were changed at the age of puberty. The teeth
were filed like those of the Malays and the Berembun
tribes.'

Orang Laut or Sea-Jakun.

Orang* Laut, Sletar. — Of the Orang Sletar we are
informed by Thomson that they did not practise circum-
cision, nor any other Mohammedan customs. It was,
moreover, related to Thomson that many years ago
when they had a Malay as their great chief or Batin,
all the men now of the tribe were induced to undergo
the rite of circumcision, though such a practice was
no longer conformed with/ This is probably a refer-
ence to some such story as that related above by
Hervey.

Orang Laut, Sabimba. — Of this Orang Laut tribe
we are told that they were not in the habit of filing

* Hervey m J. R. A. S.^ No. 8, pp. but this was probably a borrowed
118, 119; cp. p. 544, a»iie. custom. Ear - boring was rarely

* Lo^u in y. /. A. vol. i. p. practised by the men, and the lips and
271. nose were never pierced (Z. f. E.

' According to Vaughan - Stevens, xxix. 180).
ihe Jakun used to blacken their teeth, * /. /. A, vol. i. p. 344*.

54 MATURITY CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS paxt in

their teeth, and that the practice of perforating the
lobe of the ear was equally unknown to them.*

In addition, we are informed (of the same tribe)
that they did not practise the rites either of circum-
cision or incision.*

Orang Laut (no locality specified). — To the fore-
going may be added an account given by Vaughan-
Stevens* of certain Orang Laut customs which he
does not attribute to any particular tribe : —

Among the Orang Laut a woman during menstruation was, theoretically
at all events, treated as unclean, though in practice it made no appreciable
difference.

The women alleged a belief on the port of the men that if they were to toudi
a woman in such a condition, their virility would suffer. The men themselves,
however, would make no admissions, and in practice, as I have said, little notice
of it was taken.

Nevertheless, a woman in the condition referred to would avoid touching
anything that a man might eat afterwards ; it was, however, considered a sa£Bcient
purification to peel any roots which were supposed to have been thus defiled.
On such occasions the wife would avoid cohabitation and sleep as far away from
her husband as possible.

She would, moreover, avoid dipping her drinking bamboo in the common
water-pot, but would dip it into a drinking-shell of her own, which she would
keep separately, or else into a vessel made of a short segment of bamboo.

* /. /. A. vol. i. p. 298. * Ibid. p. 344*.

» Z./.E. xxviii. 171.

CHAPTER III.

Marriage Customs and Beliefs.

Among all the wild tribes of the Peninsula, as indeed
among the Malays, an important ingredient of the
marriage rite is a form of ritual purchase, commonly
followed by a repast which is shared between bride
and bridegroom, with their relatives and the chief of
the tribe as witnesses.

Among the Negritos these two ingredients appear
to constitute the entire ceremony, though even the
act of purchase alone is said to be regarded as
sufficiently binding, so long as it is performed before
proper witnesses. It must not, however, be supposed
from the meagreness of the ceremony that the marriage
tie is not regarded by the Semang as in the highest
degree binding, the reverse being the case. The
Semang are, as far as I could learn, habitually mono-
gamists, and I failed to obtain any sort of evidence
in support of the statement that has been more than
once advanced, viz., that their women were in common
like their other property.^ This idea of the laxity of
the marriage-tie among the Negritos may possibly

* Similarly erroneous notions as to indeed, in all Mohammedan countries,

pol3randry among the Andamanese were tell us that a lord of the harem can only

combated in Man's ^/M&jwaw/j^, p. 71. exist in cases where there is wealth

As regards polygamy, on the other to maintain such an establishment ;

hand, the teachings of actual expert- jungle races and the races who live the

ence, supported by what we see in simplest lives are commonly, from the

India, Elgypt, the Malay Peninsula, and, exigencies of the case, monogamists.

S6 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part m

arise from the great antenuptial freedom which
appears to be allowed, but there is every reason to
believe that when once married the Semang of both
sexes are in the highest degree faithful to each other
and that cases of unfaithfulness are exceedingly rare.
That conjugal infidelity is strongly discountenanced
is shown by the penalty assigned to it.

With regard to the Sakai, there seems to be a
certain amount of evidence in favour of their being
to a limited extent polygamists, though here again
our information is too scanty to enable us to form an
opinion as to how far the custom is general. On the
other hand, with regard to the actual ceremony, the
most important elements, according to one authority,*
are the painting of the man's face and the squirting
of fern-seed over the bride and bridegroom, as a
means of ensuring them a numerous progeny.

I may add that among the Sakai marriage is
preceded by a form of initiation, at which the man's
face-paint is applied for the first time.

Miklucho-Maclay heard from Malays and members
of the Catholic Mission at Malacca that communal
marriage existed among the Sakai {sic, ? Mantra).
Some days or weeks after marriage the girl was said to
leave her husband with his consent and take up with
the men of his family in turn. She then came back to
her husband, but kept up these irregular liaisons,
which were regulated by chance and her own wishes.*

The Jakun or Malayan tribes again (including the
Blandas and Besisi of Selangor), are as a rule fairly
strict monogamists, and their post-matrimonial fidelity,

r^r^

1 See p. 64, infra, such a custom, and resting as it does on

' J, R, A. S.y S. B.J No. 2, p. 215. second-hand evidence or worse, cannot

Hiis is, however, the only notice o^ be accepted without due corroboration.

CHAP. Ill GENERAL REMARKS 57

while it varies in degree apparently from tribe to
tribe, is certainly remarkable, although in their case,
too, it appears to be considered compatible with con-
siderable freedom before marriage.

Of the Jakun ceremonies, that of eating together from
the same dish is one which is found throughout South-
eastern Asia. But the most remarkable part of all
these customs are the Jakun {ji.e. Malayan) '* marriage
carnival" and the unique race round the mound or
"ant hill," for which, among some branches of the
Sea Tribes, a race in canoes is sometimes substituted.

The peculiar shape of the mound, which has come
down from an entirely unknown origin, may perhaps
be held to show that the mound ceremony is the
older form of this peculiar rite, but in any case we
have here a custom which will assuredly repay any
student of ethnography who decides to work out the
entire question for himself.

The effect of intermarriage between Malays and
aboriginal women is one which at first would hardly
be expected, viz., that it is the higher race — the
Malay — that is chiefly affected by it. This fact,
however strange it may seem, is clearly brought out
by Logan, who, in writing of the Benua, observes that
many of the Malays had Benua wives, who of course
became converts to Islam. The Benua on their part
were debarred from seeking wives amongst the Malays,
and this must always have had considerable influence
in checking the natural growth of population. The
first Malay adventurers were probably more numerous
in males than females. In many places the Chinese
tend to absorb the Malays in their turn. The more
civilised and wealthy races thin those below them of
their women, and necessity drives the latter to make

58 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part in

up the loss wherever it is possible to do so, in some
measure at the expense of those still lower. This is
one of those fundamental facts of ethnography which
should be borne in mind in speculating on the
gradual extinction of aboriginal races, when com-
paratively civilised colonies come into contact with
them. A considerable proportion of the Malays in
the Peninsula behind Malacca are descendants of
women of the aboriginal tribes, and the Malays in
their turn gave wives to the immigrants from China,
so that the greater portion of the Chinese of Malacca
have Malayan blood in their veins.^

I. — Semang.

Pangan. — I have never met with any published
account of a Semang wedding, but while in Kelantan
I acquired some information about the marriage rites
of the Eastern Semang in the Belimbing district.

The ** marriage settlements," according to my
informants, consisted of the blade of a jungle-knife or
chopper, which had to be presented by the bride-
groom to the bride's parents, and a coiled girdle of
great length called ** salek,*' that was said to be manu-
factured from the fibres of the sugar-palm (" urat
hijok '*), but that doubtless more or less closely re-
sembled the girdle of rock-vein fungus, which has been
described in an earlier chapter. This girdle had to be
presented by the bridegroom to the bride, who would
never, it was said, consent to part with it for fear of its
being used to her prejudice in some magic ceremony.

There was also a good deal of chaunting (** siwang "
or ** bgr-siwang " = invocation of spirits) at these

* Logan in /. /. A, vol. L p. 291.

CHAF. Ill NEGRITOS OF KELANTAN 59

Pangan marriages, but beyond this no further infor-
mation was obtainable.

Kedah Semang. — Later on I was informed by the
Semang of Kedah that adultery was punishable by
death (although in practice it might be commuted for
the usual blood-fine of forty dollars). This fine, how-
ever, was payable in kind, and would doubtless in
practice be adjusted to the means of the culprit.

The only information I have met with in regard
to the married life of the Semang, is Newbold's
observation to the effect that the Semang women
were in common like their other property.^

What truth there may be in this sweeping state-
ment it is very hard to say, though from what I saw
and heard of their domestic life I find it most difficult
to believe (with regard to the Semang of Kedah at all
events), that the charge was well founded.^ Certainly,
as has been remarked above, it appears quite incom-
patible with so severe a punishment for adultery as
was exacted by the customs of this very tribe.

Perak Semang. — To the foregoing may be added
the following notes of Vaughan-Stevens on the Semang
of Perak : —

When a Semang commits adultery with the wife of another (which very rarely
happens), and the fact remains concealed until the death of the injured husband,
the latter's soul acquires knowledge of the offence, and seeks to revenge itself
upon the children of the transgressor, by sending a Disease upon them. In such
cases the Disease (the same that had killed the man) attacks the children
independently of Kari's commands.^

In order to avert this danger, the trangressor, as soon as he hears of the
husband's death, takes the children by the arms and swings them through the
fire, at the same time "jumping" them up and down upon the charred wodd so
as to blacken the soles of their feet, by way of protecting them. If the Disease
oomes afterwards when the child has l:)een replaced upon the ground, the child
remains unharmed. Even if the child were somewhat affected before being
swung through the fire, the Disease is yet forced to retire in order to escape

^ Newbold, ii. pp. 379-381. Cp., xxviii. 166, observes that in their

however, I^H. ii. 558, where the men (good) treatment of their women, the

are credited with polygamy. Semang ranked next to the Sakai.

- Vaughan - Stevens in Z, f. E. ^ Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 132.

6o MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part hi

being burnt, and as long as the soles of the child's feet remain so blackened,
the Disease is prevented from returning. Moreover, the Disease cannot in any
case kill the child without Karih's command ; nor can it, in any case, make a
long stay, since it has to be back with the Death-messenger beside the oorpte, «t
soon as ever the *< Pfoit&h " is cut The children are only attacked as a mem of
bringing the transgressor to justice, by attracting the superior chieTs (the PMIo^
attention, either from the children's getting the same Disease as the fansbMid or
from the transgressor's betraying himself by swinging them throng^ the fite.
The superior chief, in such cases, pronounces the penalty.^

By the same writer we are told that —

The Semang have an aphrodisiac called **chin-weh" or '*diindfich"
( = *< chinduai '*).< This name is probably borrowed from the Sakai, but M the
plant used in this case is altogether a difierent one and is not employed fay other
magicians, it may be regarded as a discovery of their own.'

II. — Sakai.
Perak Sakai. — De Morgan, in his account of Sakai
marriage customs,* remarks that the conditions required
for marriage were few. In the first place, there was
no fixed limit of age. The consent of the woman was
required, together with that of her father (if living), but
if otherwise, that of the eldest surviving member of
the family. The future husband made the application
in person with the consent of the father. The wife
brought no dowry to her bridegroom, but the latter
made a present to his prospective father-in-law of
certain specified articles, e.g. a knife or hatchet or
yams, ** according to his means.*' * Commenting on
the foregoing, De Morgan remarks that it might be

^ Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 132. band generally paid ten dollars (" ring-

^ Cp. Z/ E, xxviii. 183. git") = 50 francs to the Neither ; a chief

' KB.G.A, xxiv. 468. paid up to thirty dollars ; but M. Uas

* De Morgan, vii. 422. adds that " this was the highest price,

* According to Maxwell {J.R.A.S,, and that it appeared to him the biggest
S,B.t No. I, p. 112) the price paid for sum of money that the Sakai, even
a wife included a ''piece of iron, some those educated by contact with the
roots, and some flowers." According Malays, could conceive." The sums
to Hale (p. 291) the presents consisted mentioned were doubtless paid in kind,
of"sarongs,"orbill.hooks(" parangs"), but even then there is, I think, little
purchased from Malays, or the bride- doubt that this last figure (as M. Lias
groom might clear one or two acres of himself seems to have inferred) was
jungle, plant them with tapioca, sugar- exaggerated, perhaps for " swagger,"
cane, etc., and present them to the owing to the presence of the Malays
parents of the bride. According to Brau that he had brought with him. The
de St. Pol Lias (pp. 279, 280) the hus- nominal price of a Sakai wife, among

Ctrruti.

Kn(;a<.ki» Sakai Cim dki n wmi Un( lk.

./.60.

"«^.'^-

Cet^ut •

Yui.Nc; Sak.M (IikI..

Kngaged lo be inarri«:(l at the next I*rah fruit sea.M»i\— the Usual marryin)? time of the Sakai,
V\\\ sh'm, Perak.

Vol. 11. p. 6i.

AF. Ill SAKAI OF PERAK 6i

Jled an example of marriage by purchase, but that
le fact of purchase is to some extent modified by
le smallness of the price paid, and that all that
tually remains is a purely formal substitute for
arriage by purchase, which was once a wide-spread
istom in Southern Asia. Continuing, De Morgan
Ids that the form of marriage was extremely
mple. The bride and bridegroom repaired, accom-
inied by their relatives, to the house of their tribal
lief, where the latter in converse with the two
milies inquired into the prospects of the joint
/nag-e, after which, if no obstacle presented itself, he
irmally declared them married, and all was over.*
he newly married pair were required to build a hut
id form a clearing, and in the interval that must elapse
sfore it could bring them in a return, they lived at
le charge of their families, who provided them with
uns and maize, and everything else that they might
^uire for their maintenance.

An account of the Perak Sakai by Colonel Low,
I the Journal of the Indian Archipelago, gives the
etails of the religious ceremony, which are omitted
1 De Morgan's description : —

A young Sakai man pays his addresses in
erson. If the girl approves, he makes a present to
er family of spears, knives, and household utensils,
nd a time being fixed, the relations of both sides
ssemble at the bride's house. The betrothed
arties eat rice together out of the same dish, and the
ittle finger of the right hand of the man is joined

le Sakai themselves, cannot be greater Z,f, E. xxviii. 177.
lan about the value of ten dollars paid * De Morgan adds {ioc, cit.) that

\ kind, for the simple reason that there was **no religious ceremony";

o ordinary Sakai bridegroom would but as will appear from the next ac-

ave more property than this to pay count, this statement of his is certainly

fith. Cp. also Vaughan- Stevens in mistaken.

62 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part ni

to that of the left hand of the woman. These two
last observances are found with some slight modi-
fications amongst the Malays on like occasions. The
eating together is also a Burmese and Peguan custom.

The parents on both sides then pronounce
them married persons, and give them good advice
for their future conduct. As an example of the
actual words used, Col. Low gives the expression
•* Mano klamin che dada," an admonition or wish that
they might be fruitful.^

It would appear from some accounts that the
Sakai men occasionally take more than one wife.
Thus De la Croix says that a Sakai married, or rather
bought, a wife, or even two, if he were rich enough.*

Marriage and [alleged] Totemism.

According to Vaaghan-Stevens, the Sakai (whom he calls "Senoi"), Besisi,
and Kenaboi, were sub-tribes of one single people, which also included at a more
remote date the Tembeh and Jakun. Each of these three sub-tribes was
divided into clans,' distinguished by the pattern of the &ce-paint (tenned by
Vaughan-Stevens " totems.") * The Thorn, Tiger, Snake, Fish, and Leaf totems
were the primary ones. In the course of time, the components of the tribes
becoming widely scattered, new settlements s(>rang up in various parts of the
Peninsula, and it became the practice for each local group to adopt some variant
of the totem-mark and house. Thus, among the sub-clans of the Snake totem,
were Pythons, Cobras, Hamadryads, etc.^

In the olden days intermarriage between the clans was forbidden. The
penalty for disobedience was expulsion from the clan. The people thus
expelled formed new clans (Musang or Civet-cat, Crocodile, Scorpion). A member
of the primary clans who married into one of these secondary clans lost his status
in his old clan, and became a member of his spouse's clan. With the rise of sub-
clans these quasi-endogamic rules do not seem to have been changed ; choice was
not restricted to the members of the sub-clan. No definite information is given

^ y. /. A, vol. iv. pp. 430, 431. Thomas, who has made totemism his

According to Cerruti, the Sakai marriage special study. — W. S. ] The account is

season was at the ripening of the confused, the editor has not distinguished

" prah "-fruit tribe from clan, and speaks in one place

' Rev, (TEthn, vol. i. No. 4, p. of the totem mark as a tribal pattern.

339. Cp. Brau de St. P. Lias, pp. It is stated that the clan patterns went

279, 280: *'a Sakai marries two out of use owing to the scattering of

wives." the members of the tribe, and were

' Apparently forming local groups. replaced by the sub-clan patterns. Of

Z.f, E, xxvi. 160. the origin of the clans nothing is said. —

* Z./. E, xxvi 150, 151. [I owe N. W. T. Sedv. anU^ p. 32, et iu/ra,

this summary of Sakai marriage and 258 ; and cp. Martin, 863.

totemism to my friend, Mr. N. W. * Z.f, E, xxvi. 150, 151.

SAKAI OF PERAK 63

by Vaughan-Stevens as to the rules of descent as regards sub-clan names, but
paternal descent appears to be the general rule. From the fact that the sub-
dans were local in their character, we may also infer that in respect of the sub-
totems the rule was to take them from the &ther. The children of a Batin
formed an exception to the ordinary rule. Only the elder took his father's
totem ; the next four belonged each to one of the remaining primary totem -clans. >

The rule of descent as regards the sub-tribes was as follows. If a Besisi man
married a Sakai woman, she and her children became Besisi. In the case of the
Batin, however, an exception was again made. For three generations the sub-
tribe ' of the Batin was prepotent, and the man who married into it lost his own
tribal name, and took that of his wife.'

We have no information as to whether members of the same clan or sub-clan
are regarded as akin, or whether the sub-tribe is by the Sakai regarded as the
kinship group. Nor is it clear how £sir kinship is a bar to marriage. Vaughan-
Stevens remarks that the customs of the Sakai and Pangan are very similar to
those of the Jakun and Orang Laut, who were compelled to take a wife from
another community.* In the same passage, however, he expressly says that the
Pangan are not restricted as regards their choice of wives, thus contradicting
the assertion that local exogamy is in force among them. The evidence is there-
fore worthless.

As regards the Sakai, however. Hale says that the Kinta Sakai generally
went a considerable distance to seek their wives — to a tribe who spoke quite a
different dialect. Elsewhere Vaughan-Stevens says,^ the Sakai usage was for the
soo-in-law to build his house on his fiither-in-law's land, but this of course does
not exclude the possibility that he belonged to the same local group.^ We may
perhaps infer that the same custom prevailed among the Tembeh. Vaughan-
Stevens tells us that although no definite rule appeared to exist, the son-in-law
and mother-in-law avoided one another in practice as much as possible.^ This
may of course mean that the son-in-law and mother-in-law belonged to the same
local group ; we cannot infer a custom of exogamy from it, but it points to the
two families being in close proximity.

In estimating the value of the account given by Vaughan-Stevens, we must
bear in mind that he is inclined to group his facts from the standpoint of a
hypothesis for the adoption of which he can give no sufficient reason." We are
expressly told • that it was only after lengthy observation that he arrived at the
results given above, and that the system here displayed is his theory, based on
many single observations, and not a connected traditional account handed down
by the Sakai. Such a traditional account would probably not be entirely
reliable ; an observer like Vaughan-Stevens, with no knowledge of scientific
terminology, and not much critical sense, *° would have done better to give us his
data rather than his conclusions. In his account, summarised alx)ve, traditional

' Z. /. E. xxvi. 1 60. 7 Z.f. E, xxviii. 1 80. ; cp. p. 203, infra,

* Here again the word totem is used • C/*. his treatment of the question of
by Grlinwedel (or Vaughan-Stevens) to patterns. • Z.f. E, xxvi. 150.
mean sub-tribe. As both husband and *^ Vaughan - Stevens explains else-
wife were of one clan, he could not where {Z.f E. xxviii. 175) that he
change his clan ; a change of sub-clan means by exogamy, marriage outside
would be possible, but seems to be the family, not marriage outside the
excluded by the context. tribe. He suggests (Z./ E. xxvi. 160),

' It does not appear whether this that all three sub-tribes, Sakai or Senoi,

was accompanied by the removal of the Kenaboi, and Besisi, were a sub-group

husband to his wife's group, and his of the Leaf clan. Against this may be

incorporation in it. set the statement that the original

* Z.f E. xxviii. 174. purpose of the totem marks was to

* P. 291. distinguish articles of property {loc. cit.

• Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 90. p. 151).

64 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part in

narrative, present-day focts, and inferences, seem hopelessly and indistingniAaHy
intermingled.

Elsewhere Vaughan-Stevens gives the story of twins who married tlK ttme
woman. Their "totems" were **miisang" and *'palm.lea^" and tbflir cUd
should have followed the fathei's " totem," but this being nnoeitniip h W|jhci
a new *< musang ** totem. It is not clear that the twins were chikhm «f A BUh.'

Again, the breast-point of a Sakai (Sen-oi) man represented a fan fa.Mrt
of polypodium). The fronds of this fern being bruised in water and afdhtil «iv
the bride and bridegroom at marriage assured the pair many duldran. nt^llli
and lines of the face -paint represented another fern, wiUi the jsloB off'1 ~
the youth was sprinkled before he became man and might many.

The face-paint of the Sakai man consisted of three lines or iliiiw^ ^
that of the woman consisted of five.*

The tiger and " musang " patterns represented these anhnalt, bol «m mm
only used as blowpipe marks. Formerly they were patterns for fiitT fintri*

Yet in Z,f. E, xxvi. 1 50, the face patterns are spoken of fay VaagliHl-SlBMB
as being all of one type.

With regard to the age of the contracting parses,
M. Brau de St. P. Lias states that the women #ere
often married when mere children.*

In the account by Colonel Low, from which I have
already quoted, we are further told that polygamy
was permitted among the Sakai, but was not common,
and that the men seemed to care little about their
wives leaving them.

The men appeared, nevertheless, to treat them
well. But should a man choose to resent the
infidelity of his wife, he might kill her and her
paramour without any fear of the result, further than
the possibility of their relatives avenging the deed.*

To this we may add the fuller account given by
De Morgan, who tells us that the husband acquired
absolute power over his wife, and would not shrink
from beating her if the provocation were great

1 EtknoL Notizblatt, i. 4-6. angia, as these latter woald not only be

2 Z.f.E. xxvi. 154. Mr. H. N. rather brown than black, bat would be of
Ridley (of Singapore) suggests that these a uniform colour. ' NoHsbiatt^ i. 4-6.
alleged fern-spores (as represented in the * Cp. Vaughan-Stevens in Z. f. R,
face-paint of the Sakai) are more prob- xxviiL 174, where we are told that
ably copied from the black and white the age among the Sakai was fourteen
fruit-seeds which are found in the Sakai for the girl and from fifteen to sixteen
necklaces and armlets. They are prob- for the man.

ably not meant for fern-seeds or spor- * J, /. A, voL iv. pp. 430, 43 1 .

I*AKTY WITH Ml'SK AL IN^TKIMI-NI^ AT \VKUI>IN<. <)I (.'HK IlPKI. RaNTAI* I'ANJANC. SELASOOK
Malay jjMiiijs. «Iiiiiii», tam1>ouriiit-s. ami tulillr^. (See p, 70.)
I'o/. //./. 65-

CHAP. Ill SAKAI OF PERAK 65

enough. A form of divorce was allowed among the

Sakaiy the reasons for which it was permitted being,

in the case of the husband, grave misconduct, such

cases being settled by a fine, or separation, the

jk voman keeping the children. In the case of the

H^tlrife, a refusal to take her proper share in house-

^' Iseeping, planting, hunting, and other tasks necessarily

^tjpicidental to her position, was regarded as a reason.

''Splflie aggrieved husband, in the latter case, lodged a

^-^'jcmnplaint with the tribal chief, who communicated it

the woman's family ; if no good results followed, he

risted on separation, sending the woman back to

ber own family, but always, however, retaining the

custody of the children — a point of great importance

among these tribes where children were regarded as

a source of profit, the possession of children actually

making his re-marriage easier.^ The paternal authority

ordinarily lasted during the father's lifetime, but

otherwise ceased as soon as a married child left its

father's roof. The adoption of orphan children by

childless people was also occasionally practised.^

We are told by Maxwell (in his account of the
Perak tribes) that the punishment for adultery
was death, and that it was usually carried out by a
relative, who invited his victim to a hunting excursion,
and after tiring him out, beat his brains out with a
club while he was asleep, and left him to rot upon the
earth, denying to his remains even the rough sepulture
given to those who died in an honourable way.^

1 " Divorce was permitted by the amounted to thirty dollars each, the

Sakai, but was extremely rare among woman's fine being paid by her father

them. Adultery was regarded as a or brothers." — Brau de St. P. Lias,

great crime (* salah bdsar '), To' Lil4 pp. 279, 280. - De Morgan, vii. 422.
told me, and often gave rise to a fight. ^ Maxwell in J.R.A.S.^ S.B.^ No.

The guilty parties were made to pay a i, pp. in, 112. It should be noted

fine to the husband, which generally that Maxwell in his account, which is

VOL. II F

66 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

A different account of the method adopted by the
outraged husband for the punishment of the guilty
parties is given by Vaughan-Stevens as follows : —

The punishment prescribed by the Sakai for the adultery of a wife was very
seldom really carried out. The husband, however, if he wished to enforce it,
would bind his guilty wife hand and foot and lay her down upon the ground at a
short distance from his hut He then armed himself with three wooden spears
of bamboo or palm- wood ('* nibong "), and took up his station among the brush-
wood in the vicinity. The woman was allowed neither food nor wsdter, but was
kept there perforce until she died either from the bites of ants or from ex-
haustion. Meanwhile, however, her paramour was expected to wait for an op-
portunity to cut through her bonds and take her back to her husband's house.
The husband, on the other hand, was allowed from his concealment to laundi
each of his three spears once at his rival. If he succeeded in killing him, he
might if he pleased let his wife lie there till she died, or else if he were now more
inclined to mercy, he might release her and send her away. If, on the other
hand, her paramour's attempt succeeded, the husband could take no further steps,
though he could if he desired send away his wife when her paramour had
brought her back to the hut. If, on the other hand, the paramour refused to
make the attempt, the husband might bring him up before the chief for punish-
ment, in which case the husband himself was allowed to name the penalty. He
applied in such cases to one of the subordinate chiefs, who could apply to the
Batin for confirmation of the sentence, if he considered it just He need not,
however, do so if four of the older men advised him that the punishment was
excessive.^

The Batin had the power of delaying the proceedings by postponing the
sentence for an indefinite period. Nevertheless private quarrels, ending in
wounds or death, frequently arose from cases which had been postponed on
account of some mitigating circumstance, which limited the penalty to be paid to
public discussion of the case.^

A wife could not bring her offending husband to the Batin for punish-
ment, since he need only announce that conjugal rights had been intentionaUy
withheld from him, to obtain condonation of his infidelity, and a separation
could then be obtained at his own instance. In former days, before the present
intercourse with the Malays, divorce was not regarded with such indifference as
nowadays, but was highly disapproved of and very seldom actually occurred.
Moreover, a man would not put away his wife when he was sure both of losing
his children and of havnng much trouble to come by another wife. But when a
woman absconded from her husband, and after the lapse of a month, he did not
think it proper to take her back, whether on account of her laziness, or her
clumsiness, or her evil temper, both parties in that case were regarded as free,
and were allowed to remarry at will. The husband, however, in this case had
the right of retaining the children, and of making them work for him.'

otherwise sufHciently accurate, confuses follow her paramour, when the latter
the Sakai with the Semang — a con- has to pay $25, or unless the woman
fusion of which, however, he is by no is a chiefs wife, when $25 may be the
means alone guilty. minimum. Children may follow either
> Z./. E, xxviii. 1 79. • Ibid. parent by choice, but usually prefer to
' Ibid. p. 180. In a letter just follow the father. Misconduct of a
received, Dr. Luering says : " Among man with his brother's wife would
the Sakai of Bertang, in Perak, the producea quarrel, but not necessarily en-
punishment for adultery is a fine of tail a fine. Wives are generally chosen
$6.50, unless the woman wishes to within the tribe."

CHAP. Ill SAKAI OF SELANGOR 67

Before leaving this subject, mention should be
made of the account given by Vaughan-Stevens of
Sakai love-philtres, which runs as follows : —

Among the Sakai love-philtres were employed by both sexes, one of them
being called '* mong dar " (?). It consisted of the blossom of a creeper which
grew upon the hills. If a little of the dried blossom were steeped in water and
drunk, it was alleged that it would produce stimulation in the men, but would
have no effect upon women. ^

Another love-philtre, called ** chin-weh " ( = ** chindwai ") was only used by
women, and that in the same way as the one just described ; the only difference
being Oiat the entire plant was taken, as must necessarily be the case since the
plant was of a fungoid character. It was very difficult to obtain.^

Under the name **chinweh kasih"^ various plants were used as aphro-
disiacs by the Sakai women. The Sakai magicians, moreover, knew of a certain
plant, which they kept secret, and which procured them especial deference.

Even at the present day only the magicians of the old school have any know-
ledge of this plant, which was besides of great rarity. From one such magician
Vaughan-Stevens obtained his specimen. In order to conceal its identity from
the lay members of the tribe, the plant was crushed into water, which was
purchased at a high price by Sakai and Malay women, who employed it as a
love- potion.*

The Sakai women also employed an expedient which was believed to impair
the virility of the men. For this purpose they took the "scnggulong" ("sengu-
long "), a kind of wood-louse \sic ? millipede], and burnt it in the fire until it was
charred. At the same time they burnt a small piece of cloth which had been
used for washing a dead man's body. The ashes of the two were mixed together,
and whenever a woman succeeded in introducing these ashes into the food of her
intended victim, the latter was believed to have lost his virility for ever.*

Selangor Sakai. — The late Mr. J. A. G. Campbell
of Selangor, in writing of the wedding customs of the
Ulu Langat Sakai, describes a peculiar ceremony,
which must be very trying to a nervous bridegroom.

Their marriage ceremonies (he says) were very
simple; one custom was for the relations on both sides to
sit on the ground round an ant-heap, and for the bride
or her father to question the bridegroom as follows : ^ —

* Z.f.E, xxviii. 183. report. A thick fleshy calyx divided

Bartels (loc. at.) remarks that "this into several sections or * flower-leaves '

• mong dar ' is not, as Vaughan-Stevens then appears ; its colour being black

formerly supposed, the Rafflesia, but a varied with spots of i:)eculiar shades,

smaller though similar blossom. It is from dark brown to purple." 2 /^^^

a parasitical climber, which possesses ' fdui. The specimens sent could not

no leaves, but only big claviform buds be identified. " Kasih "= ** love."

which appear to be either thrown out * Z.f.E. xxviii. 183.

at intervals from the stem itself, or to '^ Ibid. This is also a Malay belief

grow on a very short stem. These (C.O.B.).

buds open suddenly with a distinct ® J. A. G. Campbell, p. 241.

68 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS partiii

** Are you clever with the blowpipe ? "

** Can you fell trees cleverly ? "

** Are you a good climber ? " and

** Do you smoke cigarettes ? "

If these questions were answered in the affirma-
tive, the bridegroom then gave a cigarette to the
bride and lighted one himself; they then ran round
the mound three times ; if the man succeeded in
catching the woman the ceremony was completed,
and they were declared married, but if the man failed
to catch the woman he tried again another day.*

Of the same Sakai tribe, Campbell adds that their
marriage settlements consisted of saucepans, frying-
pans, jungle -knives, hatchets, beads, and blowpipes.
The woman, however, gave nothing in return. A
man could not have more than one wife.

Sakai (Orang Tai\jong) of Selangor. — Writing of
another tribe in Ulu Langat, the same author tells
us that the women of the ** Cape Tribe '' (** Orang
Tanjong") were allowed to have more than one
husband, and that one woman who lived at Bandar
Ranching formerly had four. These women (he adds)
used to seek their own husbands.^

III. — Jakun.

Blandas. — The qualifications required of the
Blandas (Kuala Langat) women, at their wedding
ceremony, which was similar to that described above,
were their ability to hammer tree-bark ("mSnitek
t'rap ") ; to roast or ** burn " (** bakar ") bananas, sweet
potatoes, and yams ; and to make betel-leaf wallets
(** bujam '*). It may also be worth noting that both

* J. A. G. Campbell, p. 241. Al- Sakai, this particular ceremony is un-
though this tribe must be classed as doubtedly of Malayan origin. ' Ibid.

CHAP. Ill SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 69

parties change their names after the birth of their
first-born child, whose name they take. Thus Pa'
Bijan, Ma' Bijan, or '* Father of Bijan," ** Mother of
Bijan," were the actual names of a married Blandas
couple whose eldest-born child was called Bijan.

BesisL — Upon one occasion when I inquired of the
Besisi in Kuala Langat how a man would address
a woman whom he wished to marry, and who was not
unwilling to accept him, one of them repeated as a
specimen, the following address.^ It took the form
of an imaginary dialogue, which ran as follows : —

Man. Are you willing to take me, say ?

Woman, \Vhat mean you ? I merely follow you. How can I refuse ?
Man. I wish that too.

Womcm. How can I refuse ? It b the man with whom it rests. I merely
follow you, since I am but a woman. As I am a woman, I merely follow you.

Man. If that is truth, so be it. I will be father and mother to you, rest
assured.

Woman. What mean you ? I follow you for a single day, but not for long.
Man. That is also my desire.

Woman, If you are savage, overbearing, harsh-spoken, if you are like that, if
you are like a hornet, I shall be unable to endure it beyond to-morrow.

Here the man, after pushing the betel-stand to-
wards her, says :

** I desire to seek somewhat of yours, a stand for betel ;

I am looking for a filly, yearning greatly to obtain her ;

I am looking for a sea-canoe,

If it have no mast, I will supply a mast for it.

If it have no sail, I v^nll supply a sail for it,

I have sought it by sea till now, but have not found it.

I have now reached your land, I have scented a blossom,

I have scented it thus far oversea.

Weary am I indeed with roaming so far.

But here verily is such a blossom, and such scent has reached me, that I

follow it.
Pick it up? I will indeed pick it.
Is it still to seek ? I will indeed seek it.
Desired I not its fragrance, I had not sought it;
Bui my craving for its scent is very great, I ask but to own ii.
Should I find it not, I will seek — yea, until I find it.

Great is my yearning — yea, even if in a month I find it not, I will not return
Until you grant me my Heart's Desire."

* In ordinary cases the man's request as among the Malays themselves. Cp.
would be addressed to the girl's parents, Malay Magic, pp. 364-365.

70 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part iii

As regards marriage itself, the existence of a dis-
tinctive law is perhaps more than might be expected
of this unsophisticated race, yet it not only exists but
is recognised as binding, and is, moreover, pretty
strictly observed, and it is noticeable that there are in
the Besisi dialect special terms for both "husband"
and " wife."

A remarkable fact is that the Besisi commonly
have a regular carnival (at the end of the padi or rice
harvest) when (as they say) they are "allowed to
exchange " their wives, a practice which recalls the
wedding law of ancient Peru, by which there was
established one universal wedding-day annually
throughout the land.

The marriage settlements brought by the man
consist of such objects as are best calculated to con-
tribute to the satisfaction of the bride and her parents,
as, for instance, a string of beads, four cubits
(" hasta ") of white cloth, a plate and a drinking-
cup, and in some cases a ring ; but at the same time
the husband is expected to provide a hut, cooking* ;,
pots, and other necessary articles such as will suffioef||
to enable house-keeping to be started with reasonablei
comfort. ^

The usual ceremony (as now practised by the
Besisi) is of a very simple description, and is usually
performed by the Batin, who is a priestly chief, and,
as a Besisi man once put it, " who takes the place of
an Imam " (the Malay Mohammedan priest).^

^ **The marriage ceremony is per- exchange of "sirih'* (betel -leaf chewed

formed either by the Batin or the with areca-nut) they are pronounced

Jinang. The contracting parties stand man and wife. A feast is afterwards

on each side of him, the girl on his held, to which all the members of the

left and the man on his right. He tribe are invited." — Bellamy, p. 227.

then joins their hands, and after an Cp. J. /. A. iii. 490.

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CHAP. Ill SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 71

This simpler form of wedding (as practised by the
Besisi of Sepang in Selangor) was celebrated in the
following manner : — In the first place, the bridegroom
would bring to the house of the bride's parents the
presents required by custom — say five cubits of white
cloth, five quids of betel-leaf, five cigarettes, and a
copper ring.

On the bridegroom's arrival all present partook of
food, and the bride and bridegroom then ate rice off
the same plate. After this meal the gifts were
presented to the bride's parents, and the Batin or
one of the minor chiefs of the tribe {e^. the
" Penghulu Balei ") then inquired : " What about
these children of ours? Are we to make them
one ? " To this the parents replied in the affirmative,
and the head of the tribe then gave both bride and
bridegroom a new name.

The parties might then disperse at leisure.

The really remarkable rite called the " ant-heap "
(properly the ** hillock*' or "mound") ceremony, re-
ferred to above by Mr. J. A. G. Campbell as a custom
of the Ulu Langat Sakai, appears to be now very nearly
obsolete among the Besisi, so far as I could ascertain.

I once had the good fortune, however, to witness
it when it was being performed at Ayer I tarn (in the
Kuala Langat district of Selangor) by some Besisi
who had just returned from Batu Pahat (in Johor,
where they told me that the old custom was still kept
up). I will therefore describe the ceremony that I
saw as carefully as possible. I attended the wedding
at the invitation of the Besisi themselves, with whom
I was on very good terms. Shortly after my arrival
at the village a small pit was dug by Penghulu Lempar
(of Batu Pahat) in front of the door of a special palm-

72 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

leaf building (a Balei or Tribal Hall, built on the plan
of the letter T) which had been erected for the
occasion. With the earth, or rather clay, thrown up
from the pit Penghulu Lempar constructed a mound *
about the height of a man's waist and in the shape of a
truncated cone, surmounted by a small globe and knob,
so that it was not unlike a gigantic bell and bell-handle.
In the morning, just before the ceremony, I saw
Penghulu Lempar decorating it with flowers, and when
I asked him where he learnt how to make the mound,
he replied that he was quite used to doing so in Johor.*
The flowers were arranged as follows : — First, round
about the mound were planted half a dozen long stems
of what Lempar called the ** Owl-flower " ; ' to these
were added several blossoming stems of the wild red
** Singapore " rhododendron,* and to these were again
added some young shoots of fan-palms and other kinds
of palms.^ Into the mound itself Lempar stuck some
stems of a common blossoming reed.*

To these, the natural products of the jungle, he
added a bunch of the following artificial ** flowers"
manufactured from strips of fan-palm^ leaf. These
were intended to represent the sun ; ® coconuts,*
nooses or ** earrings ";^^ the blossom of the wild ** seal-

* The Besisi told me that the mound ever, that the custom is more widely
was always artificial and always of the spread. Cp. Maxwell,y. R, A, S.^ S. B.^
same remarkable shape. The reason of No. i, p. 112.

its being called an ant-hill is merely that ^ »« Bunga ponggoh," called by the

the Malay word (**busut") means a Langat Malay who accompanied me

*' mound " of any kind (whether natural, **satawar hutan," or "wild sata-

e.^. an ant-heap, or artificial), so that war."

the confusion arose easily enough. * Mai. " kedudok *' ; Bes. ** kodok.'*

The shape of the mound is not ^ I.e. **nibong"and "kepau."

necessarily phallic ; I have not been ^ " Sendayan," or " senderayan."

able to discover any parallel ceremony. ^ " Kepau."

* I mention this because the Batin ® Bes. "met are'," or "tongkat
afterwards told me that the custom was langit."

only kept up among the tribes of Ulu ^ Bes. ** niyu."

Batu Pahat. It seems certain, how- ^® Bes. "subang."

CHAP. Ill SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 73

ing-wax " palm/ and the blossom and fruit of a re-
markable wild tree-nut with boat-shaped sail, called by
the Malays the " sail-fruit '* or " fill-cup," the latter title
being due to an extraordinary property on the part
of its seeds, any one of which, if placed in a cup of
water, will fill the entire cup with a substance resem-
bling a brown jelly, which is eaten with avidity by the
Malays.*

I may add that each representation of the " sun "
was crowned with a little spike, on which was spitted
a blossom stripped from a newly-plucked spray of the
wild (" Singapore ") rhododendron. This bunch was
inserted into the knob-like summit of the mound, and
a plait or festoon of the same material, decorated with
long streamers, encircled the mound just below the
upper rim of the truncated portion.

The preparations were completed by depositing
on the flat top of the truncated portion a dish contain-
ing two portions of rice and wild betel-leaf® and a dish
of water, which were to be shared later on between
the bride and bridegroom.

About half-past nine the beating of drums at a
distance announced the approach of the bridegroom's
party. On its arrival the bride (who was staying in
the house of the tribal chief or Batin, whose guest I
was) was carried outside (on the shoulders of a matron,
if I remember rightly), and stationed close to the
mound, so as just to leave room for the bridegroom
and his supporters to pass. A lengthy catechising of
the man (who was coached by the Batin) followed, the
questioning being undertaken by the Penghulu Balei
(one of the inferior chiefs) on the part of the woman.

* Bes. " chongoi meri " = Mai. ** pinang raja."
2 Mai. "salayer," or "kembangsamangkok." ' '^Chambai."

MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS partiii

Penghulu BaUi (for the bride). Have
you bought plates and cups ?

Batin (on behalf of the man). I have.

P. Have you bought pots and pans ?

B. I have.

P, Have you bought clothing ?

B. I have.

P. Have you bought a jungle -knife
(chopper) ?

B, I have.

P. Have you bought a hatchet ?

/?. I have.

P, Have you built a hut ?

B. I have.

P. Have you made steps for it ?

B, I have.

P. Have you forme<l a clearing ?

B. I have.

P, Have you made a rice-spoon ? ^

B. I have.

P, Have you made a water-bucket ?

B. I have.

P. Have you planted yams ? *

y?. I have.

P, Have you planted sugar-cane ?

B. I have.

P, Have you planted rice ?

B, I have.

P. Have you planted bananas ?

B, I have.

P, Do you know how to fell trees ?
B. I do.

P, Do you know how to climb for
fruit ?
I do.

Do you know how to use the btow-
pipe?
I do.

Do you know how to smoke agar-
ettes?'
I do.
P, Do you know how to find tuitk-

eggs?

I do.

Is all this true ?

It is true.

I could purchase a hill at Singa-
pore, Malacca, or Penang,

I could purchase a hill in Selangor
or Peraik ;

How much more then sonuh^dtft
daughter.^
P, Is this true, so a tree fall on yoa?^
B. Speak not of somebody's daughter !

Monkeys of all kinds ^ do I seardi
for and capture ;

How much more then samtbodfi
daughter.

B,
P,

B,
P.

B.
P.
B,

P, " Pun ! " Sweet potato, " Pun ! "

Thus we Jakun plant sweet potatoes !

** Ratified," ^ says the Batin, say the chiefs of the tribe !*

** Ratified " [say] both young and old !

Round the mound and round again !

At this stage of the proceedings the bridegroom
(who was dressed, like the bride, in Malay apparel)
was conducted seven times and the bride once round
the mound, and they were then stationed side by side,
when they were together given rice to eat from the

* /.<?. a rice-spoon of wood or coco-
nut shell.

2 I.e. ** have you got a yam-patch ? "
etc. etc.

^ The phrase used may also mean,
" Can you make " or •* have you made
cigarettes ? "

* Lit. a daughter of people (perhaps
the wild people or the tribe). But it
may equally well mean the daughter of
a person, or ** somebody's daughter."

'^ The phrase here used '"tempa*

kret ") lit. means ** fall upon (your)
body," i.e. ** so may (a tree) fall upon
you," which is the strongest form of
asseveration used by these forest-tribes,
among whom the terror of falling trees
is very real and present, and perhaps
more feared than any other danger.

« Lit. "chikahs" and "lotongs"
(two kinds of monkey).

7 Lit. "true"(Bes. "hoi").

* Lit. Batin, Jinang, Jukrah (titles
of chiefs).

CHAP. Ill SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 75

plate and water from the dish. All parties then
adjourned to the ** Balei " or tribal ** Hall," where a
feast was in course of preparation, and where the bride
and bridegroom were made to eat and drink from the
same dish, and shortly afterwards time compelled me
to leave.

I may add, however, that during the entire night
before the wedding from dark to dawn the Besisi
never ceased beating their drums and playing on
their rude bamboo flutes and stringed bamboos
(" banjeng ").

I may add also that the bride and bridegroom
looked little more than children, and that there is no
apparent limit of age for marriage among these people.

Before we departed one of the Batins remarked to
me that the mound by which we were at the time
standing was the emblem of his religion, or (as he
put it) the " priest of his tribe." ^ There can, I think,
be little doubt as to the meaning of this statement,
and given some such sacred emblem, the procession
around it would be natural enough. Whether the
race or the walk round it was the older institution
must remain a moot point, until further evidence on
the point is obtainable ; most probably the walk is the
survival.

With regard to the age at which the Besisi women
are married, we are told by Logan that among the
Besisi a child of a few years old was not un frequently
betrothed to her intended husband, who took her to
his house and brought her up.^

* The expression employed (in Malay) ' /. I. A. vol. i. p. 270. Logan

was **kita-punya Imam," i.e. '*our compares this with the custom of the

priest." The statement was a purely vol- **Dayaks" near Banjermassin, where

anury one, and not in response to any betrothal takes place at the age of four

question of mine. In Pahang a fire takes or six years. A similar custom occurs

the place of the mound (p. 82, infra). in Java.

76 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part iii

It is said that a Besisi man will occasionally take
to himself two wives, but never more than two ; as a
matter of fact, however, I do not remember a single
case in which a Besisi man had more than one. On
the other hand, no Besisi woman might have more
than one husband, although cases of polyandry have
certainly been recorded among the Sakai of the neigh-
bouring district of Ulu Langat.

Before leaving the Besisi marriage customs it should
be recorded that at their great annual carnival or drink-
ing feast (** main jo*oh "), during the rice-harvest, there
was (as in some other savage lands ^) a sort of " game
of exchanging wives." This is the same ceremony
as that which Logan terms the " Tampoi Feast,"
a fuller description of which will be given below.*

Mantra. — In an interesting account of the marriage
ceremony as performed by the Mantra, Logan informs
us that marriages among the Mantra were not ordi-
narily made with the haste of the ** Tampoi Feast."
When a young man was desirous of marrying a girl,
he would communicate his wishes to his own father,
who communicated in turn with the father of the girl.
If the latter agreed to the match, from four to eight
silver or copper rings were presented to him, and a
day was appointed for the marriage. When it arrived,
the bridegroom was conducted by his parents and
relatives to the bride's house, where a large feast had
been prepared. On entering he paid his respects to
the near relations of the bride. If the Batin did not
reside at a great distance, he always attended, and
presided at the ceremony. Betel-leaf and its usual
accompaniments having been placed ready upon a
sieve (*' nyiru "), the bride took up one of the small

* E.g. J even, by latest reports, in Greenland. * See pp. 169-170, if^ra.

CHAP. Ill SAVAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 77

packets of betel-leaf and presented it to the bride-
groom, who presented another to her in return. The
father of the bridegroom then addressed him, en-
joining him to cherish his wife, to be kind to her, on
no account to beat her or behave harshly to her, but,
if he should ever be offended by her, to complain to
her parents. The father of the bride then laid a
similar injunction upon her. The company were then
feasted, the bride and bridegroom eating from the
same plate, a custom which is common to most of the
Indo-Chinese and Malayan races. The bridegroom
remained for the night.^

It should be added that the teeth of the bride and
bridegroom were filed with a stone before the day of
marriage.^

A form of the mound-ceremony found among the
Besisi is also practised by this same tribe, and
Borie, in describing it, remarks that when all the

* y. /. A. p. 323*. chiefs, which were thankfully accepted,

- Ibid, M. Borie (tr. liourien), in A plate containing small packages of

giving a description of a wedding among rice wrapped up in banana-leaves then

the Mantra, informs us that the bride, having been presented, the husband

who was clothed by her companions in offered one to his future wife, who

her best attire, was conducted to the showed herself eager to accept it, and

centre of the assembly, where she took ate the contents ; she then in her turn

her place close to her future husband, gave some to her husband, and they

who, bowing, saluted every member of afterwards both assisted in distributing

the company, shaking hands with each the remainder among the other mem-

of them in turn. According to old bers of the assemblage. The Juru

custom, the three chiefs made speeches Krah having received a ring from the

upon the obligations of matrimony — husband, returned it to him, and he

not forgetting to enjoin upon the hus- then placed it on the finger of the left

bond that in return for the submission hand of his future wife. The bride

that his wife owes him, he should having also received a ring from the

punctually day by day supply her with Juru Krah, placed it upon the finger

betel-leaf to eat and tobacco to smoke. of the right hand of her husband ; the

The Juru Krah (one of the three marriage was then declared complete,

chiefs), who was conducting the mar- and copious plates full of rice with

riage, then demanded the pledges of vegetables having been served round,

their prospective union, and the bride all set to work to satisfy their appetite,

and bridegroom professing to be unable M. Borie remarked that the bride

to comply, addressed themselves to M. and bridegroom still ate from one dish.

Borie, who gave them two handker- (Borie (tr. Bourien), pp. 81, 82.)

7Z MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS partiii

guests were assembled, the bride and bridegroom
were led forth by one of the old men of the tribe
towards a circle of varying size, round which the girl
commenced to run, the young man pursuing a short
distance behind her ; if he succeeded in overtaking
her, she became his wife, but if not he lost all claim to
her. At other times a yet larger area was appointed
for the trial, and the bridegroom pursued the bride in
the forest.^

In addition to the foregoing, we learn from Logan
that the Mantra did not mix socially nor intermarry
either with the other Benua tribes, nor yet with the
Malays,^ and further that they were strict mono-
gamists.^

Adultery was a capital crime if it could be proved
by witnesses. The sentence of the Batin was carried
into execution by the Penglima. The offenders were
laid prostrate in the nearest brook, and their heads
were kept under water by placing a forked stick over
their necks and driving the points into the bed of the
stream. When the husband was satisfied of his wife's
infidelity, but was unable to prove it, he might desert
her, but was obliged in that case to leave her in pos-
session of the house and clearing, and also to pay her
ten cubits ( lo **hastas" = 5 yards) of white cloth, thirty
cents in money, and eight silver rings. The children
remained with the wife, who might not, however,
remarry until the husband took to himself another
wife in her place.*

The right of the husband to beat his wife for any
cause whatever was not recognised by the Mantra,

1 Boric (tr. Bourien), p. 8 1. Cp. ^ J. I, A. vol. i. p. 330.

ilso Miklucho-Maclay in /. A*. A. S,, ' /M, p. 270.

' B.. No. 2, D. ^16. * /^id, p. 268.

CHAP. Ill SAVAGE MALAYS OF JOHOR 79

and such was also the custom of the Benua, and
probably of all the other (Jakun) tribes. Should
a Mantra woman offend her husband, he might
complain to her parents, who would themselves
chastise her. The wife, on the other hand, had a
reciprocal right to appeal for protection to the parents
of her husband. Should the husband commit any
serious offence against his wife, her relatives might
complain to the Batin or chief of the tribe, who
would authorise them to deal summarily with him.
They would then repair to the offender's house and
strip it of every article that it contained. The goods
thus summarily appropriated were carried to the
Batin, who would give one portion to the wife's
relatives, and distribute the remainder between him-
self and his officers.^

Benua-Jakun of Johor. — Among the Benua Logan
states that betrothal was the rule, and sometimes took
place, among most if not all the tribes, at a very
early age on the part of the unconscious girl. The
Malays declared that when a marriage had been
arranged amongst the Benua, the relatives of both
parties would assemble at the house of the bride,
who was then placed in a canoe by herself, supplied
with a paddle, and sent down the stream. When she
had been given a start of one or two reaches, the
bridegroom entered a canoe and gave chase. Should
he succeed in overtaking the fair one, she became his
wife. If he failed, the match was broken off. But since
most of the young women had good stout arms, and
could make good use of the paddle that was given them,
it must be supposed that love usually unnerved them,
and gave the victory to the bridegroom.- According

' J. I. A, vol. i. p. 267. '^ Logan here adds that he is seep-

8o MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS patt iii

to members of the tribe, the union was arranged by
the parents, and the ceremony consisted simply in the
parties eating from the same plate. After partaking
of a repast, the relatives of the bridegroom departed,
leaving him to pass the night in the bride's house.
Next day he carried her home. A small present was
sent to the bride's parents previous to the marriage.
The Batins and their families would send as much as
forty plates (** pinggan ") on such occasions, and other
persons as much as twenty plates. If the lady had
already been married, no ceremony whatever was
used. She repaired to the house of her new husband,
and installed herself as mistress.^ Most of the Benua
had one wife only, but some had two, and there did
not appear to be any rule on the subject.* The
husband might not beat his wife for any cause what-
ever.^

No marriage was lawful without the consent of the

tical as to the real existence in his day The young couple then approach each
of the practice describe<l, but in view other, join hands, and the sylvmn cere-
of all the evidence, it may be taken, I mony is concluded. It varies, how-
think, as substantially accurate. ever, in different tribes. Among some
^ Logan here adds that amongst the there is a dance, in the midst of which
Berembun tril>es the husband either the bride elect darts off, d la galtpe^
took up his residence in the house of into the forest, followed by her inamo-
his wife's parents or made one in their rato. A chase ensues, during which,
clearing. should the youth fall down, or return
^ J. I. A, vol i. p. 270. unsuccessful, he is met with the jce«
' Ibid. p. 267. and merriment of the whole party, and
Newbold gives a graphic account of the match is declared off. It genermliy
a wedding among the Benua, but un- happens, though, that the lady con-
forlunately it Is not clear to what tribe trives to stumble over the root of

he refers. His account is as follows: — tree friendly to Venus, and falls (for-
**On occasions of marriages the tuitously of course) into the outstretched
whole tribe was assembled and an arms of her pursuer !
entertainment given, at which large " No marriage is lawful without the
quantities of a fermented liquor, ob- consent of the parents. TTie dower
tained from the fruit of the Tampoi, usually given by the man to the bride
are discussed by the wedding guests; is a Malay hatchet (* beliong'), a copper
an address is made by one of the elders ring, an iron or earthen cooking vessel,
to the following effect : * Listen, all a chopper or parang, a few cubits of
ye that are present, those that were cloth, glass beads, and a pair of arm-
distant are now brought together, those lets ; the woman also presents a copper
K^f ...-,..- c^T5flro»i»^ .rr .^^v, MpJ^'^d.' "Hg to her Intended. Polygamy is not

CHAP. Ill SAVAGE MALAYS OF JOHOR 8i

father. A man might not have more than one wife at
once. A man who divorced his wife lost the dowry
given to her, but if the divorce came from the side of
the woman, she was bound to return the dowry she
received from the man.^

Any married person surprised in aduhery might
be put to death. But if a woman so surprised could
prove that she was seduced, she would not be put to
death, but would be sent away by her husband. After
divorce the man and woman might marry again with
other parties.^

A father could not sell his child, but might give
him to another, always provided that the child would
consent, no matter what its age might be.*

If children were left orphans, their nearest relatives
would bring them up, unless, with their consent, some
other person agreed to do so.*

Although the Benua women were generally faith-
ful, adultery appeared to be neither infrequent nor
held in sufficient detestation. The Malays asserted
that it was not difficult to obtain favours of Benua
women, and these latter themselves admitted that
husbands sometimes changed their wives, and wives
their husbands.^ Divorce was simply a putting away
of the wife.^

permitted, but a man can divorce his With the foregoing should be further

wife and take another. The form of compared the account given by Vaughan-

divorce is that the parties return their Stevens in V, B. G. A, xxiii. p. 833,

copper wedding -rings ; the children which does not however add anything

generally go with the mother." of importance.

In some tribes it is customary to ^ Favre in J. /. A. vol. ii. p. 269.

deck out the bride with the leaves of ^ /^,y,

the Palas-tree, and to cut off a part of ' Ibid.

her hair, a custom also observed by * Ibid,

Mala3rs, and termed **andam" (New- * This is doubtless at the annual

bold, voL il pp. 407, 408. Cp. also "carnival" or ** Tampoi Feast," and

vol. L chap. ▼., and vol. ii. pp. 394, 395 : it is not fair on that account to tax the

" Adultery is punishable with death if Benua with infidelity,
the parties are caught in the act." * /, /. A, vol. i. p. 268,

VOL. II G

82 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS paxt ni

Jakun of Johor. — Logan states that among the
Jakun, marriages were ordinarily celebrated about the
months of July and August, when fruits were plentiful
The bridegroom frequented for some time the house
of his intended, and when he had obtained her con-
sent, he made a formal demand for her hand to her
father. A day was then appointed, and preparations
made for an entertainment, the scale of which varied
according to the means of the two contracting parties,
and their rank in the tribe. When the day for the
marriage had arrived, the bridegroom repaired to the
house of the bride's father, where the whole tribe was
already assembled. The dowry to be given by the
man to his bride was then delivered ; it must consist
at the least of a silver or copper ring, and a few cubits
of cloth, and if the man were able to afford it, a pair of
bracelets. To these gifts a few other ornaments and
articles, e.g. furniture for the house of the new family,
were added. Sometimes the woman also presented
some gifts to her intended husband. The bride was
then delivered by her father to the bridegroom, and
the solemnity began. Some stated that among some
of the tribes there was a dance, in the midst of which
the bride elect darted off into the forest, followed by
the bridegroom. A chase ensued, during which, should
the youth fall down, or return unsuccessful, he was met
with the jeers and merriment of the whole party, and
the match was declared off A slightly different
ceremony was ascribed to the Benua of Pahang, viz.,
that during the banquet a large fire was kindled, all
the congregation standing as witnesses ; the bride then
commenced to run round the fire ; the bridegroom, who
was obliged to run in the same direction, following her;
"^Vr-* succeeded in catching her the marriage was valid,

CHAF. Ill SAVAGE MALAYS OF JOHOR 83

if he could not, it was declared off.^ No marriage
was lawful without the father's consent. Conjugal
fadthfulness was much respected among the Jakun ;
adultery being punishable by death. It was especially
remarkable that among the Jakun, although they were
surrounded by Mohammedans and heathen races, all
of whom were so much addicted to polygamy, it was
not allowed to keep more than one wife, and that
Logan met with only one who had two wives, and he
was censured and despised by the whole tribe.^ The
only difference, in fact, between this form of mono-
gamy and that practised by Christian nations was that
amongst the Benua a man might divorce his wife and
take another. The rule was that if the divorce was
proposed by the husband, he lost the dowry he had
given to the woman ; but that if the woman asked to
be divorced, she must return the dowry she had
received at marriage. The children followed the
father or the mother according to their own (the
children's) wishes ; if, however, they had not yet
arrived at the age of reason, they followed the mother.^
Udai. — The only reference to marriage among the

^ On this Favre remarks that all the had allowed a man to pay his addresses

Jakun he questioned on the point de- to her, the parties proceeded to a hillock

dared that they were not at all aware round which the woman ran three times,

of the practice, so that if the story pursued by the man ; if the latter suc-

werc true, it must be ascribed to a few ceeded in catching her before the ter-

tribes only {J. I. A, vol. ii. p. 264). mination of the chase, she became his

[This conclusion, however, does not wife, but not otherwise (Begbie, l.c,

necessarily follow from the premisses. pp. 13, 14). It is worth noting that the

The Jakun frequently deny the existence object round which the chase took

of practices which they fear will be place is here accurately described as a

laughed at by strangers, and the very hillock and not as an ant-heap.
Jakun who took part in the mound ^ Cp. Begbie, l.c, pp. 13, 14.

ceremony had previously denied its Polygamy among the Jakun is not

existence to me.] allowed, and is punishable.

A yet older authority for the Mound ^ j^ /, ^^ vol. ii. p. 264. For the

ceremony than Favre, is Captain treatment of the Jakun women by their

Begbie, who states that the marriage husbands, who regard them as mere

ceremony of the Jakun was {ante 1834) chattels, but are otherwise not unkind

as follows: — When a young woman to them, see Z./. E, xxviii. p. 166.

84 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

Udai is that made by Newbold, who records that they
are said never to intermarry with the Jakun, who accuse
them of devouring their own dead and of cohabiting
with the beasts of the forest.*

Orang Laut or Sea-jakun.

Orang* Laut, S'letar. — Of the marriage customs of
the S'letar tribe we are informed that a mouthful of
tobacco and a single ** chupak " of rice handed to the
bride's mother confirmed the hymeneal tie. The
S'letar women intermarried with the Malays, this
custom appearing to be not unfrequent ; they were also
sometimes given to Chinese, and an old woman stated
that she had been united to individuals of both nations,
at an early period in her life.^

Orang Laut, Sabimba. — Before marriage the bride-
groom prepared a hut of his own to which he carried
the bride, on the day of marriage, from the house of
the Batin where they were united. Twelve cubits
(**hastas*') of white cloth, and some betel-leaf and areca-
nut were delivered by the bridegroom into the Ratings
hands for presentation to the parents of the bride.

The children of brothers might not intermarry, but
those of sisters and of a brother and sister might do sa
Adultery was punished by a fine of looo rattans,
seduction of a virgin by compelling the man to marry
her and to give the customary present to her parents.'

To the foregoing should be added the declaration
of the Sabimba that they had no actual ceremonies
at marriage ; the preparation of a shed, open on all
sides, and measuring about 6 ft. x 4 ft. (1.8 m. x 1.2 m.),

1 Newbold, ii. 381, 382. ^ /. /. A. vol L p. 347*.

* ^f**d, D. 297.

CHAP. Ill MALA VAN SEA-GIPSIES 85

erected over a few branches and leaves strewed on the
ground, comprised all the bridegroom's care. The price
of a wife was stated to be ten needles, three hanks of
thread, sixteen cubits of cloth, and three ** reals.'* The
Sabimba women did not intermarry with the Malays,
nor would they part with their offspring for any con-
sideration.^

Orangr Laut, Beduanda Kallang*. — Previous to mar-
riage the bridegroom was expected to provide himself
with a boat of his own. Members of the same family
might not intermarry, however remote the degree,
though at the same time no doubt the traces of
relationship would tend to be soon lost and forgotten.
Widowers and widows were not in the habit of
marrying again. Polygamy and adultery were both
unknown.*

Orang Laut, Huka Kuning. — As soon as the breasts
of a girl were of the size of an areca-nut she was con-
sidered marriageable.* When a marriage had been
agreed upon, the parents of the bridegroom sent to
those of the bride 3000 rattans, a piece of cloth, a jacket,
and two silver rings. The marriage, which took place
at the house of the bride, in presence of the Batin or
tribal chief and several guests, consisted in the bride
and bridegroom being placed side by side, and made
to join hands, while the parents enjoined them to be
kind to each other and avoid disputes. A feast followed,
at which the newly married pair ate from the same
plate or leaf. Singing and dancing to the tambourine
('* rebana '*) followed. The Batin received as his fee
a present of 2000 rattans.*

» J. I. A, vol. i. p. 347*. ^ Ibid. p. 300.

' This is also the standard followed by the Malays.

* /. /. A, vol. i. pp. 338* 339*.

86 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

If a husband was not pleased with his wife, he
might return her to her parents, and after the lapse of
a month the parties might form other connexions.
Polygamy was unknown. The children of brothers
might not intermarry.^

Orang Laut, Akik. — The only remark I have met
with in reference to the marriage customs of this
particular tribe was to the effect that although a
Jakun could take an Akik woman to wife, the Akiks
were not permitted to marry with the Jakun females.'

The remainder of this account of the wedding
ceremonies of the Orang Laut is taken from Vaughan-
Stevens, and is of general value only, no names of
tribes or localities being given : —

At marriage the son commonly undertook to build a boat for himtdf, unlea,
as was usual, he already possessed one. But both he and his wife oonld live in
the boat of cither's parents, whenever his assistance and that of his wife might
be required. Marriage took place at a very early age, at fifteen or sixteen yean,
but now since there are fewer women available, it takes place later.'

The customs relating to the choice of wives among the Orang LauI are veiy
similar to those of the E. Semang (Pangan), Sakai, and Jakun.* The men of
one community could only take a wife from another community (not their own),
in the days when they lived upon the sea.^ If the two communities were at
feud, and the young people had no opportunity of making a choice, matches
were effected by capture, and both the women and their dowry taken by force*
But these organised attacks never take place in the interior of the country,
since the Eastern Semang is unrestricted in his choice of a spouse, and the
Sakai is bound by his totemistic {sic) code.' Communal marriage, in which the
woman is free to all the men of the community, or its milder form, family-marriage,
in which the woman becomes the spouse of all her husband's brothers, did not
occur ; and both polyandry and p>olygamy were equally unknown.^

* /. /. A, vol. i. p. 339*. case of four communities of the Orang

2 NewlK>ld, ii. 413, 414. Laut of which A, B, and C, were of

3 Bartels in Z. /. E. xxviii. 1 74. pure blood, and D a mixed tribe of

* As the customs of the three races Orang I^aut and Jakuns, the first tribe
are very different, this sweeping state- A, could take wives from B or C, B
ment seems meaningless and indefen- could take wives from A or C, and C
sible. from B or A, but none of them could

^ On p. 175, Vaughan-Stevens ex- take a wife from the mixed tribe D.
plains that by exogamy he means * Vaughan-Stevens in Z,f, £, xxviii.

marriage within the different branches p. 174.
of the same race, not intermarriage with ^ Idid. V. ante, p. 62.

<!fran<TArc or fr»r*iom<»— ^ Thl|e Jn tjjg 8 Jbid,

CHAP. Ill MALA VAN SEA-GIPSIES 87

Orang Laut children belong not to the father but to the mother. Thus,
sapposing a woman belonging to a community A, marries a man belonging to
a oommonity B, the children would belong to A, and at the father's death would
be taken by the mother to her original home.^ Perhaps this may be the reason
(remarks Bartels) why the Orang Laut man cares so little about his children and
treats both mother and children so badly.^ Vaughan-Stevens continues, that when
he said to some of the Orang Laut, *< The fact appears to be that you can be sure
who the mother is, but not who the father may be," they laughed and agreed
with him.'

Among the Orang Laut the exact value of the present to be made to the bride's
parents depends partly upon the bride's qualities and partly upon the circumstance
whether ^e was desired in marriage by one or more suitors. In the case of
o^itiTes being taken as wives, this present was naturally omitted.^

Apropos of the so-called << ant-hill " ceremony, Vaughan-Stevens remarks that
in spite of many inquiries he was unable to substantiate it except in a restricted
area near Malacca, where he believes it was <* introduced by half-breeds." *'

Vaughan-Stevens goes on to say that it was the custom for the youths of the
tribe, at the wedding-feast, to engage in various games, the object of which was to
excite the bridegroom to pursue his bride, but that though it was certainly
unnecessary for him to catch her, he was mercilessly bantered if he fiuled of his
purpose. This was, however, by no means a necessary ceremony, and did not
take place at every wedding.^

The position of the women among the Orang Laut is pitiable, being much
worse than among the other tribes.' Vaughan-Stevens says, ** I have often seen
an Orang Laut man take all the fish and roots which had been collected by his
fiunily in the course of the day, and silently devour the whole, leaving nothing but
the heads and refuse for his wife and children to feed on." And when by any
chance an Orang Laut is compelled to traffic either with the Sakai, Jakun, or
Malays, these latter not unfrequently insist upon his giving a share of the food
which he gets from them to his wife and children. The Orang Laut are, in feet,
the lowest of all the aboriginal tribes,' and are the only tribe of which the men,
upon all occasions, eat before their womenfolk are allowed to do so. Among
other tribes the men on special occasions eat before the women, but that is because
somebody has to look after the food, and not because they are considered too much
beneath their husband for them to be allowed to eat with him.*

Even when Vaughan-Stevens gave food to Orang Laut women they never
dared to eat it when their husband was present, and so long as another man, even
if he were not their husband, was present, they would always retire from his
presence before eating it or giving any of it to their children.*®

The Orang Laut were originally divided into families, recognising a special
locality or district as their home, and since they invariably lived in scattered pMEurties
in their boats, they described themselves as belonging to such localities. Marriage

' Z,f,E. xxviii. 175. ascribed to the Orang Laut, I believe

« Ibid. to be quite unmerited, and mainly due

' Ibid. The custom here described to the fact of their being wilder and

appears to be analogous to the ** Adat shyer than the other races in the Pen-

Pcrpatih*" of the Malays of Rembau insula, and hence apparently more

and Naning. stupid and brutal.

* Z.f. E, xxviii. 176. ' It is not true that they are the

* Ibid. This scepticism as to the only tribe of which the men eat before
prevalence of the custom is, I believe, their women-folk, and even if it were,
quite unnecessary (for the reasons before it may be doubted whether the in-
given, and others). ference here deduced can be justly

* Z.f. E. xxviii. 176. drawn from it.

' This character of brutality so lightly • Z.f.E. xxviii. 167. ^^ Ibid

88 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part hi

did not affect the situation, and the invariable rule held good that men and women
belonging to the same locality might not marry, bat that each must seek a spouse
in another locality. This rule, however, like many others, fell into disuse when
the domain of the Orang Laut became restricted to its present area. But never-
theless the spouse is still chosen from as distant a locality as possible.^

Among Uie Orang Laut monogamy was the rule, the only exception being the
so-called "Levirate.** For whenever the man's brother died, the fonno
frequently supported the widow, on the ground that he took her as a kind of
second wife. This at least is said to have been formerly the custom, until the
women discovered later that as there were more men than women, they could
very easily obtain a husband of their own.^

When the widow was taken over by the brother of her first husband, the
children were allowed to choose, should they be old enough to do so, between
remaining with their mother, and leaving her establishment.'

Vaughan-Stevens asserts that the custom of [? mother-in-law] avoidance does
not exist among the Orang Laut, nor were any names *' taboo," though they
had heard of the custom.*

* Vaughan-Stevens, Lc, p. 174. • Z,/,E. xxviii. 177.

» Ibid. Ibid.

CHAPTER IV.

Burial Customs and Beliefs.

This is a most intricate subject, and the best hope of
an adequate solution seems to lie in observing the
divergent mental attitudes of the three wild races
when confronted with the death of a member of their
small community.

The Negrito, for instance, exhibits little dread of
the ghosts of the deceased, from which the Sakai, on
the other hand, flee far aloof in terror. The Jakun
again certainly display a dread of the ghost, but in
their case the result of this most powerful motive,
which inspires all similar burial customs, takes the
form of a religious care for the dead man's spirit.

Hence it is not surprising to find that, though the
Semang now employ a simple form of interment, their
more honourable (and therefore older ?) practice was
to expose the dead in trees, whereas the Sakai simply
leave the body to rot, and even desert standing crops.

The Jakun devote their first efforts to making
things comfortable for the spirit of the deceased, and
do not as a rule desert the place until after their
month of mourning has expired.

Of the various rites observed by these tribes there
are several that will prove of interest to students of

90 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part hi

ethnology. Among these are mere desertion of the
corpse, as practised by the Sakai ; the exposure of dead
wizards in trees,^ attributed to the Semang ; platform
burial in a modified form, as practised by some of the
Sakai of Selangor ; the lighting of a fire on or near
the grave, as is done both by the Sakai and most of
the Jakun ; the scrupulous solicitude shown by the
Jakun for the deceased's spirit, which is provided with a
furnished hut to live in, and provisions to feed upon,
(as in the interesting burial-customs of the Besisi),'and
even with a trench full of water on which to paddle its
canoe (as in the case of the Jakun chief recorded by
Hervey) ; and finally, the practice of fixing a bamboo
in the grave in communication with the mouth of the
corpse for the purpose of feeding it, a custom of which
we have among the Jakun of Berembun a mere survival.
To this we may add the use of the " burial bamboo "
ascribed to the Semang by Vaughan-Stevens, which
is said to be deposited in the grave to serve as
credentials for the dead man's spirit to show when it
comes before the universal Judge ; and the atrocious
custom attributed to the Udai, which is explained by
a Pangan tradition that I collected in Kelantan.

^ The Andamanese exp>ose the body cornered hutch of lattice • work, in

facing east on a small stage of sticks which offerings of small value, chiefly

and boughs 8-12 ft. above the ground, rice and flowers and fruit, are de-

usually in the fork of a tree ; this is posited immediately after the fimenl,

thought more complimentary, as in- and subsequently at certain intervals.

volving more labour. — Man's And, pp. These offerings are for the purpose of

76-77. propitiating the Butas (the demoniacal

* The soul - hut of the Selangor beings who infest places of burial

Besisi is strongly reminiscent of the especially), lest they should attack the

'* three -cornered hutch," which is soul of the deceased. The grave is

erected by the side of the grave in then surrounded with a fence or hedge.

Bali. At the burial of a commoner in Those who are buried in this way

Bali, we are told that when the body cannot enter heaven ; they then assume

hats been committed to the ground, all sorts of shapes *' (especially that of

there *' is fixed in the ground by the the half- wild dogs which are numerous

^de of the grave a bamboo, on the in Bali). — Misc, Papers relating to Mo-

r^x ^^ v'^xi^h *\x^rp' 15 a cort of ♦hree- CAifia, second series, voL ii. p. 138.

CHAP. IV NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 91

I. — Semang.

Pangan. — The Pangan or Eastern Semang of
Kelantan informed me that the bodies of the lay
members of the tribe were buried in the ground (in a
way which I shall presently describe), but that the bodies
of their great magicians (whom they called " B'lians ")
were deposited in trees in order that they might be
able to fly over the head of the fearful figure which they
believe blocks the narrow way that leads to the Jungle-
men's Paradise. They further informed me that the
dead body of one of these magicians had actually been
deposited in a tree on the banks of the Kelantan river
(above S. Sam), but the place described already lay
a considerable distance to the rear of our expedition,
and it was not then possible to reascend the river in
order to investigate. I may add that the Pangan, like
the Sakai, are entreated at death to " think of their de-
parted ancestors alone and forget their living friends."

Kedah Semang. — I will now describe the grave of a
Semang which may be taken as fairly typical, and of
which I was able personally to obtain the full par-
ticulars. At Siong, in Kedah, I persuaded the Peng-
lima or head of the Semang tribe, with a great deal
of difficulty, to allow me to purchase the bones of a
relative of his own who had been buried in the jungle
not far from the settlement. The Penglima con-
ducted one of the local Malays and myself to the site of
the grave, which was in the depths of the jungle, and
which we could never have found without assistance.

A couple of stout bamboo poles which had been
used to form the bier by means of which the remains
had been borne to the spot, lay crossed above the
grave, which was partially defended by a low fence of

92 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part hi

prickly palm -leaves and branches. The grave was
that of one " P'landok " or " Mouse - deer/* who
was said to have died about a year before, leaving
behind him a son called "Padang"or " Flatland,"
whom I met in the settlement. We opened the grave
together, and found it to measure about three feet
deep by about five feet in length. There was nothing
left of the body but the skeleton, which lay upon the
right side in a huddled-up position, with the head and
knees turned towards the right, and legs doubled back/
so as to bring them within the limits of the grave.

Three coconut -shells, which had been used for
holding small portions of rice, were still to be seen,
one of them being just behind the head, and the
other two at each side of the body. At the foot was a
coconut-shell still partially filled with water. The body
rested on a mat which covered a roughly-made floor
or platform of sticks,* and had evidently been wrapped
up in a red cloth (** sarong "), pieces of which were still
here and there visible. A row of short stakes had
been driven diagonally into one side of the grave-pit,
the lower ends meeting the side of the pit about half-
way down, a foot (30 cm.) above the body, and the upper
ones reaching to the upper edge of the opposite side
of the pit. The roofing to the grave thus formed had
been covered with palm-leaves (bgrtam) laid longi-
tudinally, and the whole arrangement formed a sort
of screen which would keep the earth from falling
on the body when the grave was being covered in.

An infant child of the dead man ('* Mouse-deer")
had been buried in a tiny grave a short distance

1 As among the Andamanese, who ' This platform had no doubt, with

are buried with * * knees brought up to the two bamboo poles referred to above,

the chin, and fists to the shoulders." formed the bier on which the remains of

vfp«'e j*,A nn -7^.76- the deceased had been carried *'> the grmye.

CHAP. IV NEGRITOS OF PERAK 95

away from that of " Mouse-deer " himself, but nothing
was to be seen there at the time of my visit beyond
a slight depression in the surface of the ground show-
ing where the burial had taken place.

These were said to have been the only deaths that had
occurred since this tribe had arrived in the Siong district^
where they had lived, they said, for a couple of years.

Perak Semang. — Mr. L. Wray writes me, that in the
Piah Valley he once camped in a large clearing contain-
ing a crop of Indian corn, nearly ripe, besides vege-
tables, etc. This clearing had been recently abandoned
in consequence of two deaths. The graves were in the
clearing and the houses were still standing. Lower
down the valley Mr. F. Lawder, about four years previ-
ously, had seen a case in which the house had been shut
up with the dead body in it. The skull and some of the
bones from this house are now in the Perak Museum.
In the same valley Mr. Wray saw another huge clear-
ing with growing rice abandoned because of a death.
In this instance, however, he did not see the grave.

The following account, which generally speaking
agrees with what I have observed myself, is taken
from Vaughan-Stevens.^ It gives, however, the only
account I have met with of the burial bamboo, which
is one of the important subjects connected with these
tribes still awaiting further investigation.

On the occasion of a death the Pangan silently fetch the timbers required for
the grave, and betake themselves to any suitable place in the jungle. Here they
dig a grave with straight sides, deep enough for a man to stand in up to the hips,
and then return to fetch the corpse. The Sna-hut meanwhile examines the corpse
and gives it the burial bamboo or ** penitdh " (** peneetor "), a bamboo written over
with signs, which is to serve as testimony on the other side of the grave to the
behaviour of the man in the present life.

The burial bamboo is inserted in the girdle of the deceased, with the node
uppermost, the hollow pointing downwards ; the deceased lying meanwhile upon
the ground- A slight bier is then fashioned out of a few bamboo poles, which
arc bound together with rattan or other creepers. The corpse is laid upon it,

1 Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 119-122.

94 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS part hi

and as many men and women as have any interest in the dead accompany
the remains to the grave. On arrival the corpse is deposited in the grave in
a supine position, without any sort of orientation. A few stakes are then
planted slanting-wise in the soil of the grave on each side of the corpse, so
that they cross each other gable-wise above the corpse, a pole of bamboo or sooie
other material is laid upon the ridge thus formed, in a line with the body, and
leaves and branches are employed to cover the sloping sides. As a general nik
the earth is shuffled back again into the grave with the feet, a small moond is
heaped up over it, and some brushwood laid on the top, in order to prevent the
pigs from digging the body up again.

The method of burial now employed by the Semang on the west coast of
the Peninsula is no longer the old one. In the southern parts of the west coast
the Sakai methods are imitated, only the preparation of the grave is much moie
careless. The peculiar diagonal hollow for the reception of the corpse is alwajps
present. In the north of the west coast the Semang roughly imitate the manner
of burial of the local Siamese who do not practise cremation : even idols stoks
from their Siamese jungle companions are not forgotten.' The Semang say that
they never expose a corpse.*

The Pangan (Eastern Semang) do not as a rule revisit the grave, but tbej
have not the least fear of doing so, because, as mentioned above, they do not
believe in Hantus ; the Semang of the west coast only do so in order to firee die
grave from underw^ood.

If there is no minor chief (Sna-hut) in the neighbourhood, the dead man is buried
without a burial bamboo, but the latter is afterwards lowered into the grave throng
a deep hole bored with a grave-stake. The soul must in that case remain in &
body until the burial bamboo arrives, as it is conscious that it has done nothing
which might cause the latter to be refused. It is true, howe\xr, that if the soal does
not leave the grave soon enough, Kari is sure to become impatient, and send
thunder and lightning in order to hasten the tarrying soul, and although the exact
effect of this is uncertain, the Pangan think that the soul must expiate t^ Hence
no time is lost in obtaining the burial bamboo, of which the Sna-hut keeps a snpplf
in hand, and when the deceased person is an adult man he also cuts the name-
mark on the bamboo, before he gives it to the mourners. In former times the Sna-
hut was never very far away, and was always called in, but kter the signs became
better known, and the men in urgent cases cut the signs themselves. Many had
their burial bamboo prepared during life, as the Sna-huts lived very scattered.

When an innocent soul was deprived of its burial bamboo by any accident or
through malice, it might demand restitution from Kari, and if the Sna-hut held
the burial bamboo back unjustly, Kari's lightning would strike him and hud
him down to the infernal region (Kamoj).

Beside the corpse of a woman were deposited, in addition to her own burial
bamboo, all her combs. These combs were placed in her hair if possible, if not,
as many as possible were so placed, and the rest laid upon the breast of the
corpse. This was in accordance with *' Simei's command."

Similarly beside the corpses of men were deposited all their quivers and
charm-bamboos and bamboo strings, with charm-patterns against Diseases. Their
blowpipes, however, were not so deposited.

The Semang of the west coast often put a little food into the grave before they
leave it, and kindle a fire in the neighbourhood ; this, however, is in imitation of
the custom of the SakaL The Pangan do not do this.

If the bereaved relatives really feel sorrow, they do not show it openly, even
a mother does not weep openly over her child.*

* This is probably a solitary case ; ^ Vaughan - Stevens, iii. pp. 121,
it is not true of the Kedah Semang. 122. Vaughan-Stevens adds, somewhat

* This was contradicted by the E. obscurely, that on the west coast the
Semang. upper structure of the grave is either

CHAP. IV NEGRITOS OF PERAK 95

It may still be a moot point whether the Semang
ever bury the corpse in a sitting position or not. For
although we are informed by Maxwell that the remains
(of those who die in an honourable way) are laid upon
a log of wood, in a sitting posture, and buried a foot
or two under the ground, we have no account of any
such custom at first hand from an eye-witness, and it
is hence always possible that a statement of the kind,
if not in the present instance, may yet sometimes
arise from the vagueness of a native trying to de-
scribe the position of the corpse (with its legs drawn
up under it), such as actually occurs. More exact
information upon this point may therefore be awaited.^

Ascribed to the Semang is a yet more extra-
ordinary practice, the tradition of which, although
totally devoid of foundation at present, may possibly
have originated in some obsolete Semang custom.^
This is the idea, found among the Malays, that when
a Semang dies the body is eaten, and nothing but the
head interred.'

II. — Sakal

There is no satisfactory description of a Sakai
burial, with the exception of one by Vaughan-Stevens,
whose accounts as a rule require much independent
corroboration.

made after the manner of the Malays, the Andamanese, who used to exhume

etc, or a bertam leaf is placed slanting the bones of relations after three

across it like the summer huts which months and clean and break them up

they make for themselves. to form necklaces, with the skull as

1 Maxwell, /. R, A, S., S, B., No. pendant.— Man's Atu/. p. 78.

I, p. 112. ' Newbold, ii. 377-379. Since the

It should be pointed out that Max- above was set up (in the text), I have

well confuses the terms Sakai and met with evidence that seems to sub-

Semang, but that in other respects his stantiate my view. — Vt'de p. 228, ?ft/ra,

account is accurate. The Jakun of Johor make a similar

* Especially likely does this seem charge against the Udai, whom they

when we remember the extraordinary ** accuse of devouring their own dead."

customs of other Negrito races, e.^,, Newbold, ii. 381, 382.

BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS

We are told, however, by Hale that the Sakai of
Perak were in the habit of burying i ig with a
man his tobacco wallet, bead necklace, or timber-box.
Similarly her comb, necklace, or bracelets were buried
along with a woman. The house in which the deaib
had taken place was invariably burnt down and the]
settlement deserted, even at the risk of the loss of
standing crops.^

On the other hand, two Sakai graves in Bataog
Padang (Perak) described by Wray were raised,
like Malay ones, and well taken care of, and
them were the remains of fruit, flowers. Indian co?
coconut-shells, bottle-gourds, roots, etc., which had
been placed there probably as offerings to the dead.'

This last description, though puzzlings is of ao
small interest, for although the graves described were
undoubtedly in the heart of the Sakai country, the
evident care with which they were tended sounds more
like the work of tribes under Jakun influence, who like
other branches of the Malayan race are most particular
in this respect. From all we know of the genuine
Sakai, they have so intense a terror of the ghosts of
the deceased that they burn down the house, and even
sometimes the village, in which a death has taken place, |
and never return to it. Can it be that deaths from
epidemic diseases inspire this terror among the Sakai,
whilst those from old age or other milder causes do
not ? I confess that I see no satisfactory explanation.

To the foregoing account Mr. Wray now adds,
that at Kuala Dipang, in Kinta, he saw the grave of
Toh Sang, the chief of the South Kinta and a portion

1 Hale, p. 291. In a MS. note
Clifford says that the medicine-men
("ha-la") of the U. Kerbat Sakai are
exposed after death in huts, when they

are thought to disappear and become
tigers. For others there is no ceremony.
« L. Wray in/. R. A. S., S. B,, Na
21, p. 125.

■--mm

CHAP. IV SAKAI OF PERAK 97

of the Batang Padang Sakai. It was a raised grave of
the Malayan type, and was built up with earth thrown
up within his house, for which purpose the flooring had
been removed, and the walls continued down to the
ground. His widow and children were living in a
house near by, and it was they who took Mr. Wray to
see the grave.

The account given by Vaughan-Stevens contains
(as usual) no localities ; it runs as follows : —

The old fonn of Sakai (" B'landas ") grave is very peculiar, but has now become
rare. In places where the Sakai have mixed with Malays and Chinese the old
methods of burial have ceased with the love of the old customs. The grave is made
waD-stded, as it is then (says Vaughan-Stevens) found easier to dig {He), The
corpw is washed by friends or relations and dressed in clean clothes. The site
for the grave is chosen by the wife or nearest relation and one of the subordinate
chiefii (Penglima) ; it is dways distant from another grave, road, river, or house.
The digging of the grave, for which no payment is made, is performed by two or
more persons, old tools being used in preference to modem (Chinese) ones.
The corpse is laid out with the hands close to the hips, and bands or strips of
bark or cane are bound round the arms, wrists, and ankles. The eyes are
ckised, but the lower jaw is not bandaged ; and the body having been rolled up
in a mat (a modem substitute for bark-cloth), is firmly bound round in three
places. A new wrapper of tree-bark (large enough to surround the corpse) is
then rolled round it and tied again with three bands of cane or tree-fibre and
slung from a carrying pole, the ends of which are borne by two men upon their
shoulders. Only one woman (the wife) may follow, but as many men as like
may do so. At the grave the hark wrapper is removed, and the corpse laid upon
its back in the grave with the head towards the west. There is no "consecrat-
ing" ceremony.^

I omit the rest of Vaughan-Stevens* description
of the Sakai grave, as it possesses no further interest
from the Sakai point of view. The form of grave
described is a mere copy of a common Arabic grave-
type which has been borrowed by the Mohammedan
Malays, and adopted from them in turn by the Sakai
without any interesting variations to recommend it.
Those who wish to see it, however, will find it under the

^ Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 136, 137. finger to that of the outstretched

The length of the grave is fixed by thumb). The standard for the depth of

measurement ; the standard being a the grave is the hip-joint of the digger,

man's length plus a span or **jengkar* [Among Malays it is usually taken to

(reckoning from the tip of the middle be the car of the digger. — W. S.]

VOL. II H

98 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS PAiriii

reference given. The only remaining point of interest
in the account is the use of the Sacrificial Tray (Sak.
" anchap " = Mai. " anchak "), which contains the " food
and water" that are offered to the "Grave-spirit" (MaL
" Hantu kubor **),^ for whose benefit also the fire on
the grave is lit. The soul (" sSmangat ") proceeds to
the Infernal Region (" NSraka ") or Paradise (" Pulau
Buah ** or ** Fruit Island "), as his case may require;
but his Evil Deeds remain by the grave in the fonn
of a " Hantu Kubor," incessantly seeking a fresh
embodiment.

To the foregoing may be added Vaughan-Stevens'
description of a ceremony observed by the Sakai on
the occasion of a death.

A dying man lies with head towards the west. The magician boldiog a
censer (**sungkun**) in his hand, takes up the usual crouching positioD at tbe
feet of the patient, a little to the right side, and raises himself up slowly till he
is ** breast high/' He then waves the censer seven times horizontally over tbe
body, and placing the coconut-shell (bowl) at his feet, bends down and sqfi
softly in bis ear : ** O dying one, do not remember any more jrour &ther, modwr,
children, or relations. Think only of your ancestors already dead and gone to
another place. Your living (friends) will find food.***

The embers in the coconut - shell are kept in a
glow till the man is dead.

The alleged reasons for the use of incense in this
ceremony are that smoke " mounts upward and then
vanishes " ; also that " good spirits love its smell and
bad spirits hate it." ^

Selangor Sakai. — Of the Sakai tribes in the Kuala
Lumpur district of Selangor, my friend Father
Letessier has given an account in which he says that
when a death occurred, the body was washed, and the

' Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 140, 141. been wearing must be washed off before

To the above may be added Vaughan- burial took place. Also that no fiioe-

Stevens' remark that among the paint was employed by the mourners

Sakai (** Senoi ") fece- paint was never at a funeral (Z. / E. xxvl p. 153).

applied after death, and that any face- ' Vaughan-Stevens, iL 144.

"lint that the deceased might have ' Ibid.

CHAP. IV SAKAI OF SELANGOR 99

hair oiled and combed carefully. Then, after being
once more clothed in its best garments, it was
entirely covered with a shroud. The dead man's
dagger ('* kris **) or his chopper (** parang ") was laid
upon his breast, together with his betel-leaf wallet.
When all was ready the deceased was carried out
upon an improvised bier to a place pointed out by
his nearest relation. The trench, which was broad
and deep, was lined at the bottom and sides with
planks or billets of wood. As soon as the corpse was
lowered into the trench, tobacco and betel-nut was
offered — " * for the last time,' they say." Everything
having been placed beside the body, the grave was
carefully covered over with planks which were then
covered up with earth.

The same day rice and cakes were placed there,
" not to feed the dead," a young Sakai hastened to
explain, " but to obtain from the Lord forgiveness for
his sins " (" Igpas dia-punya dosa '')} On the third, the
seventh, and the hundredth days following, a similar
offering was laid upon the tomb,- which was then
raised and tended carefully.^

Another form of burial which is perhaps more
characteristic is that practised by some of the
Sakai in the Ulu Langat district of Selangor, which
appears to be a modified version of some old custom of
*• platform burial " — about halfway between regular
•* platform " burial and interment. Of this method the

* This explanation may have been upon the third, seventh, and hundredth

given by a convert or have been merely days respectively is, I think, the clearest

diplomatic, but there can be little doubt evidence of either Malay or Jakun in-

as to the trtu interpretation of the rite, fluence. The careful washing of the

agreeing as it does so closely with the corpse (with the oiling and combing of

spirit of Sakai funeral rites in places its hair) and the laying of the dead

where the influence of Christianity has man's weapon upon his breast are

not yet penetrated. equally Malayan customs.

2 The attention given to the tomb 3 Lctessier, p. 102.

loo BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS part hi

late Mr. J. A. G. Campbell of Selangor, in describing
the customs of the Ulu Langat Sakai» wrote that,
whenever a death occurred in a house, they would erect
a platform in front of it, whereon they would place
the body, leaving it there for a day, and would then
either burn or desert the house, after burying the
body. This same writer adds that the whole settle-
ment was frequently deserted on account of a death.
Burials were attended by the friends of the deceased,
and the blowing of pipes and singing were the only
ceremonies at the funeral. The body was not, as a
rule, buried more than two feet deep.^

III. — Jakun.

Tasau (? Sakai-Jakun) of Selangor. — There was a

solitary family near Sepang, in the Kuala Langat
district of Selangor, who were said to belong to the
Tasau tribe (described as being " halfway between
the Sea and Hill tribes'*). They were said to
practise a peculiar funeral rite, the story being that
whenever a member of this tribe died he was
carried some distance off into the jungle and there
laid to rest in an actual hut erected for the purpose.
Here he was watched for seven days by his son or
nearest relative, who made daily excursions to the
spot for that object ; after this he was believed to
disappear, and the watcher's visits were discontinued.
Jakun (0. Bukit), N. Sembilan. — But by far the best
account of a Jakun burial is the description of the
funeral of a woman by Rowland,- who remarks that
she was called Sulam by name, and that she was about

* T. A. G. Campbell, p. 242. * Rowland, pp. 711-713.

CHAP. IV SAVAGE MALA YS OF NEGRI SEMBILAN loi

forty years of age, having died upon the 12th July
1897. She was small and thin ; her hair was curly, in
strands, slightly grey. The eyes were dark with the
remarkable bluish opalescent glitter at the outside edge
of the iris, which all old people among the Land Jakun
and the Malays themselves have. The woman, accord-
ing to the statement of her husband, had died of fever
and a cough, and she had been dead three hours
already and was quite stiff when Rowland came to her
funeral. She lay in one of the newly-built huts in
which the tribe were then living. In the middle of
this hut lay a piece of tree-bark, which served as a
species of carpet ; on the right of the small entrance
a fire was burning, which burned faintly the whole
day, and round about were to be seen the usual
primitive household objects. The corpse lay on its
back at one side of the hut, covered with a white
cloth ; and billets of wood had been pushed under
its head and feet, so that they might not rest on the
earth. The husband, an odd -looking person, with
long, black beard, sat apathetically beside it ; in his
face was expressed not exactly sorrow, but a certain
dull despondency.

Rowland had arrived, somewhat late, at five o'clock
in the afternoon, and the people told him that it was too
late for the funeral to take place that day. He therefore
came again about eleven o'clock the next morning,
summoned by the son-in-law of the dead woman.
The corpse and the man still remained exactly in the
same position as on the day before.

First, the corpse of the deceased was carried out
of the hut by her daughter, a well-formed young
woman of about twenty, and her husband, a fine
fellow of the same age, after which, covered only

I02 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS pait hi

about the hips by a sheltering cloth, it was laid upon
its back on a large piece of tree-bark.*

Though the corpse did not as yet show any traces
of decomposition, the cheeks and the eyes were
somewhat sunken, the eyes still remaining half open.
It was remarkable that on the under surface of the
hands and feet, where the colouring is (at all events
in the living Land Jakun) very faint, the skin of the
corpse had become quite of a milky white, though
it had never been noticeable in the same person
during life.

Several children and women now brought water
in vessels of coconut-shell, and the deceased's daughter
and an old woman began to wash the corpse thor-
oughly. Rowland noticed that both women showed
great delicacy of feeling, and, e,g.y never exposed the
pubic region, but, in order to wash it, merely wetted
the loin-cloth from the outside or slightly lifted it in
order to pour water underneath it. The younger of
the two women before beginning the work had pushed
her ** sarong," which otherwise was always worn over
the breast, lower down and round the hips. Before
strangers this is never done, and they explained later
that this was a sign of special confidence.

After this washing the hair of the corpse was
combed, and a silver needle, which the husband had
first to fetch from his betel-case, was then inserted'
through the usual knot of hair at the back of the
deceased's head. The daughter then called one of the
children standing by and had a piece of yellowish
(curcuma-like) root ^ brought ; this she bruised a little.

^ Rowland, p. 711.

- Probably as a charm against evil spirits. Cp. Malay Magicj p. 327.

3 Probably turmeric.

CHAP. IV SA VAG£ MALA YS OF NEGRI SEMBILAN 103

and then made little crosses with it on the under
surface of the hands and feet, leaving a yellow trace
behind ; it was at the same time explained that when
the deceased awoke in the grave she would look at
her hands and feet and see from the yellow crosses
that she was really dead. This was the custom, they
said. Next the husband and the daughter laid the
corpse on a mat, which again in its turn lay upon a
long piece of tree - bark. The husband closed his
wife's eyes, not without reverence, crossed her arms
over the breast, and arranged the head so that it
looked straight upwards. Next, two long pieces of
white cloth were laid upon the body one over another ;
and in the lower one, which was nearer the body, the
son-in-law cut a hole with his chopper ("parang*'),
explaining that this was done in order that she
might breathe. In the outer cloth, however, no
opening was made. The bark was then rolled to-
gether round the body, laced and relaced with rattan,
and carried by two men to the grave, which had
been dug, deep in the jungle, in a clearing cut out by
other people.

The pit was almost i metre deep, and remarkably
long and narrow ; on the left (the lower) side the
soil lay in a long narrow heap ; it was banked up
away from the hole by two strong beams, which lay
one above the other, and were held in position by
two pickets.

The corpse was laid on the ground upon the other
(the higher) side of the pit, and the bark unwound
from it ; husband and son-in-law then grasped it by
the shoulders and the feet, another man supported
the head, and thus it was laid in the grave, face
upwards, the feet towards the west, the hillock on the

I04 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS PiuiT iii

right, distinctly on the right side of the pit ; to the
left of it a space remained free, which would have
sufficed for a second person of equal size.^

The husband now crouched down at the foot-end
of the grave and took from his betel - wallet half-a-
dozen little thin silver rings and brooches such as the
Sakai women like so much to wear on the " kabaya."
He gave one of these rings to a young boy, her son.
The others, together with the betel-wallet and some
green betel-leaves, he laid upon the breast of the
corpse ; the two last, however, he took away again
later and laid them close to the deceased's left hand.

Near the grave lay a quantity of pickets, measur-
ing about I metre in length; these were now placed by
those present close together into the grave so as to
form to some extent a sloping roof of pickets, over
which tree-bark was then laid. While the bark was
being laid upon the pickets, several of those present,
among them all the women, took earth in their hands,
rubbed it between them, and then let it fall with
some care between the pickets fixed above the
corpse.

Great pains were taken that no opening should be
left anywhere, and that all was well covered with the
tree - bark. Then three men, together with the
husband of the dead woman, threw the earth back
into the grave with hoes (** changkul '*) and stamped
it firm under their feet. When a mound began to be
formed, one of the two beams on the lower side of the
grave towards the right was taken and a shorter piece
of wood cut for the head side ; all were then secured
by means of short pegs (pickets), and between them
the earth was heaped up in the usual way, as in

1 Rowland, d. 712.

CHAP. IV SA VAGE MALA YS OF NEGRI SEMBILAN 105

a three-sided frame of timbers. The foot end remained
outside this barrier. •

The husband had already, when the corpse
was laid in the pit, placed the midrib of a bfirtam-
palm leaf upright in the corner, on the right at the
deceased's head; in the bark-roof a slit had been
cut expressly for it, and even when all the earth had
been heaped up, the little shaft still rose a foot above
the hillock. That was the sign that the woman had
died by herself, and had not by means of the same
disease summoned with her one of her children or
relations. All leaves and pieces of wood were then
carefully removed from the earth of the grave mound.
Two dishes of boiled rice were then laid on some
large leaves, the one at the foot, the other in the
middle of the mound ; one was for the woman herself,
the other for the spirits (** hantu ") of her parents
and relatives, who now came to visit her. At foot
and head were then inserted a couple of rudely-carved
pegs (as in the ca3e of Malay graves), and these were
bound with a strip of white material — this was the
custom (** 'adat "), and no more could be learnt
about it.^

Blandas. — There is no record of a Blandas funeral,
but I may mention their "Hantu Pawul," which was a
kind of grave-demon (Mai. = ** Hantu orang bgrkubor "),
and was exorcised by means of the following charm : —

Shoots of the Convolvulus, leaves of the Convolvulus ! *

Pass by me at the fiill length of the house-floor !

For one month, yea, for two months,

Avaunt ye to the left hand, avaunt to the right hand !

May I be fatal-to-meet.

And you, O Pawul, be carrion.

' Rowland, p. 713.

- Malayan charms often begin by reciting the materia magica used in the
ceremony, for which they thus form an aid to memory.

io6 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS paut hi

Besisi. — The Besisi informed me that their dead
are not laid in the grave in one invariable posture,
but that though generally placed in a supine posi-
tion, they are sometimes laid upon the right side
(as among the Malays), and also, very rarely, with
the knees drawn up to the chin and the hands
clasped in front of the knees, in a sort of sitting
position. This position, however, was explained by
the Besisi as being only adopted for the saving of
labour, and there seems no reason why this should
be doubted.

The house in which the deceased lived, and some-
times the whole of the settlement, will be occasion-
ally deserted or burnt after a death. This practice,
however, is now less common among the Besisi than
the Sakai, perhaps owing to the fact that the former
live more by agriculture. As regards the hut for the
soul, I was once (before I had ever seen it) discussii^
this custom with the three Batins of Ayer Itam in the
presence of some men of the tribe, .when one of the
Batins gave instructions that a model should be made
for me ; and in not more than twenty minutes a
rough but perfectly intelligible and cleverly made
model had been constructed from strips of the leaf-
stalk of the ranggam palm, pinned together with the
formidable thorns of the "nibong" (a hardwood
palm), and filled with the diminutive furniture which
will presently be alluded to.

It was an almost inconceivably difficult thing
to see anything of the burial customs of the
Besisi except by accident, and it was in fact by
the pure accident of being on the spot when a death
occurred that I at last saw one of these funerals.
Tv^'^n «^hpn no Besisi breathed a word to me about

CHAP. IV SAVAGE MALAYS OF SELANGOR 107

the intended ceremony, and it was from a friendly
Malay that the information came which enabled me
to see it.

A young Besisi woman, named Sauma, had died
the night before my arrival, and it was between 8
a.m. and 9 a.m. that I heard of the preparations for
her burial, which had been kept a profound secret.
Fortunately, however, there was still time, and one of
my Besisi friends taking me up the river in his
•• dugout " canoe for a considerable distance, we
arrived at the burial place, about a hundred yards in
from the river, just before the commencement of the
funeral proceedings.^

The deceased was brought to the spot with her
own *' sarong " (a sort of plaid skirt or long kilt worn
by the Malays) girt about her waist, but was wrapped
besides in a new shroud of white cloth. The shroud,
in turn, was wrapped up in a couple of new mats, the
whole being lashed to a pole for ease of conveyance.
When I arrived, the body, still lashed to the pole,
was lying near the grave, the digging of which had
just begun, and which when completed was a
very narrow oblong pit no deeper than the digger's
waist.

A yard or two from the foot of the grave was
erected the triangular hut (no larger than an average-
sized doll's house),^ to which reference has already
been made, but instead of its being thatched in the
ordinary way, three leaves of the fan-palm (** k^pau '*),
with long stalks, were placed upright so as just to lean
over the framework of the hut. I was told that this

* This burial ground must have * xhe posts of this hut were about

been the greater part of a mile away, 3 ft. to 3^ ft. high (91 cm. to 120 cm.),

ailowtng for the windings of the and the sides measured about i ft.

river. 6 in. (45 cm.) each way.

io8 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS partih

was done to save time, but I noticed near the foot of
another grave close by the ruined framework of a
similar hut which had evidently, from the remains of
the fan-palm leaves, been roofed in a similar manner.
A ladder, consisting of an inclined stick, was added
for the soul to climb up to its hut by. The hut had
just been furnished (before my arrival) with models
of the *' sentong " (a long basket made of a kind of
fan-palm leaf, which is strapped to the back and
generally used by the Besisi women in this district
for carrying jungle produce),^ a small closed rice-bag
('* sumpit ") filled with seed-rice, and an open wallet
(** bujam ") containing young shoots of the wild betel-
leaf (** chambai "), one of the edible kinds of marine
bivalve called " lokan,'* and a piece of newly-woven
matting about 9 inches square, on which had been
deposited the smallest possible "portions" of boiled
rice, fish, acid fruits (**asam kfilubi"), water, and
sugar (but no salt).

The deceased's father now unloosed the fasten-
ings of the mats and the shroud in which the body
was wrapped, and stripped the latter of its selvage.*
Next he wetted the deceased's face and breast with
the midrib of a banana -leaf dipped in water, and
removed her own garment (** sarong "), which was laid
aside to be burned. Then the shroud was re-
adjusted and the body laid in the grave, with the
head pillowed upon the banana-leaf rib. A plank
made of some soft wood (probably **j6lotong," not
unlike deal), resting against sticks put ready to
support it, was then placed in a sloping position

^ The articles deposited in the hut * This is a Malay custom, the

are always, I was told, distinctive of strips of selvage (taken from the shroud

the sex of the dead : thus for a man, itself) being used to tie up the dead

choppers, etc., would be used. body. Cp. Malay Magic, o ^oi.

Besisi Soul-Wai.let.

Sktat Collect ion.

Wallet left in Hcsisi soul-hut (near the grave of deceased), containing small models of
various utensils and implements used by deceased during life.

*V/. //. /. 1 08.

\r. IV 5^ VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 109-

er the body, so as to protect the latter from
lling earth during the re-filling of the grave-pit.^

The earth was now filled in and four poles put down
ctagonally to mark the edges of the grave. Then
^o of the elder men took their stand on the opposite
les of the grave, and each in turn held out at about
e height of his breast a couple of jungle knives
boppers) horizontally crossed. These eadi of these
'o men let fall (still crossed) seven times running
K>n the centre of the grave (where the girl's breast
3uld be) — a strange custom, of which those present
3uld only tell me that they did it in order that their
vn lives might not be endangered, but which (as-
;her Besisi afterwards more fully explained to me)*
as intended to fix the deceased's ghost in the tomb,
id keep it from feeding upon the living.

The elders then planted round the edges of the
rave some yams (Bes. "yet"), some roots of the
tronella or fragrant lemon grass (Mai. "sCrai"),^
)me roots of the sweet potato (Bes. "tila"* or
hila' "), and some roots of a purple-leaved plant — a
ind of coleus (Bes. " torek " = Malay, "ati-ati").

Next the seed-rice was taken out of the hut and
)wn broadcast over the grave. Water was sprinkled
ver it, and I was told that the rice was to serve
hen it grew up for the deceased's soul to live upon.
' inally the deceased's garment (** sarong "), the two
lats, and the strips of selvage were collected together
nd consumed to ashes in a small fire which had
een kept burning since the ceremony commenced.

I must add that, as it was approaching mid-day
efore the preparations at the grave were complete,

1 No doubt in imitation of the Malay form of burial, known as " papan sa*'
fping ^ (the tingle plank).

J lo BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS PiUiT m

there was some hesitation on the part of those
present as to whether it was not actually noon, in
which case they said the burial would have to be
postponed till the afternoon, since the shortness
of their shadows at noon would (sympathetically)
shorten their own lives. Fortunately I was able to
reassure them, and the ceremony proceeded. No
invocations were employed nor any set forms of
words, so far as I could observe, although the
chiefs and some twenty to thirty members of the
tribe were present. The grief of the mother was
especially distressing, since she broke down and
sobbed aloud, but no emotion was shown by the rest
Mantra. — M. Borie, in writing of the burial
customs of the Mantra, states that the body was
enveloped in a white sheet and bathed ; it was then
left until the friends of the deceased had had time to
arrive, when it was bathed again, and carried by two
friends to the grave. The other friends and relations
might either follow or precede the cort^e. Arrived
at the place of burial, the deceased was deposited in
a tomb dug in a lonely place, sometimes in a reclining
position, sometimes sitting, and sometimes standing.
If it was a child, in either of the last two positions
and with the face to the east, and if an adult, with the
face to the west. At the side of the deceased was
placed a spear and a chopper (" parang "), and
generally some rice, dishes, and old clothes.* Near
the tomb flowers and fruit-trees were often planted,
and this, they said, was the ancient custom of their
forefathers. At the foot of the tomb a fire was kept
burning for three days, after which no more visits

* Ace. to Montano ( Voyage^ p. 22), a deposited, a chopper being added in the
>^tel-box, rice-pot, and calabash were case of a man. Cp. Rev, dEthn, i 55.

[AP. IV SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 1 1 1

ere paid to it. The Mantra did not wear any signs
r mourning, and deaths were rarely wept over,
he house of the deceased was abandoned by the
irvivors, and as a rule the entire village emigrated.^

Elsewhere we are told, by Logan, that a Mantra
rave was not protected by a roof like that of the
enua of Johor, though it in other respects resembled

Above it the Mantra kindled a fire [of logs]

* ungun "), so that the soul ('* sfimangat ") or spirit
f the deceased might warm itself, and not weep and
ail on the grave from the cold. On the grave were
so placed some unhusked rice or padi, some
antains, sweet potatoes, yams, betel-leaf, areca-nut,
imbier, lime, tobacco, a peeling - knife made of
ood, and a blowpipe that the survivors had pre-
ously broken to pieces, — praying the soul ("s6m-
igat ") to seek no more from them.^ After a death

. the clearing, nothing more was planted there, and
hen the crop or plants on the ground had been
ithered, it was abandoned.*

Berembun Tribe. — Among the Jakun of Berembun
fire was burnt above the grave for three or seven
ghts to prevent the **hantu" or ghost of the
iceased from crying in the grave. A still more
ngular custom consisted in placing the end of a
imboo close to the nose of the corpse, the other
id projecting above the grave. This practice was
id to be confined to the graves of children who
ed young, and the reason given for it was that the
ises accumulating in the body, and having no outlet,
ould cause it to swell and burst,* and that by some

' Boric (tr. Bourien), p. 82. survival of the use of the tube or pipe

* Cp. pp. 91, 98, ante. which among some races is fixed in the
' J. I. A. vol. i. p. 325*. grave for the purpose of conveying

* This is doubtless a misunderstood food to the deceased.

112 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS FAtxin

sympathy between it and the body of the li^ng
mother, the latter would be affected in the same way.*

Benua-Jakun of Johor. — On the day succeeding a
death the body was wrapped in cloth and deposited
in a grave dug near the hut, together with some
of the clothing of the deceased, and his chopper
(" parang "), if he possessed one. No ceremony was
observed, but a framework of wood, resembling a
(shallow) box without top or bottom, was placed
above the grave.* This was filled with earth, a piece
of carved wood was stuck at each end, and frequently
the whole was covered over by a roof.*

Jakun of Johor. — The preparations made by the
Jakun for their funerals were few and simple. If the
decease took place before noon, the body was buried the
same day, if after noon, the funeral was deferred until
the day following. The corpse was washed, wrapped
in cloth, and interred by the relations and neighbours
in a grave about four or five cubits deep. The blow-
pipe, dart- quiver, knife, etc., of the deceased were
buried with him, together with some rice, water, and
tobacco. The only reason given for burying such
things with the deceased was that this was the custom
practised by their ancestors and followed by them.

1 y. /. A, vol. i. p. 271 ; cp. the the pilgrim on his long and dicujr

account in Newbold (vol. ii. pp. 408- journey to the west. No sort of

410), which runs as follows : — service is recited.

The preijarations for funerals are On the seventh day after inter-
few and simple. The corpse is ment, a fire is kindled over the grave
stripped, washed, and wrapped in to drive away evil spirits. Some of
cloth of *'t-rap" bark, or in a piece of the tribes turn the head of a male
white cloth, and interred, among some corpse to the east, of a female to the
of the tribes, in a sitting posture, in a west. The house where a person lia»
grave from three to six cubits deep ; died is generally deserted and burnt
the cooking dish, blowpipe, dart- * This is the usual custom amoog
quiver, chopper, knife, flint and steel Peninsular Malays. Cp. Malay Magict
of the deceased are buried with him, p. 408.

along with a little rice, water, and a ^ /> I* A» voL i p. 27 r. This i»

few ** smokes" of tobacco, to serve also a Malay custom.

1 14 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS paet m

disappearing without dying, or else, on sickening for
death, to arrange to have incense (" kSmnyan ") burnt
over them for two days after their apparent death
(instead of their being merely wept over and buried),
and then to return to life again.^

In a further account of some Jakun graves in
Johor which was contributed some years ago to the
same journal, Mr. Hervey states that he once found
two or three Jakun tombs at the back of a small settle-
ment containing five Jakun rattan-gatherers' huts in a
tapioca plantation running down to the river's edge.
Of one of these he attempted a sketch ; it was the tomb
(** p5ndam ") of the " Juru-krah," one of the subordinate
Jakun chiefs, and the head of this particular Jakun
settlement, who had died of fever nine days before.
The body lay about three feet under ground, the
tomb, which was made of earth battened smooth,
rising about the same height above the surface. A
little ditch ran round the grave, wherein the soul of
the deceased chief might paddle his canoe. The body
lay with the feet pointing towards the west. The
ornamental pieces at each end of the grave corre-
sponded to tombstones and were called "n€san,"
which is the Malay word for such stones. On the
other side of them were to be seen the small, plain,
upright sticks, which are called soul-ladders (" tang^
sSmangat ''), which were intended to enable the soul
to leave the grave when it desired. There were
also to be seen four horizontal timbers on each side of
the grave, which were joined together to form a
framework,- consisting of sixteen beams in all, which

1 /. R. A, .v., S,B,, No. 8, p. 119. call it "kalang dapor," or "hearth

''* This framework is the same as frame." Cp. Malay Magu, p. 408.

that constructed by the Mantra and It may be a survival of hut- or

T<<!sisi ; as well as by the Malays, who hearth-burial (v. pp. 100, 112, ante).

Vu,

VU.. 2.
JaKI'N (iKAVKS AT KLMBAN(;.

Hen»ey.

Fig. \. — a-a. (irave-poits ("ncsan ") of carved wood, equivalent to tomh^lo^e^. /'•/», "Soul-' or '
MejF* ' ("tangga .^cmatinat '). c. Torch-stand ("k.lki damar "), holding the end of a "damar '
ti. Coconut shell (" tcmpOrong "). e. Jungle basket (" amixjng ").

Fu.. 2. One of the grave-posts (*' n€'san ") at the fo()t of a woman's toml).

spirit-
torch.

I el. II. p 114

CHAP. IV SA VAGE MALA YS OF JOHOR 1 1 5.

was laid on the top of the grave, and thus formed a
sort of enclosure, within the precincts of which were
placed, for the use of the deceased, a coconut-shell to
drink from, a torch (** damar **) fixed in a rattan stand
('*kaki"), an adze handle, and a cooking-pan (**kwali'').
Outside this framework was suspended an ** ambong "
(which is a back-basket with shoulder-straps, made of
the bark of " meranti " or some other kind of tree) for
the deceased to carry his firewood in. Close by the
tomb of the Juru-krah was that of his niece, between
which and the former there were three points of differ-
ence to be noted : the first was that the framework on
the top of the niece's grave consisted of but three hori-
zontal timbers instead of four (forming a total of twelve
beams instead of sixteen) ; the second, that one of
the ornamental head-pieces was roughly shaped like a
human figure, whilst the other resembled the ** nSsan "
of her uncle ; the third, that the only objects inside the
framework were a coconut-shell, a torch and torch-
stand, and a little sugar-cane. Not far distant was a site
marked off for a child's grave, by means of a coconut-
shell and some cloth hung upon sticks. In another direc-
tion was the half-finished grave of another child, the
lower framework being already in position, whilst the
earth had been loosely heaped up in the enclosed space^
and a small framework, intended for the top, lay close by.^

Orang Laut or Sea-jakun.

Orang Laut, Sletar. — At death the deceased (of
the Sletar tribe) were wrapped in their garments
and committed to the parent earth. ** The women
weep a little and then leave the spot," were the simple
words of the narrator of the ceremony.^

' Heney in /. R. A. 6*., S. B,, No. 8, pp. 97, 98. « /. /. A, vol. i. p. 344*.

ti6 BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BEUEFS fa»t ni

Orangf Laut, Sabimba. — Logan tells us» that when-
ever a member of a Sabimba family died, the body
was washed, wrapped in cloth, and buried in a grave,
an excavation being made in one side of the pit to
receive it.^ Above the grave was placed some rice,
a pot, an axe, a hatchet, a knife, betel-leaf and areca-
nut, the deceased being meanwhile exhorted not to
call the survivors or require anything from them in
future. A fire was kindled at the side of the grave.
On the third and seventh days the grave was visited,
and a month later the house was abandoned and a
new locality selected for the survivors. The property
of the father descended to his sons.*

A later account by Thomson differs slightly from
the foregoing, as we are told that on any of their
tribe being near death the Sabimba would leave the
hut until they thought that all was over ; they then
laid the corpse upon a plank and removed it, shrouded
in its own clothes, to a grave in which were buried,
together with the body, the utensils of the deceased,
such as his blowpipe, chopper, adze, cooking utensils,
etc. ; these were placed at the side of the grave, and
the survivors then left the spot and wandered to
other parts.*

Orang Laut, Huka Kuning. — The dead were buried
i^ ft. (45 cm.) deep in graves near the house. A
blowpipe was placed upon the grave of a male, and a
knife on that of a female. In about a month after
the burial the family abandoned the hut and con-
structed another in a distant place.*

' This is the **liaiig lahad" of the ^ Thomson in J, */. A, voL i. pp.

Malays, which is borrowed from the 348'*', 349''*'. Cp. Malay Magic^ p.

Arabs. Cp. Malay Magic, p. 404. 405.

* Logan in J. I. A. vol. i. p. 297. * J, L A. vol. i. p. 339*.

CHAPTER V.

Music, Songs, and Feasts.

The musical instruments of the three races include
one primitive stringed instrument, two or three kinds
of wind instruments (flutes), drums and other instru-
ments played by percussion, and a primitive kind of
Jew's-harp. It is a curious fact that all the regular
instruments except the drum are made of bamboo in
some shape or form. Of these the distribution appears
to be fairly general, with the possible exception of the
drum and the "banjeng" (the stringed instrument
referred to), which seem to be rarely used by the
wilder Semang tribes. They at least belong to a
rather more developed class of instruments, found
everywhere among tribes of Malayan stock, and
were probably borrowed by the Semang from the
Jakun.

The most interesting of the flutes, the nose-flute,
is so called because it is played through the nose
instead of the mouth. It has a wide distribution in
South-east Asia and the Malay Archipelago, but I
never heard of its being employed by the civilised
Malays of the Peninsula, who themselves regard it as
peculiar to the aborigines.

The Jew's-harp is also widely distributed in the
same region, is found among all the jungle tribes

1 18 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS pait ui

of the Peninsula, and most probably came in with
Malayan culture.^

The chief point in which the Jew's-harp of these
tribes differs from that used by the Malays is in
respect of the handle, which among the aborigines is
frequently made from the bone of an animal.

It may be noted here that the drum is not used by
the Andamanese, and that, speaking generally, it is
hardly portable enough as an instrument to be adc^ted
by nomadic tribes. Hence, wherever it appears as a
Semang instrument, it should almost certainly be
regarded as borrowed from other (probably Malayan)
tribes.

The bamboo harp or guitar of the Semang, as it
has variously been called (though it does not perhaps
correspond very exactly to either of those instruments),
is also not found among the Andamanese, and was
most probably in the first instance of Malayan or^n.

The music of these races appears to be similar
to that which is common throughout China, Indo-
China, and (formerly at least) Java, and which gener-
ally consists, except where modified by fore^
influence, of the five tones C D E G A.

Dress.

In the matter of dress, the trappings worn by the
Semang dancers (in all cases which came under my
observation) presented a strong contrast to those

^ While Baron A. von Hugel was that it is simply due to a more primi-

showing me some Jew^s-harps (? from tive (clumsier) form of mannfiicture.

New Guinea) one day I noticed that it being easier to cut out the tongue of

the lower extremity of the instrument the instrument if the end is qdiL I

had been split and subsequently tied have never observed this pecoliuitj,

up. Other specimens from the same however, among the Jew's-harpi of the

region showed the same peculiarity, Peninsula, either among the jangle

-^nd I think there can be little doubt tribes or Malays.

CHAP. V GENERAL REMARKS 119

worn by the Sakai and Jakun {e,g, the Besisi). For
whereas the Negritos usually employed both leaves
and flowers in their natural state, just as they were
gathered in the jungle, both Sakai and Jakun wore
artificial leaf decorations consisting of long white strips
of palm-leaf plaited up into various fantastic shapes, in-
tended to represent flowers, fruit, krisses, and nooses
which (according to Vaughan-Stevens) are specially
designed to entrap any unwary demons which might
attempt to attack the wearer during the performance
of the dance. Bunches of these ** demon-traps ** were
inserted in the girdle and head-band of the dancer.

Songs and Mimetic Dances.

From the accounts of De Morgan, Hale, and other
writers, it might be inferred that the song-and-dance
performances of these tribes were not invested with
any special meaning, and had no object beyond that
of whiling away an idle hour. In some instances, no
doubt, it is so, and it may even be conceded that in a
few instances the songs themselves may merely consist,
as is alleged by these writers, of words strung together
at random. It cannot, however, be admitted that
performances of such a kind are in any way typical,
any more than it could be admitted that the burden of
a music-hall song adequately represented the songs
of Europe. As I shall presently be able to show from
the specimens I myself collected, the songs of both
Semang and Jakun generally possess a very definite
meaning, which is only diflicult to make out, in some
cases, on account of the differences which exist be-
tween the sung and the spoken dialects, the former of
which sometimes contains what are probably archaic,
as well as rare and distorted forms.

I20 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS paxtiii

The Semang chanted songs descriptive of animals
and reptiles, birds and fruit, but there was nothing
actually mimetic in the performances that I witnessed

Among the Jakun {e.g. Besisi and Mantra), how-
ever, the songs are often distinctly mimetic, and in
such cases are acted by the performers, who take
much pride in their performance. Moreover, from
an analysis of the songs themselves, taken in conjunc-
tion with the dress of the performers, and the subjects,
and often the actual words of the songs themselves, it
appears to me at least an arguable hypothesis that
they may have been instituted mainly for the purpose
of increasing the kindliness of nature,^ as the food-
producing ceremonies of the Intichiuma are thought
to have been among the Australian Blackfellows.
There are also, however, among them songs that are
performed for other motives and in other moods, the
most important of which are the genealogical songs
called ** Trumba," which commence by describing
the early wanderings of the chiefs of the tribe, and
conclude with a recital of the various spots successively
occupied by its ancestors.

Of the actual performances of these songs, as dis-
tinct from the subjects of which they treat, there is
not much that requires to be said. It may, however,
be noted that among the Semang, and apparently also
among the Sakai, the chief if not the sole performers
are the women of the tribe, whereas among the Besisi
most of the dancing was actually done by the men,
and it was only with much difficulty that the women
could be persuaded to perform, except indeed at the
great annual banquets after the rice-harvest. The
performance took place after the evening meal, which

^'or a fullor st-^tement of the case, see Skcat, Folklore Jo»nttf' vol. xUi.

CHAP. V NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 121

among the Jakun was on the occasion of their great
annual feast-days accompanied by much drinking of
freshly-brewed fermented liquors, and terminated with
what can only be called their '* game of exchanging
wives," the whole performance being evidently regarded^
as having same sort of productive influence not only upon
the crops y but upon all other contributing sources of food-
supply. I may add that in all cases that I have seen
(both among the Semang and the Jakun), as well as, I
believe, among the Sakai, the dancing of the women
is usually confined to a sort of curtseying step, which
consists in bending the knees and modulating the arms
and hands in time to the music. The dance-action of
the men was much more free, but as far as I can
remember, the mimetic dances (representing animals,
etc.) were always performed by the men alone.

I. — Semang.
Musical Instruments.

Kedah Semang. — The simplest form of Negrito
music (if it may so be called) consists of various simple
ways of ** beating time.*' One of these methods is
to take a couple of hardwood sticks or bamboo slivers,
which are held in the two hands, when one of them is
struck upon the other in the air.

This method of beating time was employed by the
Semang of Siong, who made use of it to accompany
their songs.-

Another method of obtaining a musical note from
the percussion of bamboo, employed by the Semang
of Siong, simple as it is, has not been yet recorded.

> K, e.g,, p. 152, 1. 40; p. 156, 11. (p. 162).
33-35 5 P* '5^» ^' 4^» 47 J P* *59» ^ A similar method is employed both

11. 42, 43 ; and the Fish-trap Song by the Sakai and the Jakun.

122 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS pa»t ui

It consists in beating the open end of a long bamboo
internode of large calibre with a palm-leaf fan. The
bamboo employed measures from about three or four
feet in length, and has a diameter of three or four
inches. The lower end, which rests on the ground,
is closed by the node, and the upper end is cut off
evenly and left open for the beater. The beater is
made by folding the leaf of the '' palas palm " {Licuala)
into the shape of a fan and lacing and relacing it across
with a strip of rattan to stiffen it, and keep it in its
proper shape. It measures about one foot in length
by five inches at the broadest part, and struck sharply
against the upper (open) end of the bamboo, which
latter usually rests upon another piece of wood or
else upon the knees of the performer. This instru-
ment, like the last described, is used by way of
accompaniment to the songs of the tribe.^

A small variety of Jew's-harp is a favourite musical
instrument with the Semang, though it is of course
not used as an accompaniment. It consists of a small
strip of bamboo (about five inches long by one inch
in width), in the central portion of which a small
free tongue is cut, in such a way as to aUow it to
vibrate easily when the instrument is played. To
effect this the performer takes the instrument in
his left hand, the left thumb resting upon a slight
depression at the lower end of the harp. In his right
he takes the handle (which is attached by a short
string to the upper extremity of the instrument). By
giving the handle a sharp tug or jerk, he sets the tongue
of the instrument in vibration, producing a loud twang-
ing note, which can be heard at some distance, but

^ I have not yet heard of this instrument being used bj the Sakai or bf
^"y of the Jakun.

Skeat Coiiection.
Semang Jews'-harp.

Made of bamboo with handle of monkey's bone. (Ulu Siong, Kedah.)

Skcat Collection.
FAN-SHAI'KD I*AKM-I.F.Ar I^KATKKS.

Used for striking the end«i of I«>ng lamKws to cause a inuNii.nl note. (I'lu Siong, Kcdah.)

I'CL il, /. 122.

A". H. Va/^p iSkeat Expediti0m\

Pang.vn Gkoi I' IN DANCiNf; Dkkss. KiALA Sam, Ui.u Kklantan.

Vcl. II. p. I2{,

CHAP. V NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 123

which is by no means unmusical. In order to increase
the volume of sound the body of the instrument is
generally held between the teeth of the performer, or
else over the hollow of the bamboo case in which it is
sometimes kept.

The string by which the instrument is attached to
the handle is generally of twisted vegetable fibre, and
the handle itself the rib of a small monkey. In all
other respects, however, it is very similar to the Jews*-
harp of the Peninsular Malays.

The flutes used by the Semang of Kedah are of
two kinds, the common bamboo mouth-flute and the
nose-flute. Both are occasionally though rarely used
to accompany their songs.

The common flute is usually about a foot long and
is made of a segment of young bamboo. It usually
has three holes, apart from the mouth-hole, and is
often deccHated with incised patterns.

The nose-flute, which has a similar number of holes,
was about twice the length of the common flute used
by the same tribe. There does not appear to be any
record of the plugging of one of the performer's
nostrils with grass or leaves (as is done by other races
who use this instrument), but my impression is that I
saw this done by a member of this tribe. The practice
certainly obtains among the Sakai. though as when a
pair of nose-flutes is played both nostrils may be
used simultaneously, there should not be any special
necessity for plugging the unused nostril when a
single flute is used.

The stringed bamboo or ** guitar *' is occasionally
found among the Semang (in fact I myself obtained a
specimen from the Semang of Kedah), but it appears
to be very rarely used by them, and is probably not a

124 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS FAirra

Negrito instrument. In its simplest form it consists
of a big segment of bamboo — usually from about 2 ft.
to 3 ft. (60 cm. to 90 cm.) in length, with a diameter
varying from 2-4 in. (5 cm. to 10 cm.). This s^ment
comprises an internode with its two adjacent nodes or
joints, the strings in my specimen being made by raising
several thin parallel strips of the outer skin of the inter-
node with a sharp knife, and inserting under them at
each end small wooden wedges or bridges (called
''pillows" in Semang) in order to stretch the strings
to the required extent. By moving these wedges the
instrument can of course be tuned. A strong rattan
ring is also passed over each end, partly to keep the
instrument from splitting, and partly to keep the strings
themselves from breaking away at their extremities.

Perak Semang. — The only authority for the use of
the drum among the Semang is the account of De
Morgan, who gives, under the heading of " N^[rito
Songs," an account of the way in which an allied
Semang drum was made.^ But as he often confuses
them with Sakai, and even * describes the method of
manufacturing a Sakai drum in identical words, I think
his statements must, in the absence of corroboration on
the part of other writers, be taken as referring to a
tribe that was mainly (if not wholly) Sakai.

Feasts.

Kedah Semang. — On festal occasions both sexes
adorned the person with white bands of LicucUa leaf
in place of the ligatures usually worn. Bunches or
tassels of fragrant leaves and flowers were inserted
under these bands, in the girdle, on the crown of the
head, and at the back of the neck, and the head

* De Morgan, vii. 430. - Ihui, viii. 281.

CHAP. V NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 125

itself was bound with a LicualaA&^i fillet. In the
case of the men the fillet was simply carried round
the head,^ but among the women in some cases
two bands were carried over the crown of the head
from ear to ear, the first just behind a narrow fringe
of hair in front, and the second at the back of the
region of the top-knot, whilst a third was carried
round at the back of the head. In other cases only
two bands were worn, corresponding to the first and
third of the bands just described, the central one
being omitted. A small roll or scroll of Licuala-leaf
was also inserted in the ear-holes.

In addition a couple of leaf- festoons were worn
crossed like bandoliers upon the breast, and bunches
or tassels of leaves similar to those which are in-
serted in the fillet were worn in the girdle, and were
also sometimes inserted in the armlets and knee-
bands. A woman at Siong wore one of these tassels,
which was made by shredding (with the thumb-nail)
the leaves of the Retut, probably a kind of wild
ginger (perhaps Homstedtia kemtspkerica). It would
appear that they are worn, not for mere ornament,
but as charms against diseases. The one here
described was worn as a protection against pains in
the back. The leaves are usually picked and worn
green, but dried leaves are occasionally employed.
The black coiled girdle of ** rock-vein '* fungus was
also usually worn upon these occasions, but a girdle
of coiled cane with alternate knots of LicualaA^^{

* This was, I believe, the customary men at Siong wore a sort of wreath

dance-61Iet prescribed on such occa- manufactured by shredding the leaf

sioDS for the adornment of the men. of the Zalacca palm (Salak) with a

Occasionally, however, a fillet made of knife ; this form of head-dress being

•• urat batu " (the ** rock- vein " fungus believed to avert headaches. Another,

described in an earlier chapter) were with the same object, wore a wreath

also worn. One of the Semang of Lycopodium cemuum.

126 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS rm ii

and ''chalong" leaves dependent from it, was also
sometimes worn by the Pangan women of Kelantan,
though the rest of their attire differs but little firom
what has already been described.

Songs and Dances.

Both in the neighbourhood of S. Mat Sam (a
tributary of the Kelantan river) and in Kedah I
witnessed performances of the Semang choral dances
(called Siwang), the performers in both cases being
females. Indeed I was told by the Kedah Semang
that their women alone were in the habit of dancing.

In the former case the dance was performed by
two Pangan women, to the accompaniment of a some-
what monotonous chant and a bamboo guitar, the
latter of which was played by one of the men.

In the other case, at Siong, two or three Semang
women and a girl were the performers, and there was
quite an extensive orchestra, consisting of two men
who beat the long bamboos described above, a man
who performed upon the nose-flute, and one or two
men who beat time by knocking sticks together.
Sometimes the musicians chanted songs ; sometimes
they merely played the accompaniment. When the
former was the case, there was invariably an old man
who ** conducted,*' and from whom the rest of the
performers caught up the words of the song, even
though in some cases they evidently knew the words
so well that they might easily have dispensed with
his services. The step danced by the women was a
graceful one, the knees being bent, the body turned
oartly round, and the arms either hanging loosely and
^ligfhtlv swaying from side to side or else stretched

CHAP. V NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 127

forward and swayed in time to the music. The
Pangan women when dancing kept slowly moving to
and fro, and round in a small circle, but the Semang
women of Kedah did not move from where they
stood. In the latter case the performance took place
by daylight at my special request, but night-time is
r^^ded as the proper time for such ceremonies.

The song-dialect of the Negritos was described to
me by the Semang themselves as being different
(probably more archaic) than their spoken language,
and as being harder to understand and to explain.
Certainly the songs which I took down were extremely
hard to make out, the words being frequently
lengthened by one or more syllables to suit the
music, and the difficulties were not lessened by
the fact that, although I had them repeated fre-
quently in order to make sure of the words, the
lines themselves would constantly be repeated in
a different order, fresh lines being inserted and
others omitted, even though the words in the
repeated line did not vary. Nevertheless, with a
considerable amount of labour and repeated checking,
I succeeded in discovering the meaning of about a
dozen of these songs, which I recorded at the time
upon a phonograph (taken with me up-country for
the purpose), and thanks to my father's old friend
and my own. Dr. R. J. Lloyd of Liverpool, it has
been possible in a few cases to initiate investigations
both from the phonetic and the musical point of view.
I may add that some of these phonograph records
were exhibited at one of the Royal Society's soirees
in 1901.

In Ulu Raman a number of Semang songs were
performed for my benefit by an aged Semang (named

128 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS pakiii

To' G£lugor), several of whose songs I took down
as he sang them. And here is one of the songs that
he sang. The subject of it is a monkey called " Kra"
{Macacus cynamolgus), and every line ends (by way of
a burden) with the monkey's name.

The Semang Monkey Song.

lie runs along the branches, Kri !

Carrying off (fruit) with him, Kri 1

He runs to and fro, Kr2 !

Over the seraya-trees, Kra !

Over the rambutan-trees, Kri !

Over the live bamboos, Kr5 !

Over the dead bamboos, Kra !

We runs along the branches, Kra !

Peering forward, Kra 1

And dangling downwards, Kra !

He runs along the branches and hoots, Kri !

Peering forward, Kra !

Among the young fruit-trees, Kr2L !

And showing his grinning teeth, Kr2 !

From every sapling, Kra !

Peering forward, Kra !

He is dressed for the dance, Kdl !

With the porcupine's quill through his nose, Kra !

Dr. Lloyd's note upon the phonographic record of
this song is that it is sung to a very simple tune, like
the **Song of the Fruit-buds," but that it has a
monosyllabic refrain.

The last two lines appear to be merely a " make-
believe" invitation to the monkey to come and join
the feasting and dancing of the tribe.

Other songs of a similar kind (of which the follow-
ing are free and tentative translations) were taken
down by myself either at Jarum or at Siong in Kedah.

The Song of the Kruit-cluster.

The fruit-cluster turns in the wind,
The fruit-cluster at the end of the spray ;
The fruit-cluster turns in the wind.
The fruit-cluster that we climb for,
The fruit-cluster turns in the wind,
The fruit-cluster waves to and fro,

p. V NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 129

The fruit-cluster whose pulp is add,

The fruit-duster sways to and fro ;

The fruit-duster turns in the wind,

The fruit-cluster that spins round and round.

Upon the " record " of this song Dr. Lloyd
narks that it shows a different type of chant. The
es of the original have four accents each, but the
variable part of the line occurs at the beginning, and
; variable part at the end of the line. Each part
ries two accents, and the lines sometimes rhyme,
t without regularity, and apparently without design,
lis song shows well the unorganised character of
tse compositions, and the singer's habit of bringing
the same lines repeatedly, and in any order, ad lib.

The Song of the Wild Ginger Plant.

Its stem bends as its leaves shoot up,

Down to its root it bends and sways.

Bends and sways in divers ways ;

Its leaves are chafed and lose their stiffness ;

On craggy Inas it is blown about,

On craggy Inas which is our home.

Blown about in the light breeze,

Blown about with the mist, blown about with the haze.

Blown about are its young shoots,

Blown about in the haze of the mountain,

Blown about in the light breeze.

It nods and nods upon the mountains,

Mountains of Baching, mountains of Inas,

Mountains of Malau, mountains of Kuwi,

Mountains of Mantan, mountains of Lunui',

On every mountain which is our home.

Dr. Lloyd remarks that the ** Song of the Wild
nger Plant " is not marked by any regular refrain,
mgh the love of repeated words and sounds shows
ilf in one way or other in almost every line ; other-
»e, however, its only quality as verse is that of
ssessing four accents to the line.

The Song of the Fruit-buds.

They swell and swell, the fruit-buds !
To and fro wave the fruit- buds !
Blown about are the fruit-buds !

VOL. II K

I30 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS fakthi

In the wind, the fruit-buds !
In the light wind, the fnut-bodt !
Spinning round and roinid, the fruit-bods !
Swmying to and fro, the fruit-bods !

Dr. Lloyd's note upon this song is that the music

is simplicity itself, and that the time

is well kept, the four accented syllables

o.iyui wongbikau ^f ^^ Yvcut coming in on the exatt

beat of the music, with the regularity of marching.

An attempt to reduce the music of this soi^ to
paper, from the record of the phonograph, is given
herewith. It was kindly sent to me by Dn Lloyd,
with his comments on the songs.

The Song of the Ripening Fruit.

Plump grows the fruit at the end of the spray !

We climb and cut it oflf at the end of the spray !

Plump is the bird at the end of the spray 1

And plump too the buck squirrel at the end of the spray !

Of this song Dr. Lloyd remarks that it exhibits a
somewhat different style of metre. It possesses six
accents to the line, of which four belong to the variable
part of the line, and two to the invariable refrain.

Dr. Lloyd sums up his remarks upon these Semang records by observing thst
both as to music and metre they are very much on a par with the simplest of my
Malay (east coast) records. The versification is based always upon the )^H>ssessiQft
of a given number of accents in the line, and nearly always upon the repetition,
either at the beginning or end of the line, of certain invariable %irords or phnses.
The incidence of accent is, however, totally different from that of the Malay
songs. The Malay lines usually end in, and are rhymed on, unaccente<l syllables,
but the Negrito lines never end on an unaccented syllable, and though lines often
end in identical words, actual rhymes never seem to lie sought for. The thoughts
expressed are of the extremest simplicity, and almost every line is complete in
itselC The lines rarely have any special sequence, and most of them can be
recited in any order, without injury to the poem, and it ran be hear* I in the
phonograph that the singers are quite alive to this, and freely alitor the order of
the lines. Accent appears less steadfast than in Malay, or )H:rhap(^ icence ii
greater ; at least it will be observed that the same word appears in «iiffiereiit
phices with a different accentuation. The final syllibie, wh ch so scl(l<. carried
the accent in Malay, here carries it oflener than any other.

In conclusion I should add that, from what » was
told by the Pangan of Kelantan, the ** full" dr ss of
i^he Negrito men on festal occasions was thv ame

<aAP. V NEGRITOS OF PERAK 131

as that of their women, with the exception of the
different girdle (" tali' gel ") and the combs that were
worn by the latter. The men's dancing dress con-
sisted, as a rule, of a loin-cloth ("pgnjok"), two
crossed leaf-festoons or bandoliers (** chiniwok "), and
a stick or dance-wand (" cheb chas "), which was carried
m the hand

Perak Semang. — The performances of the Perak
N^ritos have a strong family likeness to those of the
tribes of Kedah. Of the former, Maxwell's account
tells us that singing and dancing (Mai. ** bfir-sempul **)
were still in a very early stage of development, and
that dancing was confined to the female sex.^

Sitting together in a circle and facing inwards, the
five men (whose performance Maxwell is describing)
commenced a series of long chants or recitations in
quick time. The instruments on which they accom-
panied themselves were made of pieces of bamboo.
One man held in each hand a short tube of bamboo
(green and recently cut) in an upright position on a
horizontal wooden log. These tubes were raised and
then brought down on the log alternately, producing
a ringing and not unmusical sound, which had some-
thing of the effect of the beating of a tom-tom.- Two
others struck pieces of bamboo held in their left
hands with other pieces held in the right, after the
manner of the Malay **cherachap" or castanets.
There was no hesitation or difificulty about recollecting
words ; the man who led was followed by the other
four, who were generally about a note behind him.
The general effect was monotonous, the performers
sometimes chanting rapidly on the same note for

1 Maxwell in/. R. A, S., S. B,, No. 4, p. 48.
* Cp. the same instruments as used by the Besisi.

132 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS partiii

nearly a minute together. Their whole range most
probably did not exceed three or four notes.^

The first song was the " Tune of the Gias-tree"*
(" Lagu Gias *'). This was an enumeration of fruit-
bearing trees, and of the favourite mountains and
forests of the tribe. It was said to be held in great
veneration, and might contain some of the germs of
the traditions of this singular people. Next came
the " Tune of the Tiger-spirit " (" Lagu ChSnaku ").
•* ChSnaku " (or ** B'lian ") is the name given to a
man who conceals his identity as a tiger under the
semblance of a human form (Malay " Jadi-jadi-an ").
this belief being widespread among the Malays as
well as among the aboriginal tribes. The next song
was the "Tune of the Prah-tree *' ("Lagu Prah"),
sung when the " prah *' fruit is ripe, no small occasion
of festivity among the forest tribes. The fruit b
sliced up and mixed with other ingredients (" rojak,")
and then heat-dried in bamboo tubes (" l^mang ").*

The performance concluded with the "Tune
of the Durian-fruit '* (" Lagu Durian "). This, like
the others, was unfortunately unintelligible, though it
may be presumed that their estimate of this fruit was
a high one.

But the most remarkable performance yet attributed
to the Perak Semang is undoubtedly the Dance-drama
related by De Morgan, who was an eye-witness of it,
and describes it as follows : —

A young girl entered the circle and began to dance
in the middle. She advanced slowly at first with a

* Maxwell iny. A*. A, S., S. B.y No. confuses together the names ''Sakai"

4, p. 49. * (?) "Gayas." and "Semang," but that his scooant

' /did. It should be noted that is otherwise substantially correct

\fiv«-n. in the account qu'^tcd above, /. F. A. S., S. B.^ ^'o. 4 p. 49.

CHAP. V NEGRITOS OF PERAK

133

sort of polka step, but without turning round ; then
she commenced to wave or modulate her arms, and
directed her hands behind her back. In this way
she went two or three times round the circle. (This
was explained to mean that she was looking for a
husband in the forest.) A suitor soon appeared and
danced round her, singing of flowers, birds, and
insects. She moved backwards, followed by the
suitor, who pressed for her hand in vain. Then a
second and a third suitor appeared, each being re-
pulsed in turn like the first, and at this point three
other young girls arrived on the scene, and her late
suitors deserted her to make up to her rivals, by
whom they were promptly accepted, dancing round
with them and talking. The first arrival then went
from group to group trying to regain her late con-
quests, but was too late, and was compelled to remain
an old maid, whereupon she stopped in the middle
of the circle and uttered the most lamentable cries,
repeating again and again the words Death, Male-
diction, etc. After dancing round her for about ten
minutes, one of the men of the rival groups returned
to her, when she humbly agreed to accept the
humiliating position of a second wife.^

' De Morgan, viii. 282, where other they would repeat the words, Death,
performances of this kind are described. Decay, Fire, and the name of the
Elsewhere (^/. cit.) De Morgan says deceased, etc If they were feeling
that the Negritos of Perak were happy, they would sing of flowers,
in the habit of singing words strung birds, and small insects. This, how-
together at random, their joy or ever, is only a general rule, and
sorrow being distinguished solely by often they would string words together
the nature of the words and the air. with reference to sound only, and not
If they were feeling dull, they would to their meaning. If the word was
go through the names of all their too short for the measure, they pro-
rivers, mountains, and hills. On re- longed it by adding long drawn-out nasal
turning from the chase they would syllables such as ang^ eng^ ong^ ng^
vai% words suited to wild animals, the (the latter after words ending in a
forest, and their weapons. hard consonant such as ^ or ^, or a

After a death of one of the tribe, vowel).

134 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS PAixni

II. — Sakai.
Musical Instruments.

Perak Sakai. — As among the Semang, the simplest
form of music takes the form of beating time. Thus
De Morgan describes the Perak Sakai as using small
slivers of bamboo, whose flat sides were clashed
together with a sound like that of castanets.^

Another simple form of percussion music is made
by using a number of short bamboos (which are open
at the upper end only) as " stampers," the bamboos
being held in the hand and struck upon the floor or a
piece of wood at regular intervals. This method of
beating time, which has been only once recorded
among the Semang,^ is mentioned both by De Mor-
gan,^ and Hale. A full description of these bamboos
and the methods of using them will be found in the
part dealing with the Besisi.

The bamboo harp or guitar (already described
as in use among the Semang) is also found among the
Sakai. Thus Hale * describes one that he saw,
among the Perak Sakai, as possessing three strings
stretched upon a large joint of bamboo. This guitar,
however, was probably not in the first instance a
Sakai, but an aboriginal Malayan instrument.

In a recent letter Mr. L. Wray states that the
Sakai of both Kinta and Batang Padang use frets

* Cp. Z, f, E. xxvi. 172. **At" the Siamese for so simple an inven-

timcs two bamboo sticks called 'sole tion.

yet,' measuring 38 cm. in length by ' By Maxwell, t^. p. 131 a$tte,

3 cm. in breadth, are employed in the * According to De Morgan (viiL

'* Tuang-tuang '* ceremony among the 281), it is the length of these bamboo

Sakai. One stick is held in each hand, tubes that causes the alteration of tone.

and they are struck together. The The most usual method, however, is

Sakai say that this custom is borrowed by varying the diameter of the tube,

from the Siamese.'' There is, how- Cp. De Morgan, viL 430.

sver, apparently no reason whatever ♦ Hale, p. 298; cp. De M., LH,

vhv tv^* Sakai *>^o"lr' *»a"e gop«» to ii. 619.

CHAP. V SAKAI OF PERAK

135

made of small pieces of wood or pith stuck on to the
bamboo under the strings of their guitars, but not
touching them until pressed down by the fingers.

Of wind instruments the Sakai use various forms
of flute,^ which are similar to those manufactured by
the Semang. Hale mentions their use of a "long
bamboo flute with three holes*' in it, as well as a
species of bamboo whistle.

Mr. L. Wray writes me, that the nose-flute in
Ulu Batang Padang is about 18 in. (45 cm.) long, and
has four holes, the first being 9 in. (23 cm.) from the
blowing end, and the other holes at distances of two
fingers' width from each other. The holes are made
by taking a small dry stick, lighting one end in the
fire, and then blowing out the flame and applying the
glowing charcoal point to the bamboo, blowing with
the mouth meanwhile to keep it alight. Mr. Wray
had never seen more than one flute used at a time.
If two are used, they must, he thinks, be of different
construction, as those he had seen had to be held so
that the wind from the nostril passed almost at right
angles to the length of the flute.

Whistles are rare, but what are usually called by
this name by most writers, are in reality short flutes.
They have one end closed by the node of the bamboo,
except a small hole in the centre, the other end being
open. They are played with the mouth like a flute.
The palm of one hand is held over the open end, and
the thumb of the left hand over the small hole in the
other end. They thus give three notes. The hole
blown through is not circular, but shaped like that of
a whistle.

• De Morgan, viii. 281 ; V H. ii. tells me that the Sakai often plug one
619; Hale, p. 298. Mr. Cerruti nostril with grass.

136 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS part ru

The nose-flute is also certainly known to the
Sakai, and the Jews*-harp is mentioned by Hale/

A drum, which De Morgan obtained at Changkat
Kerbu in Perak, was made by hollowing out the
trunk of a tree, and " heading " the barrel thus ob-
tained with the skin of a black monkey,^ According
to Hale, this hollowing of the barrel is effected by
burning as well as by chopping, the process being
continued until the barrel is only about half an incii
thick. Across one end the skin of a gibbon (siamang)*
or some other small animal, is stretched, and tightened
up to the required pitch by means of rattan cords an4
wedges. Hale further describes a tune played upon
one of these drums as being in what he calls ** one-iwo
time."«

Mr. L. Wray writes me, that there is a Sakai drum
in the Perak Museum, from Batang Padang. It is
about I ft. (30 cm.) in diameter, and 2 ft. 6 in. (76 cm.)
long. It is made of a tree-trunk hollowed out, and
has on one end a siamang skin head. Mr, Wray
bought it for $2.

Dress.

On festal occasions the attire of the Sakai (for
both sexes) does not materially differ from that
of the Negritos. The same leaf-festoons, fillets, arm-
lets, knee-bands of Licuala-leaf are worn as have been
described already, and the same bunches of fragrant
leaves * and flowers are also worn wherever there is a

* Hale, p. 296 ; cp. VH. ii. 619. been only headed at one end (like that

^ De Morgan, viii. 281. But see also mentioned by Hale). See V/f, it 619.

De Morgan, vii. 430, which conflicts ' Sic, Probably in *• common "time,

with thb. There can, however, be Hale, p. 296.

little doubt that the account assigning ^ Usually the leaves are picked and

this drum to the Sakai is the correct one. worn while green, — but dried leaves

The drum referred to appears to have are not excluded (De Moivan, H? 414).

Sakai Mkn i'LAvinj; N'om-.-I Lr tks.
Near Kua'a Ko,y about -ix miles from lapAli. Hataiin I'adaii^, I't-ral-.

l^raj-.

A/. 1^6.

^ ...

SAKAI OF PERAK 137

chance of fixing them. The only important differ-
ences appear to consist in the different type of head-
dress, and (frequently) of girdle, worn by the Sakai.
Of the head-dress Hale says that on the occasion of
special festivities, e.g.<, at their dances, the Perak
Sakai wear a sort of high turban made of bark-cloth,
or a wreath of sweet-smelling grasses or leaves.^

The Dance.

Hale, in describing a Sakai dance which he
witnessed in Ulu Kinta, says, that after about five
minutes' beating of the drum one or two men got up
and commenced a dance, '* the principle of which was
a sort of curtsey made to every beat of the drum " ;
and that, at the same time, ** grotesque gestures were
made with the hands.** After about half an hour's
dancing the men sat down to rest and commenced
chanting one of their songs, which consisted of a
mere ** repetition of the names of a number of moun-
tains, rivers, etc.,*' all of which were in the Kinta
watershed (the " Sakai country **) between 4° 30' and 5*^
N. lat. One of the places referred to was Tambore (?),
"now a Malay village with coconut palms at least
twenty years old,** and which must, as Hale points
out, have been in the possession of Malays for that
time at least, " as the Sakai do not plant coconuts." '^

After about an hour's chanting (Hale continues)
the women came forward to perform. It ** could
scarcely be called a dance,** as they did not move from
place to place, but only went through certain evolu-
tions as they stood. First they clapped their hands,
for a few bars, in time to the beats of the drum,

> Hale, p. 293. 2 jkid^

138 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS

repeating cries that sounded like ''Sought ^oa^
sough/' and then " Chaep, chaep, chaep." This vtt
repeated some six or eight times, and at the same tine
they made a deep curtsey once to every dnimJie^
Then the arms dropped to the sides, and the body
was turned from side to side (from the hips upwards)*
the arms being allowed to swing round loosely wiA
it, once to every beat of time ; at the same time m
deep curtsey was made as before; this being le-
peated about six times. This had a very pretq^
effect, as it was done by a graceful swaying moft-
ment. After this they stood still (with the exoeptili^
of the curtseying), and placing one arm akimbo, bdi
out the other with the palm open, and in time to Ae
drum the forearm was turned so as to present the
hand with the palm alternately upwards and down-
wards with a very slight but at the same time grace-
ful movement, continued till the end of the song.^

In the same connection. Hale says that each liae
(or word) was first chanted by the leader of "diil^
song and then repeated in chorus by the rest. Moti
of the expressions used were, however, well known 16
them, and they often picked up the words to sOBie
extent as they went along.-

Words of tlie Songs.
Apart from the words of the song given by Hale,

^ Hale, p. 299. De la Croix, in a Croix, p. 339). Cp. also Bna de

similar account, adds, *<At times the Saint- Pol LJas, pp. 269-271.

musical phrase dies away only to revive ^ Hale, p. 299. Hale adds that a

suddenly and terminate in a long-drawn similar invocation or ''prayer" wu

howl which is lost in the night. The addressed to the Spirits of the Fom^

wild and profound poetry of the per- the mountains, the rivers, and the wind,

formance produced a capti\'ating effect the Spirits of Ancestors, the Spiiiti cf

in the midst of the great forest sur- Disease, the Spirits of Wickednen, and

rounding us on every side'* (De la Trouble of all kinds (Hale, p. 300).

Sakai \V(jvikn and Child Pkki-orminc; Danck-Mlsic.

Note ihc head-dresses and girdles. (S. Pcrak.)

Cerruti.

Sakai Women Dancinc;. is. I'kkak.

. /. 138.

Cerruti.

CHAP. V SAVAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 139

which is a mere list of place-names,^ we have few trust-
worthy records of the words of Sakai songs, with the
exception of the account by Colonel Low, where we
are told that their " Mampade/' or airs were much in
the Siamese style (which last undoubtedly takes the
lead amongst the musical compositions of the Indo-
Chinese nations), and that their songs had an inter-
mixture of Malay, as in the following specimen which
was sung somewhat in the Siamese mode : —

Pirda salen kinnang ingat sampei
Yari mola asal nyite gyijen
Ayer ambun umbun nioli
Kiri baju layang mayep singi.

No satisfactory translation could be got of this
fragment, but the greater part of the words are
Malay.*

SelangOF Sakal. — The Sakai of Ulu Langat (as
also those of Perak) are very fond of " wind-organs,"
which are long bamboos with a slit in each inter-
node, which are lashed to the top branches of trees,
and which give out musical tones when the wind
blows over them.'

III. — Jakun.
Musical Instruments.

Blandas. — The chief musical instruments of the
Rlandas were their so-called bamboo ** guitars," flutes,
Jew's-harps, and drums.*

A drum which I purchased with not a little
difficulty from a chief of the Blandas tribe, whose
encampment was situated in the swampy jungle

* Hale, p. 296. ^ J. I, A. vol. iv. p. 431,

3 H. J. Kelsall \ti/,R.A,S., S,B., vol. xxiil p. 69. For details, v, Perak
A/us. N.^ iii. p. 74. * For Blandas songs and charms, r'.App.

I40 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS pahtiii

on the right bank of the Langat is now in the
Cambridge Museum. It is about 2\ feet in length by
5 inches in diameter, and was made out of the trunk
of a big screw-pine headed at each end with the
skins of mouse-deer, which were held in their posi-
tion by strong rattan bands or rings. To the edges
of each skin, on which a certain amount of the
hair was still left, were fastened rattan strings, under-
neath the ends of which wedges were driven to
brace up the skins (or drum-heads) before playing.
This drum was played by the hand only, tambourine-
fashion. Martin and I, on our visit to the Blandas,
also found a dance (?)-mask representing a tiger.

Musical Instruments.

BeslsL — Among the Besisi, as among all the
aboriginal tribes of the Malay Peninsula, the beating
of time by means of wooden sticks was no doubt
one of the earliest forms of music.

The first advance in the development of musical
instruments among the Besisi appears to have arisen
from their observing the harmonious properties of the
hollow stem of the bamboo, from whose long inter-
nodes (by various forms of percussion) musical notes
were elicited. In the simplest form short segments
of bamboo internodes of varying diameter are used as
" stampers," each tube being open at the top, but cut
off just below the node at the bottom, the scale of
notes proportionately descending (like that of the
pipes of an organ) as the diameter of the internodes
is increased. To elicit the notes the player holds a
tube vertically in each hand and drums lightly with
the lower end either upon the ground or upon any
piece of hard wood that may be at hand.

CHAP. V SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 141

These bamboo tubes were called " ding tengkhing,"
or ''quarrelling bamboos," and the ceremony **Rgntak
Balei," i.e. "Stamping on (the floor of) the Tribal
Hall," evidently a reference to some form of beating
time. On the occasion of a Besisi feast at which I
was present, the two performers sat in the middle of
the chiefs room. The bamboo tubes were six in
number (two sets of three each), and each performer
held one, I believe the one which produced the
higher note, in his right hand, and the other in his
left. Each set was of gradually diminishing sizes.
The two biggest tubes, which gave the deepest notes,
were called ** male " (l6mol) or " father " (kuyn) ; the
two intermediate ones were called ** female " (kfidol)
or *• mother" (gend€'), and the two smallest were
called "child" (k«non) or "grandchild" (kgntot ?).
The utility of these " child "-tubes was not very clear.
I was told that they were mere supernumeraries, to
replace any others that got damaged ; and it is possible
that this may have been the case, as this would
account for their being smaller than either of the
others. At the performances at which I was present
the performers, holding one of the tubes in each hand,
struck them in rapid succession upon the central floor-
beam of the house, producing a simple musical
rhythm, which was distinctly harmonious.^ One of the
tunes played by the Besisi consisted of one high note
(struck by the right hand) followed by three low notes

* According to De Morgan (vii. 430), though it is possible that by some

it is the difference in length of these tribes both length and diameter are

cylinders that causes the variation in varied simultaneously. Klsewhere (viii.

the note; but as the note really de- 281) De Morgan himself says that

pends upon the volume of air set in both are varied. Yet the tubes

vibration within the cylinder, the re- that I brought home were all

quired note is obtained less clumsily, almost (to a fraction) of the same

and I believe much more commonly, length, though varying greatly in

by varying the diametir of the tube, diameter.

143 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS paw hi

(struck by the left hand), in common time, the first
note being the loudest.

The next Besisi instrument deserving mention is
the bamboo ''guitar/' which is very similar to that
employed by the Semang. A point of some interest
lies in the fact that this instrument, accordii^ to
a Besisi tradition, was imitated from the stick insect,
to which the Besisi gave the same name ("k&anting/*
from "ranting," a twig or "stick"). Unfortunately,
however, for this attractive theory, there are only
too good grounds for regarding it as a mere instance
of popular etymology ; for the name of the instrument
varies greatly according to the number of strings it
bears, and such forms as " kfiruntong," "kSrotong,"
and others show pretty clearly the fallacy of the
suggestion. The name is undoubtedly onomatopcdc,
intended to suggest a twanging sound.

But the drum is perhaps the most " important " of
all the musical instruments used by these tribes. It
is, I believe, usually found only in the houses of tribal
chiefs, and may doubtless be regarded to some extent as
their insignia of office. If so, this fact would sufficiendy
account for the extreme reluctance that its owner
exhibits when asked to part with it, as it would then
be the exact counterpart of the sacred drums and
gongs used by Malay Rajas for calling together their
retainers. It differs but slightly (in material and to
some extent in shape) from the ordinary drum of the
Peninsular Malays, to which it has evidently close
affinities.

Of the Besisi wind instruments, their flutes were
of bamboo, and differed but little from those used by
the Semang and Sakai. The Besisi nose-flute was,
however, very much shorter than that us'^d by the

CHAF. V SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 143

Semang; those that I obtained in Selangor being,
in fact, little more than half the length of the nose-
flutes I got in Kedah. A kind of bamboo whistle was
also sometimes employed by the Besisi.

The Besisi were very fond of what are generally
called "iEolian bamboos," or " wind -organs " — long
bamboos lashed vertically to the tops of trees, with
slits cut in them which produced musical notes when
blown upon by the wind. Several of the trees near
Besisi dwellings at Klang were fitted with these instru-
ments, and they could be heard at a distance of
upwards of a mile when the wind blew strongly.^ The
bamboo Jew's-harp is also found among the Besisi.

Feasts.

The man's head-dress on festive occasions consisted
among the Besisi of a plaited palm-leaf [Licuala) fillet
or head -band, from which depended a row of long
fringe-like streamers (called ** centipedes' feet "), so
that his face was almost entirely hidden as he danced.
Besides this, he wore a similar fringe round about his
waist, and a third slung like a bandolier over the
shoulder and across the breast. Finally, he had a
bunch of artificial leaf-ornaments, consisting of imita-
tion flowers, pendants, nooses, and daggers, inserted
in his head-band, and another at his waist, and carried
a curious dance-wand, which will be described more
fully below.

Altogether his get-up reminded me irresistibly of
our own Jack-in-the-green, and might well have owed

1 Mr. H. N. Ridley informs me this. They were of practical use

that these wind-organs can be stopped as well as being harmonious, for the

at will by turning them round with Jakun used to find their way home

their backs to the wind, and that through the jungle by listening to

the Jakun used occasionally to do them.

144 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS part iii

its origin to a similar motive, viz., an attempt to make
the new year more productive by an abundant display.
of greenery.

The woman's head-dress on similar
consisted of a plaited palm-leaf head-band, lacking
streamers, in place of which it was furnished with
upright spikes, on which were spitted sweet-sm(
flowerets or leaves, whose fragrance thus
pleasantly diffused throughout the room. The rest
their attire was similar to the men's.^

As regards the season at which their feasts
place, the Besisi informed me that the chief of
were held annually, first when the rice
bloom, and again at the beginning, middle, and end
the harvest.^

On these occasions, the members of the entii
settlement having been summoned, fermented liqi
is brewed from the jungle fruits of the season and
banquet spread in the house of the chief. The
presides and opens the proceedings with- the burning ol^'
incense and the chanting of an invocation, which is
usually addressed to the ancestors of the tribe, as well \
as to the wild beasts and demons that attack the crops^l

The feast then begins, the freshly-brewed liquor is \
drunk, and, to the accompaniment of strains of their
rude and incondite music, the jungle-folk of both sexes '
deck themselves freely with flowers and fragrant leaves
and indulge in dancing and singing throughout the J
night. This ceremony is called " B^r^ntak Balei,**

1 A beautifully-plaited girdle of a not before the sowing, as among fhe

tine species of cane was also formerly Malays (Bellamy, p. 227).

made by the Besisi, probably for special ' On the occasion of one of these

occasions. I obtained two specimens harvest feasts at which I was present,

of it, but understand it is now obsolete. the invocation was addressed to the

- Mr. Bellamy adds that a feast took Elephant, Deer, and Wild Pig, as well is

plnrc after the planting out of the rice, to insect pests. See vol. i. p. 363, antt.

£ a

^ ' tf b 'c -

It
I?

I
« 8

5 I

p. V SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 145

"Drumming upon (the floor of) the Tribal Hall," from
e use of the bamboo instruments described above.

The songs are not always merely chanted, but are
;en really acted (as well as sung), the dancer being
iquently provided (as already mentioned) with a
ecial head-dress, which differs for men and women.

I have also seen the dancer at the ceremonies of
is same tribe carrying a curiously carved dance-wand,
e of which I was fortunately able to purchase. I
ve never heard of any similar object being used

any other tribe, though Borie mentions the use

wooden swords (probably Malay fencing-sticks) in
e dances of the Mantra, a kindred tribe.

According to the testimony volunteered by the
isisi themselves, these banquets used formerly to
nclude with a drinking bout,^ which was followed by
cind of "game," at which the men of the tribe were
iditionally allowed, if they pleased, to exchange
eir wives. AH performances of this kind are now,
wever, of very rare occurrence, though there is no
ubt as to the earlier prevalence of the custom.

Words of the Songs.

The songs chanted on these occasions are generally
de improvisations, consisting of certain well-known
d continually-recurring phrases. The tunes to which
ey are sung are very simple and quaint. These are
:nerally mere chants, of three or four notes only, but

Traces of such drinking bouts are and Tributaries," /. A*. A. 6*., .S*. B.,

■X found among the Malay races. 1882, No. 8, p. 16), where he gives

rhe wild people are not, however, "jo'oh*' as meaning *'to drink," and

a rule, inclined to drink. This remarks that the same word is used

iking festival is called by the IJcsisi in the talxjo - language of camphor

lainjo'oh," the meaning of which is (i*antang Kapor) with the same mean-

bably "Drinking game" {vide D. ing (J. R. A. S.^ S. I^., No. 3, p.

A. Heney's paj>er on the ** Endau 113).

VOL. II L

146 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS fait hi

yet have a weird kind of melody of their own, and are
sung with a wonderful spirit and verve, which prevents
them from becoming tedious. Of these songs I was
able to form, among the Besisi, an important collec-
tion ; and as I know of nothing that could give a better
general idea of the life, ideas, and customs of these
wild tribes than these songs (which are a veritable
storehouse of such facts) are likely to do, I give
them in extenso, in the hope that something of their
spirit may survive in spite of what is lost in the
translation. I should perhaps add that I was told,
inter alia, that the songs I had collected should,
properly speaking, be sung in a certain order. Neither
my informants, however, nor any other members of
the tribe, could give me the order of any except the
first ten, as given below. It would be a point of great
interest if they should turn out, on further investi-
gation, to be in any way analogous to the Malay
*• Rgjangs," corresponding to the " lunar mansions" of
the Hindus ; and it would also be very interesting to
know whether the *' lunar mansions " of the Hindus
were ever treated as the subjects of ceremonial songs
in a manner at all resembling the primitive chants here
described. In any case, however, this manual of the
jungle would well repay study.

The proper order of the first ten songs, which
are, however, in the following pages, more con-
veniently grouped, was said to be as under : —

Siamang.
Pulai.

The gibbon.

A soft-wood tree.

Merbau.

A hard-wood tree.

4-
5-
6.

Kluang.
Bangkong.
Gabang.
Redan.

The flying-fox.
A wild jungle-fruit
»» >»

8.
9.

10.

Kledang.

Kabau.

Mah hedet hum.

The li'ttle folk*s bal

Skeat Collection.

Headpress of Besisi Man (on left), Wdman (on right), worn to

CONCEAL THE FACE AT CEREMONLAL DANCES.

Skcat Collection.

Stranck W(x>i)en Dance-Wand carried bv Besisi Man at Ceremonial Dances.

Itencath it is a flute, and also a nose-flute, used on similar (xcasions.
(See p. 145.)

I'ol. II. /. 146.

I 'A" N'ANTi. TiiK Lati: Batin of thk Bf.sisi, Kuala Langat, Selaxgor.

It was from this Jakun chief (here sliown in full Malay dress) that 1 look down most of the
r.e"«isi Jungle Song«« given in the text.

IW. //. /. 147-

F. V SAVAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR ia7

The following have no ascertained order, except
•• Lang/* which always comes last : —

II.

Bro\

The coconut-monkey.

12.

Lukah.

The fish-trap.

13.

Rimau.

The tiger.

14.

Gajah.

The elephant.

15-

Bertam tcnung.

The solitary bertam-palm.

16.

Katak rengkong.

The toad.

17.

Badak.

The rhinoceros.

18.

Kijang.

The roe-deer.

19.

The tortoise.

20.

Ular sawa.

The python.

21.

Kanchil.

The chevrotin.

22.

Plandok.

The chevrotin (another species).

23.

Buaya.

The crocodile.

24-

Rusa.

The sambhur deer.

as.

Babi utan.

The wild pig.

^7.

Ungka.

The ape.

Ayam hutan.

The jungle-fowl.

aS.

Kawak.

The lace-lizard or "monitor."

^9.

Bniang.

The bear.

30. Lang.

The kite.

Other alleged songs,

whose names were given but

t words of which were

not given me, are —

Bacfaang.

The horse-mango.

Pipit.

The finch or sparrow.

Bnan.

The rambutan, a wild jungle-fruit.

Sikah.

A kind of monkey.

LotODg.

»f »i

Kra.

If »»

Musang.

The civet-cat.

Kuching utan.

The wild-cat.

Srigala'.

The jackal or wild dog.

Tikus.

The mouse or rat.

Enggang.

The hombill.

Kuau.

The Argus pheasant.

It is just possible, if the **Rejang'' theory be
tablished, that some of these songs may belong to
second series of ** Rejangs," just as in Malay we
id at least three different sets of **Rgjangs" co-
isting. The translations run freely as follows : —

The ELErHANT.

An Elephant trumpets at Bukit Peralong,
A Herd Elephant to the Lone Wild Elephant.
'Tis the herd that precedes the Old Wild Elephant,
The Sacred Elephant, the Shrunk-foot Elephant,
TTie Magical Elephant from the land of Johor,

148 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS p

The Elephant that descends to the salt sea yonder,

The Elephant that sports on the sandy beaches.

And thence returns to the Upper Langat ;

That climbs the hills to the sacred country.

And tramples the hills, till they sink in ruins.

And tramples the trees, till their trunks snap asunder,

And stamps in his spoor and stamps in his foot-tracks,

Until the whole land to mire is trampled.

Now that at length he has reached his sanctuary,

See that yc slay not the Sacred Elephant ;

For if you do, you will die of sacrilege.

Bum ye then incense, and pay your vows to him.

The Sacred Elephant loves his grandchildren.

And in their clearings he will not forage,

Nor will he forage among their coconuts.

Roam then, O Elephant, o*er hill and hill-slope.

Roam then, O Elephant, to cave and hollow.

See, he has passed to the Upper Langat.

^\n Elephant is drawn, by a host of i)eople,

Is drawn away to a far-off country.

Hut roam thou, O Elephant, to the Fresh-water Lake-side,

Till thou diest, O Elephant, at the PVesh -water Lake-side.

The Rhinoceros.

Impit — impit! there calls a Rhinoceros,

The Herd Rhinoceros to the Lone Rhinoceros.

She calls her mate to search for sustenance.

The Rhinoceros that roams and climbs the mountains.

The Rhinoceros that roams when dew dries on the out-crop.

What skill have I to strive with the Rhinoceros ?

I call to my comrades, but all are absent.

Affrighted I climb up into a forest -tree.

But the Rhinoceros waits at the foot of the tree-trunk.

I break off a bough and cast it down to him.

The Rhinoceros champs it and passes onH'ards.

Then I descend and run back home again.

But reaching home, the Rhinoceros follows me.

I then take a gun and shoot the Rhinoceros.

The bullet has hit him. The Rhinoceros has £dlen.

See that ye singe then and quarter the Rhinoceros,

And give to eat a little to every one ;

But sell the horn to the Chinese foreigners.'

The Tir.ER.
A Tiger roars at the end of the river-point.
What does he want ? He wants to l)e feeding.
To feed on jungle-fowl, to feed on wild-boar.
To feed on sambhur, to feed on chevrotain ;
The striped Tiger that crosses the salt seas.'

^ The horn of the rhinoceros is greatly time swim across the narrow strait

prized among all races in the Malay (about three-quarters of a mile?) diat

Peninsula, as possessing extraordinary' separates Johcr on the mainland of

magical virtues. The Chinese, as a rule, Asia from the island on which Singa-

■»re the best customers of the aborigines. pore is built.

- Probably in allusion to the known For these songs see also notes to

'xnf \\xn\ iV-rs Arx frr^m timC tO AppCndiX.

SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 149

Do not forget this in the telling —

The headlands — they are the Tiger's country.

The Tiger has sworn an oath against Somebody^

The Tiger whose bound is full five fathom.

Dodge we the Tiger and leap to the right hand —

The Tiger walks up a fallen tree-trunk.

The Tiger looks for a hill that is lofty.

The Tiger sleeps (there) at height of noontide.

And then arises to roam the forest.

The Tiger hunts for his living quarry.

The Tiger roams as far as Mount Ophir.*

That is the place of the Tiger's origin.

There is his Jinang, there is his Dato',

There is his Jukrah, and there his i^atin,

There dwells the * Great Chief ' of all the Tigers —

The Tiger dies at the house of his l^tin.

The Beak.

IVahf waJiy wah ! there calls the Honey- bear,

The bear called * Panggong,' the bear called * Hijak,' *

The bear that for food doth rend wild-bees' nests.

That climbs the bee-tree to seize the wild-bees,

Tliat roams to the crags and descends to the salt sea.

That yearns to devour the wild -bees utterly,

That climbs up the mangroves, and rends them open.

That climbs up the * kcmpas '-trees, and rends them open.

Sharp indeed are the Honey-bear's tooth -points.

Mamat the First-bom, seize your chopping-knifc.

He is nearing the ground ! He has dropped, the Honey-bear !

Chop at him now, you, Mamat the First-born.

He has reared upright ! He turns to attack you !

Dodge now the Bear, O Mamat the First-lx)rn !

He dies ! Oho, you have killed the Honey-bear !

Now take his spleen to doctor the fallen.^

The Sambhi r-I)Eer.*

AV;/^ — birdtngkcng ! there bells the Sambhur !

What do you do in the middle of the knoll there ?

We are but looking at Somebody^s clearing,

A clearing that's ruined, devoured by Sambhur.

The slot there that's left is the trail of the Sambhur,

From the hoofs of the Sambhur, so sharp and pointed ;

The Sambhur whose tail is short and tufted.

The Sambhur whose ears arc pricked and {X)inted,

The Sambhur whose horns spread massively branching,

The Sambhur whose neck is so slim and slender :

Such a stag is the magic Sambhur.

nt Ophir (or * Gunong Le- /. ^'.^..S., 5*. i?., No. 3, pp. iio-i 1 1).

W>o feet), in the interior of * Different kinds of bear.

is a traditional site of the ^ The bear being able to fall a

:ity " of Malay legend, where considerable distance without injur}',

of the houses consist of men's it is thought that his spleen will be

i the thatch of women's hair good for people who have fallen, like

tables and Folk -tales from a him, from trees.

tern Forest, p. 26 ; compare ^ Or ** Sambar " {Rusa aristotelisY

I50 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS paitui

A man bent with age, whose [leg] was ulcered,^

Twas he that became yon samd Sambhur,

Yon many-tined Sambhnr, yon vast-bulked Sambhnr,

Yon Sambhur of palm-twigs, yon Sambhur of palm-husks,

Yon Sambhur of palm-shoots, yon Sambhur of tubeis,

Yon Sambhur that eats the shoots of the * klorak,'

\'on Sambhur that feeds on the shoots of the *' oow-itch,"

That feeds on the ** cow-itch ** till his head is itching ;

When his head is itching he rubs his horn-points,

He rubs his horns and the horns drop off again —

The golden Sambhur, the stag of magia

See now, how near to the toils he wanders,

Rouse him and drive him, for all his belling.

The Sambhur that roams among the leaf-hoipa.

The Sambhur that couches among the leaf-heaps.

See, the Sambhur starts and the toils have choked him.

Oho, Sir Deer-wizard, spear me yon Sambhur,

And when you have stabbed him, cast out the Mischief.^

Oho, Sir Deer-wizard, here's a Sambhur to quarter !

The Roe-deer.

Empep — eiHpep! there calls the Roe-deer,

The Roe-dccr that roams to the knolKs far-end there.

And wanders back to the knoll's near-end here.

That dwells mid the crags of the Upper Langat.

The Roe-deer that feeds on shoots of wild cinnamon.

Rise up, oho, there ! Mamat the First-bom,

Rise up, oho ! and take your squailer,'

Take your squailer and stab the Roe-deer.

Watch very carefully, the Roe-deer is running.

Oho ! lift him up, the Roe-deer has Baillen !

Bear him now homewards and cook my Roe-deer ;

And when you have cooked him, quarter my Roe-deer,

And give unto each an equal portion.

Come liither, my sisters, young ones and old ones,

And feast on the flesh of this my Roe-deer.

And when your lielly is gorged with feeding.

Rise up, oho, there ! Mamat the First-bom !

Make merry with drink within the Balei,

The broad-floored Balei, the long-floored Balei.

'Tis the young folk's custom to ** dance the Roe-deer,"

To please the men-folk and please the women,

Young folk so many within the Balei.

To-morrow and ever Ikj years of plenty.

Plenteous our fruit, our rice-crop plenteous.

Fruit . . . Fruit ! Fruit ! Fruit, oho !

1 A Malay legend traces the origin is driven out by spells before their detd

of the deer from a metamorphosed man l>o<lies are touched (cp. Mai, Ma^. 427).

whose leg was ulcered — doubtless in ^ Le, the throwing -stick used bjr

allusion to the marks on the deers' legs. many of these tribes for killing SBiaU

Cp. Malay Magic, p. 171. mammals. It is simply a short stick

^ Lt, the evil influence believed to be of some hard wood sharpened at one

'nhe'^"* ip *•" wild animals, a»^d whirh (or both) ends.

SA VA GE MALA YS OF SELA NGOR 1 5 1

The Chevrotin (Bes. *Kanchel').

Nyau — ganyau ! there calls the Chevrotin !

The Chevrotin seeks the fruit of forest -trees,

The Chevrotin seeks the fruit of the * fan-palm/ *

The Chevrotin feeds when dew dries on the bedrock.

The Chevrotin eats the leaves of the * ludai,' *

The Chevrotin eats the sweet-potato leaves,

The Chevrotin feeds upon the jram -leaves.

The Chevrotin shrinks from the falling thunderbolt,

The Chevrotin shrinks from the wild-beasts' on-rush.

The Chevrotin shrinks from the bite of the serpent.

The Chevrotin roams both by day and night-time.

The Chevrotin sleeps at the height of noontide,

The Chevrotin sleeps amid the brushwood.

The Chevrotin sleeps in the fallen palm-leaves.

The Chevrotin sleeps mid the tangled grasses.

Come hither, you there, to seek the Chevrotin.

Set ye the noose to snare the Chevrotin.

The catch has slipped, ho ! we've caught the Chevrotin.

Now we have captured him, bear him homewards.

And when ye are home again, see that ye singe him.

When ye have singed him, cut him in quarters.

Wlien ye have quartered him, make ye the cooked -meat.

And give unto each his equal portion.

The Mouse-deer (Bes. *Pandok').

Krmau — krusau ! there calls the Mouse-deer !
The Mouse-deer that eats the shoots of the * ludai,'
The Mouse-deer that eats the fruit of the * kMedang,'
The Mouse-deer that eats the fruit of the * fan-palm,'
The Mouse-deer that eats the fruit of the * mangostin/
The Mouse-deer that eats the fruit of the *durian.'
On the Mouse-deer's scent a dog goes barking.
He has got the scent of a milk-white Mouse-deer,
He follows the scent of a milk-white Mouse-deer.'
The milk-white Mouse-deer descends to the water.
The dog has seized it within the water.
Lo now, he has killed the milk-white Mouse-deer.
Carry ye homewards the milk-white Mouse-deer,
And cut into quarters the milk-white Mouse-deer,
And give unto each his equal portion.

Thr Wii.d-Pr;.

Drft, diet, dret ! there grunt the Wild- Pigs,
The Wild- Pig's litter that feed on sugar-canes,

lau,* [Jvistotia Kingiiy Hook. or by tapping on the ground with a stick

<r), a fine fan-palm. to imitate the stamping of the buck's

leaves of the * ludai ' are the forefeet in rutting-time. * Ludai ' is Sa-

food of the two chief kinds pium baccatum^ Roxb. {EupAorHacea).
us (*p'landok' and *kanchel'). ' White b the sacred colour of these

caught by rattan noose-traps, tribes, as among the Malays.

152 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS paitui

That eat up our yams and oar sweet potatoes.

Till utterly eaten is our plantation.

The Boar, whose feet are sharp and pointed.

The Boar, whose shoulders are sloping and slanting,

The Boar, whose bristles are stiff and stubborn.

The Boar whose eyes are crossed and squinting.

The Boar whose ears are pricked and pointed.

The Boar whose chaps are fat extremely.

The Boar whose tail is crisp and curly.

The Boar has gone down to feed in our rice-fields.

Take then your blowpipe scored with patterns —

Whiz — and it sticks, and the Boar goes floundering.

Watch very carefully, the Boar is running !

The Coconut-monkey.

Kok, kok, kok I says the Coconut-monkey,

The * Cf an tang ' monkey, the * Rangkak * monkey.^

The * Buku ' monkey, peering and prying.

The monkey whose muzzle is creased and crinkled.

The monkey whose fingers are curved and crooked.

The monkey whose haunches are bent and bow-shaped,

The monkey whose tail's like a bending sapling.

Who feeds on fruit, the fruit of the 'durian.'

I le is shaking the trees, see, rise up again there.

Rise up, oho ! and take your blowpipe.

Stalk him most warily, watch most carefully.

Whiz — and it sticks ! The dart has hit him !

The monkey has run off helter-skelter.

The monkey has run off retching and vomiting —

Thud — thump — thump — the monkey has fallen.

Pick him up, oho ! you, Mamat Solong,

And 1)ear him homewards, with back bent double.

Bear him homewards and there throw him down again.

Aunt Solong, I pray you, singe me this monkey.

And you, Mamat Solong, cut up this monkey.

And give unto each an equal portion.

And when your belly is gorged with eating.

Rise up, oho ! then, Mamat the First-bom ;

Rise up and drink within the Balei,

The broad-floored Balei, the long-floored BaleL

To-morrow and ever [be years of plenty].

Chant ye *the monkey,' that fruit be plenteous.

Fruit . . . fruit, fruit, fruit, fruit !

The SiamangS or Gibbon.

Afongy mongy mong! there calls the Gibbon !

llie Gibbon that barks at the sun half-risen.

The Gibbon that chatters on the Upper Kali,

Up gets the Gibbon on the Upper Luar,

Crash ! there he leaps through the sprays of • meranti * ! '

* Different kinds of Mcuacus neme- ^ HylobaUs syndadylus.

trinus — the difference is probably * * Meranti,' a name given to i

onfin-'^ **> *V« coloiiriniT. Shorr*«! (Di^erofar^^^),

SA VA GE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 1 53

Crash ! there he flings through the sprays of * ludan,' '

Now the dry fruit-husks we hear him munching.

Stalk him, there, warily, watch your sharpest,

Mamat the First-bom, Mamat the next-born !

Warily, brothers, our Gibbon's escaping.

Warily, brothers, now pick up your blowpipes,

Your bamboo blowpipes, scored with patterns.

Try now, both, to plant the venom,*

Try now, both, to insert the venom.

There, he is hit ! the dart has got him.

Warily, brothers, now ; watch our Gibbon.

Cough, cough, cough, just hark to his retching 1

See, there our Gibbon goes tumbling downwards.

Warily, brothers, our Gibbon has fallen.

Carry him home, with back bent double.

Carry him homewards, our Gibbon yonder.

Seek ye and search for dry * ludan ' branches,

Seek ye and search for dry • changgan * ' branches.

Search ye for tire-logs to singe our Gibbon,

Search for and seek hot leaves of * chanchang,* *

Search for and seek the pungent *jintan.**

The firewood crackles, now stir ye all merrily,

There, it is roasted, now carve it thoroughly.

And give unto each an equal portion.

See that the flesh for all suffices.

Let each have a }X)rtion, both big and little.

The Ape ('Ungka' or *Wa' Wa*).«

Wong, "ioong, 7oongi just hear the h\i^ cry !

The Ape that plays mid the sprays of * kdpong,' ^

The Ape that plays mid the sprays of * sdraya,' '

The Ape that plays mid the sprays of ' jdlotong.'®

Crunch, crunch, crunch, the Ape is feeding.

On the * anggong ' ^^ fruit the Aj)e is feeding,

(Jn the * raml)ai ' ** fruit the Ape is feeding.

-\nd the fur of his body is white as cotton.

The fur of his face is black and silky.

His brow is trimmed as a maid's with the * Bride-fringe,'

His stem is at once both hard and flattened.

Take now your blowpi])e of * Klampenai,' **

Stalk him most warily, watch very carefully.

For the arms of the Ape are long and slender,

And the legs of the Ape go swinging together.

Rise up, oho, there ! watch very carefully.

[The rest is the same as in the song of the Siamang.]

Qtified. * * Seraya,' a name given to several
of course, refers to the Shoreas {Dipterocarpea),

iie dart -point. ^ *Jelolong,' Z^j'^ra waiVi^^i, Hook.

Qtified. til., and D. costuicUa, Hook, fit

ntified. *^ Unidentified,

n,' cummin. ** * Ramljai,* Baccaurea motlfyaita,

lies concolor. Hook. til. {Euphoi-biacea), a common

)ng,' Shorra mait'optera, fruit-tree.

^tracarpea). '-^ Unidentified.

154 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS

The Crocodilb.

IVak, wok, wok! there bellows the Crocodile !
The * bay ' Crocodile to her mate of the reaches.
The Crocodile whose head is knobbed and lumpy.
The Crocodile whose tail is like a sword-blade.
The Crocodile whose teeth are clenched together.
In every river- pool there dwells the Crocodile,
The Crocodile that's fierce, the Crocodile that's safage.
That climbs up to bask on the bank of the river.
And enters the waters to search for sustenance.
The Crocodile that * gazes * ' at our reflections.
If our head Ls gone, he will get him sustenance.
If our head is there, he will get no sustenance.
There sits a monkey upon the timber.
The Crocodile sweeps him off into the water ;
The Crocodile smothers him within the river-mud,
And when he Is dead, it bears him shore-wards.
And batters him on timber, to kill him thoroughly.
And swallows him whole, when dead completely.

The Lace-Lizard or Monitor.

The Lace-Lizard's head is knobbed and knotty.
The Lace- Lizard *s eyes are small and narrow.
The Lace-Lizard's snout is sharp and pointed.
The I^ce- Lizard's belly sways and swaggers.
The Lace-Lizard's footprints are spreaded widely.
The scales of its back are like the sting-rajr's.
The Lace- Lizard's tail is like a sword-blade.
The Lace- Lizard's teeth are thorns of the screw-pine.
The Lace- Lizard's tongue is a tongue that's doable.
Like to the man's that s})eaketh falsehoods.
The Lace- Lizard's chief is now the crocodile.
He was once the crocodile's younger brother.
The land crocodile, with the salt-sea crocodile.
One upon land, and one in the water.
Watch very warily, and slay the Lace-Lizard.

The Python.

Settg^ sen^y sen^! there calls the Python !

The Python coiled in the tops of forest -trees.

The Python coiled on the topmost brushwood.

The Python coiled in the tangled grasses.

The Python that enters the hollow tree-trunk.

The spotted Python that men call * Sawa,'

The Python whose tail is like a peg-top,*

The Python whose tongue resembles garlic.

The Python whose teeth are thorns of the screw-pine.

1 *■ Gazes,* in allusion to the belief he can safely attack the person thus

that the crocodile ascertains the designated.

identity of the human beings destined ^ Le, "gasing." But 'gasing-

to become his prey by * gazing' or gasing,' = C/>xainr/^^ /'onifn^ ll, abo

iivination. Whenever this process re- Pcricampylus incanus. Mien {Mtmi-

veals to him the figure of his prospective spermacea). Slender climlung plants*

-'/•♦jn, ••Uhrajf *\\t» he'id h** ifno«~s uscd mcdiclnally.

SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 1 5 5

The Python whose cheeks with fax are swollen.
The Python whose head is like a ladle.
And on whose head the scales are golden,
That walks on rihs one hundred and forty,
Whose body is big as the stem of the coco-palm.
The hungering Python that swallows the wild-boar.
Swallows the wild -boar and seizes the mouse-deer.
Swallows the mouse-deer and seizes the sambhur,
Swallows the sambhur and seizes the tiger.

The silk-skinned Python, the bediamonded Python,

The silk-skinned Python that groweth sacred.

The Python that came from the springs of water.

Whose body is big as the stem of the coco-palm.

'Tis he that we call the HornW Serpent.

nris the silk-skinned Python that crept down seawards.

And fought against the old Sea-Python,^

Until the broad seas turned to narrow.

The old Land -Python since time's beginning.

That is the Python that was defeated.

The old Land- Python that fights no longer.

The old Land -Python that craved for pardon,

'Tis he, that came from the land, was vanquished,

And he, that came from the sea, was victor,

Twas he that possessed the stauncher spirit.

But the dead Land -Python ascended skywards.

And turned to the Fire we call the Rainbow,

For his horn was ta'en by the old Sea-Python.

Watch very carefully, step not over it.

For if you do, youll be crushed as a rebel.

Round your limbs will twine the I*ython-sickness.

Be sure that you this in your soul remember.

To-morrow and ever may Fruit be plentiful !

The Tortoisf^

Tortoise ! Tortoise ! Tortoise !
Tortoise whose fore-paws are bent out sideways.
Tortoise whose hind -feet are shaped like adzes.
Tortoise whose head is sharp and pointed,
Tortoise whose back is like a spice-block.
Tortoise whose liver is black of the blackest,
Tortoise whose fat is green of the greenest
Rise up, oho ! now, Mamat the First-bom,
And take your knife and your bamboo blowpipe,
And take your throwing-spear '-^ to roam the forest,

is battle of two snakes, serpents India and elsewhere, see, «.^., ''The

3ns, *is one of the most fruitful legend of Merlin," by Dr. M. Gaster

in Oriental art. In China it (Folk/ore^ xvi. 414, 422). In the

as two dragons fighting for a present case it furnishes us with this

In the Malay region it is some- fine Jakun myth of the origin of the

couple of dragons as in China, rainbow.

•Detimes a couple of snakes ' I.e. the pointed hardwood stick

I in fighting for a magical or *squailer' used for killing small

Lone. It is also common in game.

156 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS paut

And search for the Tortoise ; see, here are its footprints !

This is the feeding-ground of the Tortoise.

The Tortoise that feeds on the shoots of the ' chteieb.' *

There, did you see it, Mamat the First-bom ?

There, did you see it, among the buttresses?

Now youVe expelled it, Mamat the First-bom,

Carry it homewards, Mamat the First-bora.

Mamat the First-bom, now cut up your Tortoise,

Chop it up small and let it be roasted ;

And when it is roasted, ser\'e it on leaf-plates,*

And give unto each an equal }x>rtion.

Ho, Mamat Solong ! ho, Mamat Alang !

Come, now your belly's full, dram on the Hall-floor.

TuR Toad.

A'ok^ kokf kok ! that's a Toad that's croaking !

A Toad that's croaking his very loudest.

The Toad that dwells at the foot of the forest-trees.

The Toad that dwells on the Upper Langat,

Jumping up-stream, and jumping down-stream.

There goes the Toad, whose waist is so tapering.

And whose chest is one of the very deepest ;

The Toad whose eyes are mightily goggling.

The Toad whose lingers are crashed and crumpled,

The Toad whose feet are spread and splaying.

The Toad whose skin is rough and knobbly,

The Toad whose body ^anth slime Is venomous.

The * Rengkong ' Toad that feetls on centipedes.

The * Kengkong ' Toad that feeds on scorpions,

The * Rengkong ' Toad that swallows gravel.

Kat ye not then the Toad called * Rengkong,'

For }K)isonous to eat is the Toad called * Rengkong.'

c:hop then with a knife at the Toad called * Rengkong,'

And if he walks off again, be not frightened.

From the times of old till to-morrow and ever

May there remain this rite and memorial.

This rite remain that l-ruit be plentiful.

Thk Kite. •

Srk-sfk-leau ! there mews the Fishing-Kite !

The Kite that soars above the cloud -belt.

The Kite that glides above the cloud-belt.

The Kite that nests in the tall 'jclotongs,'^

And seeks to breed in the tall * jelotongs.'

The Kite that nests in the sprays of the * kempas,'

And seeks to breed in the sprays of the * kempas.*

Soon as begins her children's sickness.

High and low the Kite goes soaring,

And catches the * siakap ' fish to feed her young ones.

And catches snakes to feed her young ones.

* Unidentified. ally those of the banana-tree.

7 r - \0^xf^ -yarns' ^r pi-,t-r gencr- ** K p. 1 53, n. 9, omU.

SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR iS7

The Kite glides \yasi to the Rock of Lalau,

The Kite glides past to the Hill Precipitous.

The Kite glides past to the crag called * White-Rock.'

The Kite glides past to the Rock Perhambang —

At Perhambang Rock the Kite sinks earthwards,

To search for the * Love-plant ' ^ upon the mountains,

With which to cure her children's sickness.

Thus we find the * Love-plant ' upon the mountains,

And our spirit yearns within our body —

The Kite's own * Love-plant,' go bear it homewards.

To make you well within your spirit.

Rise ye then warily, [watch] the Kite's young ones.

This heart of mine is ravished greatly,

Now that I know where to seek the simples.

Do not hesitate, do not dally.

Do not dally in the Garden of Flowers,

F»ut fly direct to the Garden of Fruit-trees.

So shall remain, as from aforetime.

Unto the Kite's young a debt of gratitude.

And this be a token to childing women.

The Jungle-fowl.

Nang ch^nangkas I there crows the Jungle-fowl !
The Jungle-fowl upon the knoll there.
Whose name is called the milk-white Jungle-fowl,
Whose name is called the Jungle decoy-fowl.
By strange Malays who set bird -nooses.
By strange Malays 'tis made a decoy-fowl.
Fly hither then, O milk-white Jungle-fowl,
No fowls of the Jungle can resist you,

milk-white Fowl, that art their chieftain.
The milk-white Jungle-fowl now flies homeward.
Nang chc*nafjgkas ! there crows the Jungle-fowl !

1 lark to a tale of days that are gone by.
To-morrow and ever may Fruit l)e plenteous.

The Flying -fox.

/i- . . . lompC'lompe I there flaps the Flying-fox !

That is the flip-flap of the Flying-fox,

The Flying-fox from o'er the water,

The Flying- fox from the side of the forest,

The Flying-fox from out the islets,

The Flying-fox from o'er the channel.

The Flying-fox that eats the fruit-buds,

That goes about to search for tree -fruits ;

And flies unto the upper reaches,

And flies unto the lower reaches.

The Flying-fox tribes are many and various

That feed upon the fruit of the * rambutan,' -

That feed upon the fruit of the * duku,' '

Ne * chinduai,' the most phelium lappaum^ L. {Sapimiaccit), a

;-charm of the alxirigines. common fruit-tree.

' (Mai. * rambutan '), Ne- ^ * Duku,' a well-known fruit-tree.

158

MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS

That feed upon the fruit oi the * durum.' ^

Flip-flap go the wings of the Flying-fox,

Flish-flash go the wings of the Flying-fox.

This we call the * Rite of the Flyuag-fox.*

Take now your blowpipe scored with patterns.

Take your blow-pipe and shoot the Flying-fox.

Whiz— and it sticks ! The dart has hit him.

Rise up, oho ! the Flying-fox has fisllen !

Plimp-plump ! the Flying-fox has fallen !

The Flying-fox vomits mightily retching.

Carry the Flying-fox home and singe him,

And when you have singed him, cut him in quarters,

And call ye every one to the BaleL

Feed ye your sisters, both young and old ones.

Give ye to each his equal portion.

Then when your belly's full, stand yt upright.

O Mamat Solong, O Solong Sidai,

Step ye forth for the drinking and singing.

And drum with your heels on the long-floored Balei,

Drum with your heels on the broad-floored Bald ;

Let all in the Balei make them merry.

Fruit of all kinds, may Fruit be plenteous.

Every day may Fruit be plenteous.

Every month may Fruit be plenteous.

Every year may Fruit be plenteous.

Such a year is a year of plenty.

Fruit . . . Fruit, Fruit, Fruit !

The Kledang Fruit.*

Take your knife, O Mamat Solong,

Such to you is Aunt Solong's message.

Such to you is Aunt Tengah's message :

They yearn to eat the fruit called Kledang.

Climb then the tree, O Mamat Solong,

Where the Kledang fruits are swajring o'er you.

The Kledang fruits, lo ! are strewn and scattered.

Each of you, children, go gather a little

The Kledang fruits that are ripe to bursting.

Go bring the Kledang fruits, bring them homewards.

And throw them down u[x>n the hut-floor.

Come hither ye gaffers, fathers, uncles,

Come hither ye sisters, aunts, and cousins.

These Kledang fruits are for you to feast on.

Crave ye no more for the bursting Kledang,

Crave ye no more for the crow-black Kledang.

Rise to your feet, then, Mamat Solong,

And unto your hut go summon the little ones.

Let the little folk drink within the Balei ;

That is the token of fruit that's plenteous.

Plenteous be * durians,' plenteous the * rambutans,'

Plenteous the ' rambai ' and plenteous the * pnlasan,' '

* *Durian,* Durio zibtthinus^ L.
■ ^ahHuect),

Roxb. {Urtuacea).

' 'VM\ti%skXi; NepheUum mutMU^Vi
{Sapindate^y, a well-known fimit

SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 159

Plenteous the * tampoi ' * and plenteous the * kundang,* -
So may all manner of fruit be plenteous.
So, for nine years may fruit ne'er fail us.

The Redan.3

Take your jungle-knife, Mamat Solong,

And dimb yon tree, yon tree called Redan.

Lop off its branches, and glide down groundwards.

Let every one gather the fruit of the Redan,

Gather the fruit of yonder Redan.

When you have picked it up, bear it homewards.

And serve it up for all the people.

May the Redan fruit feed both big and little.

To eat the Redan is our little ones' custom.

Let none in the Balei still go craving.

But when your belly is gorged with feeding.

Rise up and dance, O Mamat Solong,

Rise up and drink within the Balei.

And let all people then make them merry.

And you, my children, may naught you startle.

The Kabau Tree.*

The Kabau tree waves this and that way.
The tree whose stem creak-creaks so loudly,
The tree whose bark is grey and mottled.
And with whose bark are made our choppers,^
And mid whose twigs are bred the borer-bees.
And mid whose leaves are bred the swallows ;
Whose blossom falls like scattered rice-meal,
Whose blossom falls like rain in sunshine,
The tree whose fruit must not be eaten,
Whose fruit is poisonous when eaten.
Do not forj^et this in the telling.
But chant of the Kabau now and always.
Then hie to drink within the Balei,
Tramp-tramp, make merry within the Balei,
The Balei that's broad, the long-floored Balei.
Let all the little ones be performers,
Along with all the men and women,
'Tis this that pleases all the people.
Plenteous is the year and fruits are plenteous,
I^t us then eat the fruit of the 'rambutan,'®
Fniit of the * mangostin,' fruit of the * durian ' ;
Thus eat we Fruit, both big and little.
Eat we, O sisters, lx)th big and little,
Make you merry now, O Mamat Solong,
And Fruit be plenteous every season.

' Baccaurea maiayana, ^ * Redan,* Nephelium maingayi^

Euphorbicuea) ; also a Hiem (Sapindacea). * Unidentified.
* The meaning of this, and the next
»,' ? Bonea macrophylla, two lines, is very obscure.
diacea)f a kind of small ^ * \<2Lmh\iizxif* Nephelium iappaum^

L. {Sapindoieo'), a well-known fruit.

i6o MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS mTW

The Gabang Fruit.'

Take now your chopper, O Mamat Solong,

Take it to lop off the fruit of the Gabang,

The Gabang fruit that is scattered earthward.

First lop ye off the bending twig-ends.

And lop off next the midmost branches.

And after lopping glide down earthwards.

See, wc are gathering the fruit of the Gabang,

Bring me your baskets, and bring me your wallets.

And bear ye home the fruit of yon Gabang.

Then go and call our folk together.

And give to each an equal portion.

When you have eaten the fruit of yon Gabang,

Rise to your feet, O Mamat Solong,

And drink and make merry within the Balei,

As was the custom of your grandfathers.

The little ones sport within the Balei,

And all the men-folk are fain to watch them.

And all the women are fain to watch them.

Come hither then with unbound tresses.

And lake your combs and smooth your tressei>.

And make your tresses as fine as possible

To catch the eyes of all the men -folk ;

Then take ye rice and take the rice- pot.

And cook the rice for all the people.

Take too a pan to make you cooked meats,

That is the work that falls to women.

Eat ye last the rice that is left for you.

Eat it, nor be o*er-slow in eating.

And when you are filled, lie down and slumber.

The Solitary Bkrtam-Palm.-

The Single BCrtam at Langkap Berjuntei,

The Single Bcrtam on the Upper Langat —

'Tis the Bertam whose fruits bend over outwards !

We have gathered them and brought them homewards.

We have split them and given to each his portion.

Be there Bertam fruit both now and always,

From the Single Bertam upon the Hill-tops,

That is the token of fruit that's plenteous,

That is the sign of a year of plenty.

Come ye, my little ones, make you merrj-.

Make each of you merry within the Balei,

And when you have eaten and gorged your belly.

Rise to your feet, O Mamat Alang,

Drink and make merry within the Balei,

The Balei that's broad, the long-flooreil Balei.

And call our folk to dance and make merr}-.

And call our folk to drink and make merry,

That is a year when fruits are plenteous.

* A kind of wild ' rambutan. "
• * BrTtPm,' Ftiijtissona tristiSy Griff. (Pa/ma).

SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR i6i

The Merbau Tree.^

Plak-plau I there falls the Merbau !

The * ivory' Merbau, the * cabbage* Merbau,

The * saffron ' Merbau that's split with wedges.

Chentong the Carpenter, ho ! fell me this Merbau.

Lofiily sways and falls the Merbau.

Bring me a chisel, and bring me the planing-adze.

Now we have split it, make we a grating,

Make we a gallery, make we a deck-house,

Make we oars, and make we an awning.

Load we our ship with wax and eagle-wood, -

Load her with benjamin,' load her with resin,

Load her with gutta, with *gutta taban.'**

Hoist up your mast and sail forth seawards,

And shape your course to the sea of Mambang ;

Drop your anchor and climb up shorewards,

And barter your goods at the people's bouses.

See, our boat points to the land of Malacca,

Our anchor drops just off Malacca,

To barter wax and barter resin.

To barter benjamin, barter gutta.

And salt and rice to take as cargo.

Now points our boat towards our country,

And off our own land drops the anchor.

Now call we comrades, big and little,

To carry our wares up to the houses.

And give of them to each his portion.

The Pulai Tree.*

A'ikf kikf kikl there creaks the Pulai !

Its bole a-rock with the brisk- blown breezes.

Thick, umbrageous, pendulous, wa\7,

Are its leaves and airy streamers,

Roots in the earth, and roots on the surface.

Its surface-roots like struggling serpents.

Its buds that rival a virgin's nipples.

Its leaves with sap like milk of a virgin.

Its stem whose hue is grey and mottled,

Its shoots that are like the p>eak of a head-clolh.

Its shoots that look like scroll-work finials.

Its buttresses whose height is dizzy.

Its blossom strewn like scattered rice-meal.

Its blossom strewn like rain that drizzles.

Thus men are wont to sing the Pulai.

' Afzelia paUmbanica jamin, Styrax benzoin L. {Styraceic).

inosir)^ one of the finest The gum is obtained by cutting the

Peninsula, used in boat- bark.

* *Guita'(or *getah') *taban,' Dich-

yd OT ^ ghsLTXi^^ A^ut'/aria opsis ^tia Benth. {Sapotacea)^ the

am. i^Thymelacea)^ pro- best kind of gutta-percha.

11 -known incense wood ^ 'Pulai,' Ahtonia scholaHs Br.

ich fetches a remarkably (/^/i?r^«^r^d:), a tree whose surface-roots

he Far East. furnish the cork used for the floats of

)r *kemnyan,' gum ben- fishing-nets, etc., in the Peninsula.

II M

i62 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS PiiTii

We take an adze and fell the Pulai»
And build a canoe to trade to Malacca ;
To barter goods and sell cor coconuts.
Then homewards torn our boat of Pulai ;
Beach we it then, and o'erhaul it thoroughly, —
Sell to a Chinaman for a hundred dollars !

The Fish-trap.

Ting, ting, hit 1 that's the small-waisted Fish-tiap!

The trap that was made by Mamat Alang,

The trap that is set in the river yonder

For the fish, the scale-clad fish, to enter.

Fish so many and fish so various !

The * tapah * * fish, and the fish • sabarau,*

The * 'man * fish, and the fish called * bujor,*

llie * lembat ' fish, and the fish • pipuyuh,'

May all of them enter the small-waisted Fish-trap.

Bear them home, throw them down on the hut-floor,

And slice them up, these fish so many ;

Stew them and cook them ver>' very carefully,

And when you have cooked them, call your comrades,

And give to each his equal portion.

And when your belly is gorged with eating.

Rise to your feet, O Mamat Solong,

And drum on the long floor of the Balei,

Drum on the broad floor of the Balei,

Big sisters and little are fain to watch you.

That is our rite of the small-waisted Fish-trap.

Children's Bathing Song.

Go, little people, go a-bathing,

So m.iy you cool your heated bodies.

So may you cleanse your little bodies.

And rub with care your little bodies,

And leave no stain on your little bodies ;

Then haste back home and take your hair-combs.

Take your combs and comb your tresses,

Comb them until they be smooth and glossy —

Such is the way at small folk's bathing.

Go, little people, into the Balei.

Creak-creak ! there sounds the floor of the Bale

The long- floored Balei, the broadrfloored Balei.

For all the women are fain to watch you

Dance, little folk, within the Balei.

And fruits be plenteous, the season plenteous,

Fruits be plenteous, fruits that are various.

Every day shall be fruit in plenty,

Every month shall be fruit in plenty,

Every year shall be fruit in plenty.

Go not back from the solemn promise.

From the rites that within the book are written.

Fruit . . . fruit, fruit, fruit, fruit !

' Of these six iish 1 have only been able to find record of two as hasg
identified, the * sabarau,' probably = /^a/ff<? boggu^ and the ''man' or *anian'«

SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 163

Such is the custom of jungle-dwellers,

Our custom when we with drink make merry.

The Bangkong Fruit. ^

Hong Kau Barak Hong I
Thus we pluck the Bangkong. ^
Reach for them, Father Tunang.
Reach for them, Father Sayang.
Reach for them. Father Odong.
Thus we pluck the Bangkong.
We pluck the * Bangkong kudes,*
We pluck the * Bangkong kateb,'
We pluck the * Bangkong mengoh,'
We pluck the * Bangkong palas.'
Go forth, O Father Odong.
Go forth, O Father Tunang.
Go forth, O Father Sayang.
Go forth and pluck the Bangkong.
Now we've got the Bangkong,
Haste we to bear them homewards,
And call to Mother Tunang
[And call to Mother Odong,
And call to Mother Sayang]
To haste and split the Bangkong.
Take a chip-edged rice-pot —
That's to boil the Bangkong, —
Don your palm -leaf tassels,
And follow, follow homewards.
Follow us. Friend Gentoi,
And wave your palm-leaf tassels. ^
I wave them round, I wave them,
I wave the sprays a little.
The holy Basil's planted
Within a hollow tree-trunk ;
If Love desert the body
It then reniaineth lonely.
And what remaineth further?
'Tis our grandparents' custom
That all the younger people
Make merry in the Balei ;
All, all, both men and women,
'Tis our grandparents' custom,
And that of Mother Kalis,
For sharp was Mother Kalis,
Yea, sharp — and very stupid,
Stupid was Mother Geboi.
Rejoice then in the Balei,
And what remaineth further
For all now go rejoicing
For joy that fruits are jilcnteous,
For a season that is plenteous ;

ig in the original is of a different metre to all the preceding ones,
ree beats to the line, as in the translation.
ang,' a wild fruit-tree, unidentified.
tassels or bunches worn in dancing.

i64 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS pait m

Though many are our people.
Yet fruitful are our rice-fields.
And fruitful all our fruit-trees.
Then tread we all and trample.
And drum upon the Hall-floor,
The Hall-floor made of B^rtam,
Of Bertam. What remains else ?
And what shall we do further ?
To-morrow still be plenteous,
Be plenteous all our fruit trees !
He-e-ee !

The following song, in irregular metre, exhibits

other moods — the first part is pathetic, the second

joyful : —

The Song of the Sick Child.

Expanded are the buds of the * bharu,* *
And thick and ever thicker grows the * tembesu * * blossom
Give no thought more to me, ah Granny '
Cast me away, me the outcast !
Make no more mention of me, ah Granny !
Nought but the fruit-calyx is left, ah Granny !
Nought but the print of my hands is left, ah Granny !
Nought but the print of my feet is left, ah Granny !
Nought is left me but to sing my chant, ah Granny !
My heart yearns for the Hills, ah Granny !
Hearken to my chant in the hut, ah Granny !
I will get me up and go. Granny, vrrap up my rice-bondle,
I will roam the forest and snare me wild-birds !
Lo, I have set my snares but have caught nothing, ah Granny !
I have nothing to hope for, ah Granny !
Your child is not strong enough to climb aloft, ah Granny !
I have brought mv wallet, but even its cords are broken, ah Grumy !
♦ ' ♦ ♦

Lo, I have picked up a Hombill and brought it home,

*Tis a fat bird and a heavy one, oh Granny !

Now I am home again, cook me the Hombill, oh Granny !

And partake of the Hombill, oh Granny !

And give to each one a little portion.

Go a-craving no more for the Hombill's flesh, oh Granny !

But partake of the Hornbill, oh Granny !

Come and partake, oh little sisters and big ones, brothers- and sisters-tn-Uw.

The Besisi Trumba.

A song of a very different sort was the Besisi
Trumba or Song of Tribal Origin, which has a special

^ • Bhara,' Hibiscus tiliaceus Linn. {M(Uvacea\ a common sea-shore tree.

CHAP. V SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 165

interest of its own as representing an attempt on the
part of this race of jungle -dwellers to keep some
sort of record of their history.

The Besisi who gave it me was an old man
named Bedoh, of Sepang Kechil. Part of this
Trumba at least seems to preserve the traditions of
old tribal boundaries, and I believe it really supplies
the clue to the long strings of (generally contiguous)
place-names that are so often described as occurring
in the songs of the Semang and Perak Sakai. The
following version is a little freer than that given else-
where in this book : —

Besisi Song of Tribal Origin.

From Gobang Gubin,^ from * Buluh Bohal,*

From the land of Jati,^ to the land of Endau,^

We came to the land of Johor the ancient,

To Tengki-tengkel and olden Jeram.

At Naning-naneng * dwelt chieftain Baruis,*

And chieftain Banggai ^ at the hill of Nuang.

At Boatpole Hill 7 and the Hill of the Elephant

Dwelt chieftains Mara, Barai, Suntai.

Then chieftain Galang ^ came down from inland,

' * Gobang Gubin ' is very obscure. ^ * Tanah Hendau ' is the district of

One explanation given me by the Besisi the Endau river (on the borders of

was that it stood for "lobang Gubin Pahang and Johor).
di- buluh Bohal," i.e, the hole of * *Naning' is the district of that name

* Gubin ' in the Bamboo of Bohal, this near Malacca, best known from two

latter being explained as referring to the (British) punitive expeditions which

(mythical) giant Bamboo from which were sent against it, the first of which

the founder of the race miraculously proved abortive.

issued, and which apparently gave its * * Batin Baruis * ( = Newbold*s * Batin

name to port of the insignia of the Breyk') is here mentioned as the

Jakan chiefs. A further explanation founder of the Naning tribes.
was that * Gubin * meant a dog, as in- ^ * Batin Banggai' is locally famous as

deed it does in the Blandas dialect of the founder of that branch of the Besisi

Selangor, and that the passage there- tribe that dwelt near Sepang Kechil

fore meant *The Dog's Hole in the in Selangor. We here learn that he

Ancestral Bamboo,' in which case the came from Bukit Nuang or Benuang, a

explanation doubtless rests upon the hill near the headwaters of the Labu,

traditions which connect the dog with an important tributary of the Langat.
the mythical ancestor. It is probably ^ 4 gykit Galah' was said to have taken

a place-name, cither of some place in its name from a boat-pole near its foot,

the south of the Peninsula or Sumatra. to which the Chinese used to moor

Fur this song see also notes to App. their boats * when the sea washed the

* 'Tanah Jati ' is a place-name, base of the hill,' now far inland,
though I cannot say where it is. * * Batin Galang,' i.e, B. Merak

i66

Ml/S/C, SONGS, AND FEASTS

PAKTOI

And pushed to the sea, and made the Sea-Folk,

And the Sea- Folk grew into the Pirates.

The Gx:o-palm chief dwelt at Selayan,^

The Betel-palm chief dwelt at Selayan,

With Cherteng, Perting,* TSgun,* Brego/

And the * Watcher*s-Stump * * on the Upper Langat,

With Ching,« Berdnang,^ Pejam, Gebok,>

The Hanging lAngkap-palm,* Bangkong Menggoh,'*

The Ivory Bangkong, Kechau, Lang-lang,"

Galang, was a well-known Jakun chief
frequently mentioned in tradition.
He was said to be a son of Moyang
Sixunang. [Merak has been con-
jectured to be the old Cambodian title
Preib (Brih).]

* • Selayan/ 1: /. * Sarayon.' This is
obscure. Sclayan (? Sclayang) is the
name of a place, iK>ssibly an abbrevia-
tion of Pantei Layang-layang, a Jakun
settlement in the same district, * Batin '
dropping out owing to its similarity to
the word * iJatang.' Or it may well be
that we have here a reference to the
two chiefs (Batin Gomok and Batin
Mahabut) who are connected with the
legend of the poisonous coco-palm and
the Ix'tcl-ixilm of Bukit Nuang and
Bukit (jalah resj)ectively in this ver}*
neighbourhood (cp. i. 687, n. i).

^ • Cherteng ' and * Perting ' (or « Pa-
teng' ) are names of places on the Ulu
Langat River. Pateng is no doubt the
same as Perting, a name which has
been given to several rivers in various
parts of the Peninsula.

' * Tagun ' was said to have been the
name of a Batin in Ulu Klang, but if so,
it here refers to a river which was named
after him — no doubt the Tarun, near
Bcrgul, on the Sclangor-S. U. frontier.

* * Breg(> ' was explained to me as =
*Batu Ber-grak,'or the * Rocking Stone,*
the name of a rock in Ulu Klang ; but
I think erroneously. It is probably a
place called Bcrgul or Brcgul in Ulu
Langat, for which see n. 3, above.

* * Tunggul Si Jaga,' the * Stump of
the Watcher,' was the name of a slump in
a commanding jxjsition, near the River
Langat (a little above Subang Hilang),
from which a look-out used to be kept
by pirates in the days when they
infested the Langat River. The spot

s still well known.

' ^hirtq * 'p tV«*» *»»»rwA r\f g Small

Stream flowing into the Lang^ near ik
mouth of the Beimnang. It was sad
to be short for < Kuching ' or the * Cat,'
and that the name wai given in conjoK-
tion with that of * Bennang,' or 'tk
Swimmer ' ; the two streams gettioi
their respective ai^>eUations from a ot
that once swam across there. Tim
story, however, is no doabt a pfaodbk
piece of popular etymology.

^ The ' Beranang ' is a weU-knovi
tributary of the Upper Langat, ginos
its name to a portion of the district.

• * Pejam' or *Batang Pejam' and
< Gebok ' (or Ribok) are said to be ik
names of two small streams near Setal,
a place in S. Ujong territoiy quite near
the Selangor frontier. The fiist ii
beyond Setul, the second just below it

» « Langkap BeijanteL' The « Pea-
dulous Langkap '-palm, a spot a 1ob|
way up the Langat River.

^^ * Bangkong Gadeng.' Therearetvo
or three spots connected with vanoH
kinds of ^mgkong, which is a kind of
wild *chemp^ak' fhiit — (I) Ban^oo{
Menggoh,or the plaoeof the *Bangkoo{
Menggoh ' fruit ; (2) Bangkong Gadeng,
the place of the * White (lit. Utxj)
Bangkong' fruit, near Bukit Toog-
goh, at K. Labu ; (3) Tegar-Bangkonc
(or Teg&bangkong)y the ' Ben^rang
Rapids.'

11 * Kechau, Lang-lang.' Accordingto
one version these two place-names were
also given in conjunction = Kadui
'Lang-'lang or the ' Place of the Qoanel-
ling Kites.' This explanation, bow-
ever, is no better than the Kuching and
Beranang one, Kechau and Lang-lang
being the names of two streams in
the Ulu Langat district, the latter now
l)etter known as Sungei Lalang of
* Jungle - grass River,' though it was
formerly kn^^^Ti as t <uig.luig.

SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR

167

The Rock of Jamun, Rock of Laiau,*

Pra' CMrek, and Rock Berg^ntel.2

From the Lace-bark Merbau,^ we reached the Lake-side,

The Swaying Bees*-nest, the Brooding Bertam,*

The Mango-tree Pass, and Palm-wood Flooring,*

And passed to the Halting-place Umbrageous,^

To the hills of the Halting-place Precipitous,^

To the Headland of the Leaf-clad Boulder.^

Who was it made the land Scmujong ?

Sister Nyai Techap and Gaffer Klambu »

Together made the land Semujong.

They who donned the * round coat,' *^ became retainers,

And mixed with strangers, Malays of Rembau :

They who donned the 'split coat,* speak *Besisi.'

)atu Jamun' and *Batu Lalau' are
mies of two inaccessible * peaks '
I the hills of Ulu Klang ; cp. the
'Ada chengkuoi di-atas Bukit,
Lalau di-ulu Klang,' /.^. 'There
the Love-plant upon the hills, At
Rockin Ulu Klang.'
Pra' Charek,' the name of a hill,
o be near Ulu Tekar. A some-
similar name, Pra' Lantei, is
f a Besisi settlement on the right
of the Klang River, quite near
wn of Klang. * Batu Berg^ntel '
( Elephant Rock, locality un-
a, but probably in Ulu Klang.
Merbau Ber-subang ' or * Merbau
vang.' There seems to be a spot
Merbau Ber-subang (the Pierced
lu Tree) as well as one called
iu Karawang (the Merbau -tree
the laced bark), both near the
of the Pejam, already referred to.
times one form is used in this
ct, sometimes the other.
L^bah Bergoyang,' the * Swaying
nest,' said to be the name of a
rhere a bees'-nest, depending from
ranch of a tree, swayed miracu-
to and fro without even a wind
k it. * Bertam Tenung. ' Name
place called after a solitary (lit.
ding ') Bertam - palm, locality
Ain.

Ginting Pauh.* "Wild Mango-
divide," and Lantei Nibong are
o be near Bangik, on the Upper
Lt« not far from PVentian Rim pun.
P'rentian Rimpun ' is given as in
lu Semunyib, not far from S.
g (in Ulu Langat district), and

said to be a point on the S. Ujong
boundary.

7 * P'rentian Tinggi. * Described as on
the boundary between Rembau and S.
Ujong (?). There are, however, several
places of the name, and it is said to be
one name for the Ginting Bidei Pass
from Selangor into Pahang.

^ *Tanjong Batu Berdaun' is de-
scribed as being in Malacca territory.

• • Adek Ber-techap. * A better reading
is Nyai Techap (or Tichap), Nyai being
an old Malayan title (now obsolete) which
was applied to respectable women.
Nyai Techap was the younger sister of
the Mosquito-net Chief (To' Klambu),
the latter of whom *now lives at
Durian Chabang Tiga, beyond Rahang';
Nyai Techap herself resided near
Pantei Layang-Layang, or * Swallow
Beach ' (? = Selayan or Selayang), which
is now the residence of the To' Klana
of S. Ujong.

10 < Round coat. ' This seems to be a
Jakun nickname for the undivided coat,
i.e. a loose jacket with the opening a very
short way down the front, just enough
to admit of the garment being easily
put on and off. The * Baju blah ' or
divided jacket, on the other hand, is
one which is divided all the way down
the front. Evidently the legend here
refers to the different costumes of two
separate Malay tribes whose customs
they severally borrowed, possibly those
who followed the customs of the Te-
menggong and Perpati respectively.

The Besisi to this day wear the
divided jacket commonly worn by the
Malays of Selangor and Malacca (who

i68 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS faetiu

The songs hitherto given are more or less definite
compositions recognised by all the members of the
tribe ; ^ I will now give a specimen of what 1 believe
to have been an actual improvisation, and whidi
certainly possessed no recognisable metre : —

Song of the Monkey-hunters.

Go now forth into the forest,

Taking with you a blowpipe,

A poison-case, and seven darts.

For shooting young coconut-monkeys.

One has Iwcn shot, struck to the heart.

And has fallen to the j^round.

Cut a creeper wherewith to bind it.

Bind it on to your lack and cany it home.

On reaching home, singe off its fur.

And poke off its skin.

(Quarter it and give a portion to ever>'body,

And go craving for cooke<l meat no longer.

WX not in the ' asam kelubi ' fruits, for they are poisonous.

Put in * kulim ' leaves, turmeric, ginger,

* Kayu-kMat* leaves, and spices, and *kesom.*

Take a rice-sp<x)n and skim off into a palm-leaf.

And let every one eat together, each taking a little,

And go craving for the coconut-monkey's flesh no longer.

After eating your fill, rise and get cigarettes,

And when you have finished them, lie down and rest.

And when you have rested, sleep.

Mantra. — We are informed by Logan that the
musical instruments used by the Mantra were the
• salong,"" and the bamboo 'guitar' or * kSranting.' *

The tambourine (*rebana') and drum (*gendang*)
were, however, also employed by them, and their only

were certainly in the main a colony from interpolations and omissions, and also

the Rio-Lingga (Johor) region, whereas occasionally by alteration in the order

the N. Sembilan, Naning, and Rembau of the lines, the general tenor and

Malays came over directly from Suma- form of these songs does not appreciably

tra (Menangkabau, etc.). vary.

*Juanda' (retainers) is a Jakun per- 2 5jV=*suling* (?).

version of Mai. Beduanda, which is to ^ On this latter instrument, Mr.

this day the name given to the mixed Blagden informs me, a special tune

descendants of the Malays and the was played by the Mantra of Malacca

Jakun in the state of Rembau, the to attract their game. Similarly the

tradition being thus amply corrobor- Jew's harp (*rfngoin*) was used for

ated. imitating the note of the *chAaii*

^ Aithouch som^'vhat fnoriifi^nl by bird.

CHAP. V SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 169

resource, when troubled in mind, was to comfort them-
selves by singing.^

But by far the best and most complete account
of a Mantra festival is that given by Logan, who tells
us that, at these feasts, a large Balei having been con-
structed, and abundance of Tampoi wine^ prepared,
all the members of the tribe from the whole country
round were invited, — all the families under one par-
ticular Batin being the feast-givers. A string made
of rattan or some similar material, with knots tied in
it to indicate the number of days assigned to the
feast, was sent to each of the other Batins. Each of
these Batins then assembled all his own people, men,
women, and children, who repaired in their best
clothes to the place of the feast. If any Batin failed
to attend, he incurred a fine of twenty rupees.' The
Penglima received them at the door of his Balei or .
Hall with a cup of Tampoi wine, and took from them
their spears and other weapons. They then entered
the Balei, and danced round it thrice with their arms
akimbo, after which they sat down and partook of
betel - leaf A meal of rice, yams, and the flesh
of wild hogs, monkeys, fish, coconuts, etc., was
then served. When this banquet was over the
Tampoi wine was again brought forward, and all
partook freely of it, with the exception of children
under six or seven years of age. Dancing then com-
menced, and was kept up all night, and often to the
middle of next day, those who were exhausted lying
down to sleep in the Balei, husband and wife to-
gether. During the dance they were cheered with
the music of tambourines, drums, and flutes. The

J / /. A. vol. i. p. 330*.
* The fermented juice of the fruit of the Tampoi tree. ^ 5"iV, guare •dollars.*

I70 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS PAtim

women danced together in the centre of the Balei.
each grasping the arm of her neighbour, and the men
danced round them. One of the men sang or chanted
a stanza, generally impromptu, and one of the women
answered. The dancing consisted of a peculiar shuff-
ling and stamping of the feet, and the only noticeable
difference between that of the men and the women
was that the latter kept swaying the hips to and iiro
at every step. An abundance of sugar-canes and
plantains were hung round the Balei, and evefy one
helped himself when he chose. These feastH Were
kept up for weeks, and even for months, and, itt. fact,
only came to an end when the supply oi TampcM
wine failed. Guests came and went while it Ijiiffrf
Parties daily repaired to the forest in search of game
and fruits. During the Tampoi feast many matches
were made, and as little negotiation, and leas cere-
mony, was needed, it sometimes happened that a pair
who had no thought of marriage in the morning* found
themselves at night reposing side by side in the
chains of wedlock, while the dance and song were
kept up beside them.^

M. Borie adds, that the favourite instrument
among the Mantra women was a sort of guitar called
*kVanti,' and which, in practised hands, gave forth
sweet and varied music.- They also play the (Malay)
violin.^

But no account of the musical instruments of the
Mantra would be complete without some mention of
the ingenious * ^^olian bamboos,' already mentioned
in the account of the Besisi. On this point M.
Borie says, that the month of January was the one

^ J, L A, vol. i. pp. 260, 261. ' Misc, Ess, rei. Indo-China^ sec

2 -^^rkm (tr. Hourien), pp. 79, 80. »er. vol. i. p. 2Qd,

SAeat Coliectiom.

Model madk for me by a Besisi Chief to illustrate the Songs,

and in that respect perhaps unique, representing the pursuit of game (hornl)ills, pigeons,
monkeys, etc.), hy He>isi with the blowpipe. The man on the right is supposed to be
using the blowpipe, and the man on the left to l>e climbing a tree after a wounded bird or
monkey. (See Besisi Songs, pp. 147 et seq.)

I'd. //. /. 170

(iRorr OF .\iu»ki<;im:?> with Fiddlk.-*. Chabal'. Malacca.

The iiuui ifi the i.cntrc i«. the Malay PenRhulu of the village.

Bimnd.

(JkoIM' of AlJJjKKilNKS WITH FlPDI F.S, CHABAL*. MALACCA.

ITi' Makain (un tho left) i> il>e " ?n:nck " (///. "grandfather") of the community. Pa' Linggi.
with the gun, is a tiger hunter.

I'ol. II. p. 171.

CMAF. V SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALA CCA 1 7 1

in which the Mantra gave themselves up to the en-
JQjrment of music. At that season the wind blows
ttooiigly, and the Mantra would place on the tops of
Che highest trees in the forests long bamboos with
holes of different size between the nodes, so that the
wind passing over these holes might produce musical
sounds of various tones. The stronger the wind, and
the larger the bamboo, the louder was the music.
At other times they would make a kind of fife, with
small pipes of bamboo, which they would also place
on the tops of the trees, after the manner of a
weather-cock.^

M. Borie adds that on their days of rejoicing (after
sowing or gathering in the rice), a festival would be
given, at which, after the banquet, two men, armed
with long wooden swords, would engage in mock
fight ; advancing, retiring, thrusting, parrying, and
making the most ludicrous gestures and contortions
At other times they would simulate a hunt of
monkeys.^

Jakun of Johor. — The Jakun had some knowledge
of music. They had several songs which they had
received from their ancestors, or which they had
made themselves, entirely by the ear, for they had
not the remotest idea of any musical notation. These
songs of theirs were generally rude, and agreed
perfectly with the austere aspect of their habitations ;
they might even, too, be heard singing in a melan-
choly tone during the night. But these songs, though
rude, were not altogether disagreeable to European
ears, if the latter were not too delicate. It was
surprising to find that though they were entirely

* Borie (Ir. Bourien), pp. 79, 80; cp. Misc. Ess, rei. Indo-Ckina, sec. ser.
vol. I pp. 293-294. * IHd.

172 MUSIC, SONGS, AND FEASTS paethi

ignorant of European music, which they had never
heard, yet, in a great many of their songs, they
proceeded by thirds and fifths, assuredly without
being aware of it, but guided only by the ear; a
fact which confirms the opinion of those European
musicians who hold that the third, the fifth, and the
octave are found in nature itself. Some authors speak
of a kind of violin, and of a rude flute used by the
Jakun, who also use two kinds of drum resembling
those of the Peninsular Malays.^

Orang Laut or Sea-Jakun.

0. Laut Aklk. — The only remark that I have met
with in reference to the music of the Sea-Jakun is
that of Newbold, who states that the Orang Laut (of
the * Akik ' tribe) were passionately fond of music,
especially that of the violin.-

' y. /. A, vol. ii. p. 251. love of and aptitude for music than the

- Newbold, he, (it, ii. 413, 414. Malays, and that the tunes they phy

On the above passage Mr. Blagden are more pleasing to the Eun^ieuieir

writes me that, '* speaking generally/* than most oriental music Their tunes

he thinks *^the Jakun tribes, and would be worth collecting and stndjr-

particularly the Mantra, have a greater ing.'*

CHAPTER VI.

Natural Religion and Folk-lore.

The question of the religious beliefs of these races,
subjected as they have been to such a fire of cross-
influences, is surrounded by so many difficulties, that
I may perhaps be excused for stating these first
before setting down my own conclusions. At present
the information that we possess on this most intricate
of questions is not only very partial and incomplete,
but also, in some cases, self-contradictory.

Many discrepancies must, I fear, in the first
instance be attributed to ignorance of the value of the
scientific terminology which has in recent years grown
up around the subject of religion, using that word
in its widest sense. Ignorance of this kind often
prevents the ordinary untrained observer from re-
cognising as a God anything that does not exactly
correspond to the monotheistic conceptions of Chris-
tianity. On the other hand, a no less serious
difficulty is created by those who (generally, I am
sure, in all good faith) read into their observations
the religious ideas by which they are most in-
terested, or who rely upon informants who are simply
saying what they think will please. The most
remarkable instance of this kind is that of M. Borie
(a French Roman Catholic missionary at Malacca),
who stated of the Mantra, that *' their religious books,

173

1 74 ^A TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE pait in

which had long since been lost, appeared to have been
in all particulars according to the religion of Raja
Brahil (still called by the Malays ' Nabi Isa,' or
* Tuan Isa,* the Lord Jesus)." Raja Brahil, however,
which is a corruption of ** Raja J6brail," is in reality
the Archangel Gabriel (who is sometimes regarded
as the special protector of these tribes), the phrase
being borrowed directly from the Malays, and in-
directly from Arabic sources. It is also impossible
to believe, from what we know of them now, that the
Mantra (in spite of M. Borie's ingenious supposition)
ever had any religious books, or that they even knew
the use of the alphabet, whilst the idea of pronoundi^
them to be a broken sect of Christians is nothii^
short of absurd.* An additional difficulty lies in the
extraordinary shyness and timidity common to all
the Peninsula races, which in many cases is scarcely
surpassed by anything of which we read among savage
tribes in other parts of the world.

It is therefore hard to devise any analysis that will
show at a glance the state of the case, but I believe
when all the evidence is weighed and the errors
eliminated, it will be found that generally speaking —

{a) The Semang religion, in spite of its recognition
of a '* Thunder-god" (Kari) and certain minor "deities,"
has very little indeed in the way of ceremonial, and
appears to consist mainly of mythology and legends.
It shows remarkably few traces of demon-worship,

' See Vanhille on " Radja BOrail," Borneo, and corruptions of words of

(/W. 6V</.», 1902), and compare the Sanskrit origin are also occasionally

Arabic ** Finnan '" (" Decree of (lod "), found in the Peninsula, e,g, the Jakun

which (say i.he Malays) takes the "Jewa-jewa" (= Malay "Dcwa-

form of ** I'irman" or *'Pirmal" among dewa"), which is used in the sense

some of these tribes, and the obvious of a minor deity. The tradition of a

"Allah Ta'ala'," mentioned by Mr. lost book is an idea common among

Ml.imy. Similar corruptions of the the tribes of Indo-China ; cp. vol. l

.ml". f***^riitn««*s r\^ aiIji>i orc'ir in pp. 378, 39 1, 5.'^, and infra^ 347.

4eHAP. VI GENERAL REMARKS 175

Tery little fear of ghosts of the deceased, and still less
of any sort of animistic beliefs.

(^) The Sakai religion, whilst admitting a great
quasi -deity, who is known under various names,
yet appears to consist almost entirely of demon-
worship ; this takes the form of the Shamanism so
widely spread in south-east Asia, the Shaman or
Medicine-man (** hala ") being the acknowledged link
between man and the world of spirits. In the words
of Mr. Hale, it is a form of ** demon-worship in which
demons (Hantu) are prayed to, but not God (Allah)."

(c) The religion of the Jakun is the pagan or pre-
Mohammedan (Shamanistic) creed of the Peninsular
Malays, with the popular part of whose religion (as
distinct from its Mohammedan element) it has much
in common. It shows no trace of the tendency to
personify abstract ideas found among the Semang,
and its deities (if they can be so called) are either
quite otiose or a glorified sort of tribal ancestors,
round whom miraculous stories have collected. The
few elements that it has in common with the Semang
religion are no doubt due to cultural contact.

Of this pagan creed J. R. Logan has remarked that
there can be little doubt that the Benua have derived
their theistic ideas from a Hindu or Islamised race.
The basis of their religion and religious practices is
Poyangism, in itself a species of milder Shamanism,
and this they have united in a very remarkable manner
to a mixture of theism and demonism ; the one either
of Hindu origin, as is most probable, or borrowed from
the Arabs through some partially converted tribe of
Malays ; and the other having a considerable resem-
blance to the primitive allied religions of the Dayaks
of Borneo on the one side, and the Bataks of Sumatra

1/6 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE pait iu

on the other. The mode in which the three systems
have been united so as to be amalgamated into a
consistent whole is deserving of consideratioa
Poyangism remains almost unimpared, or rather the
Poyang, while assuming the character of priest, and to
a certain extent abandoning that of wizard, retains in
effect his old position. He still commands the
demons by incantations and supplications, and their
power rather than his own has been subordinated to
the deity. At the same time this idea of an ultimate
and supreme creator has not greatly altered their
conceptions of the demons. Originally, impersona-
tions of the vital and destructive forces of nature — or
the recognition in nature, through the first union of
reason and imagination in faith of a spiritual power
which animates, destroys, survives, and perpetually
renews the visible forms and forces of the world, — their
presence was still allowed to fill the sensible ; and
nature herself both material and spiritual was
subjected to God. That extramundane theism which
pervades many higher religions, adapted to the ancient
belief, left the demons in the possession of the world,
and if it rendered their power derivative instead of
self-subsisting, it also entirely excluded men from the
presence of the deity. While by his supreme power
and omniscience he could control all things, he
remained to them a God afar off.^

Similarly amongst the Berembun tribes we
recognise a pure Shamanism, with its accompanying
charms and talismans; a living faith fresh from the
ancient days of eastern and middle Asia — preserving

* /. /. A. vol. i. p. 2S0. As re- in his Introduction and notes to the

f^ards the Indian element, Vaughan- MateriaUn^ points out aU the &cts

Stevens' editor, Griinwedel (one of the which appear to him to indicate Bod-

Tr^nf-ct^ ii«inq«nt**op*'«»<on Bu'^dhieni^- dhist iufluence.

€aiAF. VI GENERAL REMARKS 177

its pristine vigour and simplicity even in the present
century, — untouched by the Buddhistic deluge which
lias passed over the vast regions of south-eastern
Asia, and has sent so many waves to different parts of
the Archipelago, and resisting the pressure of the
Islamism which surrounds it/

The Poyang and Pawang of the various Jakun
tribes, the Blians of the Dayaks, and the Dato' and
the Si Basso of the Bataks, are one and all the
Shaman, the Priest-medicineman, in different shapes.^

Analysis of Chief Deities of the Three Races.

The most important points in the description of
the character of the chief god of each of the three
races may be stated as follows : —

I. KARl/

(1) He is of supernatural size and has fiery breath, but is now invisible (?).*

(2) He is not described as immortal, though a belief of this kind may perhaps

be inferred from the fact of his having existed continuously from before
the creation.
(S) He created everything except the earth and mankind, and when Pie had
created the latter Kan gave them souls.*

(4) If not omniscient, he at least knows whenever men do wrong, and his will

is omnipotent.

(5) He is angered by the commission of certain acts, but sometimes shows

pity and pleads with Pie on man's behalf when the latter (their actual
creator) is angry. •

* The following remarks by Logan of the Mantra is the primitive heathen-
apply to the Jakuns in general: — **Here ism of Asia, which, spreading far to
I only remark, with reference to the the east and west, was associated with
incantations, charms, and other super- the religions of the eldest civilised
ititioDS of the Mantra, that the greater nations, for it flourished in ancient
part appear to be essentially native Egypt, before the Hebrews were a
[the Arabic portions having been added f>eople, in Greece and Rome, and bids
or substituted by Malays] — that is, they fair to outlast Hinduism in many parts
have not borrowed from the Hindus or of India " (Logan iny^ /. A. vol. i. pp.
Arabs, but have assumed their peculiar 329*, SSO*, and cp. ibid, pp. 279-282).
form from the state in which the tribe ' J. /. A, vol. i. pp. 282, 283.
has existed on the Peninsula from time ' Another form is *• Karc " (•• Thun-
immemorial, while, in substance, they der"), but V. -Stevens has "Kayee'*
have been transmitted directly from the ( = ** Kayi ").

common source to which a large * Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 132, 133.

part of the inhabited world must refer ^ Ibid. 1 1 7.

its earliest superstitions. The religion * Vol. i. p. 421, supra,

VOL. II N

1 78 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pait ni

(6) He is the supreme judge of souls, and as be is the giver of life, bai bo»

ever also to destroy iL When he is angry he slays men fay mem at
lightning direct,^ or by means of a beast called TfojiiL

(7) This, however, appears to be of very rare oocurreDoe^ as he osoally kna

the killing to be done by his messengers.*
<8) He requires at intervals the sacrifice of blood,' but does noc, howctci,

make any use of it. For the offering of this sacrifice a form of addita ii

prescribed, though this is the only direct example of any sort of pnjcr

being addressed to him.
(9) His ser\*ants are Scntiu and Chini* (which /orr Vangfaan-SteveDS naj

possibly =Chin-oi), "Ta* P6nn"and "Minang."*

To sum up, Kari possesses many attributes
usually ascribed to a deity, but since he lacks (with
one doubtful exception) an actual cult, it would
perhaps be best to regard him as a mythological
person, analogous to the patron saints of Europe.

Of Pie much less is known than of Kari. Pie
was, however, the creator of the earth (under Kari's
direction), as well as the first actual creator of the
human race (as represented by the Semang), on whose
behalf he pleads with Kari when the latter is angry.
Unlike Kari, Pie has no acknowledged form of cult
whatever, unless perhaps we may recognise in the
story of the woman who when a tree was falling upon
her shrieked to Pie to save her, some faint re-
miniscence of a cult that has long ceased to exist
In addition to the foregoing there are several other
great spirits of whom the chief are Ts' P5nn and
Minang.

II. — TUHAN.

An analysis of the character of the Sakai "God"
under his various names (Tuhan, Pirman, or Feng),*
shows that he occupies very much the same place in

1 Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 117. '*God" of the Andamancse (Ifsn^

* Vol. i. p. 421 supra. Ami, p. 89 seq.),
' Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 107-109. •"Peng" — sic Vanghan • Stetcn.

\ Ihid, pp. 132, 133. It may be doubted whether the tint

^ For this whole description cp. two names at least are not rather of

Mor». <i-.c/»-pH/.n ^f Puluga the Maky or Malayo-Arabic origiii.

VI GENERAL REMARKS 179

lie Sakai cosmogony as is occupied by Kari and
Pie in that of the Semang.

<1) He is of supernatural size and invisible (?).

C2) He is immortal (?).

IS) He is not definitely mentioned as the creator, but presides over the
existing universe, having the power of life and death over the human
race and the spiritual world alike ; ' he appears as the champion of man
against both demons and wild beasts.^

(4) No statement is made as to his omniscience, except that he invariably

knows when man does wrong.

(5) He is angered at the commission of certain acts (** the Sakai think they

must have done wrong before he lets the demons attack them "), but
may also show mercy.*

(6) He is the supreme and final judge of souls (Granny Long-breasts applying

the preliminary test by washing the souls in hot water). ^ He alone
has power either to grant life or refuse it both to man and demon.

(7) His punishments are inflicted by means of his agents, the demons.' Man

is described as appealing to Tuhan for help in difficulties.

HI. — TUHAN DI-BAWAH.*

The more advanced in civilisation the tribes with
whom we have to deal, and the closer their connection
in particular with the Malays, the harder becomes the
task of eliciting from them any definite statements
with regard to their own belief in a deity. For by
£aur the most part of the Jakun tribes when questioned
upon this subject are accustomed to reply that there is
a God whose name they give as ** Tuhan " or ** Tuhan
Allah/* the God of their Mohammedan neighbours
the Malays. Among the Mantra, however, and
doubtless among other Jakun tribes, if the matter were
more thoroughly investigated, there does undoubtedly
exist a belief, shadowy though it be, in a deity, and
this independently of Arabic sources. There are in
£^t, as among the Semang, traces of a dualistic
system, wherein two great mythological powers are

> Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 131. This precludes the drawing of a hard-and-

iccoant and the name **Gendui Lanjut " fast line between the races in his case,
ire Ma]ayan(Jakun)in character, but the ^ /^^f. p. 163.

general lack of precision and the mixed ^ /bid, pp. 130, 131. * Ibid,

tatore of Vaughan- Stevens' material, ^ Ibid. p. 131.

vhich in more than one case is admitted, ^ I,e. ** Lord of the Lower World."

i8o NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pak m

recognised, a Lord of the Upper and a Lord of the
Lower World. It is the latter to whom the creatioa
of the earth is attributed, and who intervenes to
protect mankind from the starvation consequent upon
their own over- rapid increase, a result which he
eventually achieves by the creation of Death.

Summary.

To sum up, it is evident that the deities recognised
by these three races do not by any means adequately
fulfil the common definitions of deity ; for to take the
test of ** worship " alone, the only one of the three
religions apparently possessing anything approaching
a form of prayer addressed to a deity is the Semang,
and even this only happens in a single instance (that of
the Thunder-charm addressed to Kari). There is a
tradition, but no proof, of an appeal to Tuhan on the
part of the Sakai, but of prayers addressed either to
Allah or Tuhan Di-bawah on the part of the Jakun
there is hardly even the tradition. Yet there does not
appear to be any reasonable doubt that three of these
great spirits (at least Kari and Pie and possibly Tuhan
Di-bawah) may, in consideration of the wideness of the
gulf that separates them from the lesser spirits and
demons (who are always dependent on and are in one
case at least actually described as being creaied by
them), be dignified (otiose though they are) by the
higher title of Gods. But taking into account the
effect of cultural influences, the most probable ex-
planation of the present state of things may perhaps
lie in the fact that the pressure of alien religions
<<^roduced by more strenuous races has driven the old
o.^^,hpn religinn into the bp'^kground, and that where

fci.

•. VI GENERAL REMARKS i8i

has partially at least stood its ground, it has been

neutralised and then welded into one with the

wading elements of Hinduism and Islam. There

no doubt been other contributory causes ; there

\^ may even have been a general tendency, as amongst

many other races, to increase indefinitely the number

; of spirits who might be invoked, in the hope of obtain-

Z^ ing more powerful succour, but in the medley of races

that have gone to fill the Malay Peninsula, the former

cause has probably been the more important.

Analysis of Chief Spirits and Demons.

We now come to the question of demonology,
» in which the souls or ghosts of the deceased still play
a considerable part, since both the Sakai and Jakun
are in the habit of deserting their encampments, and
even in some cases their standing crops, upon the
occurrence of a death from any violent sickness, so
great is their terror lest the ghosts of the deceased
should prey upon their own living bodies.

In this respect there is a wide gulf between the
religion of these two races and that of the Semang.
Among the latter demonology takes such a very mild
form that it might be practically non-existent for all
the effect that it has upon their movements. Vaughan-
Stevens indeed declares in more than one passage,
that the Semang do not believe in spirits at all, and
though such a statement goes beyond the truth, it
may at all events be safely said that the Semang very
rarely allow themselves to be terrified by them.

In the following table an attempt is made to
classify the spirits and demons of all three races
according to their nature and origin : —

l83

NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLKLORE m

OHiUiatkti.

ScniiAi,^-

SakaL

Jik-

I. Nftture-ipiriti—

{m\ ACfnosphere^

, Kari uid Pie mud

Raia-splrits [V..5L

B«.-r» s

aptrits—

their ierTmiits[V.-

iL 135],

iheThoaai

{OSkr-spiriU.

; StJ.

(MiLi pv^s

ji) Wind-spihts.

jTa' P<ion(W.S4

Jin Angin or Wind-

Bm-Jm Ai

I>einon

WiiKl^deie

{Hale, loDV

[W.S.^

(3>Sim-ipirit (/#>),

Jin Miiktok [Swell].

Heat^apiriU iiiid.^

(rf) Eartli^spirits^

(0 ^pmti of the

Yi'TakcUCW.S],

(notjipedfied)

Btt&-Jiii Si

*>iL

[Hale, joo; V.-St.

Che Garatiit

li. ml

(MsL)[Wi

(3) Spirits of hilli

(kind not »pcdfied)

Lake-spiriti [V.-St.

suid mouti-

[Swett].

ihd,\

tftiiu.

O^Sptriti of the

■ r>

I. H, Sibuni [V.-

I, B«.-H.

jw»inp&.

St, ii. 135]-

theDcaoa

(MaL)r%;i

a. H. Tinggi [V.-

1. Bm-H.

St, ii. 135].

iheTillft
[VV.S4

3. H. Batman [V.-

3. Bt^-^Or

St, ii, ijsl.'

[W.S,J,il3

witlishrii»e
places [W.

(4) Spirits of the

(not specified)

Slone-fpirits[V..St.

forwt.

(Swett].

Uidl

(SJTreu-spirils.

DiBose-spiriti em-

''Eaeh tree has its

I. B»-a

bodied in trees.

special variety of

the Eaglet

[\V,S.].

demon (Hmntu)"

aiai.KW
1. Bw,-H

[\' .St. ii. 135].

Ihe CafDi

(NUL)[\V

3. B8i.-H

Ihe Gut

[6 J Croi>-spiriti,

H. Juliiig or Ihe
Squitttiag Demon
(MahJ [V.-St

(notrw

(7) Fire-ipirils.

h% shown by alleged

Sec Heat - spirits.

(not rei

fiie-tabo^

j«/ra.

[W,S4 cp. Swett].

(S) Water-spiriti.

(not specified) '

(not specified J

Bm. — H.

[SivettJ.

[Hale, 300I*

••RiTcrD

[W.S4

* 5fV ? Bunyan. It may be questioned whether these spirits of \
Stevens are not rather Malayan, as their names appear to show. On tl
hand, in several cases they agree with those recorded by Hale, who \

GENERAL REMARKS

183

».

Scmang.

Sakai

Jakun.

a„

QOQS.

(not recorded.)

...

I. Bes.— Jin Kuwak
(harmless) [W.S.].

2. Jin Mati-Anak.

2. Bes.— JinMatiAnak,

[V..St. ii. 145].

or the Still-birth Demon

(MaL) (deadly) pV.S.].

3. Bes. — H. Langhwe

(Mal.)(deadly)[W.S.].

;ofiin-

(not recorded.)

I. Gambling-demon

(not recorded.)

(ofthe

[Hale. 301].

tc)

2. Opium -demon
[Hale, 301].

3.Quarrelling-demon
[Hale, 30x1.

4. H.Kubur[V..St.

4. Bes.— H. Kubur, or

132].

the Tombs • Demon
(Mai.) [W.S4

IS of

(not recorded.)

I. (of fatigue) H.

X. (?)

Si and

Jemoi [V.-St. 135].

tifort

2. (of headache)

2. Bes. — H. Kembang

[Hale, 301].

Buah (Mai.) [W.S.].

3. (ofstomach-ache)

3. Bes. —Jin Grouk

[Hale, 301].

(Mai.) [W.S.].

4. (of mosquitoes)

[Hale, 301].

5. (of fever, elephan-

tiasis, ulcers, and

rheumatism)

[V.St. 1351.

of the

Pang. — Ghosts of

I. Hantu Degup

the dead become

[V.-St 132].

Storm- or Water-

! 2. " Lost souls ex-

2. Bes.— Hantu Kemuk

spirits [W.S.].

1 i>elled by G.

1 Lanyut work upon

1 the living through
the agency of rain,
heat, in moun-

' tains and lakes,

rocks and trees "

[V.-St. ii. 135].

(Mai.) [W.S.].

Myths.

Creation of Man,

\ some cases the Semang and Jakun legends
ig on the creation of man show a common
:ss, which is probably mainly due to the same
ige-Malay" element, of which there are such
lant traces in the dialects of both races. Among

i84 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE fait m

both races, for instance, we find the idea that man at
first multiplied so fast as to make the earth too
crowded. Kari the Thunder-god (in the Semang
story) slays them with his fiery breath, and thus
reduces the number of mouths to be fed. In the
Jakun legend, on the other hand, Tuhan Di-bawah,
the Lord of the Underworld, turns half of them into
trees for the same purpose. In both stories this ched
to the population proves insufificient, and Death is
accordingly instituted by way of relief. By both races
the same proverb is worked into the argument, viz.,
that it is better for the parents of each generation to die
** like the Banana-tree,'* leaving their children behind
them, than to have them increasing continually like
the stars of the sky for multitude, as they are supposed
to have done before the institution of Death.

This particular creation -legend is one of great
interest, as it may possibly contain certain elements
of real Semang mythology disseminated among the
Jakun of Johor by the Semang tribes now largely
absorbed by the Jakun in the south of the Peninsula.
It is at all events interesting to note that, as far as
the evidence of our records goes, the Semang are in
the habit of personifying abstract ideas, such as Death,
Hunger, Disease, and so forth, but that the pure-bred
Jakuns (i,e, Malayans) are not. The racial factor in
the two types of legend is in fact so different, that if
only a sufficiently large number of both kinds could
be collected, I am confident they could as a rule
be separated without much difficulty.

A few legends will of course always be difficult to
classify, and amongst these may perhaps be included
the Jakun story that the mother of the first pair of
rnpn ^M^rt^ne ^nd Bfilo) was called " Clod of Earth"

CHAF. VI GENERAL REMARKS 185

(" Tanah Sa-k6pal "), and their father *' Drop of Water"
(•* Ayer S&-titek "), of which all that we can say is that it
teems to have originated in some story to the effect
that the first parents of the human race were formed
fix>m clay.

Ostensibly Semang, on the other hand, is the
I^end that Kari created everything but man, whose
creation he desired Pie to effect, and that when Pie had
done so, Kari himself gave them souls. The Semang
story of the dialogue between the baboon and the first
parents of the human race may quite possibly be
distantly connected with the widely prevalent Jakun
l^end ascribing the origin of mankind to a pair of
white apes.

Another interesting legend on the same subject
was the Land- Jakun (Mantra) myth that in the early
days of the world man did not die, but grew thin with
the waning of the moon, and waxed fat as she neared
the fuU.^

In yet other Jakun stories, which however are
probably, in the main at least, of Malayan origin,
the founder of the race is described as a person who
•* fell from heaven," or who was discovered in some
miraculous way, e.g, in the interior of the stem of a
giant bamboo.

Before quitting this subject, I may perhaps mention
the Jakun references to miraculous forms of birth, such
as the Mantra tradition of a certain race of Demons
(" Setan ") whose children instead of being born in the
ordinary way, were ** pulled out of the pit of the
stomach." Akin to this was the Jakun legend of the
first woman ** whose children were produced out of
the calves of her legs."

* y. A'. A, S, No. 10, p. 190.

1 86 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE fait m

World-CcUaclysms.

The same remarkable parallelism that we found in
their legends of the creation appears in other Semai^
and Jakun traditions of floods, which thoi^h at first
sight might be thought to be Deluge-legends, may be
more correctly classed as myths of the " origin of the
sea " type. According to the Semang legend of the
Rainbow, a great dragon or snake in ancient times
broke up the skin of the earth, so that the world was
overwhelmed with water. According to the Mantra
it was a giant turtle that brought the water up from
below through a hole in the ground, from among the
roots of a ** pulai " tree, thus causing a flood whid
developed afterwards into the ocean.^ A Benin
account, which is the fullest of the three, refers besides
to a kind of vessel in which the first parents of the
race are alleged to have effected their escape frcmi
drowning. According to the traditions of both
Semang and Benua, moreover, it is the mountains
that give fixity to the earth's skin.

It is perhaps worth remarking that the various
allusions to the destruction caused by fire seem to point
to the former prevalence of some myth of an universal
conflagration from which the ancestors of mankind
escaped with difficulty, and which was more or less
analogous to the tradition of the flood.-

Natural P/ienoniena.
The firmament or sky, in the opinion of the
Semang and the Jakun, is built in three tiers, the two

1 For the Mantra version see p. 339, Moon - Man s nooses and impending

infra. The Benua version (p. 356) fall of the sky-pot of the Mantra (3 I9i

ascribes the breaking up of the skin of infra), the hatching of the stone egp

the earth, and the consequent deluge of the Sakai World-eagle (237, it^\

which ensued, to Pirman, i.e. Tuhan. and perhajis the Man v. Demon bittle

' ^' Vact.r)«" b-U'^'s «e have the of the Tembch (App.)-

CHAP. Ti GENERAL REMARKS 187

Upper tiers, which are regarded as the Paradise of the
blest, being filled with wild fruit-trees, whilst the third
or lowest tier contains the low and brooding clouds ^
that bring sickness to mankind.

All three races have versions of the widely-spread
tradition of the Paradise-bridge, which leads across a
boiling lake into which the souls of the wicked are
precipitated.*

The entrances of heaven and hell (according to the
Semang legends) are close together in the west, and a
third place (a species of Hyperborean region) which is
also found in them, is described in the traditions of
some Jakun tribes as well. There are separate hells
for various races of mankind, and yet others for
animals and snakes.

As might be expected, a good deal of the mythology
of these tribes is taken up with the traditions of the
heavenly bodies, all of which are alike personified,
many of the stories dealing with the marriages or
conflicts of the sun and moon, and the chequered
fortunes of their children the stars.

In one of the Mantra stories the sun is described
as not having been created till after one of the floods
to which I have referred.

The moon is by some of these tribes {e.g, the
Besisi) identified with the Island of Fruit (the Jungle
Paradise),* which, if we take the evidence of one of
the songs of the same tribe, is preceded by a ** Garden

* ''Kelonsong Awan"(p. 207,/;//ra). Sakai. Among the Besisi he is called

* A form of this Bridge-myth is found "Gaffer Engkoh" or Jongkoh. Its
among the Andamanese, who describe guardians take different shapes accord -
it as a bridge of invisible cane through ing to the imagination of each particular
the sky (sec Man*» And. p. 94). tribe — a baboon, or demon, among the

' The chief of the Heaven of Semang, a dog among the Jakun, etc.

Fruit-trees is called Penghulu by the The choicest heaven is reserved not

Seouuig, but this clearly corresponds for the good, but for the old and

to the Granny Long -breasts of the wise.

i88 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE Fmm

of Flowers." It is the moon, again, into which Gaffer
Engkoh is said to have climbed, and which in several
traditions is described as the habitation of the Jakun
** Man in the Moon " (" Nenek Kabayan ").

Fire,

The Sakai regard Fire as a mystical emanation
from the power of Tuhan, which owing to its divine
origin is the destroyer of evil. The Sakai point of
view is best expressed by their tradition of the wash*
ing of the wicked souls ^ in boiling water. They
have learnt that whilst Fire annihilates, Water softens
and purifies, and hold therefore that Tuhan showed
mercy in mitigating with Water the effect of the Fire,
which would have destroyed the soul itself in destroying
its sin-spots. As things are, however, the Fire only
destroys the collective wickedness of the souls washed
in the copper, which latter resembles, according to the
Sakai, **a red-hot cauldron, in which a remnant (rf
Upas-poison is burning away." ^

Animal Myths and Beliefs.

Of the tiger's origin we have no account from
the Semang side, though several different stories
are told by the Jakun of the way in which it was
metamorphosed out of various inferior animals. The
most usual version of the story appears to be the
Jakun one, which derives the tigers origin from a
dog belonging to a chief (the dog being, as a rule, the
only animal domesticated by the Jakun).

So too Hervey in his Mantra Traditions relates

^ According to the Besisi it is only (''sumbang**) that are thug treated.
.1^ •r-'Ax -»i" tK/^e* ^\^r 'v^m«nit {^'•••t * Vaoghan-Ster^ns, iii. 130.

CHAF, VI GENERAL REMARKS 189

that B£ld (one of the first ancestors of mankind) kept
a dog at his house; from this dog came the tiger
that devours mankind (the "Smooth-skinned" race)
as contrasted with animals (the " Furred " or " Rough-
skinned ').'

To the wild bull (S^Iadang) there is a solitary
reference in the collection of Mantra traditions which
we owe to Hervey. The same remark applies to
the mouse-deer (Kanchil), who was promised by To'
Entah (as its reward for rescuing him from the giant
turtle), the leaves of the sweet-potato (K'ledek). The
tapir and the manis are referred to in the Semang
l^ends, the crocodile in the Blandas account of the
origin of the tiger, and many other animals in the
Besisi songs.

We find among the Jakun a curious pre- Darwinian
version of the evolution of man from the ape, the
ape selected for this distinction being the Hylobates
syndactylus, which, as a matter of fact, is really nearer to
man than Macacus or even than the ** Orang-outang."

Borie ^ informs us that he had several times been
" quite seriously " assured by the Mantra that they
were all descended from two white apes (** ungka
putih "). These white apes, having reared their young
ones, sent them out into the plains, and there they
"perfected" themselves so well that both they and
their descendants became men ; whilst others, on the
contrary, who returned to the mountains, still re-
mained apes.'

^ A grosser fable ascribing the origin among the Benuasappears to be regarded

of the tiger to the frog and Baginda ... as a sacred colour. The former

All is also given by Hervey (y.^. /1. 5"., have their white siamang, their white

S.B,^ No. 3, 110-112). » Page 73. alligator, and their white ungka " (New-

' An identical story is given by bold, ii. 395, 396). Cp. also the

Newbold, who relates that their chil- Semang story of the baboon and the

dren were four in number. *' White first parents of mankind.

I90 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE fait in

The white siamang or " ungka " is, moreover, one
of the embodiments in which the soul of a deceased
chieftain is believed by the Sakai to take refuge.

The Macacus or baboon is also referred to ia
Semang traditions. There is, for instance, the baboon
who acted as adviser to the first parents of mankind,
as well as the gigantic baboon which by some Negrito
tribes is believed to guard the Paradise-bridge, and
which according to another Semang account was "as
big as a hill " and prevented unauthorised souls from
entering Paradise to steal the fruit.

Of the smaller animals may be mentioned the dog
(a reddish -furred wild dog, Canis rutilans), which is
not only believed by the Jakun to have been the
prototype of the tiger, but is also among some Jakun
tribes {e,g. the Besisi of Selangor) believed to guard
the bridge that leads to Paradise.

The big old ** monitor" or "lace" lizard, which
is called ** Bagenn " by the Semang, is credited by them
with being the originator of a proverb which among
the Jakun is assigned to Bfilo, one of the first
progenitors of the human race. Moreover, according
to a Jakun tradition (given by Borie) it was on the
skin of a monitor that their (mythical) sacred books
were said to have been written. One of the small
grass-lizards or skinks (as we are told by Hervey in
his collection of Mantra traditions), is connected with
the returning to life of this same B6lo, the reptile
being mutilated by Mirtang, B€lo s brother.*

Of the squirrel (** tupai ") there does not seem to be
any special tradition, though tufts of squirrel tails

1 This may be a Malay idea, or be connected with the sou] (e.^. of a

held by the Jakun in common with deceased medidne-man or magician),

he Malavs. It evidently refers to Cp. Malay Magic^ p. 325 ; and see

K« '\^V\^ Hat th^ iJt.«»h is somehow also Birth-customs, p. 26, amie.

lAF. VI GENERAL REMARKS 191

re worn on necklaces, probably for reasons of
lagic.

To the flying-fox there are also one or two refer-
nces. It is when roasted a favourite dish of the
akai, and it forms the subject of one of the tribal
ai^s of the Besisi. The bone of a flying-fox was
Iso included in a list of royal insignia belonging to
ic hereditary Chief of Jfilfibu, who was said to be
escended in part from Jakun ancestors.

There is no trace of totemism among the Semang.^

Transformation.

The power of self- transformation (into the tiger)
[aimed by a few of the more accomplished medicine-
len, as in many other parts of the world, is probably
ot to be connected with the transmigration theory,
Thereby it is held that the soul of a dead chief may
nter a tiger. The B'lian is the tiger in the Peninsula
s in Africa the hyena is the wizard. There does
ot appear to be any trace of such a belief among
he Andamanese, but as it is almost universal among
he other tribes of the same region, I am inclined
o ascribe this merely to the absence of tigers from
he Andaman Islands. On the other hand, it is a
act worth noting that a small ** tiger's-claw knife,"
ailed ** bladau," such as is used by the ** leopard-men "
>f Africa, is still in use both among the Sumatran
md the Peninsular Malays, and it may possibly be that
hese wild (Peninsular) tribes first **made believe" to be
igers with the object of impressing their more civilised
leighbours with all the fear they could, an object in
^hich they obtained a considerable measure of success.

* See p. 260, infra.

192 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE fait hi

Birds.

But the most interesting of all the Semang myths
are those representing various birds as vehicles for
the introduction of the soul into the new-born child, a
full account of which will be found under Birth-
customs. The Argus -pheasant, on the other hand,
is connected by the Sakai with lunacy,* the ground-
dove appears in one of the Semang creation-myths,
and finally there is the white cock into which the
soul of a deceased ancestor is believed by the Jakun
to have migrated. But taking all references to birds
into consideration, it is certainly remarkable that so
little in the nature of divination by birds or augury
has yet been recorded of any tribes whatever in the
Malay Peninsula.

Legends and Ideas about Plants and Trees.

Among the Semang plant-legends is that of the
flowers that were planted by Pie to serve as models
for the designs of Disease patterns. Another is that
of the epiphyte, upon which the Diseases were laid by
the Winds who were carrying them. Yet another is
the Semang legend of the origin of the blowpipe
patterns explaining why some trees have smooth
and others prickly fruits, and why some fruits are
sweet and some are acid. To these may be added
the Mantra tradition of the period when one-half of
mankind were turned into trees by Tuhan Di-bawah,
and the Semang "birth-tree" and "name-tree," for
which see ** Birth-customs.*'

In the legends of the Jakun we are told that the

> Z,f,E, xxvi. 169.

CHAP. VI GENERAL REMARKS 193

ark was made of " pulai " wood. This is a very light
wood obtained from the roots of a species of Alstonia,
iriiich forms the native substitute for cork in these
fi^ons, and is used by the Malays for the floats of
dieir fishing-nets.

It is upon a ** pulai " tree, moreover, that the
F Birth -demons called ** Lang-hue" are supposed by
the Blandas to sit at night.

The proverb about the banana- tree ("pisang")
should be referred to here.^ It is found both among
the Semang and the Jakun.

The Semang practice of wearing leaves and screw-
pine blossom upon the head as a safeguard against
felling trees is explained by an appropriate myth.

In the legends of Kari we are told* that the
Semang soon got numerous by living on fruits.

Of Pie it is related that he ate fruit and threw
away the seeds, which grew up into trees and bore
fruit in the course of a single night, and this is not the
only story connecting the name of Pie with fruit.
Elsewhere, for instance, he is associated with the
account in which the origin of certain red and white
jungle fruit is described.

The ** kgnudai " fruit is connected in the traditions
of the Blandas with the origin both of the tiger and the
crocodile.

The large, prickly, uneatable fruit with which
the giant baboon pelts the would-be invaders of the
Land of Fruit - trees, is a kind of ** false " {i,e.
•* valueless ") durian called **durian aji."

Other ideas about plants which may here be
mentioned are the belief that the breast-painting (of
a Sakai man) represents a sort of Polypodium, the

* See p. 184, ante, ^ Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 132.

VOL. II O

194 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE paet m

sporangia of which were bruised in water and squirted
over the happy pair on the occasion of the wedding
ceremony; and also that the patterns of the £lc^
painting represented another fern, with the juice of
which the Sakai youths were sprinkled at adolescence.

riie Soul}

The Eastern Semang (Pangan) of Kelantan in-
formed me that each man possessed a soul which was
shaped like himself, but that it was " red like blood"*
and ** no bigger than a grain of maize." It was passed
on by the mother to the child, but in what way they
could not explain.

The Eastern Semang further informed me that
the soul of a B*lian (priest, chief, and magician) entered
after death into the body of some wild animal, sudi
as an elephant, tiger, or rhinoceros. In this embodi-
ment it remained until the beast died, when it was
admitted into the Upper Heaven (of Fruits).

The souls of ordinary people were variously repre-
sented as being compelled to cross the boiling lake by
means of a tree-bridge (from which the wicked slip off
into the lake below them), and as being sent to a
different and a far less inviting Paradise.'

But the most novel soul-theory ascribed to the
Semang is that recorded by Vaughan-Stevens, who
states that according to the Semang belief all human
souls grew upon a soul-tree in the other world, whence
they were fetched by a bird, which was killed and eaten

* Not the soul as understood by is the Malay '*semangat."
modern Christians, but the soul of * Cp. Man's And. p. 94 : " The

magical (pre - Christian and extra- colour of the soul is said to be red.

Christian) ideas, which may be seen in ... and though invbible, it partakes

old English woodcuts escaping in the of the form of the person to whom it

forp^ '»f a mannikin from between the belongs.'*
.«/< ...^ 5V,o.iM«rr «f •kg '^v^g. It 5 Man's And. p. 94.

CHAP. VI GENERAL REMARKS 195

-fe :

3 \ff the expectant mother. The souls of animals and

■ fishes were conveyed in a somewhat similar way, i.e.

: through the eating by the parent of certain fungi and

fgrasses.

f Of Sakai beliefs concerning the soul our records
are of the scantiest description. It will probably be,
however, found that the Sakai conception of the soul
does not appreciably conflict with that of the Semang,
and that the real difficulty in treating Semang and
Sakai religion will be to discover their points of
difierence.

" To ask whether the soul is immortal appears,"
says Letessier, "the height of strangeness — *And
how could it die } It is like the air ! * " was the answer
of an old Jakun of Bukit Layang, to whom he put this
question.

The Sakai, like the Semang, attach much weight
to dreams, and are firm believers in metempsychosis.
The soul after death is repeatedly washed by ** Granny
Longbreasts," in order to purify it from its stains, in a
cauldron of boiling water, after which it is made to
walk along the flat side of a monstrous chopper with
which she bridges the cauldron, the bad souls fall-
ing in and the good escaping to the land of Paradise.^
The beliefs of the Jakun and Orang Laut appear to
be very similar to those of the civilised Malays, but very
little indeed has been hitherto collected about them.

In a Besisi legend both people and animals are
described as having seven souls, a number which
agrees exactly with Malay ideas on the same subject.
The same tribe closely connect the soul with the
shadow, and build little hutches beside the grave for
the soul to dwell in when it issues from the earth, and

* Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 130.

196 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK'LORE miui

in Other ways certainly carry to a far greater degree
than the Semang, and perhaps even further than most
Sakai tribes, the arrangements believed by them to
be necessary for the soul's maintenance and comfort
throughout the period during which it lingers in the
neighbourhood of the grave.

The Priestly Office.

As among the Malays, the accredited intermediary
between gods and men is in all cases the medicine-
man or sorcerer. In the Semang tribes the office of
chief medicine -man appears to be generally com-
bined with that of chief, but amongst the Sakai and
Jakun these offices are sometimes separated, and
although the chief is almost invariably a medicine-
man of some repute, he is not necessarily the chief
medicine-man, any more than the chief medicine-man
is necessarily the administrative head of the tribe.
In both cases there is an unfailing supply of aspirants
to the office, though it may be taken for granted that,
all else being equal, a successful medicine-man would
have much the best prospect of being elected chief,
and that in the vast majority of cases his priesdy
duties form an important portion of a chiefs work.'

The medicine-man is, as might be expected, duly
credited with supernatural powers. His tasks are to
preside as chief medium at all the tribal ceremonies,
to instruct the youth of the tribe, to ward off as well
as to heal all forms of sickness and trouble, to foretell

' *• They have neither a king nor a of priests (jiV-), their only teacher being

chief, except that title be applied to a the Poyang, who instructs them in iH

person called Poyang (* Puyung*), who matters pertaining to sorcery, e»il

debides on every case laid before him, spirits, ghosts, etc., in which they

And whose opinion is invariably adopted. firmly believe" (Begbie, pp. Iji

j;^o«.inrr »/■ i">iipi«'\n tVi^^- -^fo dc^itutc 14).

VI GENERAL REMARKS 197

llie future (as affecting the results of any given act),
feo avert when necessary the wrath of heaven, and
even when re-embodied after death in the shape of
WL wild beast, to extend a benign protection to his
<dlevoted descendants.

Among the Sakai and the Jakun he is provided
'With a distinctive form of dress and body-painting,
and carries an emblematic wand or staff by virtue of
bis office.

Sacred Spots and Shrines.

We have as yet no record of the use of **high
places" or shrines among the pure Negritos, and
perhaps naturally so, since the idea of regarding a
specific locality as sacred could only grow up with the
greatest difficulty among tribes who are so essentially
nomadic that they never stay more than four or five
nights in a single spot.

By the Sakai and Jakun, however, such sacred
spots are certainly set apart, incense being burnt there
and vows registered, invariably, I believe, in the
hopes of obtaining some material advantage.^

In addition to these shrines, however, there are
also to be seen, in the districts inhabited by the Sakai
and Jakun, what may be termed medicine -houses.
These houses either take the form of solitary cells
erected in the depths of the forest (in which case the
magician keeps a selection of his charms and spells
in them), or (more frequently) that of diminutive
shelters made from the leaves of a palm called **d6m-
pong," which are built to screen the medicine-man

1 Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 141.

1 98 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE fkn in

and his patient from view during the performance of
the ceremony of exorcism.^

Nature of the Rites.

The main divisions of the magico - religious
ceremonies of these wild Peninsular tribes maybe
enumerated as follows : prayers and invocationSi
sacrifice, abstinence, possession, divination, and self-
transformation.

Prayers and Invocations.

Among all the Peninsular tribes both prayer (in
the wider sense) and invocations still remain in the
un-ethical stage in which material as distinct from
moral advantages alone are sought for.

Among the Semang, however, with the rarest
exceptions,^ they appear to have scarcely reached the
stage of fixed forms, the petitioner generally content-
ing himself with expressing his wish in a quasi-con-
versational phrase, addressed to the great spirits or
deities of the tribe.

Among the Sakai the conjuration of the spirits of
deceased ancestors and demons of all kinds is more
freely employed ; but most of all among the Jakun,the
Bfisisi addressing invocations not merely to animals
but even to insects and inert objects which they
believe to be the embodiments of the spirits whose
aid they are invoking.

All branches of these tribes, as is usually the
case with autochthonous races, are credited by the
immigrating Malays with the knowledge of charms
">f i^he most marvellous potency.

^..Mrri.0,^ c». »«5. ; ^2 « E.g. that o'*^' '^''nder^rhann, q.v.

VI GENERAL REMARKS 199

Their love-charms in particular (such as that used
in the " Chinduai " ceremony), are believed to be quite
irresistible, and they are credited with the power
of making themselves supernaturally beautiful or in-
vulnerable at will. By means of " sendings," or rather
•* pointings " (" tuju "), they are believed to be able to
slay their enemies at a distance, and many a Sakai
has paid the penalty for sickness and trouble falsely
ascribed to his malevolence by excited and not over-
scrupulous Malays.

Offerings.

The only common form of offering, which consists
in the burning of incense (benzoin), is found among all
branches of these tribes, other kinds of offering being
comparatively rare. The practice of drawing blood
from the region of the shin-bone and throwing it up to
the skies is a Semang sacrifice addressed to Kari. On
the other hand, many of the Jakuns (especially the
coast tribes) expose in the jungle small sacrificial trays
upon which are deposited various kinds of food (boiled
rice, meat, and fruits), together with small vessels
containing water. These trays are called ** anchak "
(Vaughan-Stevens, '* anchap "), and correspond very
closely both in name and form to the sacrificial trays
similarly employed by the Malays.

I have also seen among the Besisi, on the occasion
of their rice-harvest feast, a small quantity of boiled
rice deposited on the top of a low tree-stump, and
offered by way of a compliment to all the enemies of
the rice, as represented by noxious insects and the
wild beasts of the jungle. Here we see the idea of
sacrifice in one of its most rudimentary stages, that

200 NATURAL REUGION AND folk-lore mim

of a mere complimentary present intended to establish
a truce with avowed and acknowledged foes.

Abstinence.

Of fasting and other forms of abstinence among
these races not very much is known, though instances
do undoubtedly occur. One of the most usual forms
of abstinence occurs at Sakai child-births, when the
mother is required by the unwritten laws of the tribe
to refrain from eating various kinds of food.

Sakai and Jakun medicine-men also to some extern
practise abstinence in order to acquire the power of
seeing visions.

Possession and Exorcism.

About the forms of possession practised by Semang
medicine-men we know next to nothing. It would
appear, however, from a ceremony that I myself
witnessed among the Semang of Kedah that some
form of possession is certainly believed in by them,
though I am inclined to think that it is probably of
a more simple kind than that practised by the Sakai
and Jakun ; and that whereas among these latter the
magician invokes the aid of a friendly demon to enable
him to overcome the demon that is tormenting the
patient, the Semang magician trusts rather in the
strength of his own spirit to exorcise the adversary.

Divination {Diagnosis).

Of divination among the Semang our records are

again almost non-existent, though among the Sakai

a"d Jakun divination is clearly employed as the

.innferpart 'n mae^'c of our own meHical ''diagnosis.'*

ciHAP. VI GENERAL REMARKS 201

There appear to be two distinct ways of performing
divination, one being by means of a tribal ceremony
such as our latter-day spiritualists might perhaps call
a siance, and the other undertaken by the medicine-
man alone. Divination in either case frequently only
forms part of an exorcising ceremony, as the possessed
medicine-man, after replying to the usual questions
concerning the origin and nature of the patient's
malady, and prescribing the remedies required to
restore him to health, is frequently asked questions
of more general import, which need not necessarily
have anything to do with the condition or fortunes of
the patient.

Dreams and General Beliefs.

Both Semang and Sakai, but especially the latter,
appear to attach much weight to dreams.

Thus we are informed,^ for instance, that among
the Sakai the new-born infant receives its name in
accordance with a dream. ^

A similar strong belief in dreams is also found
among the Jakun.

Amulets and Talismans.

Amulets and talismans form a fairly numerous
class of objects among all the wild tribes.

Among them may be reckoned coins strung on
necklaces (as charms for the eyes). The custom of
stringing on necklaces tufts of squirrels' tails, teeth of
apes, monkeys, and wild pig, small bones of birds
and various animals, and similar objects, which De
Morgan calls ** trophies of the chase," may be com-

i Z.f.E, xxvi. 161. « Ibid. p. 158.

202 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLKLORE fait m

pared, their use being probably due, as in other parts
of the world, rather to magical ideas than the mere
pride of capture. The bristles, teeth, and daws ol
tigers are all certainly used much more for magical
than for merely ornamental or decorative purposes.

1. — Semang.
The Heavenly Bodies.

The sun is believed by the Semang to possess an
actual human figure (that of a female), and is further
alleged to possess a husband, whose name was given
me as ** Ag-ag, the Crow."

On reaching the west the sun falls suddenly,
it is believed, into a great hole or cavern, whidi
according to some Semang legends is identified vrith
hell. According to another version, it goes down
behind a range of mountains on the western border
of the earth, which is believed to be flat, and there
gives light to the Senoi.

Similar ideas were entertained about the moon,
the name of whose husband was given me (in Kedah)
as **Ta' Ponn," a mythological personage of whom
more will be said later.

The stars were regarded, I was told, as the moon's
children.^

1 Swettenhamsays(p. 228): <*They" petition to the san or the moon,'*

(the Negritos) *'call the sun a good though it certainly has not the leatt

spirit." In /. R. A. S.^ S. B.^ No. 5, foundation in fieu:t. A similar and

p. 156, he mentions a **good female equally inaccurate statement (from

spirit in the clouds." Symes) was quoted by Andenon (i%.)

NewboId(pp. 377-379)t i" speaking about the Andamanese (v. Man, pu93.

of the Semang, says: "They worship for the dimenti). In both cases the

the sun." He appears to have taken idea probably arose from the

'his statement from Anderson *s Consid, cause, viz. the ceremonial treatment
Add. xxxvii. \ where the Semang of an eclipse. Cp. also J, /. A. it.

CHAP. VI NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 203

Eclipses.

Among the Semang there is the greatest fear of
eclipses, which are believed to be due to the attempt
of a gigantic serpent or dragon to enfold or swallow
the obscured luminary. The name of the serpent
that is believed to enfold the moon was given me as
" HOra* " ; but I was told that, although it assumed
the guise of a serpent, it is in reality the moon's
own mother-in-law, and is only attempting to embrace
and not to swallow it. The moon, however, shrinks
from the proffered embrace, from whence we may
perhaps conclude that the moon is sometimes also
regarded as a man, the confusion being probably due
to the conflict of cultures.^ The only alternative is to
suppose " mother-in-law — daughter-in-law avoidance '*
of some kind. The serpent that swallows the sun is
"a different one," and is believed to attack it in
deadly earnest.

The Rainbow,

According to my Semang informants, the rainbow
is called ** Hwe-a'." It is believed to be the body
of a great serpent or python, and the spots where it
touches the earth are regarded as very feverish and
bad to live near.

We are further told (by Vaughan-Stevens) that
the sun on setting behind the western mountains
gives light to the Senoi, and that under the heaven
called Tasig, beneath Kari*s seat, begins the
gigantic body of the rainbow-snake, ** Ikub Huya" or

* According to the Khasia the moon according to the Eskimo the (female)

is a man whose mother-in-law throws sun smears with soot the face of her

ashes in his face when he pursues her brother, the sun, when he presses his

once a month (Latham, i. 119). And love upon her (Peschel, p. 256).

204 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pait m

' Hoya/ ^ which extends to the regions of helL It
lets water from the nether deep through to the earth
at Pie's command for the Semang to drink by push-
ing its head through the flat earth-crust, and thus
causing springs of water (" met bStiu ") to rise. The
light drizzling rain that falls when a rainbow is visible
is the sweat of the reptile, and if it happens to Edl
upon any one who is not wearing a particular kind of
armlet, it causes the sickness called * lininka * (?).

Women wear by way of protection armlets of
Palas {Licuala) leaf, and men wear armlets of the
** Rock-vein '* fungus (** tSmtom," or Mai " urat batu")
on the left wrist. These bands are called "chin-
ing-neng." *

StorPHS.

During a storm of thunder and lightning the
Semang draw a few drops of blood from the region of
the shin-bone, mix it with a little water in a bamboo
receptacle, and throw it up to the angry skies
(according to the East Semang or Pangan, once
up to the sky and once on the ground, saying
**b6\'' i.e. "stop"). On my inquiring further, one of
the women offered to show me how to do this, and
drawing off a drop or two of blood into a bamboo
vessel by tapping with a stick the point of a jungle-
knife pressed against her shin-bone, she proceeded to
perform this strange * libation * ceremony in the
manner just described.

If a man is in the least degree too familiar with
his mother-in-law, thunderbolts, said the Semang to
me, will assuredly fall. For this reason (if for no

' **Jeko^" = snake in the Semang dialect, and " hwea* ** = rainbow.
8 '''iii^han-S*'»veni, iii. »26.

«HAP. VI

NEGRITOS OF KEDAH

205

Other !) the contingency never arises. But they also
assured me that they of the jungle were far more
distant and circumspect in their dealings with their
mothers-in-law than was the case with their neigh-
bours the Malays.^

To the foregoing I may add that according to the
Eastern Semang, the ghosts of wicked (or ignorant ?)
tribesmen, on leaving the dead body, fly up to the sky

1 Vaugban-Stevens s account is as
follows : — The so - called •« Kor-loi-
melloi/' or ** Blood- thro wing" cere-
mony, is now completely forgotten

00 the west coast of the Peninsula
[I did not find it so. — W.S.], and
even in Perak, but is quite universal
in the east coast states. In order
to appease the angry deity men and
women (of all ages) are in the habit
of cutting the skin covering the
shins to obtain a few drops of blood.
One cut is usually sufficient, so that
on the whole very little blood is
drawn. The cuts are made diagonally
across the axis of the leg, are from
6 to 10 mm. in length, and are said
to have been formerly made with a
stone knife (?), though now with the
ordinary iron jungle-knife or parang,
which was knocked with a piece of
wood until blood was drawn. The
blood — it need only be a drop — is
either sucked out or dropp)ed directly
into a long bamboo receptacle, and a
quantity of water (sufficient to half
fill the bamboo) is poured in with it.
The Semang then turns in the direction
of the setting sun, and doling out
the liquid with a special bamboo
spatula, throws it straight up into the
air, calling out with a loud voice,
•* Blood, I throw towards the sun ;

1 draw blood, curdled blood ; I throw
blood towards the sun," or words to
that effect, the invocation being
repeated each time that the liquid is
thrown, up until all is finished.

When the storm is very severe the
bamboo may be refilled with blood and
water and a fresh ceremony take place.
The bamboo vessel used for the pur-

pose is, as a rule, fresh and roughly
cut, and was usually net decorated —
doubtless owing to the ^ct that there
would be no time to do so during a
sudden tropical storm, the vessel being
cut for the purpose on each occasion,
and thrown away after use.

Kari himself makes no use of the
blood thus sacrificed, but is pacified
by this sign of his children's repentance
and ceases to hurl thunderbolts, and
to continue his complaints of their
misdeeds to their creator Pie, at least
until they again give him occasion to
do so.

Pie, however, employs the blood of
the Semang in order to create certain
red jungle fruits which serve as food
for man, such as, for instance, the
well-known "rambutan" {Nephelium
lappaum).

The Puttos themselves did not cut
themselves, but instead of doing so
threw their secret remedies (which
they preserved in bamboo cases), into
the air. From these Pie created
certain white jungle fruits.

When the periodical wind or mon-
soon brings no rain, very few fruits
appear, and the Semang then say
that this is because they had not
thrown up enough blood, since the
frequency of the blood - throwing has
an influence on the quantity of rain.
[From this it would appear that the
ceremony may after all perhaps be
mainly a rain-making ceremony. —
W.S.] — Vaughan - Stevens, iii. 107-
109. Cp. Newbold, ii. 386, 396;
and /. R, A, S., S. B., No. 4, p. 48,
where women only are stated to draw
blood.

2o6 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE »ak ui

(along with the vital principle, or "Nyawa") and
become storm-spirits (i.e. spirits of thunder, lightning,
etc.). Hence, in the blood-throwing ceremony, part of
the blood is thrown upwards, in order to propitiate them
and persuade them to return to the upper heavens.
Sometimes, however, the ghost, on leaving the body,
proceeds downwards and becomes a water -spirit
And hence, in the same ceremony, part of the blood
is thrown down upon the earth.

A remarkable explanation of the phenomenon of
lightning was given me in Kedah by an aged Semang,
who explained it as the flashing (in heaven) of the
top-cords of the dead medicine-men (or B'lians) of
the tribe, who were believed on such occasions to be
engaged in the diversion (which in the East is shared
by adults) of top-spinning. To the same cause was
attributed the sound of thunder, which was believed
to be the murmuring noise of the tops as they spun.
Other informants of the same tribe, it is true, admitted
sharing in the almost universal fear of Heaven's
anger caused by thunder and thunderbolts ; it is
hard, however, in such cases to distinguish the
original ideas from those obtained from foreign
sources, though the less original and unique the idea,
the less likely it is to be indigenous.

Lightning is produced by Kari when he is
wroth. He takes a flower and shakes it over the
sinner and the lightning darts forth. The bell-like
flower -cups of the (unknown) plant strike each
other and cause thunder. The echoes are Pies
answer.^

* Cp. vol. i. p. 451.

lAP. VI NEGRITOS OF PERAK AND KEDAH 207

Winds.

Kari's servant Sinai is himself one of the winds,
nd carries a whip in either hand to compel the
bedience of the other winds. The monkey Aii
hastises the winds when they are too slow in their
lovements.^

The Heavens and Paradise.

The Kedah Semang informed me that the
eavens^ consisted of three tiers or layers. The
ighest heaven is filled with fruit-trees which bear
ixuriantly all the year round, and is inhabited
y certain of the greater personages of Semang
lythology.

The second or central heaven also. contains wild
"uit-trees, and is defended against unauthorised pil-
irers by a gigantic baboon, which pelts all would-be
tealers of the fruit with certain hard, prickly, and
neatable fruit (of the kind called false durians)/
"he third or nethermost heaven, on the other hand,
ontains nothing but the low and brooding clouds*
rhich bring sickness to mankind.

When I asked the Eastern Semang (Pangan of
Celantan) about the fate of the soul after death, they
eclared that the souls of the old and wise proceeded
) a Paradise in the west wherein grew fruit-trees of

* Cp. vol. i. pp. 451, 457. ' I.e. the **Durian Aji.*' According

* Called in Semang, according to to Vaughan-Stevens, it is a gigantic
at^han- Stevens **Seap"." Sedqu. figure resembling a Semang, named
Scak""or ^'Seap"*." There is no such Kanteh, that keeps the door of Para-
imbination as ** p" " in any Semang or dise, and has animals as assistants. Cp.
ikai dialect, and if **Seak"" is right, it vol. i. p. 453.

:rhaps =**Seag*»" or "Seng" (pr. * Cp. the Malay phrase (used by

Sek" ") in "Seng Ketok," which Sakai tribes) " Kelonsong a wan " (the

cans "west" in all the Semang "husks" or "hulls" of the clouds)

alects of which I have had experience. (V.-St. iii. 106, 125). Seep. 187, a;//^.

2o8 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE fait m

every kind (those mentioned as examples were the
Bangkong, Rambutan, Durian, and Tampoi), but
in order to reach it they had first to pass across a
bridge consisting of the fallen trunk of a colossal tree.
This tree-bridge would have been easy enough (for a
Semang) to cross, but for the fact that at the further
end there sat a gigantic figure (** Bfirhala'," ix.^ idol or
image) with only a single nostril, huge ball-less ey^
sockets, two immense tusks in each jaw, exceedingly
curly hair, and enormously long finger-nails cros^
upon its breast. Many of the souls were scared by this
horrible demon to such an extent that they straightway
fell, panic-stricken, into the vast boiling lake beneath
it, up whose sheer smooth sides they tried in vain
to clamber. Here, therefore, they swam desperately
about, clutching at the sides, for three long agonising
years, after which, should the Chief of the Heaven of
Fruit-trees then think fit, he would let down his
great toe for them to catch hold of, and so pull
them out ! The old and wise (e,g. the B'lians) were
for this very reason buried in trees, viz., so that
their souls might be able to fly over the head of this
fearful figure.

According to the Western Semang, whilst the souls
of the dead B'lians proceeded to the Island of Fruit-
trees, those of the lay members of the tribe went a
long way across the sea, to a Land of Screw-pines and
Thatch-palms,^ where was the hole into which the sun
fell at night. If they had committed any wicked
act, however, although they started by the same road,
they did not arrive at the same destination, but were
compelled to turn northwards aside across the sea to

^ Nipab = ^ipa fruticansy low -growing palms found only in salt-water

»AP. VI NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 209

\ land which had two months of day and a month of
night ^ alternately.

The account given by Vaughan - Stevens is as
bllows : —

AD soals, whether of Semang or of beasts, go straight to Kari to receive their
MBtence. Good souls proceed to the region of sunset, but the entrances both to
P^uadise (Seapi^) and Purgatory (Belet) are close together.

The entrance to Purgatory is called Sunset (*' Met-katok blis*'). Purgatory
itielf is a vast cavern, shut in by rocks, in the mountain-chain (** Huya")' which
farms the world's end. Good souls pass these ramparts of rock and reach the
ocber side of the world, where they dwell with the Chinoi, the servants of Kari.
Ilie ruler of Purgatory is one Kamoj (a black, gigantic, and frightful form), who
botts wicked souls as they wander, cold, hungry, and thirsty, with a heavy
dab.'

The door-keeper of Paradise is a spirit resembling a gigantic Semang. His
dotj is to prevent the souls belonging to other races of mankind from entering
iato the Semang Paradise.

By his side stand Kangkung, a beast of immense strength, which keeps watch
to prevent the entrance of the souls of tigers ; Jelabo, a beast whose duty is to
keep oat the souls of wicked Semang ; and Kangkeng, a beast which keeps out
the souls of makes and scorpions.

In addition to the foregoing are Champa and Chalog, two brother giants, of
wfaooi Champa is the elder, and who are represented as the guardians of Tuhan's *
\jn£) Paradise called «Tasig."

These two are armed with bamboo-spears, and keep watch over the " light-
aisg-hiding " {blUzbtrgenden) flowers which belong to Kari.^

The Semang Deities,

Although I had many conversations with the
Semang (both Western and Eastern) on the subject
of religion, they continually pretended entire ignor-
ance of any supreme Being, until one day when one
of them exclaimed (in an unusually confiding mood)
** Now we will really tell you all we know," and im-
mediately proceeded to inform me about Ta Ponn
('• Gaffer Ponn "), a very powerful yet benevolent

* Probably a slip on the i^rt of the * Tuhan is usually the name given

speaker for **a month of day and two to the god of the Sakai (V.-St).

months of night." * Vaughan-Sievens, iiL 122-124.

' Huya is Vaughan-Stcvens's way All these guardians of Paradise arc

of writing ** Hwea* " or " Hweya' "' represented on one of the bamboos

s= the Rainbow-snake, ^.z/. called **gu," for description of which

^ Vaughan- Stevens, iil 117. see "Decorative Art" (vol. i.).

VOL. II P

2IO A'A TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE mi lu

Being who was described as the maker of the world.
This information was accompanied by the statement
that Gaffer Ponn was " like a Malay Raja ; there was
nobody above him." In addition to this, I was in-
formed that he was the moon's husband, and lived in
the eastern heavens, together with " Ag-5g," the Crow,
who was the ** husband of the sun." " Ta' Ponn " (said
my informants) looks "just like a man," but is "as
white as cotton" (Mai. "kapas").

" Ta' Ponn has four children, two male and two
female, whose names are Rayidd and Harau (male);
Rihh-rihh and Brua' (female).^ When you hear the
noise of the Riang-riang (cicada or * Knife-grinder
insect ') in the jungle, that is the voice of Ta' P6nn*s
children. Ta* Ponn s mother is called Yak (YS*)
Takell. She is the old Earth-mother, and lives under-
ground in the middle of the earth." According to the
account of another informant, Ta' Ponn's father was
one Kuka', about whom, however, I could find out
nothing further.

Ta' Ponn has, moreover, a great enemy named
Kakuh, who is very dangerous and who lives in the
West.^ He (I was assured) is " very black, blacker
than we are," — as black, in fact, " as a charred fire-log."
** That is why the east is bright and the west dark"
The heavens are in three tiers, the highest being
called Kakuh. In the heaven where he lives, there
is (according to a Pangan of Teliang) a giant coconut-
monkey ^ (B'ro'), ** as big as Gunong Baling " ( = Tiger
Peak, a big limestone hill in the neighbourhood of

1 Probably different kinds of insects here between the name of Ti' Pwm^

(cicada, etc.). adversary and the place where he lifcd.

But Kakuh is the name of the ' The coconut - monkey (AA&w

iiighc"*- tier (of the heavens), and uetnestrinus) appears in thie Bess

h*.-' «j»^, k«.— y^x^m comA confusion Songs (vol. i. p. 152).

«IAP. VI NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 211

; Siong in Kedah), who drives back any one who is
found (as the B'lians sometimes are) attempting to
enter the heavens in order to help themselves to
the fruit which grows there. This monkey-monster^
on discovering any such would-be pilferers, pelts
them with a large prickly jungle -fruit (already
mentioned), by means of which he hurls them down
headlong. I was further told of this monkey that
when the end of the world came, everything on earth
would fall to his share.

The account of the Semang religion given by
Vaughan- Stevens includes, however, not only Ta*^
POnn (disguised by Vaughan-Stevens as ** Tappern '\
but two superior divinities named Kari (spelt Kiee, =
Kayee, by Vaughan-Stevens, and Keii by his editors)
and Pie, neither of whom I was able to identify among
the Semang of whom I made my inquiries. Neverthe-
less the fact that one person out of these three (viz.
Ta' Ponn) was so readily identifiable, establishes, to
my mind, a presumption in favour of the general
accuracy of the rest of Vaughan-Stevens's account of
the Semang religion. At the same time, the frag-
ments of Semang religious belief that I was able to
rescue, in spite of all difficulties, exhibit such in-
teresting variations from the accounts related to
Vaughan-Stevens, that it is evident that a rich mine
of information still remains to be worked.

Legends of the Semang Deities.
Legend of Kari the Thunder-god.

••Kari created everything except the earth, which he ordered Pie to complete
for him. When, therefore, Pie had created man, Kari gave them souls." . . .

When Kari {sU) had created men, they were very good. Death was not yet
established, and the Semang living on fruits prospered and soon got numerous.
Bat Kari saw they were getting too numerous, and came down to the Jelmol
MouDUins to look nearer, and consider what was to be done. The Semang

212 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE mim

crossing the mountain did not see him, for none can lee him, and nn over hii
foot like ants. He blew them away, but his Breath was fiery and burnt thai iH
up throughout the neighbourhood. Seeing this, he ordered his Breath to coOot
and conduct their souls to heaven. He then continued his meditAtions, and nam
their numbers were still too great, he commissioned his Breath to go and killniGR
Semangs whenever they again became too numerons, Kari's Breath had oov
separated into the winds, and these were to be watched by Kmri*s two servant^
Sentiu and his wife Chini, with Ta' Ponn ("Tappem"), and Minang ("Mii-
nung "). Sentiu now begged that his own servant, or the tatter's urife, should akne
remain active on earth, and kill only a few Semang ; for if he himself and his«%
did so, none would be left. Kari, however, refused this, and Sentiu YauA
remained with his wife, and they killed all they could reach, Kari being wnxk
at the disobedience of mankind. So the race dwindled away. For Kari had sol
the wicked souls to the infernal regions (Belet), and had created Diseases toda&of
them in his wrath. Pie, however, pitied them, and, having come to an agreemoK
with their chiefs (Puttos), got Kari to turn these winds into lightning (Kdai)^
and stopped them from slaughtering the Semang, except in special cases whcB
Kari*s wrath was provoked. When Kari sends them now, they kiU the
Semang in a body, but the death - messengers only kill certain individuali bf
Kari's command. Pie also arranged with Kari in what cases souls should be
sent to Paradise (Seap") or to the infernal regions (Belet), whence arose Ac
system of burial bamlxjos. Pie himself (and in his stead the Putto of tk
district) was to write his decision upon the burial bamboo to be shown to Kan,
by whom it was executed. Pie also got power given him to avert Diseases bf
charms. These were good against every Disease, so long as the sin vUdh
provoked the Disease was unintentional, or had been forgiven by the Ptatto.
Pie had taken, as already related, the flowers growing near Karih^s dwelling snd
planted them on the mountains (Jelmol), and assigned them as remedies for Ac
various Diseases. He also brought the drawings of each flower, and instmded
the Putto about its use. He also agreed with Kari that his Breath should be
substituted for Kari's (since it was less fatal), and should only kill individuals.

Thereafter when the winds waited for the burial bamboo to be given to the
deceased (before which time the soul could not leave the Ixidy), they laid the
Diseases on a parasite on one of the trees, because its roots did not enter the
ground, and the Diseases waited there until the soul was ready to go to Kari.
Pie also created a wind which sat on the mistletoe, and told Pie all that pasMd.'

Now that Pic no longer dwells upon earth, this wind goes, according to the
opinion of the Semang, who are not, however, unanimous about it, either to
Kari or perhaps direct to Pie. When Pie had thus apportioned the Diseases,
the vegetable kingdom was exhausted. But soon afterwards some very deadly
Diseases, which had been sleeping whilst Pie had been breathing upon othaSi
tried to obtain a resting-place u^x>n various epiphytic plants. The plants, how-
ever, had all Ix^cn given away, and that is the reason why to the present dij
smallpox, cholera, and other epidemics, of which the Semang stand in the
greatest terror, but which are hard to identify from Semang descriptions, have so
rest, but as soon as they have killed one man, fall straightway upon another
even before the soul of the first has left the body.*

Legend of the Firebrand,

According to the views of the Semang, when Kari selected Belet (in the " Sun-
set" region) as the abode of the damned, he gave Kamoj a firebrand. Tim
brand was burnt in two before Kamoj had nearly had time to arrange Belet as his

^ Vaughan- Stevens, iii. 109, 132, 133.
" .'nd pp. 133, 134.

ZBAT. VI NEGRITOS OF PERAK 215

; of action. Therefore Kamoj hung one portion with the charred end down-
I before Belet, and kept the odier as an emblem of his power and jurisdiction.
Khe brand hanging over the entrance stopped the once-entered souls from return-
iagt the upper uncharred end allowing the souls to come from Karl's judgment-
Mit. Hence a charred stick serves as a protection against Diseases. The Disease
■kkh caused a man's death was fetched by the winds at Kari's command ; and
lie winds had to accompany the soul and the Dbease to Belet, but dared not
nter, since if they had, they would not liave been able to return (for fear of the
bnad). The Puttos then sidopted, as emblem of their power, a charred stick
iboot six feet long. With this stick they could expel Diseases, and if they could
\ go themselves, would send it by a servant to the sick man, upon whom it was
But if a Putto wanted to kill a man, he touched him with the unbumt
nd, and all the Diseases near by entered the man's body. If to heal, he
touched him with the burnt end, and all diseases were driven out of him.^ A
Senwing will still dose up a path by suspending a charred stick across it, though
he hinoself could not inflict Diseases with it, and only the Putto could — by
■iiiin[^ his stick in charcoal with his secret sign, which varied with the object
he had in view. Thence in time were derived the charm-bamboos (Gar's),
■faich at first were sticks marked with charcoal, but later sticks which had
ieagns incised upon them, into which the charcoal was rubbed. For these finally
: substituted light and convenient bamboos, which were also available for the
; and herbs appropriate to the charm in question.' The original marks on
die fire -sticks have disappeared with the Puttos who employed them, but the
old pettems are revived in the quivers and charm-bamboos, the magic combs of the
women, and the blowpipe. At the end of the Semang quiver is a spot where
the skin of the bamboo has been scraped off, and the place blackened with
cfaeicoal. The end thus marked, which hangs downwards, represents Kamoj's
five-stick, and hence serves as a charm against Diseases. If a Semang is unlucky
in hunting, he stands still, makes a fire, and rubs a little charcoal upon the
moBthpiece of his blowpipe, and upon the conical butt-ends of his darts. Sick
persons mark themselves with charcoal where the pain is felt. Formerly this
was the duty of the Putto, who employed a special sign which always healed ^

Legends of Pie.

Pie and his sister are "the central figures of Semang mythology."
Kari created everything except the Earth. He told Pie to complete this
part of his work, and Pie did so ; Pie made men, and Kari gave them souls
(Kfe), and Pie lived among them with his sister Simei in the Jelmol Mountains
in Perak. Under Pie and Simei were the Puttos, each of whom ruled a district.
No one knows who Pie's wife was ; but his sister did the work of one.
They both resembled the Semang in shape. Simei gave light to the fire-flies, so
that they might accompany her by night when she visited sick Semang women,
especially those in travail. In those days the men only awaited the advent of
her messengers the fire-flies, and then withdrew into the jungle, leaving the place
free to her and the women. Since Pie and Simei disappeared, the fire-flies keep
seeking for them among the bushes. They must therefore never be harmed.
Simei was accompanied by day by a bird called Me-el, apparently a kind of crested
dove,* and either she or Pie was always at home when the other was out.

* Vaughan-Stevens relates (p. 131) full development of the Semang magic
that frequently when he was resting designs did not lake place until after
at night in the jungle, one of the old they had had dealings with the Sakai
Semang people would hang a firebrand {ibid, ).

near his head, to drive away fevers, ^ Vaughan-Stevens, iii. pp. 131, 132.

etc * It was believed that in former days,

* Vaughan-Stevens considers that the when Simei was on earth, this bird

214 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pait m

Kari retained his power of punishing mankind, whetelbre Pie, who pidel
them, went to the land of the Chinoi, the servants of Kari, on the other sik of
the world. These servants had the task of making hanging fiower-omimaBi
and Pie collected all the flowers and planted them near the mountains, and tlie»
from evolved the patterns which are now in use as charms against Diseases.

Simei helped him. She it was who invented the special set of designs wUck
serve as charms against the sicknesses peculiar to her sex, and which are coped
on their combs.

The Puttos copied the patterns on bamboo, and Pie then deposited then it
a cave, and turned them to stone, so as to be always ready when wanted. Ik
Puttos also prepared another set for each Sna-hut, whose duty it was to see tkt
every man had the proper kind of charm that he required. At the same time &
Puttos inscribed a set of charm-bamboos with the mythology of the Seman^ ol
Pie turned these also to stone ; the Puttos alone knew where they were.

Of the leaves and blossom of the screw-pine (pandanus) worn on the heMl ■
a charm against falling trees, the following is related : —

Pie (in the form of an old man) and Simei would appear when called, ad
after helping, disappear, the former helping the men, the latter women. Pie osed
to ask for fruit and throw away the seeds, which grew up into trees and boit
fruit in a single night. Thus, and thus only, the Semang knew that Pie hid
been present

Pie once met a man and woman carrying fruit, and asked for iL Tk
woman denied having any, and as usual (when Pie caught a Semang lying) a tne
fell upon her. As it was falling she shrieked to Pie (not knowing of bis prescDoe),
and he threw some pandanus leaves upon her head, whereupon the tree retoned
to its erect ix)sition as soon as it touched them, Iea\*ing only an impresskn oi
the leaves where it fell. Pie subsequently ordered all women to wear leaiSi
thus marked, as charms against falling trees. The Puttos therefore designed
patterns for various trees which easily fall. These leaves are stuck in the bli^
combs of the women, but no pattern is used on the pandanus leaves if the
feels innocent, unless a twig falls on her head, when it is at once added.

Pie often appeared as a Semang, but with long thick bushy hair
his body. Some say he returned to Kari with Simei, others that he sleeps
in ihe Jelmol Mountains, and will yet return.*

To the foregoing may be added (from various
portions of Vaughan-Stevens's account) the following
allusions to the history of Pie : —

Like Kari, Pie appears to require blood-sacrifices. Thus in his account of
the blood -throwing ceremony Vaughan-Stevens says' that Pie uses the blood
(thrown up tu the skies to disi>el the thunder) for making the red jungle ftvit
called Rambutan. And a little further on he says that Pie made white fruit of
the storm charms which the Puttos threw into the air for a like reason. Vaughan-

could not die, and that when it was they are afraid to do for fear of losing

killed, and e.g. its head and legs their virility. Formerly if a Semsog

removed, and its l>ody left l)'ing in the man saw one of these birds, he would

jungle, its mate would come and carry go out of its way, w^hile a \«'oman would

the l>ody to Simei, who would give it sit down, since it was a sign that Simd

a new head and legs. These birds was near (Vaughan-Stevens, iii. iio).
were probably the messengers of Simei. * Vaughan - Stevens, iii. 109-112.

'^he Eastern Semang will on no account For Pie's relations with Kari, see the

cill their but the half-blood Semang account of Kari (fv/ra).

^nlv "♦'^i »^r»rf ^f -^otinrr tVi*»»r» which - IHd, pp. IO7-IO9.

MAP. VI NEGRITOS OF PERAK 215

ItBii iM describes how Pie turned himself into a stick-insect and sat on a twig,
tad when the elephant tried to destroy his plantation of magic flowers, caught it
ly the nose so that it stretched and became a trunk. ^

A little later he describes how Pie turned himself into a manis (Mai.
*tdi^giling") to defend the Semang against the elephant, and how his scales
■n into the elephant's foot and wounded him.^

Again he describes how Pie was attacked by the tiger and the snake, and
how he put his foot upon the snake's hood and told the rhinoceros-bird to drive
iway the tiger.

In the Legends of Kari we learnt* how Pie got the winds (Kari's Breath)
tBRied into lightning in order to stop their indiscriminate slaughter of the Semang ;
hair he arranged with Kari the system of burial bamboos as a means of deciding
whether souls were to go to Paradise or to the infernal regions ; how he got
power to avert Diseases by charms ; and how he brought the flowers from Karl's
dwelling and apportioned them as antidotes to the several Diseases ; and how his
Breath was substituted for Kari's as being less fatal, and how he created a wind
to sit on the mistletoe and tell him all that passed.

The Semang Soul-theory.

According to the Eastern Semang or Pangan, each
man has a soul which is shaped exactly like himself,
which is '* red like blood," and as small as a ** grain of
maize."

According to Vaughan-Stevens, the Semang sup-
pose that souls are supplied in a variety of ways to the
young of human beings, tigers, and other noxious and
harmless wild beasts, night-beasts (as a separate class),
birds, and fish.*

The ** Til-til-tapa " and the ** Chim iui " need no
souls; for they are the souls of human beings in the form
of birds ; when they need life for their eggs they eat of
fruit of the male or female birth-trees. If one of these
birds dies a natural death, it is because an unborn

* Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 137. called **H16mdon"; they believe an
^ See below, p. 222. infant has no soul, and hang a wax
' Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 133. puppet up in the forest. As soon as a

♦ Evidence is required in support of stick-insect (?) settles on it the sorcerer
these statements. Cp., however, the wraps it in a cloth ; the insect is shaken
Malay superstition which connects the out on the child, which then gets its
Burong Pingai or Pingai bird of the soul. — Missions CcUh.^ 1893, p. 1 40.
Malays with the soul ; and our own According to the Guarani (South
nursery make-believe of child-bringing America) the humming bird brings the
storks and other animals (Cp. Folklore^ souls and takes them back after death.
XL 235). The Bahnar have a ceremony — Alencas, 0. Guaraniy ii. 321.

2i6 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE paw m

foetus has died. Some say these undeveloped souls
go into another bird, and the woman who eats it
becomes the mother of twins, just as if she had eatea
a bird with its egg.^

An expectant mother visits the nearest tree whidi
happens to be of the species of her own birth-tree
and hangs it with fragrant leaves and flowers, or lays
them beneath it (avoiding the place where, in her own
tree, the after-birth was buried), " because her child's
soul (embodied in the bird) will recognise the tree by
it.'* The bird which conveys the soul sits on the tree
and is killed and eaten by the woman. The souls of
first-born children are young birds newly hatched, the
offspring of the mother's soul-bird."

Fish -souls come from grasses, bird -souls from
their eating certain fruits. Each species of animal has
a corresponding soul-plant. The " susu rimau " • con-
tains the soul of an unborn tiger cub. The tiger eats
it, and thus the soul is conveyed. When the soul-
bird (human) falls upon one of these fungi the souk
fight and the child is crippled or dies. But in any
case the human soul is victorious.

Souls of beasts noxious to men are conveyed by
poisonous, and harmless by non - poisonous, fungi.
Phosphorescent fungi convey souls of night-beasts.
The idea of the soul-bird, however, is obsolete except
among the Pangan. The Malays, Siamese, and
Chinese are thought to have different birds, to
convey their souls.

* Vaughan- Stevens, iii. Ii6. This {Tuber Regium) of Rumph. {Hti^

can of course only refer to children of Amboin, vi.). It is largely used in

the same sex. ' Supray pp. 4-6. native medicine, e,g, for consumptiofi,

3 The "tigress-milk "fungus, or*' susu and was supposed by the Besisi to wtx

rimau," is the sclerotium or resting- and wane with the moon, so that it

tage of a fungus, which has been was thought best to gather it when the

-i^^Titi^A/^i ^v PiHi'^tr «»r /'^'-/•v«/r j^ moon was fi'M.

►. VI NEGRITOS OF PERAK 217

The new souls sit in a great tree behind Kari's
.•eat till he sends them forth. They never return to
' him after death, after they have become human.

■ •• She has eaten the bird " is the expression used by
^ Kelantan Semang of a pregnant woman. The soul-
■- bird is not eaten up all at once, but sometimes kept in
■: a bamboo called " tahong " (? ** tabong '')}

The bird which conveys men's souls is the small
Argus-pheasant (** Til-til-tapa ") ; the bird which con-

■ vcys women's souls is '* Chim iui."

, Twins result (as above indicated) from eating the
: 80ul-bird with an egg.' They have the same birth-
tree.

With the dead was interred the ** pgnitah " or burial
bamboo, which had to be produced by the soul when it
came before Kari, on penalty of condemnation.^ Both
by Semang and Pangan the soul was believed to cross
over into Paradise by means of a tree-bridge, from
which the souls of the wicked fell into a boiling lake
beneath, through fright of a monstrous figure that
mounted guard over the bridge. A fuller account of
this, however, has already been given.^

The ideas of the Eastern Semang (Pangan) with
regard to death and the future life are as follows : —

There are two Death-spirits, one for men which is called Sentiu, and one for
women called Chin-ni. Sentiu has a male servant (*'hala") called Ta* Ponn
("Tappcm"), and Chin-ni, a female servant called Min-nang. All these are
invisible spirits. Of their own unaided power they cannot take away life from
any one, but on their wanderings among the Eastern Semang they see here and
there persons who in their opinion are fit to be called away from life. In such
a case either Sentiu or Chin-ni send their servants to the Putto of the
district, and the latter sends his servant to the Sna-hut, and sets forth everything
that concerns the life of the Semang in question. The answer returns by the
same road until it reaches Pie, who proceeds to bring the matter before Kari by
word of month. If Kari decides that the man should die, Pie then commissions
his servant to inform the Death-spirits about it. These latter (Sentiu or Chin-ni,

* Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 112-114. * ^^^' P» 116.

5 Cp. vol. L p. 460 ; and vol. ii. p. 93. * P. 208, ante.

2i8 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pait m

as the case may be) then send forth the •* Death-wind " («< Bewt kibis**), vbick
blows over the doomed i)erson, causing death. No spells have the povo to
ward off the Death -spirits, as Diseases may be warded off. On the other had,
when Kari is wroth with any one he slays him with a flash of lightning, and oat
through the agency of the Death-spirits.^

In Paradise the souls eat fruits alone, and the children's souls aie afak to
move al)out unassisted. All the souls are visible to each other though invisibktt
mortal eyes. They do not change, nor do they marry, but remain for ever in fttt-
dise and never return to earth again. The bodies of the dead do not rise again.

The souls of innocuous beasts go after death to a place near Paradise wUd
is called ** Kena-Iuong" ; but the souls of tigers, snakes, scorpions, etc, go tt
Purgatory (Belet), where they torture and feed upon the souls of the dsmaBd.
Acconling to a (liflferent tradition, however, the souls of tigers go after deilh.
like the souls of all other l^easts, to Kena-luong, which is an immense ctvc&
There they are no longer able to feed upon flesh, but on fruits and plants ; ol
have no power of harming the souls of the harmless beasts that are with thcsi
Only, along with snakes and scor])ions, they take pleasure in showing themsdis
at an opening of the cave called ** Helet,"' and thus scaring the soabof men.'

Common people were buried in the ground, but Belians <the great diie&who
were l)elicved to have the power of turning themselves into tigers), were depooied
in trees. ^

Legeftds and Ideas about Human Beings.

The Semang say that the first woman, seeing that
all other animals had children, was desirous of
having children of her own, but did not know how to
obtain them. At length she and her husband took to
carrying a brace of fire-logs under the armpits by way
of '* make-believe." One day the coconut monkey
(BVo*) noticed what they were doing, and gave them
advice, as the result of which they obtained two boys
and two girl children. In the course of time these
four grew up and had children likewise. One day,
however, the ring-dove ("tekukor") met them and
warned them that they had married within the pro-
hibited degrees of consanguinity. It was, indeed, then
too late to undo the mischief already done, but the
ring-dove advised them, nevertheless, to separate and
marry ** other people," in which case (it said) the

From

1 \'aughan-Stevens, iii. 117.
this it would appear that Kena-luong and Belet are contiguous.

'o«jTV.nn,<: ns Jn. II7.I18. * ^H- psffe QI, GMtt,

iP. VI NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 219

ildren of these fresh marriages might intermarry
ithout impropriety.

Among the Semang vague ideas about a big
»nflagration seem to take the place of the wide-
iqpread myth of a big flood.

Thus, in explanation of the ** fuzziness " or ** frizzi-
Jiess" of their hair, they told me that a very long
time ago their ancestors were near a clearing in
the forest together with the ancestors of the Malays.
\ But one day some Siamese priests (** Sami ") set fire to
the clearing (which was overgrown with jungle-grass),
the result being a conflagration from which both they
and the Malays escaped with difficulty. The Malays,
however, were a trifle the quicker in getting away, and
in the confusion which followed contrived to annex
both the clothes and the rice-spoons of the Negritos.
The latter, on the other hand, only succeeded,
with great difficulty, in saving their blowpipes and
quivers, and in effecting even this their hair got so
singed by the fire that it has never since recovered
from the crisping that it then received.^

This same story, with a few variations, is re-
corded by Vaughan- Stevens,^ who suggests that it

* Among themselves I believe they also the Kra and the B'ro* (two kinds of
really admire a thoroughly woolly head monkey — the ape-kings Hanuman and
such as not a few of them possess, but Sugriwa of the Indian poem). The
in meeting people of a higher grade of battle began. ** Pram " fastened fire-
culture, such as the Malays, ihey are brands to the tails of the apes, which
perhaps naturally somewhat ashamed ran over the leaf-roofs of the jungle-
of it, just as they would be of their men's houses and set them on fire,
blacker skins. The fire reached the jungle, and

* The account given by Vaughan- the jungle-men fled into the forest.
Stevens (iii. 99), runs as follows : — As, however, they ran through the
** In ancient times they had straight burning jungle their hair curled, and
hair and lived in Kampongs. Their remained curly ever afterwards. But
Rajas were the gigantic Gergasi's. after they had once fled into the
•*Pram" (Siamese, Phra Ram), a depths of the primeval forest they
Siamese Raja, wished to destroy the never returned to the civilisation which
Gcrgasi's, and for this purix)se led an they had once possessed. During
army into Kedah. In this army were their flight the coconut- monkey called

220 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE fait in

may be taken from a Siamese version of the Rom-
yana.

Other Semang Traditions.

One of the Semang traditions > given to De Morgan was to the effea thit a
officer of the Raja of Johor, named Nakhoda ("Nada*') Kassim, exiled bylB
master, and setting sail, arrived after a few days at the mouth of the River Brou,
and there landing, proceeded on foot through the jungle till he stnick tbe
Perak River near Kuala Kangsar. Here he met with a Semang village md
exchanged presents with the inhabitants, and stayed there for some time. One
day, however, two little daughters of the Semang chief were quarrelling ovei &
stick of sugar-cane, each of them attempting to break it in turn, when another
child snatched up a knife and severed the sugar-cane, at the same time, bowevB;
cutting the hand of one of his sisters, at which milk-white blood immrdirtriy
issued from the wound.

Nakh(xla Kassim, who was a spectator of the scene, thereupon demanded the
sale of the child from the Semang chief, in order that he might make her hb
wife. The chief agreed, but persuaded Nakhoda Kassim to remain with hna,
and in course of time the marriage came off, but for four years they had no dul-
dren. One day, however, his wife going down to the river to bathe foimd npoi
the l>amboo raft a new-bom infant couched in moss. She therefore took the
child hack to her husband, who adopted it and gave it the name of Potri But
(*Pouteh Buissehf)

Now alx>ut this time a dog belonging to one Gaffer Long-nose (<* To' Hidong "K
a relation of the Raja of Pahang, took to barking every day at the nme ho« ift
the direction of the sunset, and one day Gaffer Long-nose let the animal bos
and followed it. In seven or eight days he reached Yang Yup in Ula Plm, and
the dog coming to a clump of bamboos began barking all round iL Gafiier Loog-
nose took his knife and slit up one of the stems, and therein found, to his greic
surprise, a new-bom (male) infant, which he at once extracted and took ako{
with him on his joumey.

A few days later GafTer Ix>ng-nose met with the Semang, and hearing from
them of Nakhoda Kassim, went to meet the latter, and showed him the dhild,
whom he had named Mouse-deer Hill (* Bukit Pandok.') A few yeais later
the two children were married, and Nakhoda Kassim died. Mouse-deer Hill
having discovered by looking through his father's papers that his father had
received from the Raja the right to select for his own whatsoever part of the
country he would, proceeded to Pahang, but finding himself incapable of govern-
ing it, he went to Johor and rcc^uested the Raja to appoint one of his sons in his
stead. The Raja first sent his two youngest sons, the elder of whom, bovrever,
slew the younger and then himself at Tanjong Batu. The Raja then sent a god-
son of his, named Salam Balik, to take charge, but shortly afterwards a soo
being born to Mouse-deer Hill, Salam Balik had the child killed, and a despenue
conflict ensued with the Semang, who employed poisoned arrows. The struggle

out angrily, *Dia lari sarui>a Semang.' 255; and the account in Livy, is

They run like Semang." well as the Ram&yana,

V^aughan- Stevens says he could not ^ In addition to this legend, which is

find out what this allusion means. [It is clearly from Malay sources, a very in-

prol>ably a pun on Siamang. — W.S.] coherent account by Vaughan-Steveos

(V.-St. iii. 99, cp. ii. 99, 100.) of Semang wanderings is to be found in

For the firebrand incident, cp. Judges Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 128, 129, but is

." M . T-TvH^. Vft ^*rx Pe/igiot P" not worth quoting.

p. VI NEGRITOS OF PERAK 221

i some years, and Malays from the Nicobars came over to assist the Semang,
: the latter being Megat Terawis (" Meccah Travis," sic!\ who had brought
^rtth him a wonderful gun, on the bullets of which he wrote his name. Salam
.Bilik being wounded by one of those, agreed to make peace, and gave his daughter
tD Megat Terawis in marriage. In course of time Megat Terawb obtained a
dttDghter, and Mouse-deer Hill having married again and obtained a son, the two
duldxen were wedded, and their offspring became the royal femily of Perak.^

Legends and Beliefs about Animals.

The elephant, as being one of the largest and
most important of the animals, is naturally one into
which the souls of chiefs are believed to migrate
after death, and has euphemistic and propitiatory
names by which it is known to the Semang and other
wild tribesmen. The following story in explanation
of the strained relations now supposed to exist
between the elephant and the stick- insect and the
tapir is told by the Semang : —

The elephant originally had no trunk and instead four big teeth, and greatly
haiasKd the Semang by stealing the fruit out of their back-baskets or dossiers,
even turning up the flowers that Pie had planted. The Semang therefore
begged Pie to help them, and he turned himself into a stick-insect and perched
on a twig, and when the elephant came to feed on the fruit of the tree
on which he sat, he knocked the elephant's lower teeth out and caught him
by the nose. At this the elephant naturally drew back, so that his nose got
stretched and became a trunk. The elephant, however, then begged for mercy,
io he was allowed to go, but was obliged to keep his trunk by way of a
reminder.

The elephant next met the tapir, who could not refrain from expressing his
surprise at seeing the elephant's altered features, whereat the latter tried to bite
him as if he still had his teeth, and would have done so but that the tapir slipped
behind a rock. The elephant caught at the rock and used his tusks like a boar,
but the tapir said that he would have nothing to do with a **pig." At this the
elephant stretched out his trunk, caught the tapir by the nose, flung him down
on the ground, and said if he met him again on the hills he would tear his head
off. Since then the tapir has stayed by the river-side, avoiding the elephant that
lives in the hills. And the elephant has a long trunk, and curved teeth in the
upper jaw only, and he gets angry whenever he is called a *• pig " ; and strikes
every branch that he eats either against a tree or his own foot, in order to drive
away any chance stick-insect that may have settled on it. If he fails in doing so
and eats the stick-insect, he goes mad at once and goes to search for the tapir.*

This story is on the lines of local Malay stories
in some parts of Kedah and also on the east coast,

* De Morgan, i. 59-61. ' Vaughan-Stevens, iiL 137.

222 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE paitui 1^

where the stick-insect is called by the curious name
of ** elephant's fish -poison,"^ the east coast Malays
firmly believing that if an elephant accidentally
swallows a stick-insect with any leaves that he may
be eating, he will die as certainly as if he had eaten
the well-known fish-poison called " tuba."

On one occasion when I was travelling by elepham
in Kedah my mahout referred to this story, and in
order to test it I got him to give the elephant some
wild ginger leaves (of which the elephants are fond)
on which a stick-insect was sitting. The elephant
looked them over, and seeing the stick-insect, prompdy
tossed the leaves aside.

The story of the breach between the elephant
and the pangolin or manis is told as follows : —

The elepham once attacketi some Semang sleeping in the jungle, vbo
called to Pie for help. I'lc turned himself into a manis,' and meeting a pair of
young elephants, rolled himself up and ^-as kicked out of the way by the mk:
The female callc<l t«) the male to follow, but the male replied, " Wait till I hiic
killed this thing." ** What thing is that ? " replied the female. " A live stone,"
said the male. "Swine," said the female, "stones are never alive, bring the
thing here." "I am afraid to do so," said the male. "Swine!" cried die
female, and the male, losing his temper, seized the manis with his trunk to ffiif
it at his wife's head. Hut Pic rolled himself up and fastened on to his truk,
and the elephant trpng to shake him off, and failing, trod upon it, so that tbe
scales ran into his foot. Pie meanwhile shouting " Kro-o-o-ok." The dephaot
recognising Pie's voice, asked and received mercy, but the elephant since tlttt
day has a finger at the end of his trunk, and fears the cry of the minis and
always holds up his trunk when he meets anything likely to hurt him.

The inland Malays say the elephant cannot endure the manis, and are haid
to ride when they hear it, and Semang elephant -hunters drive him by imitating
the cry of the same animal. ^

The tiger (like the elephant) has many names,
and is one of the more important animals into which
the souls of dead chiefs are supposed by the Semang
to migrate after death.

Tigers and snakes had always been good friends, and when Pie once drove off
a tiger which was attacking a man, the tiger henceforth became the enemy of Pk

* Mai. "tuba gajah" or elephant's ^ v. -St. iii. 138; cp. p. 293, infr^

"ha (*• tuba " = Derris elUptica). Vaughan-Stevens' editor compares tbe

ifoi ••tenecilinc." Kakkata Ttitaka, P »". pp. vi. viL

VI NEGRITOS OF PERAK 223

t the mbtletoe, and tried to destroy the latter. The snake took the part of
\ tiger. But the rhmoceros-bird seized the snake by the nape of the neck and
r away with it. Then came Pie, and the bird beginning to speak, the snake
to the ground and Pie put his foot upon its head and ordered the bird to
away the tiger. The broad hood of the snake was produced by Pie's
ing upon it, and the nuurks in its neck came from the bird's beak. Hence
\ ihinoceros-bird now kilb the snake when he sees it, and makes a great noise
en he sees a tiger, to drive it away. That is why the feathers of the rhinoceros-
:%iid are used for tiger-arrows (as charms) and for those only.^

Vaughan-Stevens states that the dead bodies of tigers (as well as of poisonous

fflMkes) were sometimes ceremonially treated on animistic principles. The Pangan

^0f Kelantan, according to his statement, would formerly deposit a charred stick

Niidier upon the body or before the jaws (of a dead tiger or snake), and in the

CMe of a tiger the stripes would even be touched with charcoal in several places.

TUi was to prevent their souls from going near the Semang on their way to

Ibdr own place.' On the other hand, tigers were sometimes said to show them-

ielves (with snakes, etc.) to souls in Belet in order to frighten them for their

tridcedness. And yet other accounts declare their souls to be admitted even to

Butadise, when however they are believed to change their habits and become

gmminivorous, or in some other way to be prevented from attacking their

aatnral prey.

From what I myself heard, I may relate that, accord-
ing to the Semang, if forest leeches (Sem. ** lawai "),
such as are abundant in the jungle, are picked off
from the person and burnt in the fire outside the
shelter, tigers will be sure to scent the burning of the
blood and will hasten to the spot.

Another certain way of provoking the aggressive-
ness of the tiger-folk is to follow after any member of
the tribe who has started on a shooting expedition in
the jungle with his blowpipe, no matter whether with
the object of accompanying or of recalling him.

Monkeys.

The coconut monkey is the subject of more than
one tradition. It is a gigantic coconut monkey, for
instance, that is one of the guardians of Paradise,
and it is a coconut monkey too that is represented
as offering advice to the parents of the race.

* Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 134. * Ibid, p. 132.

224 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE paw m

Snakes.

Snakes and serpents of various kinds (more
especially the python and the cobra) have a fairly
important r6le to play in the mythology of the
Negritos. The most important is the pjrthon, whidi
the Semang connect with some of their ideas about
nature, e.g. with their theory of eclipses (in which they
distinguish a python enfolding and seeking to devour
the sun and the moon), and Ikub Hwea' (Vaughan-
Stevens' ** Huya "), the great world-snake of which the
rainbow is believed to be the visible portion.

The origin of the cobra's hood and of the cobra's
quarrel with the rhinoceros-bird has already been
related in connection with the tiger. The same ideas
are held about the souls of snakes as are held about
those of tigers.

Birds.

Birds also occupy a somewhat important position
in the religious life of the Semang, as will be seen in
the chapter on the soul, though they do not appear
to be regularly watched for purposes of augury.
They are, however, believed to convey the souls
of new-born children, and among the Kelantan
Negritos a mother who has hope of offspring is
required to eat this soul-bird; and the phrase "she
has eaten the bird " has become tantamount to saying
*' she expects to become a mother."

The bird which according to some Semang
versions conveys men's souls is the small Argus-
pheasant. Besides this, there is the bird which
conveys women's souls, and the bird Me -el, which
«. b*. "QeparaWe romr^^ninn of Simei.

VI NEGRITOS OF PERAK 225

Yet another bird which figures in Semang myth-
iDlogy is the ring-dove ("tSkukor"), which is repre-
Ipmted as admonishing the first ancestors of mankind.

■c Insects.

i^^ Of insects, the stick -insect is perhaps the most
Bmportant from the point of view of Semang folk-
pOTc, and the strained relations between the latter
Ipnd the elephant have been set forth above. It is
icalled (as by Malays) the Malacca-cane Spirit, but
|the noise attributed to it is probably made by a small
ifix)g. Fireflies again are connected with the Pie
I; traditions (as given above), and the noise made by the
[ cicadae is said to be the voice of Ta* Ponn's children.

i: Beliefs about Trees.

In accordance with Pie's command, a tree is believed to fsSX on a Semang who
tdls a lie. The leaves of the screw-pine are employed as a charm against falling
trees.^

Children's names are derived from trees near the place of birth. The after-
birth is buried under the birth- or name- tree. The father then cuts notches in it,
and Kari does the same with the tree on which he leans.'

Any tree can be a name-tree. The family (birth-) tree is taboo ; it is not
injured, nor is its fruit eaten except by an expectant mother. A woman with
hope of children among the Eastern Semang (Pangan) used to visit the nearest
tree belonging to the species of her birth-tree and decorate it with flowers. The
ioal-carrying bird always sits on the same kind of tree.^

The birth-tree on which the notches are cut dies soon after the death of its
owner, but should the tree die first, its death forbodes that its owner will soon die
also. The tree of a murdered man is believed to fall on the murderer.*

N.B. — There appears to be some confusion in Vaughan - Stevens' account
between the name-tree and the birth-tree ; except by chance they cannot be
identical.

The soul-bird is said to rest only on trees of the same species as the birth -
tree, all of which are regarded as identical.

Magic — The Medicine-man or B' Han.

Among the Semang by far the most important
member of the tribe was almost invariably the
Shaman or Medicine - man (called B*lian).^ These

I Vaughan -Stevens, iii. 112. * Ibid. p. 117.

« V. supra, ^, I, 6 Sem. "hala." ««B'lian" is of

' Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 1 1 3. Malayan origin.

VOL. II Q

226 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE ?mi

B'lians are of course of varying status, but I befo
that under ordinary circumstances the chiefs of tl
Semang tribes are always B'lians of more or k
repute, who take (among tribes more or less
touch with Malays) the Malay titles of PiB
( = Mai. *' PSnglima*') or Pgngulu ( = MaL " Pfinghuli
The chief of the Kedah Semang (at Siong) '
called " Pglima," but would not admit that he wj
B'lian until I had seen him charm the evil sp
out of one of the women, when he admitted
he knew something of the medicine-man's art* '
of the men seen by Mr. Laidlaw and myself cm
east coast had also the reputation of being a notoi
Blian, who had moreover the power of turning
self into a tiger at will.

The B'lians themselves obey certain prohibit
which are not observed by the lay members ol
tribe. They will not eat goat or buffalo flesh,
but rarely (it is said never, but I have seen it) th
fowls. I was further informed that the oldest
** best " of them, that is to say, in their own w
" those who know all the magic of the tribe," ret
a special form of burial, the body being depo
in a rude tree -shelter built among the bran
together with a modicum of food and wat<
jungle - knife, etc. This method of tree-buri
believed to enable them to enter into Par
(which is not the Paradise of their lay fe

^ B'lian is naturally a title of respect turned. Thus we read in K

(as Bomor and Pawang are among the (ii. 416) of the "treacherous"

Malays), and as such is occasionally **that watches over the tig^

used by the Malaj-s, the result being which is supposed on rainy ni

that confusion sometimes arises as to visit the abodes of men, and on

its exact meaning. The name B'lian text of asking for fire, to seize t

again may be applied both to the man them into pieces with itsenonnoui

Arho can become a tiger and to the

•»<yA *nto «vKi/»>i he »«^ ^lievfd to have

In Sarawak the word is always
^t appers. ^^. p »49, n. I, .

•a>. V NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 227

linesmen), by flying over the demon that scares the
tier. They are moreover believed to be able to
>oceed, in trances, to the Fruit Paradise and bring
uit back with them ; they can drive out devils ;
ley alone know the love -charms which never fail;
id they are able to slay men at a distance by
eans of their " sendings," which are more feared
r the Malays than any magic of their own.

Above all, they can turn themselves into tigers
iring their lifetime, and after death their souls
►t infrequently enter into wild beasts, such as the
^phant, tiger, and rhinoceros, and there abide until
sir animal embodiment dies, when they duly proceed
their own Paradise/

The Were-tiger Ceremony.

One of the most interesting episodes of the
imbridge Expedition in 1899- 1900 was our meet-
5, at the little Malay hamlet of Ulu Aring in the
• interior of the Peninsula, with a B'Han named
indak who possessed a great reputation as a
ngerous were-tiger.

The Malays waited for his departure before
ving me this information, but although I was not
rare of his reputation at the time, I had fortunately
ked him a good many questions about B'lians and
eir reputed powers, and he had given me a good deal

interesting information. From what he told me

Mr. N. W. Thomas writes me that man does not, it is true, take the form

5t probably this common feature of of his manito^ but practically the

unanism first arose from the belief familiar is the manito of the Shaman,

t animals are cleverer than men. At all events this power that the B'lian

\ Shaman's magical powers are claims of becoming a tiger seems clearly

posed to be due to the aid of the to account for the painting of his face,

nal, and he takes its form to put on solemn occasions, with the tiger's

n into practice. The manito (in- stripes, which are supposed to make other

dual totem) is another case. The tigers [and men? — W.S.] afraid of him.

228 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE pm :ii

it appeared that he had (or believed that he hadi
the power of turning himself into a tiger at will, in
which guise he would feast upon bodies of his victims
(whether dead or alive), always, however, excepting
and burying the heads} '* When a B'lian wishes '
become a tiger," said Pandak the B'lian, "he takes
a handful of incense {i.e. benzoin) and says, * I am
going to walk* (* Ye chop*), and sets off into the
hilly parts of the forest, often two or three valleys
distant from his shelter of leaves. There he kindki
the incense, and dipping his right hand into die
smoke (to collect the fumes in it), he holds k JM
above the level of his right shoulder funnel^li
and blows the smoke through the funnel thus
This process he repeats a second time in front of lk
left shoulder, and again just in front of his
the same time invoking the spirits of the
to grant his wishes. He then recommences^ ind
collecting more smoke in his fist, blows through ft as
before — this time, however, close to the ground. He
next squats on his haunches and leans forward on Us
hands, turning his head quickly to left and right
** Presently '* (I tell the tale in his own words) "his

* skin changes, fur grows, and a tail appears.' * Thus
he remains from seven to twelve days, during which
time he raids the neighbouring cattle-pens till his
craving is fully appeased, when he returns to the
spot that he started from, squats down as before,
and turns himself back by means of saying simply,

* I am going home ' (* Ye wet *). Throughout the
period of his absence, however prolonged, his wife.

^ This claim of the Semang medicine- Customs," p. 95, ante.
nan is evidently the foundation of the • According to Mr. H. N. Ridley,

atrocious custom attributed by the the tail, in one version of the story,

vfnia*-. to th^ TTdai ; sec ** Burial is the first »^n to appear.

Pandak thk Wkrk-Tigek (on the Right).

(Ulu Kelaiuan.)

230 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE PAirm

encampment had one by one slipped out after ha,
I too followed in order to see whether anything could
be done for her, or whether she was about to die in
the jungle, as some of her tribe assured me. Ob
reaching the spot I found her sitting down with her
legs stretched out in front of her, whilst the diief
(Pelima) was digging away as if for dear life with a
pointed stick to try and uproot the stump of a sapling
a few yards away from her back. After a good ded
of hard work, which caused the perspiration to stand
out upon him like beads, he succeeded in uprooting
the stump, and thereupon taking some soil from the
hole he rubbed it upon her back and stomach. He
then showed me the identical stump, the stem ot
which was pinched in — a sure sign, he declared, of the
late presence of the demon of which it had been the
embodiment.^ He then dug up a second root, whidi
proved to be that of a creeper whose roots had grown
across each other in a manner suggestive of the man-
drake ; this too he declared to be the habitation of
a dangerous demon, and soil taken from the hole from
which it had been uprooted was rubbed on the woman
in the same manner as before. By this time his
patient had commenced to recover, and he informed
me further that the cleared space where she happened
to be sitting had been the site of a previous encamp-
ment, and that he had thus been exorcising these two
evil spirits from the spot where she used formerly
to bathe (the inference being that they had attacked
her while bathing). The roots being extracted, the
Pfilima proceeded to perform the peculiar rite known

^ One of these roots (the stump) gut kli ''( = «< Beard of the Kli fith"*),
belonged to a sapling of the ** Peng- and the other that of a creeper adkd
inor '* 'n»#. no 11^ by the Malav« «* jang- ** awe kr^b««<T »( «« k, creeper ").

A^. Yi NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 231

> the Malays as '* s6mbor sirih," ^ and to conclude the
anemony two of the audience picked up a couple of
^ad and fallen saplings and hurled them forcibly into
le surrounding jungle, in order (as they explained)
lat the evil spirits might go with them. By this time
le woman had, strange to say, for the time, at all
V'ents, perfectly recovered, and in the course of about
alf an hour she was able to walk back to the encamp-
ment, two males of the party working off their emotion
yr running up a couple of forest trees (placing the
W of the foot against the trunk), and shouting for joy.

On coming away I begged of the Pelima the two
iieer stumps which had given him so much trouble

> uproot, which are now at Cambridge.

According to Logan, the Semang not infrequently
iposed upon the superstitious Malays, when they
ished to procure a supply of tobacco and had no
•oducts to barter, by presenting them with medicines
hich they pretended to derive from particular shrubs
id trees in the woods, and which they represented

> efficacious for the cure of headache and other com-
aints.^

I may add that we learn from Vaughan-Stevens
lat charred sticks and the blackening of the feet
ith charcoal were regarded as effective charms
gainst disease,' also that the body is painted for
lagical purposes.*

The women also wear combs inscribed with magic patterns against disease.^
be wind-demon is believed to deposit the disease upon the forehead, hence the
tportance of having the charm upon the head. In the huts the combs are not

MIL

1 »♦ Sembor sirih." To perform this 2 y; /, ^. vol. iv. p. 426.

e the Malay medicine -man ejects ^ Cp. supra^ p. 59.

ewed betel -leaf accompanied by a * Cp. supra, p. 38.

ann upon some part of the patient's • The Pangan women ot Ulu

Tson, which in this case was the Kelantan wear "huchong" leaves

>mach and small of the back. stuck in their combs as charms.

232 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pait m

The men had a corresponding let of duurm-pAttemi for their qmTen ud
charm-holders, the latter having been substituted, as mofre convenient, far the
partly charred sticks originally given by the Putto.^

The women also haid the "tahong,** or birth -bamboo worn for migial
purposes during pregnancy.'

Love-charms.

I now come to the famous love-charm of the wild
tribes which is called '* Chinduai," and appears to be
very widely if not universally known to them, though
its actual origin is quite uncertain.

The Chinduai is said by the Semang to be the
name of an exceedingly small and rare plant, a few
inches only in height, and possessing a very small
white blossom of extraordinarily powerful fragrance.

When the plant is met with it is pulled up by the
root (and burnt ?), and a few drops of oil are dropped
upon it, after which a little of the oil from the plant is
smeared upon the forehead and breast, and the follow-
ing mystical formula repeated : —

En-en Bonn,
Ta-ta* noi,
Nai ka-bleb,
Chuang boi,
Chcpoi dooi.
Tug-tug loL

I spent a good many hours in endeavouring to dis-
cover the exact meaning of the words, with, however,
only partial success. It may therefore serve as a
problem to be worked out at leisure by those who
enjoy such linguistic enigmas. It is only fair, how-
ever, to say that I doubt whether it is in the ordinary
Semang dialect. The Siong people told me that they
themselves could not explain it properly, because the
language of their charms was harder to understand
han what they usually spoke. It quite possibly

' See vol. I p. 437. * Vol. L pp. 458, 459.

HAP. VI NEGRITOS OF KEDAH 233

lelongs (as do so many charms in Malay and most
nher languages) to a more archaic dialect.
A tentative version runs as follows : —

Look, look, comrade !
As this oil drips,
Alone by yourself
Approach towards me,
(And) yearn towards me
(As this) oil spreads upwards.

Sendings or ** Pointings''

The following information concerning the bamboo
endings or rather "pointings" (**tuju") used by
le Blians of their tribe was furnished me by the
emang themselves.

The ordinary ** tuju " is a mere slip or sliver of
amboo about two inches long. This is laid upon the
ght palm, and commanded to go and kill its intended
ictim. It thereupon flies through the air, and on
caching its victim pierces him to the heart.^ The
tuju " with the nick in it was (they told me) far the
lore deadly than the one without, as on reaching its
ictim it would ** twist itself round his heart-strings."

One form of the ceremony is as follows : — Wax
•om a deserted bees*-comb is taken and fashioned
Dughly into a taper. This taper is lighted, and a
ttle incense burnt. The sliver (** tuju ") is then
Dmmanded to proceed directly, turning neither to the
ght hand nor to the left until it reaches its destined
ictim.

When I asked some members of the tribes at how

' The nicked " tuju " may very arrows of the combatants are repre-

obably, I am inclined to believe, sented as a kind of small serpents or

;>resent a degenerated bamboo arrow, dragons which did not require to be

I nick still carrying on the tradition shot with the bow, but flew of their

the barbs. It must be remembered own accord to the mark, directed

It in the version of the Kamayana, as merely by the magic power, or will,

idified by Malay shadow-players, the of those who owned them.

234 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE PAwm

great a distance one of these sendings could be ex-
pected to take effect, I was told "as far as im
here (Siong) to Ulu Selama," a distance of probably
two days' journey across country.

The Malays especially fear the power of these
** pointings/' which are, they believe, almost invariably
fatal.

II. — Sakai.

The beliefs of the Sakai, whether concerning
celestial or terrestrial phenomena, have been very
imperfectly described, and the scanty details that have
been collected on this subject, except perhaps for the
materials collected by Luering, are in no way charac-
teristic, though they appear, so far as they go, to be
very similar to those of the Semang.

Sakai Legend of Early Man — Origin of the Blowpipe Patteksl

Originally man and beast lived on fruits alone, and every tree and plant (cva
rattan and Ijainboo) bore sweet and wholesome fruit. Demons (**Haiitunf
however, dwelt in all of them, and hence men, whenever they desiied to fell i
tree, used to knock upon its trunk to warn the Demons to leave it The lind,
however, was full of apes, who used to break off twigs at random through boc
wantonness and thus incurred the wrath of the Demons ; so that many trees took
to bearing seeds only, or protected their fruit by means of hard or prickly shells ; or
else bore but sour or noxious fruits. Then famine commenced, and Tnhan' ordoed
the people to slay wild beasts also for food, and taught them the use of the
blowpipe. Whereupon certain trees and plants offered to make their sip
poisonous and lend it to man, so that they might be revenged upon the apes.
The bamboo Demons, however, soon became wroth with man as well, becaoie so
many stems of bamboo were used, and entering the blowpipes either difcrted
the darts, or licked off the dart -poison to spoil their shooting. Then they
applied once again to Tuhan for help, and Tuhan grasping in his led-boC hands t
clump of ** Seven Bamboos " (into which the Demons had crept), forthwith
turned the Demons themselves into stone.

The Batin,'-^ who had fallen asleep, now awoke, and Tuhan (seeing th:
Demons in his blowpipe stretching out their necks) called to him and told hin
to put the Demons into the fire by means of a long rattan (cane). So did the
Batin, and so did they all, and thus many demons were killed.

After that Tuhan had annihilated the Demons, he observed, on his way, that
the Batin and his people were suffering greatly from hunger and thirst. TheiefoR
he touched the ground where the Seven Bamboos had been growing, ontil there
shot up a number of fresh young bamboo sprouts, such as are willingly eaten bf

* Tuhan is of Malay or Malayan to southern (probably Jakun) infiiwDOe.
..,-« "v-* fitie of Bntin. too, poinU * See Van^rha" Stevens, iiL 128, 129.

VI SAKAI OF PERAK 23s

Sakmi, and indeed by all native races of the Peninsula — as well as full-grown
which contained water. Thus all the chiefs obtained enough to eat,
henceforth they cooked the sprouts of bamboo in the intemodes of the full-
stems themselves. And since the thorns of the rattan had scratched the
of the tube, each headman gave his own tribe the marks which had
on his own bamboo, as a magic design to protect them against the
;, and hence each clan derived its own so-called *' pichod "-mark.
Then each of the headmen made a quiver for himself out of one of the
les of the Seven-fold Bamboo, and out of the abnomal growth, by
a hole through it, a buckle for his own girdle, in which he carried the
Later, people took to burning into their quivers patterns representing
various marks that had been left by Tuhan's red-hot hands upon eadi separate
of the bamboos, no two tribes selecting exactly the same pattern, since each
was most easily quelled by the particular design which had slain his own
vc.
And when Tuhan had given them a complete series of charm-patterns, each

followed the graining (*' Baris hidup ") of the node which fell to its chief.
This is the reason that the " Orang Sakai " are fond of ape's flesh. ^

World-beliefs.

The Sakai of Ulu Bertang say that Rahu is a
monster which appears to resemble a dragon, since it
" swallows like a serpent." It is seen to crawl across the
heavens, and its colour is at once both green and black
("bla-ur bl-ak"). The moon sees Rahu approach
and becomes very red (** rgngan "), perhaps from fear.
To help the moon, people strike drums and bamboos
(•' awad ") together, and scream out to frighten Rahu.
This is what they shout and sing :

The moon has been eclipsed by Rahu,

We call out to the moon, we call out to Rahu,

O Rahu, let loose my moon, oh ! ^

" Then the moon is let loose (* b5rhol *) by the
monster, and we are all glad, for if the moon were
not it would be very dark. We do the same when
Rahu tries to swallow the sun.*'

World-legends—'' Klang Rlok:' the World-eagle,

On the east side of Gunong Renduai, in Ulu
Bertang, in the Kinta district of Perak (near Sungei

^ Vanghan-Stevens, iii. 128, 129. Ha chngru gicha, chngru Rahu,

' Va kilip gicha ya Rahu, O Rahii b^rhol gicha eng, oi !

236 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE pait ih

Siput), the low-lying reaches of which are now known
as S. Batu Putih, or ''White Rock River," there is a
hollow (**gugup'*) in a steep and inaccessible wall of
limestone, at about half its height. This is the nest
of the ** K'lang B'lok," a giant eagle, which at one time
nearly succeeded in destroying all human beings,'
Only two persons had managed to escape, both the
youngest members of their respective families, a boy
called Ba-lut (i.e. ** youngest son "), and a girl called
Wa-lut {i.e. ** youngest daughter "). These two owed
their safety hitherto to the possession of a magic
knife (called **j6hud paung"). When they found
that they had alone escaped with their lives, the
youth approached the maiden saying, " Marry me?"*
The girl replied, *' All right ! if you will cause the
K'lang B'lok to die, I will be your wife." The boy
replied, " I will kill the K'lang Blok."* After saying
this he climbed to the cave and waited for the retum
of the giant bird. It was then about noon, but
suddenly the sky became dark, and the sun dis-
appeared behind the wings of the bird, the rustling
of which was like the sound of thunder ('"ngkuh").
Ba-lut then stretched out his right arm with the magic
knife, which proved to be so sharp that in its flight
the approaching bird cut its own neck against it and
died. Then Ba-lut married Wa-lut, and they two
became the ancestors of all the people now living in
this world.

To this Dr. Luering of Perak, who sends me the
foregoing tale, adds that he was informed, not by the

^ ** Mai lik gi-chii " (Mai. " manusia *• KMang " may be an archaic foim of

h;ilMs di-makan "). Mai. " hclang " = " kite," " hawk,"

'^ »*Guy ru cng''=*Mivc (/*/. sit) "fish -eagle." Cp. Vocabulaiy, H

•thme." 54; "Balog" (in Kedah Semang)"

» - w.,U c"r *--«i>* VM«nff P*lok." "stoDff."

; CHAP. VI SAKAI OF PERAK 237

■ ^teller of this story but by a third person, that there
: HX>uld be no doubt that the cave which was pointed
= riput to Dr. Luering himself was really the nest of the
;K'lang B'lok, because many years ago, no one knows
z how many, a man succeeded in climbing up to it, and
there he saw two very large eggs of the K'lang B'lok,
5: which, however, had been turned into stone, and
/ Gould not therefore be hatched. " Oh, if they ever
F were hatched, this world would come to an end, and
we should all be eaten up. No one can withstand
the might of K'lang B'lok." This was the exclama-
tion made by Siamat, the man who recounted the
story, when asked whether he had ever heard of the
eggs of the K'lang B'lok having been seen. The
cave can only be reached by rope-ladders.

Another bird connected with Sakai beliefs by Dr.
Luering is the Coucal ('* but-but " = Mai. *'bubut"),
which has the power of healing the broken legs of its
young ones. People go and find the nest, if they
have good luck, for one may search for a lifetime and
never find it. When the bird has young, if you break
the leg of one of them, its cries will attract the
mother, who will come and see what is the matter,
and when she has found it out she will fly into the
jungle to find the plant called ** akar temu urat," or
** creeper with the meeting leaf-ribs," which she will
rub upon the injured limb. Next morning if one
returns to the nest it will be found that the young
bird is quite well again. This medicine has some-
times been obtained by frightening the mother-bird so
that she drops the plant, but the Sakai know how to
find it in the jungle, and some Malays also know the
plant. ^ To prepare it for use you have but to steep it

* Cp. p. 157, ante.

238 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pahid

in oil, and rub it upon the affected part, when it will
join even broken bones and heal all manner of
wounds. Dr. Luering's authority said that he was
shown the plant some years ago, but unfortunatdj
had never found it since, and his informant had died,
but he remembered distinctly that his informant bidK
the growing plant about two inches from the ground,
and joining the broken pieces again, tied them witb
a string. The next morning the two pieces had
again grown together, so that there was no sign of
them ever having been broken. It was also im-
possible to break them at the former place, thou^
they could still be broken elsewhere. Seeing this
was believing.

To return, the Sakai are said to indulge in a
ceremonial exorcism of the spirits of thunder, during
the prevalence of which they go out of their houses
and brandish their poles and arms, to frighten away
the evil spirits.*

The forces of nature are thought to possess the
souls of certain evil spirits or demons, which cause
them to harm people. The forces themselves are not
demons. The harm which is sometimes caused by
wind and lightning is the work of demons. If a
demon is banished by a powerful charm, he dare noi
in such a case cause (for instance) the lightning to
deviate from its destined goal, e.g. to set the jungle
on fire, in order to do harm of another kind by striking
a man. The winds are believed to be seven in number,
each one lying above the other; seven, like three,
being a mystic number to the Sakai. The whirlwind
— a product of several meeting winds (called " Angin
Puting B'liong") — is cone-shaped like the haft of an

^ J. I. A, vol. iv. p. 4.W.

UP. VI SAKAI OF PERAK 239

Ize ( = Mai. " puting "). This name is said to be
ken from the cone-like shape assumed by leaves
hen they are being rolled up by the wind in question.^

The earth, moreover, is regarded as a thin, flat
ust floating upon a nether ocean. The heavens
msist of several layers or tiers, the lowest of
bich may probably be identified with the traditional
^ion of " Kfilonsong Awan " (lit. ** Husks, or Shards,
' the Clouds "), beyond which lies the Sakai Island of
ruit-trees.*

The inhabitants of the upper heavens consist of
uhan or Peng,* the "god" of the Sakai, and a
iantess named ** Granny Long-breasts " (** Gendui
anyut "), whose task of washing human souls will
e described more fully in the succeeding section,
toth men and women go to this Paradise, but children,
istead of undergoing the ordeal, are allowed to go
ad play in a place called ** Noon,"* which lies under-
eath the aforesaid ** Cloud-husks."

Sakai Sotd-theories.

About the appearance and attributes of the soul as
Dnceived by the Sakai, we have at present no in-
)rmation whatever.

After death, however, the Sakai say that ** Granny
*anyut" or ** Long-breasts" (**Genowie Lanyoot "), the
)ueen of Hell, washes their sin-blackened souls in hot
rater.* All men's souls must be purified,^ and after
eath they proceed to Neraka (the Infernal Regions),

' No. It is really from the Malay ' Perhaps to be identified with the

ord for water-spout (from its conical Semang Ponn, q,v,
rm). The passage may perhaps refer * The original has ** Tingha Howi,"

" iriandas " beliefs, at least to some which I take probably to = Mai.

Malayan origin. — Vaughan- Stevens, ** Tengah Hari," 1.^. ** Noon."

148, 149. * Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 130.

« Ibid, These too are Malayan beliefs. ^ Ibid, This is also Malayan.

240 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE FAnra |v

where they come before the aforesaid personage, who is
described as a giantess with pendulous breasts, vfaich
she throws over her shoulders. Elsewhere she is
described as sitting in the usual posture of a Saloi
woman, sideways, with the feet drawn up to the left,
and with her hands resting on her knees, except who
she was engaged in washing the souls. She makes
the souls (after their purification) walk along the
horizontal edge of a monstrous chopper, which hangs
with point turned away from her over a big vessel
to the middle of which it nearly reaches. The
water in this vessel is kept at boiling point, Granny
Lanyut herself stoking the fire. A block of wood
(** tras ISpong " ?) juts out from the opposite side of the
copper so as nearly to meet the point of the blade,
and the souls have to spring across the intervening
gap. Bad souls fall in, good ones escape, the latter
proceeding along the block of wood in the direction
of the Island of Fruit-trees. Here they wait till
Tuhan sends them a friend of the same sex to show
them the way to the ** Husks of the Clouds."

If they have no friend, they must wait for the
arrival of another soul who has a friend there. Upon
this journey the two sexes are separated, and none
but adults are allowed to proceed ; all children (" with-
out limit of age or sex ") stay with Tuhan instead of
proceeding to Granny Lanyut. When eventually they
go to the place called ** Noon " (.^) they spend their
time in play, and (like their elders) do not require to
eat.

The souls that fall in are fished out by Granny
Lanyut as soon as they are clean enough, when they
a-^ rubbed, and set upon the block of timber.

f thev then require further purification, they are

I SAKAI {'BLANDAS') 241

lit)wn in a second time, and if necessary a third
me, and so on up to seven times, when if they still
aonain black, they are cast out by Granny Lanyut to
'Uider on earth again as demons (of the kind most
ppropriate to the sins they have committed).^ Two
uch " lost- soul " demons are the DSgup Demon and
■rave Demon, to both of which we shall presently
Bvert.

The Sakai Deity.

Tuhan, the Sakai (** Blandas ") god, and Kari, the
emang Thunder-god, are. (says Vaughan- Stevens,
ithout, however, giving any proof) quite different
ersons.

About Tuhan we are unfortunately told very little.
l^e gather, however, that he is the supreme judge of
le souls of men, who are sent before him by Granny
panyut, and that the demons are the agents of
is punishments. And elsewhere we are told that
whenever the Sakai have done wrong, Tuhan gives
le demons leave to attack them,^ and that against
is decree there is no contending.* He is not prayed
>, as his will is unalterable.

The name of the chief spirit or god of the Sakai
;, however, in other places given by Vaughan-
tevens as Peng ; e.g, in that writer's account of the
tuang-tuang " ceremony,* where Peng's power over
le demons is described.

Spirits and Demons.
Of Sakai demons (" Nyani ") in general we learn
om Vaughan-Stevens that there are both male and
imale demons, but that there is no intercourse between

* Vaughan- Stevens, ii. 131. ** Peng" is uncorroborated.

• Ibid, Note that the name at least ' Ibid, p. 132.
"Tuhan" is Malay. The name of * Z.f.E. xxvi. 163.

VOL. II R

242 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE PAwm

them, and consequently no propagation of the spedei
They prefer, nevertheless, to live in pairs like human
beings. Peng (or '' Allah '') is able to annihilate
them, and can also increase their numbers, but
nobody (else) can kill them. The magician alone is
in a position to keep them at a distance, when they
want to inflict injury upon any one, and that only if
Peng himself has no reason for permitting them to
cause it, as otherwise the power of the magician b
ineffectual. We are also told that demons, especially
the male ones, are not afraid of women ; and that at
the " tuang-tuang " ceremony they enter the ring from
above and pass out of it through the ground.*

Of other spirits and demons Vaughan-Stevens
gives the following information : —

The demons into which the souls that cannot be
purified are changed vary from those which arc
merely shut out of the ** Cloud-Husks" to the Hantu
D6gup or Ghost Demon, which suffers from coM,
thirst, and hunger.

The Sakai think (as has been already mentioned)
that they must have done something wrong before any
demon (with the exception of the Dggup Demon) gets
permission from Tuhan to attack them. In any case,
however, they consider that all demons should be
avoided ** like the tiger," and when sick (though not
when dying) they seek to frighten them away (or
oppose them by means of spells), just as if they were
human beings.^

^ Z.J. E. xxvi. 163. idea of prayer is quite fbreigii to ibc

^ Hence when Vaughan - Stevens Orang Hutan " is due to a similar m-

declares (ii. 132) that there is no trace pIo>'ment of popular phraseologjr. See

of demon - worships he is evidently J, L A, vol. iv. p. 430. — •• The Sikii

using the word "worship" in its deprecate the Nyani or superior spirits^

narrow (and popular) sense. So too and the Pateh or inferior ones, whidi

"DP "K^. \ 1^, his remark that ** the arc male and female.*'

SAKAI (* BLAND AS') 243

There are four chiefs of the world of demons,

a Batin, Jinang, Jurukrah, and Penglima.^
The symptoms of a man killed by the D6gup
ion resemble those caused by snake-bite in the
>t. Men can easily escape from a demon by running,
luse both its feet are reversed. If, however, they
overtaken, the demon shakes them and they soon
U dead. All deaths by demons are permitted by
' Tuhan, who decides how long each man ought to live.

The D^gup Demon.

The Dggup Demon is a lost, but immortal soul,
which being so spotted that Granny Lanyut is unable
to purify it even after seven times bathing it in
boiling water, has been expelled by her from hell, and
is undergoing punishment on earth for its sins. It is
visible, and always slays ^ all whom it meets, without,
however, causing them pain. It cannot go far from
the spot where its body is buried, but seeks for
warmth and comfort in the vicinity of the grave.
Even, however, when it finds what it seeks, it derives
no benefit. '* Unbearably tormented, it ''.eeks relief
and finds none, except on the grave, and when it fails
to find the latter (the gr^ve) it may be heard at night
shrieking ** Gup ! gup ! gup ! '* ( Vaughan - Stevens
declared that he had often heard it, by night only,
but attributed the cry to a small owl or gecko.)
When it finds the grave, it cowers down upon it, tak-
ing the form of an old man or woman whose feet are
turned backwards (as is the case with other demons).^

* Vaughan - Stevens, ii. 134. A soever itmet, it might only frighten them,
proof of Malayan influence. * In his account of the ** luang-tuang"

* Vet (pjx 133, 134) v. -St. says that ceremony, after slating that the soul of
though (unlike other demons) it had a magician could not be damned, whilst
power from Granny Lanyut tokill whom- that of a Batin could, Vaughan- Stevens

244 NA TURA L RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE pah m

The Sakai will leave any place at once where evena
single evil-doer dies, the whole tribe moving on and
rebuilding their village, and never returning to die
deserted site. The number of deaths, however, does
not matter if the deaths may be attributed to otha
causes (than the Hantu Degup), nor if all the deceased
bore good reputations. Hence the Sakai avoid Malays^
who always have (with them) a bad reputarioo,
although they maintain that dead Malays go to a
different place.

The Grave Demon.

Of the Hantu Kubur(or Grave Demon) Vaughao-
Stevens says^ that the use of the anchak (" andbp"),
or sacrificial tray, which is suspended over Sakai
graves, is to receive food and water destined for the
Grave Demon.*'^ It is again for the Grave Demon
that the fire on the grave is lit. The soul (MaL
** sfimangat ") of the deceased has already gone to the
nether regions (** Ngraka"), but his wicked deeds con-
tinue to wander about near the grave in the form of a
grave demon in order to find some human embodi-
ment into which they can enter. A good man gives
them no opportunity, but a bad one allows them to
enter, and becomes worse in consequence. If the
Grave Demon finds no such new place of abode, it

cuiitinues as follows : — *' If the soul of ment (since as a Batinhe was acc ust oned

a Batin was damned, the punishment to having food brought to him). Bat

consistecl in this, that his soul was ordinary people fled before him, and

turned away by Granny Lanyut as the magician, whenever he came opn

unwashablc, and returned to the earth him, struck at him with his feaifcl

as a Ghost Demon or Hantu Degup. stick : the stick with the triple tigo'i

Anhungered, he saw an abundance of claw-like growth, from the stem of t

fruits on every side ; thirsty, he saw kind of rattan, which the Malays ciU

water everywhere, yet could not reach Dahan, and which inflicts esceediaglT

it either, so that his soul wandered painful wounds" [Z.f, E. xxvi. 148).

iI)out continually in order to find ^ Vaughan -Stevens, ii. 141.

au«<>ofw^Y urhrt -vMilrl b^'ufir it lourish- ' Cp. supra,, p, 98.

VI SAKAI {' BLANDAS') 245

t return to the grave in three days' time.

use of the fire is to show it the way. If
r the three days it finds no new home, it sits by
fire at night, eating and drinking the contents of
'• anchak " or tray, and sleeping throughout the day-
I, and having continued in this state for seven
{, it dies outright and vanishes for ever. Hence
• seven days no more food is put in the tray,
le it is alive and being fed it is harmless, and

no harm to the survivors, who visit the grave
\t to bring it food or to attend to the fire. As the
re Demon is invisible, no one can tell whether
deceased left behind him a Grave Demon or

Therefore the fire is lit and the food offered
»ehalf of all the members of the tribe, both big
little.^

Demons of the Atmosphere.

n Vaughan- Stevens' class of invisible demons
i are many kinds of demons of the atmosphere
h work through the agency of rain, heat, moun-
, lakes, stones, and trees. These are, however.
r^ry dangerous, and seldom kill.
"he Demon Huntsman (Hantu Sfiburu) is a lost
that has been excluded from the ** Cloud-Husks *'
elonsong Awan "), and sent back to earth by
my Lanyut. Like the ** Lofty Demon," it re-
gies a jungle-man, and disappears from sight the
lent it is seen. It is never far from water, and
imetimes swallowed in drinking and thus intro-
d into the blood. It also resembles the Baunan
ion, except in form, which in the case of the
r is that of a huge black human figure.

raoghan-Steveos, ii. 141. Cp. ib. 83 «., for a " Hantu " with *• vampire"
ities.

246 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE w

The Mati Anak (or Stillborn-child Demon]
two forms, that of a frog and that of a bird. Lik*
other three demons, it is a soul expelled from Par
by Granny Lanyut, and resembles such souls
other respects.

The Jgmoi Demon resembles a black dog,
disappears as soon as it is met with. It is s€
bushes after a long day's journey, and seems a \
personification of fatigue, the sight of it bri
great bodily prostration, and the legs of the
swelling up until he is unable to move fro
spot. In other respects it resembles the foregc

There are also many tree-spirits which bel
the class of invisible spirits, but are not very dang
and seldom kill.^ Also the crop-spirits belong
the same class, chief of which is the Hantu Jul
Squinting Demon, which is exorcised with sc
care at the harvesting of the rice.*

Before leaving the subject of demons, rej
should be made to the Sakai custom of hang
the jaws of apes (that have been shot with bl

* Vaughan-Stcvens, ii. 135. the head of the hatchet in

' Before a tree is cut down, a Sakai and returned it to its on

taps three or four times on the trunk sequently doing the same foi

with the back of his implement. The tools. The ceremony of bf

legendary explanation is that this cere- felled timber was likewise ao

mony is a notice to quit to the Hantu by magical ceremonies. At

of the tree. Vaughan-Stevens could ing of the rice the magician

never get a satisfactory explanation. — various ceremonies intended

v. -St. iii. 128. the rice grow short, to prote

^ The process has already been de- wild animals and evil spin

scribed, but may here, for convenience* make the seed fertile. C^ire

sake, be in brief recapitulated. Before exercised not to awake tl

felling the trees for a padi-clcaring all demons,

the tools had to be charmed. Women Before the commencement

and children might not be present on a magical ceremony was pet

account of the dangers from evil spirits. secure the soul of the rice ;

Saplings were cut and erected at followed by a feast, after

sunrise and the handle of a hatchet labours of the harvest, till tl

hung from them. After repeating a hands of the women alone,

uip^KAror'^hflrme t]ietTi4^rian "^pl^oed tinued. Supra, vol. i. p. 3^

p. VI SAKAI OF PERAK 247

ts and eaten) from the roof of the house.^ This is
le in order to keep away the ape-demons, which
^use epileptic fits. This form of madness (**gila"),
the Sakai call it {i.e. the grinning and showing of
ith that is seen in apes as they fall from the
-e after being shot, and before the hunters kill
tem with the parang or chopper), is inflicted upon
hunter by the ape -demon, if the latter is not
bwiverted from the object of its revenge.^

Dr. Luering of Perak writes me, that the spirits
'^hich most afflict the Sakai of Ulu Bertang are the
•lowing : — " Nyani' manus," the tiger spirit ; ** Nyani'
^*rak," the jungle or forest spirit ; '* Nyani' tiu," the
^ver or water spirit. These three spirits can more
Or less be overcome by the skill of the Sakai, either
by charms or medicine, but another spirit called
*' Nyani' jShii'," or the tree spirit, is so quick in
Working mischief that no help is possible. He comes
down from the trees when no man knows, and before
any one suspects it, has slain his victim.*

Dr. Luering inquired after the elephant spirit,
which is so much feared by the Perak Malays, and
which, the Malays believed, had quite recently killed
one of the greatest chieftains of the state (the Dato'
Penglima Kinta, who died of dropsy), but the Sakai
knew nothing of any such spirit. Questioned as to
small-pox (Mai. ** champak " = Sak. ** ginas "), they said
that it was a ** Nyani' gop " or Malay spirit, which
was very hostile to the Sakai, while it treated the
Malays kindly. The chieftain of the Sahum tribe re-
marked that he used to estimate his tribe at about three

* The Perak Sakai similarly suspend 21, p. 162. ^Z,f,E. xxvi. 169.

thc(lowcr)jawsofcivct-cats(**musang") ^ j,'or the offerings made in expelling

and other animab, as well as bunches of these spirits (the '* fialei Nyani"), v,

horabill skulls.— /.i?.^.5., S.B,, No. Fasc. Mai, p. 46.

248 NA rURAL REUGiON AND FOLK-LORE fah m

hundred souls, but within the last year twenty-four had
died of small-pox. Dr. Luering's informant added:—

" We believe in * kramats ' or sacred places, at
which we worship like the Malays^ burning inceuie
(' kfimgnyian '). We learnt this from our ancestor!
Of course, some of these sacred places belong to
Malay spirits (* Nyani' gop '). In case of sickness we
make vows there ('bfirkaul'). We have no other
word for making a vow.

** These spirits have sometimes been seen : Malay
spirits look like Malays, others look like ourselves.
There is a sacred spot on Gunong Banglang/ near
the steep rock-wall there. I have never seen it, but
our people go there to make vows. Another is on
Gunong Renduwai, where the K'lang B'lok was
killed. Of course there are many more, and some
are very powerful, but there is no name for them
except that of the place where they dwell."

According to Vaughan-Stevens (in his account of
the '* tuang-tuang " ceremony), the term "physic "is
somewhat misleading, for it is only in very few cases
that the magicians act to any extent as physicians.
They are really magicians pure and simple, the corre-
sponding profession in the case of the southern tribes
being rather that of medicine -man (or "Poyang").
As the latter, however, has not been formally initiate
into the mysteries of the magicians, as preserved by
the wilder tribes of the jungle, a new profession has
arisen there, viz. that of healing diseases with infusions
of herbs applied inwardly.

The ancient demon- or devil - man is something
quite different. Through the magic power bequeathed
".o him by his ancestors, he exorcises all kinds of

' Oi. «« P«lang»» (Malay), south-east of Batu Pipis.

VI SAKAl (' BLAND AS') 249

^mons and diseases^ and the few plants that he
iploys are applied outwardly either in pressed form
in that of an infusion.^
p^ The Sakai magicians in ancient times exercised an
influence far exceeding even the prerogative of a
pi^^ef. On every occasion their counsel was required,
^^ttnd even the Batin ^ did not undertake any action of
r^ importance, such as a migration or a war, without
'- their approval. Moreover, they filled an important
r61e both at births and at marriages, though not (it
appears) at funerals.'
\^ The chief power of the magician consisted in his
[ universally recognised attribute of being able to
y assure the health of his clientele, and to provide for
t them the means of nourishment and the like by virtue
of his charms. The magician of the wilder tribes is dis-
tinguished from his colleagues of the south by the fact
that he still believes firmly in the power of his charms.
Besides this, the magician could punish any
persons who offended him by permitting the demons
to torment them and make them ill, this result being
attained by his refusing them his protection against
the demons that were always ready to torment man-
kind. He had, moreover, the right to step into a
house and take away the charms that were hung up
in the house, and any one who hindered him from so
doing was compelled to suffer the penalty of being
killed by means of his club. The supreme god
(Allah, Tuhan, or Peng) alone had the power and the
right to dictate to the demons on whom they should
inflict their injuries. No demon could injure a
magician, and the latter's death (no matter from what

> Z.f, E, xxvi. 145. Cp./- ^- ^- vol. iv. p. 430.
« A Malayan official. ' Z. < E, xxvi. 147.

250 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE JAwra

cause) was regarded solely as the act of heaven. The
chief reason alleged for this belief was that the power
of the magician had been developed to its utmost (u
that he had learnt everything that magic had to teadi
him), and that he was therefore entrusted by AM
with the charge of caring (in an unrecognised way)
for the souls of the dead, whether in heaven or the
Isle of Fruits. The soul of a magician could never
be damned, but that of a Batin could.^

The trappings of a Sakai magician consisted of his
headband, necklace, girdle, kneebands, and staff.

His headband was painted "in black colour and
without dots " (to distinguish it from the red pattern
with black dots worn on ordinary occasions by all
members of the tribe).

His necklace (**koy-iss") consisted of a "string
of seeds of a kind no longer procurable,* to whidi
was attached a tortoise - bone pendant, with tiger's
teeth or beads on both sides."

His girdle consisted of tassel -like bunches of
"s'lowk" {}) leaves.

His kneebands consisted of "linok" or squirrel-
tails, strung as closely together as possible.

His hair was allowed to fall down to its full
length (for it was never cut !) over his face, so that
his features were all but hidden.

His loin-cloth (unlike that of his fellow-tribesmen)
was entirely plain and undecorated.

The emblem of his dignity — a staff — was made
from Satambun (" Tamoon ") wood, and was said to
have been originally the emblem of a Batin,* which was

* Z.j\ E, XX vi. 147. F. n. 3, infra. that had died out, nor is it likely that

' This statement is scarcely credible. any formerly imported seeds have ceased

'* is not at all likely that the seeds to be imported.

-.,1/ inT )elonged to plants or trees ' This and similar statements ap-

I SAKAI (' BLAND AS ') 251

lopted at the time of the first influx of Malays, in
sice of the ancient mark of the magician, viz. a rare
pdeformed growth or " sport " of the bamboo, which was
ifaicised with powerful charms for quelling evil spirits.
?Jlone but the magicians might bear this staff, which
' it was believed would injure any one else who tried to
:- do so.*

One of these staffs which was collected by
Vaughan- Stevens measured 62 cm. in length, and
bore, firstly, a charm designed as a protection against
the " P'wlli " (?), or " Vampire of Shake-Net Island "
(which was the traditional first home of the race) ;
secondly, a charm against the ape spirit or epilepsy ;
and thirdly, a charm against the argus-pheasant spirit
or lunacy.^

In addition to his staff, the Sakai magician also
occasionally employed a sprinkling - brush named
" chen-ow," with which, in the performance of certain
ceremonies, he sprinkled the demons.*

It may be here further noted that all the Sakai,
whether magicians or not, whenever they find them-
selves compelled to handle any magical object, are in
the habit of taking a leaf into the hand, to prevent the
demon (Hantu) that resides in the said object from
passing directly into their persons.*

I may add that iron may not (according to
Vaughan-Stevens) be used for cutting either the
hair or the finger-nails.^

pear to point to the fact of their having *' P'wlli" may be a corruption of

originated amongst tribes under the ** Pawul," a Blandas Grave Demon, v.

influence of Malayan culture. p. 105, ante.

* Z./. E. xxvi 166-169. ' J bid. p. 166. ♦ Ibid. p. 167.

* /ifid, p. 169 ; cp p. 264, infr. * Jbid, xxix. 178.

25 2 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE paw m

Medicine-huts.

We are also informed that a special type of
medicine -hut was formerly owned by the Saka
magicians (in addition to their own private dwelling-
hut),^ that the latter stood " deep in the forest," tlot
it was built on the level of the ground, and that it
was protected against intruders by means of a post,
which was planted in the ground in front of it, and
hung about with a medley of bones, leaves, and
flowers.

The shape of these huts is said to have originally
been round, and none but magicians were allowed to
enter them, or to see their contents, which consisted
of bamboos incised with special charms.*

Vaughan-Stevens was only allowed to enter sud
a hut once (and that only after a sort of ceremony of
admittance into the tribe, which consisted in fera-
seed bruised in water being poured over him). The
walls and roof of the house were hung with tufts of
dried plants, and bamboos of all sizes lay scattered
about upon the ground and in every corner, all of
them being covered with incised patterns.*

Exorcism or " Tuang-tuang'' Ceremony {'* /Cuwet-niss").
** Kuwet-niss " is, as it appears, the older name for

1 Vaughan - Stevens adds that the Sibylism. An arbour of thocns b
Sakai magicians of the present day framed, into which a man and hit wife
employ their own dwelling-houses as are put. The neighbours perionn a
medicine - huts ; though even now a chant outside, and a strange noise ii
cave will sometimes be fitted up to do then supposed to be heard, which is
duty for this purpose. believed to be a sign that the spirit

2 Z./,E. xxvi. 145. Strong confirm- they have invoked has possessed the
ation of this statement of Vaughan- i^air enclosed in the arbour. The
Stevens with regard to the Sakai latter then come forth, and whitcfer
medicine-huts is to be found in they utter is regarded as an expieaioo
AAA. vol. iv. p. 430: "They (the of the will of the spirits alluded to."

UkF. VI SA/CA/ CBLANDAS*) 253

i€j ceremony of exorcism, which is also called
luang-tuang." The first expression is employed by
4e Sakai among themselves, and the second appears
:> be especially used by the civilised {i.e. Malayising)
ribes. The latter is applied not only to the act of
scorcism, but also to the bamboos employed for that
iirpose.^ Since only a thoroughly skilled magician
i in a position to bring the ceremony to a quite
uccessful completion, it is now somewhat rare, the
nagicians who possess the old tradition sedulously
voiding the Malays on the ground that their
'medicine-hut" would be defiled if it were entered
y a stranger.^

The ceremonial headbands of the men, or " lat," as
listinguished from those of the women, "rib" (**reeb"),
rere stiff bands of bark-cloth, and were always worn,
rhereas the headbands of the women, though made
tf the same material, were only worn on occasion.
The hair of the men was allowed to fall down after
he example of the magician, and was merely bound
)y the headbands, whereas the women bound up
heir hair in some kind of knot, which they employed
he headbands to fix.

The patterns painted upon these headbands were
dleged to represent the owner's name in each case.

These patterns, as has been said (together with
:he face-painting and blowpipe patterns), might not
3e employed until the Sakai youths were married
md had thus been admitted into the tribe.

Since the painted headbands might only be worn
Dn special occasions, the black patterns were not

* These **tuang-tuang" were bamboos notes. They were intended for use as

Iccorated with magical patterns and amuletsagainst disease, spiders, drought,

truck on the ground during magical etc., or as rain-charms. Supra^ vol. i.

eremonies, so as to produce musical p. 472, seq. * Z.f. E. xxvi. 144.

254 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE pjuct ra

retained on the headbands of the lay members of the
tribe, and only the red pattern with black dots was
allowed.

The black patterns were called " demon '* patterns,
because they afforded protection against the demons,
who, as soon as they saw them, were obliged to flee.

The magician who presided at the ceremony wore
his own pattern in black and without dots.* The
object of this was partly to hinder the demons (who
had been invoked by the bamboos of his servant)
from entering the circle in the middle of which he
himself stood, and partly so to lead the demons round
the circle as to confront them with the patterns of all
who were present, so that during the ensuing chase
they should know which persons might not be injured
by them. But in order to avoid terrifying them too
much, and thereby hindering them from imprinting
the patterns on their memories with sufficient exacti-
tude, the Sakai purposely let fall their hair over their
faces, so as to prevent the black stripes in their face-
painting from becoming too noticeable. The magician
and his attendant did the same. In this way it was
possible for the demons to approach the headbands
and observe the patterns. In order to make them
plainer to the demons, the dots of the red pattern
were made black instead of the recognised white,
since white dots against the dull " anatto " red were
difficult to distinguish. In former times, when a
species of red ochre was employed, the dots were
white, as in the case of the face-paintings.*

These preparations having been made, the magician
after a short silence strikes the end of his bamboo

' For the customs of face-painting ployed for purposes of migic), qn
and body-painting (which were em- supra^ " Maturity Customs.*'
* Z.f E. xxvi. 162.

.CHAP. VI SAKAI ('BLANDAS') 255

|(** tuang-tuang ") a few times upon the ground, the
^pil accompanying him with one of the decorated
^bamboos in each hand. Soon after this all the men
Ijoin in with due solemnity, and continue for about
tjm hour; so long, in fact, as the magician himself
continues. As soon as he ceases, all of them stop,
and laying their bamboos behind them, proceed to
the particular business (whether hunting or fishing or
whatever it might be) for which this strange cere-
mony was preparatory.

Meanwhile not a word was spoken, and little, if
any, gesticulation was used. In some cases two
bamboo sticks called " sok-yet " (38 cm. x 3 cm.) were
used at the ceremony ; one stick being held in each
hand and struck upon the other in the air.

In former times the women might use none but
" smooth " {i.e. undecorated) bamboos in contra-
distinction to the men.^

Women and children were obliged to attend the
ceremony, since it was considered unsafe for them to
be far from the men when so many demons were
being invoked.

The women took their places in the circle, each
woman sitting behind her husband, with her children
in turn behind her. Between the two circles (of
men and women) there was a broad space left vacant
for the passage of the demons, so as to enable the
latter to look at the headbands of both men and
women simultaneously. The demons, especially the
male ones, are not afraid of women, and hence the
women did not allow their hair to hang down over
their faces, the black stripes on their face-painting
being thus left visible. This device prevented the

* Z./. E. xxvi. 172.

256 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE PAirni |k

demons from breaking through between two women \
and attacking the unprotected children.

The demons entered from above into the space J
between the men and women, but as soon as the
beating of the bamboos was at an end, and escape
was possible, they went down through the earth in
obedience to the magician's will.

It was alleged that the women wore no designs
on their headbands, but were recognised by the
demons who had previously seen them in thdr
husbands' company, and protected by the channs
inscribed upon their husbands' headgear.*

The idea that lies at the bottom of the ceremony
is the following : —

The painted bamboos of the pupil are to call
together all the demons to see what the magician is
doing. The decorated bamboos of the other men arc
intended by means of their patterns to render the
demons powerless for the ensuing day. At the
same time, if Allah {i,e. Tuhan or Peng) intends a
man to be injured, there is no remedy against it
Each individual man now knows how to cut the
charm-pattern to suit his particular case, but he may
not employ the general charm-pattern for himself
alone, as he would then conjure up all the demons
against himself, without any chance of self-protection.
On the other hand, if a man should (as he properly
might) incise either the tiger or snake-charm for
himself alone, and thereupon sound it, he would
certainly be safe if the tiger and snake-demons heard
the sound, but as certainly not if they did not hear
him. Since, however, the chase was only undertaken
as a rule by fairly large parties, there was usually little

1 ZJ. E. xxvi. 163.

fc^. VI SAKAI (* BLANDAS*) 257

nger for any particular individual, so that the charm
employed was almost uniformly successful. And
mce every member of these hunting parties had to
t equipped with the charm-leaves, the prizes and
iprards that fell to the magician were great.^

Another Form of Exorcism (Sawai),

This consists of an incantation, or rather spell,
hich is performed on behalf of an invalid when all
se fails. The exact words employed are not known
\ yet, but the form of the ceremony itself is known to
rery Sakai.^ The patient is laid with the head towards
e west under cover of a roof or screen made from
e fresh leaves of a palm, which resembles the areca-
Jm, and is called ** dampong." An opening is left
rough which the magician (or Pawang) enters. This
trance can be closed so as to conceal both the patient
d the magician from observation. The latter takes
:enser (** sungkun " or *' sangkun " '^) with him, which
nsists of a half coconut-shell containing burnt resin
enzoin). He then squats down at the feet of the
valid, and raising himself breast high swings the
nser seven times over the patient's couch. Next he
izes a leaf of the *' dampong "-palm, and therewith
labours the invalid, or rather the demon by which
: is possessed, with the object of driving it either
to the network of loops or a cage which hangs over
e head of the patient.^

The loopwork varies greatly, both as to form and
aterial, probably according to the demon it is in-
nded to catch.

Z.f.E. xxvi. 173. ceremonyshows more Malayan influence

' In orig. **Orang Hutan." This than the last.
3 Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 141, 142.

VOL. II S

258 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE pauib

The magician now stamps his feet and dances
wildly, shrieking and shouting until the demon, tfri
escape its chastisement, takes flight by enterii^ ioM
the cage. The magician then stops and munnm
certain magic words, which are believed to prevat
the demons from escaping.

Then he goes out with the loopwork, whidi k
takes home and hangs up there. If it comes in hall
the demons escape, and return to their original dwdt
ing place. This particular process is called "T^
Badan Sawai." Yet another spell, called "T6kan Badan
K1uar," or Birth-blessing, belongs to the or^^inal
duties of the magician's profession, and as it is not
kept secret, it can be performed by any man orwonaa
who chooses. The magician generally imparted dm
incantation (like that for the dying) to the Pei^Una
of the place and his wife, so that in urgent cases Acy
might be able hastily to take his place.^

Alleged Totemism}

Unfortunately Vaughan-Stevens does not seem to
have found any consistent theory on the subject, and
his notes, which, as his editor tells us, were gathered oc
many different occasions, so often confuse the clan wid
the tribe that it is impossible even to gain any dea
conception of the Sakai traditions on the subject I
seems, therefore, useless to attempt any reconstruction
The only facts to be gathered are the following : —

In dealing with the face -patterns of the Saka
Vaughan-Stevens gives an account of an alleged dai
system. The Sakai are said to compose five origin:

^ Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 142, 143. roust add that to me the evidenoe 1

' Cp. pp. 32, 62-64, ante, I am appears to be of the text-book ofd

indebted for this summary to Mr. and to conflict with all we yet knc

•^rkmac M -xp*r in Totemism. I of the Sakai — W.S.

SAKAl C SENOP) (* BLANDAS') 259

which formed sub-groups, when the tribe

to inhabit a single locality, each of which

«pted a name closely allied to that of the parent

p. The alleged five main groups, found among

^^ Senoi, the Kenaboi, and Besisi, were the Snake,

ish. Leaf, Thorn, and Tiger clans. The sub-groups

the Snake clan take as their eponymous species the

hon, the Cobra, the Hamadryad, and so on. The

nal purpose of the crest of the sub-groups was as

property mark on blow-tubes and as a pattern for

painting, according to the account given by

aughan-Stevens. He does not, however, seem to

ve been able to collect any examples of the former

*ul>-groups.^ As to the latter, which he distinguishes

li^m the patterns, none of which he gives, he says he

^ "^Uras able to get them from the magicians, though

%hey were no longer used owing to the clan (** tribal ")

^assemblies having fallen into desuetude.*

The Sakai marriage regulations were said to be
l>ased on this clan-system, but instead of being exo-
gamous, they were strictly endogamous, marriage out-
side the clan involving expulsion from it, a practice that
gave birth to new clans — Civet-cat, Crocodile, Scorpion,
etc, which soon attained a numerical superiority.

In the absence of any information as to the
sacrosanctity of the eponymous species, it is premature
to use the term totemism in speaking of this system.
At the same time the fact that a quasi-totemic nomen-
clature is found in conjunction with a marriage system
resembling that of the mythical period of the Arunta,
renders even this alleged Sakai organisation of extra-
ordinary interest and importance.

1 Probably because there were none to collect. — W.S.
« Z,f.E. xxvi. 150-152.

26o NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE paitui

Among the Semang there is no trace of totemisa
As to the Jakun, the only fact pointing in the
direction of totemism is one recorded by Favre/ that
some ** tribes " of Jakun abstained from eating elephant
flesh, alleging that it caused sickness. This, in fom,
very totemistic belief, is, however, an isolated case.
In the absence of further information it is simpler to
suppose that some Jakun groups had, owing to
contact with Malays or other tribes, given up one i
their old tribal beliefs, or, possibly, that those whid
respected the elephant had acquired from outside a
belief in its sacrosanctity.

Charf?is against Wild Beasts.

Sakai. — A charm against tigers is made in the
following way : — A bundle of ** s'lowk " leaves is rolled
up to represent the tiger's body ; this is transfixed with
imitation bamboo arrows made of thin strips of bfirtam-
bark, on the ends of which are tassels of split ** slowk"
leaves. To the ** tiger " is fastened a strip of rattan, on
which is hung a leaf painted with magical patterns in
dragon's blood.'- After various other magical additions,
including a water-vessel, a flower of the Latoom-plant,
etc., had been made, the whole was hung up in the house.

When a man fell ill of dysentery or colic, it was
attributed to the tiger-spirit. He was sprinkled with
water from the water -vessel, and the spirit was
believed to be thereby transferred to the Latoom-
flower, in which it was believed to be imprisoned by
the ** s'lowk " tassels. Vaughan-Stevens found these
charms among the Central Sakai (Senoi), Besisi,
Kenaboi, but not among the Jakun or Benua-Jakun.*

* Favre in Ann, de la P, de la Foi^ xxii, 303.

2 ^p. T,f, E, 1894, p. 152. "S'lowk" qu. = "selft'" ("leaf")?

'^ Rtk ^otizblatt, i. 1-4.

SAKAI (* BLAND AS ' ) 261

Interpretation of Dreams — the Dream Ceremony.

The Sakai attach great importance to dreams,
iging formal reports of them to the magician or
lie midwife ; the man to the former, the woman to
1« latter. The dreams of the lay members of the
are of no special interest, but the magicians in
is receive inspiration from spirits that are well
jsed.^ Of special significance are those dreams
farded which are awaited by all magicians and the
^'^'^liole tribe on important occasions, the Batin being
*Jie chief person involved. These gatherings were
«ield on the highest accessible mountain summit in
%}ie territory of the tribe, and occupied several days*
"^ime, since it was required that each of the dreams
iriiould be repeated upon three successive nights.

There has been no such gathering since the dis-
appearance of Berchanggei Besi ; all that the present
magicians know with regard to such ceremonies being
that the Batin invoked the help of Tuhan in some
form now forgotten, and that the Batin then fell im-
mediately asleep and the dreams came to him in a
disguised form, and after his awaking were interpreted
by the magicians.^

Sakai children are named in accordance with
dreams, in which there appeared the track of a tiger,
a tree, an insect, etc.®

Use of Love-philtres.

The Sakai, like the Semang, have a great reputa-
tion (especially among the Malays) for love-philtres,

J Z.f.E. xxvi. 158 (r). The men- (///. •'Iron Claws"), v, p. 265, infra,
tion of these officials suggests Malayan * Ibid, p. 158.

influence. For ** Berchanggei Besi" ' Cp. Jw/ra, p. 12.

262 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE pait ui

the most famous of which is made from a plant
called ** Chinduai," which grows on the Perak moun-
tains.^

It is with this plant that a tale collected for mebf
Dr. Luering among the Sakai of Ulu Bertang in
Perak is connected. It runs as follows : —

Dato* Jaja' (? Yahya) was the wife of a Malay
trader living in the Kampong of Sungei Siput, Kintt,
which then was near, or nearer than now, to the sea.
As is still the case, the Sakai, on arriving from the
far-off Bertang, were accustomed to drop in and call
at Malay houses to chew " betel." One day when
Jaja's husband had gone to sea, some Sakai from
Bertang came to the house, when Jaja', repelled by
their ugliness and dirtiness, received them in a very
unfriendly mood. She told them that she could not
afford to give them any " betel," for her husband was
away, and she did not know when he would return.—
in fact she had not the means to feed her own
children, and how could she be expected to supply
** betel " to outsiders, especially to Sakai ? The
Sakai went away crestfallen, but vowed that they
would revenge themselves. One of them who was a
medicine-man (** Pawak *'), as soon as he had returned
to Bertang, made ** chenduwai " or witchcraft, whidi
caused the Malay woman Jaja*, though so far away, to

» Cp. Wray in /. R. A. S,, S, B., called "buluh pdrindu" or "jtmai

No. 21, p. 127: "On the rocks near bamboo," he says: ''The sbiH

the summit, a quantity of a plant called bamboo called by the Malays 'bthh

'*Chimbuai"(jiV) grows. This plant is pfrindu * is, on the other hud, a*

much valued by the Malays, as it is tremely plentiful on Bemmfaui, and cob-

supposed to act as a love-philtre. It paratively scarce on the other hill. I mi

probably belongs to the Ophioglossacea^ fortunate in being able to collect flower-

and is a delicate rush-like plant about ing specimens of this elegant littk

three inches high, having its spores in l>amboo, which is credited with mjttc

*<ttle tassels on the tops of the leaves. " properties by the natives, and is in wA

\nd cp. also the same writer in ibid, pp. request by love-lorn swains, whose mi**

c« ^«;o v^e— in referring to the plant tresses are cold and irresponsive."

^ CHAP. VI SAKAI OF PERAK 263

^&I1 violently in love with him. She seemed to have lost
her reason, for she fled into the jungle calling for
Tier Sakai lover, whom, after days of wandering in the
rilds, she at length found at his home in Bertang.
j^Jaja' had had two children by her Malay husband,
^called Kulop Perak and Si Mat respectively; and
f Aow by her Sakai husband she in due time had two
sdiildren, who grew up in Bertang as Sakai. When
lier Malay husband returned from his trip to the sea,
Jbe at first made vain endeavours to have his wife
restored to him, but failing to recover her, he gave up
%he search. Nevertheless her Malay sons, Kulop
Perak and Si Mat, felt the reproaches of the villagers,
that their mother had gone to live as a Sakai, very
much. They therefore went to Bertang where they
found their mother with her Sakai family. It took a
grreat deal of persuasion to bring her away from
there, but at last they succeeded, and she left in the
company of Kulop Perak and Si Mat, leaving her
Sakai husband and children (whose names are now
forgotten) behind. But the nearer she approached
her former home, the more reluctant she became to
proceed. The thought that the villagers would
reproach her for her escapade began to be more and
more oppressive to her, and therefore, when almost
in sight of her former home, she drowned herself in a
little rivulet which they had to cross. Her body was
easily recovered by her children, and she was buried
close by, but her name is still attached to the river,
which goes under the name of Sungei Jaja'. Her
Sakai children became the ancestors of the Sakai, who
related this story, and who attribute the high stand-
ing of their family to their partly Malay descent
through Jaja' the Malay.

264 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE paitih

The woodlouse (?) is related by Vaughan-Stevens
to be used as a charm by the women for impairing a
man's virility.^

Tke Sakai (" Blandas ") Traditions}
The following traditions are assigned to the Sakai
(** Blandas '*) by Vaughan - Stevens, though (by his
own admission) they were taken from very mixed
sources. They ** depend," says Vaughan-Stevens,
**upon accounts given by some hundred individual
members of the races concerned, and only those
accounts which are practically universal have been re-
tained "(!). In parts they resemble the Mantra legends.
The oldest of these traditions concerns an island
called Guntong Penyaring (** Shake-Net* L"), said to
be situated across the sea in the direction of the rising
sun. In the interior of the island was a mountain
with two summits. Between these lodged at night
great flocks of fruit -bats, which were in the habit
of repairing to their feeding-places on both sides of
the mountain from thence. By day they remained
suspended from the trees near the saddle of the
mountain. The Sakai drew nets across the
entrance to the gorge in a diagonal direction by means
of long cords, and shook them down during the day-
time. Frightened, and blinded by the sun, the bats
flew into the nets, and the Sakai ate them. The

* Cp. supra^ p. 67. Probably a that Vaughan-Stevens has here tried to

large millipede (** gonggo' "). The compile an eclectic account co\*eiing all

Malays have a similar idea. the ** branches of the race from Johor

2 The name "Sakai" stands for to Kedah '* (p. 279), in conformity with

** Blandas'' throughout these legends. his views (vol. i. p. 26). TheyfonDS

In part they are certainly Mantra, but considerable part of Vaughan-Stevens'

the numerous references to Selangor work, and as such have been indnded,

and I'erak, and especially the state- in preference to omission.
mcnt as to the many settlements of ^ =Mal. "guntang"; i.e. •*gon-

'* Kenal)oi " (counted as ** Blandas " by chang [pen-]jaring " — a folk-etymologj.

"'auijhan-Stevens) ** near the sources of Vaughan-Stevens has *' Guntong Pin-

h«» i»rA<it Pera^ rJ^^- " cii/^tv^ J *hink, jarring."

VI SAKAI BLAND AS 265

Csradition terminates by describing how a great ship
^nras wrecked upon the island, and how the water sank
amd left the ship stranded high and dry upon the rocks.
T*he captain and crew got to land and were kindly
x^ceived by the Benar-benar, or Benua, a branch of
^he Orang Laut, or Sea Tribes, who lived upon the
c:oast, whereas the Sakai dwelt in the forest. The
Orang Laut belonged (according to the Sakai) to
sm inferior branch of their own tribe, though others
say they originally formed a separate race which mixed
with the Sakai by intermarriage. All accounts, how-
ever, agree in saying that they stood in some close
sort of relationship to the Sakai. This tribe informed
the Sakai Batin, who allowed the shipwrecked people
to come and hospitably entreated them.

Nevertheless, it is related, some of them went off
in the ship's boat, and were heard of no more.

The captain and the rest, however, remained and
were well cared for, and soon after the old Batin him-
self died, leaving no son.^

The Sakai then assembled to elect a new chief,
and choosing the captain of the shipwrecked vessel,
gave him the title of Batin Berchanggei Besi (lit.
the Chief with the Iron Claws).^

This name is said to have been given to the Batin
on account of his great personal strength. He once
(it is said) called twenty people together to cut down
a certain tree, and when they failed to perform it, he

* V.-St ii. 83, 84. Other Sakai Artificial finger-nails of gieat length

(**Blandas")traditionsaregiveninV.-St. are still worn by Malay women when

iii. 97- 100, but they are of no real value. performing with a theatrical troupe, and

2 Or** nails": **changgei " = a long also occasionally by highly connected

finger-nail, which has been allowed women at weddings, as in the case

to grow to an abnormal length (as by of the late Haji Gayah of Selangor.

Chinese mandarins). They were They are made of various metals — gold,

formerly worn by Malay chiefs. brass, or as here, of iron.

266 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE part in

felled it unaided, splitting, however, his loi^ fmger-
nail in doing so.

Batin Iron-claws built a novel kind of house for his
subjects upon the summit of a hill, its roof being made
of fire-burnt earth, and its foundation-posts, in some
cases of exceptionallyhard wood,and in others of agiant
grass which was as thick as a man's leg, and whidi
possessed a hard outer cuticle, but a soft interior— a
form of timber unknown in the island. The roof-tree
was not straight, but depressed in the centre, and it
had greatly projecting gable-ends. Finally, the walls
were of glass.

Sometime afterwards it happened that the son of
a Raja fell from heaven, and, staying with the Batin,
married his eldest daughter. Later on this prince
persuaded many of the Sakai to give up eating swine's
flesh altogether.

Now the old Batin, the predecessor of Iron-daws,
had a brother who had died before Iron-claws came,
and who had left two sons, the eldest of whom was
called Abang (** elder brother"), and the younger, Adik
(** younger brother") ; and Abang ought to have been
Batin. But once the two were crossing a stream by
means of a tree -trunk, the eldest in front as was
customary. Half-way across the trunk broke under
Abang s feet and both fell into the water, the elder in
an upright posture, the younger in a sitting attitude.
And when the younger found he was unhurt he called
out in the Sakai (" Blandas ") dialect, " Usui."

The brothers continued their journey, but inquired
of a medicine-man when they reached home what this
omen meant. The medicine-man said that the elder
should always be on his feet and never find rest, whilst
"be vounq:er should he seated like the Malays and give

CHAP. VI SAKAI ('BLAND AS*) 267

up wandering. The younger brother then determined
to seek a place where he might be enabled to fulfil the
prophecy, and went to Menangkabau. But Abang
remained in the country.

But before the younger son's departure Iron-
claws prepared a banquet of all kinds of flesh, and
at the banquet the younger son and a number of his
friends remarked that although the meat was cooked
with swine's fat, the head had not been served. On
inquiry they found that through some neglect the
head had not been cooked. They then went to the
Batin and asked for it to be given them. But Iron-
claws finding it had been forgotten made excuses.
At this the guests were very angry and said that if
the Batin kept back dishes for himself they would not
eat any of his banquet, and went away. Then the
younger son and all his friends who had refused to eat
the swine's flesh went to Menangkabau. Hence arose
the custom of exhibiting the produce of the three
days' harvest to the guests in order to prove that the
entire amount of the rice has been prepared for them.
When Iron-claws heard that the grave demons
(** Degup ") had taken to killing the Sakai, he convened
an assembly and proposed to found a new settlement.
His son-in-law (the prince who fell from heaven) and
a number of the Sakai would not agree to this, but the
others assented. Iron-claws then broke up his house
on the hill, and re -erecting it on the sea- coast,
fenced it with a palisade and called it Pagar Ruyong
(Palm-stem Fence). He then gave a great feast. At
one end were the dishes containing swine's flesh, at
the other end those that did not ; the whole tribe
was invited. Those who did not eat swine's flesh sat
in one place together, and vice versa, and after the

268 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pakiu

feast Iron- claws and all who ate swine's flesh pro-
claimed their determination to leave the island. The
son-in-law received the Batin's house at Pagar Ruyong
and there remained, no further mention beii^ made
of him in the traditions. But when the building was
ready the elder brother died, and Iron-claws desired
the Benua (or Benar-Benar) to complete the palisade.
Afterwards, however, he left it and built a number of
boats, in which he, his friends, and all of the Benua who
ate swine's flesh and obeyed his orders left the island

In due course Iron-claws and his people arrived
at an uninhabited island, to which they gave the name
of Pulau Pasir (** Sandy Island "). Many of his party
stayed here, but Iron -claws and the rest went still
further, and on reaching a second uninhabited island,
called it Pantai Layang. Here too some of the Sakai
were left behind.

Next Iron-claws reached a yet larger island (which
was also uninhabited) and called it Jawa ("Jowar")
or Java. Here his youngest daughter remained with
several of her following of Sakai, and Iron -claws
and the rest, proceeding still further, arrived at
Malacca, which was then uninhabited (as was all that
region) and covered with thick forest. Here they
made a clearing and called it Pengkalan Tampoi, and
Iron-claws, setting off with his Penglima and some
companions to explore the interior, arrived at the
place where Klang now stands. Here Iron- claws
vanished from the sight of men and was seen no more,
his people returning to Pengkalan Tampoi.

In view of his own departure. Iron -claws had

made Hang Tuah the Bat in of Pengkalan Tampoi,

^nd the latter proceeded to build a house on the hill

iv^rlooVine *^he present town of Malacca. A great

kp. VI SAKAl (' BLANDAS') 269

lony soon grew up here, and in a few years had
read to Mount Ophir (Gunong Ledang). A marshy
Sice was used by the new settlers for yam-culture,
id thence called Paya Kladi. Not far off stood a
rge orchard (** Dusun Besar"), whose fruit, which
its in full bearing, had been planted by the Sakai
few years before.^

When Hang Tuah saw that the country was too
aall to contain the Sakai, he went southwards one
ly to Johor to have a look at the land there. The
enua had spread southwards along the river Muar,
hich debouches a little south of Malacca. Hang
uah here looked round for a little, and then made a
-eat clearing near the place where the town of Muar
>w stands, and called it Benua Dalam, and a smaller
le on the sea-coast, a few miles south of the large one,
le smaller receiving the name of Benua Laut Jagun.*'^

Many of the forest-dwelling Sakai went to Benua
^alam, but the Benua (Benar-Benar) spread them-
tlves partly in the forest-clad country and partly on
le coast. One day a Malay prahu was proceeding up
le coast from Kedah. They were looking for new
nd, and when they saw the clearing at Pengkalan
ampoi they landed and begged for water and vege-
.bles. They were well received by the Batin in his
3use, and when they departed one of them asked
le Batin to tell him the name of the colony. As the
Liestion was asked both were standing near a large
ee. The Batin thought he was being asked for the
ame of the tree, and answered ** Kayu Laka"^ (or
Laka Tree "), giving the name by which the tree in
aestion was known to the Sakai.

1 Vaughan.Stevens, ii. 85, 86. J A popular derivation of "Malacca."

There is a Pengkalan Tampoi near
• Or •* Jagong." /bid. Jugra (Selangor).

270 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE paitid

The Malays then went on board their vessel and
returned to their own country, though only to give their
own Raja a glowing description of the beautiful land
they had seen. They soon reappeared with a flotilla
of prahus, and their leader demanded the land pos-
sessed by the Sakai. As this was refused, a battle
ensued, in which the Sakai were beaten. They fled
to the country where Malaka Pindah now stands;
next morning they continued their flight in a northerly
direction.

At Dusun Besar the Batin rested on a great stone
and took food. To show that the land was his own, he
called a medicine-man, and made, deep in the stone,
an impression of his foot and also of the bottom of his
betel-leaf pulper, both of which may be seen to this
day. The Batin had two full-grown sons, called
Hang Jebat and Hang Ketuwi {i.e. Kasturi) respect-
ively ; these sons were Jenang, or subordinate chiefs,
and were in charge (under their father) of the sur-
rounding settlements east and north of Pengkalan
Tampoi. At Muar dwelt Batin Alam, a grandson of
Batin Iron-claws.

The fugitive Sakai now arrived at the place where
Johol now lies, and here a daughter^ was bom to
Hang Tuah.-

Hang Tuah now wished to make provision for all
his children, and as he intended to give the colony of
Johol to his daughter by way of inheritance, he left
the child in the care of his Penglima and went to
what is now Sungei Ujong. On the way, Hang
Jebat and Hang Ketuwi quarrelled as to who should

^ Vaughan - Stevens here remarks of the Negri SembiUui. Hang Tuafa,

that this Hang Tuah, his daughter, and however, is really the celebrated Malty

-lis two sons are the ** Undang Yang hero mentioned in the Afafay Anwais,
Vm^of " ^» <o»ir fT"^* loiw^n^rinir "hi^ft * Vaueh*" -Stevens, ii. 86, 87.

MAP. VI SAKAI {' BLANDAS') 271

;K>ssess the country through which they were then
travelling, and the dispute ended in a combat which
proved mutually fatal. As Hang Tuah was thus
icprived of both his sons, he declared he would not
irander further to seek a new dwelling-place, and there-
fore called the river by which he stayed Sungei Ujong
" River of Termination '')} For a time indeed he
arried there, but again in fear of the ghosts of his
lead sons he proceeded to Klang, and here a son was
K>m to him.

There is no account of any attack after that upon
?engkalan Tampoi.

Some years later this last-born son of Hang Tuah
vas crossing the river by means of a tree-trunk,
:hewing sugar-cane as he went, and blowing the trash
>ut of his mouth. Some of the latter fell upon the
Tee and some into the stream, the latter being carried
iway by the current, so that it was eventually seen
by the son of a Menangkabau Raja, who was coming
upstream at the time in a little boat, the ship in which
he had arrived being at the mouth of the river.

Now this new prince had brought a casting-net
for fish, but had caught nothing, and was therefore
suffering from hunger. A chief who was with him
saw the trash floating down the river, and concluding
that some people or other must be dwelling in the
vicinity, pushed on until -he reached the tree-trunk.
Here he observed the rest of the trash, and following
up the track, came at last to the house of the Batin.
One of the people who accompanied him proved to
be a descendant of one of the younger brother's com-

1 This is a popular etymology. The Jong, a name which is still sometimes
real name of the country before the heard, and which I have seen on old
British entry seems to have been Semu- official seals.

272 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK'LORE PAirra

panions, who had gone to Menangkabau, and this
ensured a friendly welcome to the new arrivals.^

As, therefore, they were sitting in the verandah
and chewing sugar-cane, the Malay prince turned his
eyes to an opening in the side-wall of the house, and
through it was able to distinguish one of the Batin*s
daughters.

With the idea of making her his wife, he
asked the Batin if he would exchange presents with
him. The Batin, however, said he was a poor man,
driven by the Malays from his rightful possessions,
and that he now had no possessions. The guest,
however, replied that he possessed a daughter, whom
he would much like to make his wife. The bargain
was quickly concluded, in accordance with Sakai
custom, and the guest sending his Penghulu to the
ship for his own presents, went home again, and in a
few months returned to marry the Batin's daughter.

Sometime afterwards the pair had a son, and
according to Sakai custom the mother inquired of the
father what name the child should bear. The
father answered that if it were a boy it should be
called To' Mantri. So the boy was named To'
Mantri, and since that time the Sakai of the west
coast near Sungei Ujong and Malacca have been
called Mantra.

The girl who was born to Hang Tuah in Johol
remained there till she was of marriageable age.
According to Sakai custom she became Batin (or
chief of the tribe) for a whole year, after which she
married a Malay from Menangkabau. From the time
of her Batinship arose (so say the Sakai) the title of
Pangku {i.e. *' Vice-") Penghulu.

^ \'auehan- Stevens, ii. 87.

kP. VI SAKAI {' BLANDAS') 273

The story runs on in this way to a great length.

The Penghulu of Inas (a small semi-independent
strict of Johol) came into possession of the wooden
opping-board on which the bats were cut up at
Shake- Net Island," and a spoon of old Sakai make,
uiufactured from the skull of a bat.^

The Sakai at that time had no fixed boundaries,
ch as now exist. These are of later date, and were
ig^nated by the Malays.

Eventually the last - born son of Hang Tuah
icrame Batin of Sungei Ujong, and since that time
e Sakai consider all the land which now belongs

Sungei Ujong, Klang (Selangor), Johol, and
Malacca as their own especial fatherland.

After Hang Tuah and his race had died out the
akai never had a regularly elected Batin again,
^hen a number of Sakai wished to found a new
ittlement they chose a Batin for themselves ; there
as, however, no head Batin who could confirm the
iw appointment, and thus the power of the Batin
irank and his duties also, so that at last each man
" the community was almost his equal.

From another side arose a power superior even to
lat of the Malays, viz. the Beduanda, who very
iickly became the masters of the Sakai.

As the Malays flocked into the country in in-
easing numbers to seek for land, they merely
immunicated with the chief of the Beduanda, be-
/een whom and the Sakai Batin there was at first
ill some sort of understanding, but after a time the
eduanda chief ceased to consult the Sakai Batin,
id gave his Malay kinsmen all that they wished by
rtue of his own authority.'

v.. St. iL 87, 88. Cp. the Jelcbu regalia, p. 291, infra. * Ibid. p. 88.

VOL. II T

274 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE paitw

Only in three districts (Sungei Ujong, Klang. and
Johol) did any bargaining take place between tbe li
Sakai Batin and the Malays, and even these did not |r
relate to the land, but to the fruit-trees, which, acxori
ing to Sakai custom, each member of the tribe was
required to plant on the land that he possessed
This custom still exists. It is most closely followed
by the dwellers in the jungle, but even in smaH
stretches of waste land, here and there, the Malay-
ising Sakai, though they know well that in the course
of a year or two they will be far removed from their
present home, still plant coconut-palms ^ and fruit-trees
of various kinds, the fruits of which they will never
gather. This custom was due to the care taken by
the old Sakai laws for the welfare of the future race,
and the only terms that the Sakai made with the
Malays were (i) that no tree planted by a Sakai
might be felled by a Malay, and (2) that, later on, no
Sakai who wanted fruit from the trees should be p^^
vented from having it.-

Thus the Beduanda obtained the extensive terri-
tory to which they naturally afterwards laid claim.
But they do not belong to the original Sakai stock,
although they are connected with them by blood.
They are a mixed race, and are considered as sudi
both by Malays and the purer -bred Sakai. They
exhibit, moreover, all possible stages of admixture,
varying from people who are almost like Malays to
people who cannot be distinguished from the Sakai.
These Beduanda lay claim to a definite fixed territory,
whereas among the nomad Sakai tribes each man
desires only so much land for his own as a cock's

^ This statement is open to question. ever, planted by these tribes.
^f >f\rrsr^^^^ -j^aim « ^ojv «'«>flom, '*" * Vaughan-Steveiis, VL 89.

»*AP. VI SAKAI {' BLANDAS') 275

C3t>w can be heard over, and that only for so long as
bie stays; and, moreover, he lays claim only to the
products of the trees that he happens to have planted
liming his temporary sojourn.^

Before the battle with the Rawa men, the Bataks,
<Dr the Lubu men* (as the Sakai called them), an
Sttack was made on the Sakai from outside.

The Sakai had spread out alongside of the Malay
settlements when the attacks of the Bataks began.
These latter lasted for some years, and the outer
settlements in Perak had encountered them first. The
Sakai now report that their kinsmen were eaten by
the Bataks, and that it was from fear of this enemy
that they fled hither and thither in the jungle.

In this hasty flight their various tribes and families
were united. The pursuing Bataks went east to the
sources of the great Pahang river. Here lay many
settlements of the Kenaboi, and the Batin of the
latter determined to expel the heathen interlopers.
He therefore called all his fighting men together, hid
most of them in ambush in the jungle, and then
entered into negotiations with the leader of the
Bataks, and invited him and his companions to a
great feast. The Bataks came, but the crafty Batin
had mixed the poisonous fruit of the PVah-tree^

1 Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 89. gestion or colic ; but probably this

* The Rawa men, the Bataks, and danger is lessened when it is cooked,
the Labu men are all Sumatran tribes, Mr. L. Wray also writes that he
the Bataks being cannibals. was warned by some Batang Padang

* The fruit of the Frah-tree, which Sakai not to eat **buah p'rah." They
resembles that of the Spanish chestnut, said it was poisonous unless it was
is certainly not poisonous under all cooked. Mr. Wray adds that he had
conditions, and it is in fact a favourite eaten them roasted many times. The
food of the Jakuns, though I myself P'rah-tree belongs to the Euphorbicueay
was one day warned by Jakuns of its many members of which order are
"poisonous" properties when tasting poisonous. The bright red young
it. I believe the fact is that it is ex- leaves of the P*rah-tree are cooked and
treraely liable to produce violent indi- eaten by the Sakai as a vegetable.

276 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE paithi

among the dishes which were placed before the
Bataks, so that many died immediately. The rest
succumbed to a hail of javelins rained on them
by the ambushed Kenaboi. The rest of the Batab
in consequence left the country, and the Batin
was called Batin P'rah in remembrance of the
event.^

The second attack came from the Bugis, whom
the Sakai call Rawa,- and who are described as having
come from an island situated not very far off.

The story runs that one Guntar (?) was at that time
the Batin of the Beduanda in Sungei Ujong, and the
Sakai used to bring their wares out of the jungle and
sell them to Guntar, who thus became a middleman
between them and the Malays, one Kelanong being
named as the Malay chief. After a time the Malays
went further west from the Pahang in order to trade
with the jungle tribes of the interior, especially in
eagle-wood and ivory, which they in turn sold to the
Chinese and Siamese of the eastern seaboard. And
as the eastern Malays offered the Sakai much higher
prices than Guntar, they therefore sold their goods
to him no more.

Being vexed at this, he threatened the Sakai, who
called to their aid the fighting men of the Senoit
Kenaboi, and Besisi, and went in a crowd to Guntar's
house. Frightened at the crowd, the leader of the
Beduanda dissembled, and invited the Batins of the
Jungle-folk to a council.* These agreed, and leaned
their blowpipes against a coconut-palm, and the tree
was thrown down by their great weight. As Guntar

* Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 91. came from Sumatra, which isonljjvst

- Sic. The "IJugis" are inhabitants across the Straits,

-•f Celebes, which is a very long way ' Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 91.
'ff t**'^ Peninsula. T^t Rawa really

VI SAKAl {'BLANDAS') 277

Ipielded in every point and withdrew his threatenings,
l^he Sakai again dispersed.

;^ Raging at this check, Guntar, while he simulated

riendship for the Sakai, made secret overtures to the

iwa, who for a long time had carried on trade with

^idie west coast, without having any regular settlement.

Cruntar promised to give the Rawa the land of the

Sakai and certain presents if they would drive them

away. The Rawa accepted, and soon many of them

came to the Peninsula and attacked the Sakai in

their own homes at night, thrusting their spears up

through the floor and killing the men as they hurried

out. Women and children they sold to the Malays,

who must therefore have known of the design. The

Sakai sought to drive the intruders out of Selangor.

Many battles took place, in one place with success.

They had taken up a position at Bukit Guling Batang,

and rolled rocks and stones from the screes down on

the attacking Rawa, who were obliged to retreat.

Since the Rawa had better weapons, they killed many

and took many into slavery, and in the confusion the

Sakai fled in all directions into the jungle, where the

Rawa did not venture to follow them.

This is the cause of their wide dispersal, the de-
struction of their race, and the difference that shows
itself in the customs of the separated branches of the
race.

Here and there one finds in the remote hill-
country small settlements of Sakai of comparatively
pure race, but on the whole their original mode of
life and early customs have either been given up or
very much modified.^

According to tradition, enmity broke out in the

* Vaughan- Stevens, ii. 92. These legends cannot, of course, be taken as histor}'.

278 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK'LORE fact in

end between Guntar and the Rawa, after which all
the Sakai men who had not been made slaves fled
far away. Guntar is said to have broken his word,
on which the Rawa attacked the Beduanda, and took
away many of their children to be sold. Then mott
of the rest sailed back to their land, only a few remain-
ing in Perak and Selangor.

The example once given was not forgotten, and
for many generations the Malays of the Peninsula
were wont on occasion to take the children of Sakai
parents and sell them as slaves, although they made
no further organised attack on them.

Here follows the history of the " Orang Jakun " (!).
When the Malays of Kedah attacked Pengkabn
Tampoi, the Benua united themselves both with the
Benua Laut Jagong and with the Benua Dalam
people, and Batin Alam withdrew with them to the
mountains of Johor. When he heard that the
Sakai men had not been again attacked, but had
settled in Sungei Ujong, Johol, and Klang, he decided
to unite with them ; but this plan was opposed
by the Benua. In the end, however, he set off with
those who wished to follow him, and united himself
with the Sakai at Klang.

The Orang Benua who had remained behind in
Johor resolved to go southwards, while the rest of
the Sakai who could not bring themselves to unite
with Batin Alam's people returned to Muar, where
soon afterwards wanderers arrived from Menangkabau.
Tradition mentions them no more.

The Orang Benua arrived at Batu Pahat in
Johor, which was then unoccupied. Here they were
afterwards attacked by men in boats. These were
not Malays, and it is not known who t^hey were.

UP. VI SAKAI {' BLANDAS') 279

The Orang Benua fled along the coast, and reached
le east end of Johor. As they found the country
ftoccupied they turned towards the interior, and
ittled on the river Sembrong. Here they lived
ng in peace, working their way step by step
irough the forest towards the north-west. Here
ley met with some people who were fleeing from the
lataks. The fugitives were received as friends, and
^yed with them for a time. A few years later
Mne a great host of Sakai fleeing from the Rawa
>wards Johor. Many of them stayed with the
(enua.

The Benua themselves afterwards took their way
restward along the Strait of Johor, and fell in with
race of the Orang Laut, and intermarriages took
lace. Physical proof of the mixture is said to exist
1 the projecting teeth which can be seen in so many
f the Benua, and through them also in the Mantra of
lalacca.^

The Benua dwelling on the west coast of the
^eninsula belong just as much to the main Sakai
tock as the other branches of the race from Johor
3 Kedah. On the east coast the type of the people
» more deeply marked, and the various branches
iffer less from one another.^

The traditions of the Benua themselves are very
oor, but agree in the main with the usual stories of
le Sakai.

The Kenaboi folk had wandered far both from
lie Sakai (*' Blandas ") of Sungei Ujong, when they
>und themselves checked in their march by the
Cenaboi river, one of the tributaries of the main
tream of the Pahang.

* This is, of course, a mere tradition. * Vaughan -Stevens, ii. 93.

28o NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE paw in

They found the country attractive, and settled at
Kenaboi (the Mengiri river,* where the best bamboos
grow for blowpipes being not far away). This circum-
stance determined their choice of a settlement for a
long time, when they pushed gradually further down
the Pahang to the Pekoi, or, as the Malays called it
when they reached it, the Senoi (" Sinnoi ") river.

These two settlements perished through the
invasion of the Bataks and the Rawa ; their in-
habitants were dispersed, and united afterwards with
other tribes.

From Klang a great host of Sakai (" Blandas")
including those who had attached themselves to
their companions after the attack on Pengkalan
Tampoi, had gone to a place east of Sungei Ujong,
which they called Kring,* as their first settlement
Later they spread to the north and east. In con-
sequence of the attack of the Bataks this section of
the race — known merely under the name of " Blandas"
— went further towards the north.

When, however, the Kenaboi men under Balin
PVah had beaten back the Bataks, the greater part
of the now so-called Besisi came back.

Broken up, however, into separate family groups in
the time that followed, they ceased to form a separate
race, and scattered themselves among the Besisi
at Sungei Ujong, Perak,' and especially Selangor.
Their countrymen in these places remarked that half
of the new arrivals brought with them a foreign
dialect. In addressing the inhabitants of Perak,
Selangor, and Sungei Ujong they all spoke the Sakai
tongue; among themselves they talked half Sakai,

* Sic^ ? Nenggiri. * Probably Triang or Tring.

One of V.-St.*s characteristic inaccuracies. There are no Besisi in Perdc

AP. VI SAKAI {'BLAND AS') 281

ilf an unknown language, whence they were called
esisi, which means " a foreign language." ^

[The remainder of the chapter is taken up with
le merest speculations as to the origin of the tribes
id their distribution.] *

Legend of the Origin of Sakai Face-painting.

When the Senoi had decided to leave the main
em of the Sakai stock in order to seek a new home

the eastern part of the Peninsula, the magicians
ok counsel together to decide what form the new
Ltterns of body-paintings ' (which were to distinguish
e ^ Senoi) should properly take. A decision with
gard to the breast-painting was soon reached ; but
is was not the case with regard to the face-painting,
>me magicians wishing to change the pattern at the
re, others not. At this stage, however, the wife of
le of the magicians who had hidden herself to hear
le discussion, put her head into the room uninvited,
id took part in the discussion. Her husband, who
ood near her, had smeared his fingers, like all the
:hers, with **anatto," in order to be able to apply
le red streaks. Incensed at his wife's intrusion, he
ruck at her with his red-dyed fingers, and as they
ft five marks upon her face, the assembly decided
lat the women should in future bear five lines upon
leir face, but the men only three.*

Traditions of Abnormal Races and Cannibals.
The **Orang Ekor," or Tailed Men, who are

* Vaughan- Stevens, ii. 93, 94. This 2 s^g Vaughan- Stevens, vol. ii. pp.

:nvation of "Besisi" is certainly 94 to end.

accurate. ^ Z.f. E. xxvi. 154. * Ibid, p. 155.

282 XA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE pait hi

spoken of all over the Malay Archipelago as if they
were real human beings, are described as appearii^
from time to time in various parts of the Malay
Peninsula. They are said to resemble human beings,
and are not believed to be dangerous ; but they ?rill
have nothing to do with men, and vanish at once
into the forest as soon as they are seen. They wear
nothing but a loin-cloth of tree-bark, beneath whidi
may be seen a short tail. Both the men and women
have tails, but they are not numerous, and their
children are never seen.^

Other traditions of abnormal races are as follows:—

1. A race of gigantic women, or Amazons, who
live unmarried. The Sakai, it is said, sometimes
find beautifully decorated blowpipes of great length
belonging to one of these Amazons, either lying on
the ground, or leaning against a tree. In some cases
they have been rash enough to carry them away, but
had not gone far before they were struck down from
behind. Those who were not killed and could
observe their aggressor, described her as a gigantic
woman who vanished immediately upon the recovery
of her property. Nothing more is known of them,
though they are described as being real human beings.'

2. The Sakai (the '* Blandas " of Vaughan-Stevens)
apply the name ** Sakai *' to a fabulous race of little,
hairy, desert-dwelling people, who are now but rarely

1 Cp. M. Maclayin/i^.^..S'., S,B., Cp.Z./^.,Indez,j.v. "Geichwiiiite

No. 2, p. 21 6; and the explanation Menschen." I may add that when the

given hy Treacher, who in No. xxi. Malay members of the staff of the

pp. loi, I02, of the same journal refers Cambridge Expedition went on baud

to a tribe of the Muruts, in Borneo, ship at Klang (on their way to BaQg*

who in addition to the usual loin>cloth kok in 1899), they were warned \fi

wear on their backs only the skin of a their Malay friends to take care oo

long-tailed monkey, the tail of which reaching their destination that ihqr

hangs down lx:hind so as to give the were not eaten up by the Tailed Bttib

impression at a short distance that it (Batak b^rekor).

bnns i^rt and »"»!\rce^ of it's warer. ^ Vaugb«n-Stevens, iL 82.

CHAP. VI

SAKAI {'BLAND AS')

283

^ieen, are very shy, and possess so fine a sense of

Itmell as to know when a human being is approaching.^
These " demon Sakai '* (Hantu Sakai) have a sharp

|t>lade-like bone in their right forearm which they
^ ttse in the felling of trees. To gather the fruit from

I the topmost sprays of a tree they climb the stem, and

:$eat themselves upon a branch, whilst they cut the

spray through with this sharp blade. Although

they fall to the ground together with the branch

they never hurt themselves.^

De Morgan states that he was informed by one
of his men (Ibrahim) and the Sakai Penghulu (** Pa*
Pinang"), who was travelling with him, on reaching
Sungei Kandis, that the part of the country through
which they were passing was too cold for the Sakai
to live in, but was inhabited by other tribes who
were short of stature, and whose only garment was
a cincture of leaves attached round the waist. They

^ It IS a carious fact that meat-eating
Europeans are said to have a (com-
paratively) strong rank smell, in this
difiering from that of (and noticeable
by) the rice-fed native.

' This agrees with the Malay tradi-
tions of the ** orang-outang," or
•* Mawas," sometimes called Hantu
Mawas. Begbie (pp. 5, 6) speaks,
however, of the Mawas as a wild tribe
of human jungle - dwellers whose
chopper has been confused with the
arm that wields it.

Cp. also Anderson, who states that,
according to Malayan legends, there is a
race of wild people said to be found in
the interior of Bernam ["Burnam," the
boundary between the states of Perak
and Selangor], designated Tuah Benua
[sic ? Hantu Benua] by the Selan-
gorians, and known in Kedah by the
name of ** Mawas." They are repre-
sented as bearing a strong resem-
blance to the Mawah, or long-armed
gibbon, but instead of having a
bone in the lower part of the arm,

they have a piece of sharp iron which
serves the double purpose of an arm and
a cleaver for cutting wood. Anderson
mentions another savage race, according
to the Malays called B'lian, who are
covered with hair, and have nails of
extraordinary length. Their principal
occupation is said to be tending the
tigers, which are their peculiar flocks,
as the buffaloes are of the Malays.
They are represented by the Malays
as sometimes coming to their residence
on rainy nights and demanding Are,
which those who are acquainted with
their savage disposition prefer to
hand them upon the extremity of the
sumpitan, or blowpipe, or on the
point of a sword, since were they to
present it with the hand, they would
inevitably be seized and devoured by
the savage monster, a fate which the
Malays firmly believe has befallen
many. See pp. 225-229, ante,

A ** mawas bone " obtained by the
Expedition, proved to be part of an
old iron implement of peculiar form.

284 ^A TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pait m

were further described as having frizzled hair, and
as talking an incomprehensible dialect, as living in
caves and feeding on wild plants, and as bdng
entirely ignorant of metal, for which they substituted
stone implements. The entire range of mountains
between Perak, Selangor, and Kelantan was said to be
inhabited by them. They were alleged to flee from
the approach of men. De Morgan vsras unable, un-
fortunately, to obtain confirmation of this statement,
but says that he considers it to be probably true.*

3. There is also said to be an invisible, huge,
man-like being, who, though never seen, leaves foot-
prints a yard (or " metre ") long on soft and clayey
ground. This, however, is all that is known of it,
and Malays in the Peninsula maintain that otherwise
normally formed jungle -folk have been known to
possess these huge feet.*

4. The giants (** Gergasi ") are believed to be
represented by two huge black men with projecting
tusks in both jaws. They are said to devour those
who lose their way in the mountain chains of the
north of the Peninsula."

Fuller accounts assert that southern Siam was
once invaded by man-eating giants with dark skins

1 De Morgan, vol. i. p. 19. The gested a way in which he thinks the

description appears to answer best to tradition may have arisen, viz. thxoDgh

that of the pure-bred Semang, as they the practice (common to many of thett

might be described by the Sakai. wild people) of binding leaves or

' Vaughan • Stevens, ii. 82. Cp. branches onto their feet when crossing

M. Maclay in J.R.A,S.^ S.B,, No. swampy ground, either for the purpose

2, p. 216: **The Malays of Pahang of preventing themselves from sinking

relate that the wild men on the in the mud, or of concealing their

river Tekam have feet half a metre tracks from possible enemies.
in length." The idea of wild men ' Vaughan Stevens, ii. 81, 82. Cpi

with abnormally long feel is a wide- M. -Maclay, who in /,R,A,S.^ S,B,%

spread tradition among Mohamme- No. i, p. 216, describes the "Gergasi"

dans, and probably reached the as dwelling on the borders of Redah

Sakai through the Malays, although and Singora. Their (Sanskrit) nime

Vaughan-Stevens has elsewhere sug- points to Indian (Hindu) influences.

BAF. VI SAKAI C BLAND AS ') 285

nd two projecting teeth resembling the canine teeth
f tigers. The Raja fought with them, and in a single
attle killed all but seven, who fled to Southern Kedah,
diere each of them sought for a hill for himself to
well in. Here they henceforth dwelt in caves.
Iiccording to some they had many heads, or elephants'
ars, or large wings. By the poorer Malays they
'ere believed to bury treasure, and in many parts of
ledah a Malay who has dreamt of such a treasure
ill go and dig for it. At length, however, they died
iit, and if they were killed and their blood fell on the
irth, leeches arose, but if it fell upon the grass it
irned to mosquitos.^

The stories of cannibalism perpetrated by Bataks
I the Peninsula are very common, and although
robably much exaggerated, it is not unlikely that such
editions may possess some remote foundation of fact.

The charge of cannibalism may possibly have been
•ansferred to the wilder jungle-folk from the Bataks of
lis invasion.^ None of the former, however, are
mnibals, and there is no proof at all that cannibalism
as ever, at least in historical times, occurred among
lem.

TEMBEH.

Gods and Natural Phenomena.

The Tembeh give the name **Sam-mor" to the
upreme Being, of whom as a God they seem to have
ery vague notions. The custodian of the region to
hom **Sam-mor'* sends wicked souls is called
Naing-Naing."^

* Vaughan-Stevens, ii. 100. Pahang Malays charge the wild men

' Cp. M. Maclay, who in/./^.A.S., on the river Tekam with being can-
B., No. 2, p. 216, says that the nibals. 3 G/ai^tSy Ix'ix. 118(1896).

286 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE pait in

Heaven lies "somewhere on the other side of
the world"; Hell (** Ni- nik") in a cavern or dark
region in the interior of the earth. The chief of
the nether regions does not altogether correspond
to our own ** Devil," for though he is a friend of
Darkness and cannot endure Light, yet as receiver of
the souls of the wicked Tembeh he appears rather to
fill the place of some lesser divinity. To him (t.^. to
** Naing- Naing"), who continually seeks to injure
mankind when they do not humbly obey him, the
Tembeh address fair words, praying him to stay far
away from them, etc., whereas they never pray to
** Sam - mor " who always remains (they declare)
friendly-disposed towards them.^

Before the creation of the Sun, the Earth was like
a flat board, beneath which centipedes, ants, and
scorpions swarmed. In a hole beneath this board
(the earth) dwelt Naing, whilst Sam-mor was en-
throned high above it. Sometimes Sam-mor de-
scended to the board (the earth) in order to take
exercise, and on one such occasion Naing let him be
stung by a demon in the shape of an ant.

Then followed a battle between Sam-mor and
Naing in which the latter was defeated ; Sam-mor
threw Naing back into his hole and piled up the biggest
rocks which he could find like a mountain on the top of
him and over the hole, so as to make it impossible for
him to come out again. Finally Sam-mor threw the
whole board, mountain and all, into the air, wherein the
whole world has since remained suspended. After-
wards he rolled fire which he had brought down
with him into a ball (the sun), which still revolves

1 The reduplicated form "Naing- specific meaning, the fonn "Niii^'*
Naing" does not appear to have any hieing indifferently employed by V.-St

tAP. VI SAKAI 287

mnd the mountain {i.e. the earth) to keep watch
rer Naing.^

Magicians.

Among the Sakai each magician could perform any
larm that he wished, but among the Tembeh, on the
mtrary, the magicians were divided into the seven
allowing classes, with the proviso that the members
F each class should only learn and be allowed to
ractise one particular form of magic.

1. The three Demon-charmers or Head Magicians.

2. The Disease -charmers or medicine -men who
•inished sickness by means of charms and drugs.

3. The Field and Forest-charmers (for agriculture,
anting, and fishing), with whom should be classed the
/eather-charmers.

4. The Diviners of Dreams, who interpreted the
reams of the uninitiated as well as individual dreams
r supernatural events.

5. The Diviners of Omens, who interpreted
nens, and knew the auspicious and inauspicious
lys, etc.

6. The Diviners of Crimes, who tried charges of
:lony and decided whether the accused was innocent
r guilty.

7. The Assistant Magicians or pupils, who carried
Lit the magician's orders, and lived in closer com-
lunication with the laity.^

Traditions.

The following is the gist of the Tembeh traditions
iven by Vaughan-Stevens : ^ —

I Globus, Ixix. 118 (1896), H. V. S. 2 7^,^/,

' Vaughan-Stevens, iii. 98.

288 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLKLORE paw ni

The Tembeh were of the same stock as the Sakai when the latter dwdi is
Pulau Guntong Penyaring, although they themselves (the Tembeh) dwelt upoi
another island, called Tembeh (** Tumior "), which was £ur distant from that of the
Sakai (Blandas). Long before the time of Batin Iron-claws, the Tembeh bad
been attacked by the inhabitants of another island, who were cannibals, nd the
survivors had fled to Borneo (Negri Brunei).

For their subsequent departure from Borneo various reasons are given ; t.i. i
quarrel, the hostility of the Dayaks, and the dream of a white bird whkh thcf
were to follow. The upshot, however, was that they reached Perak and wandeied
inhind. A foreign conquest of the Peninsula followed, driving them pennineollj
into the mountains.

Exorcism of the Cholera Demon.

The cholera charm here described was alleged by
the Tembeh to have been identical with one formerly
practised by all the Sakai tribes, at the time when
there still existed among them a real hereditary class
of magicians. The fact that the Sakai magicians
were once acquainted with a special charm against
cholera was frequently asserted by them, but none of
them were able to state for certain whether it was or
was not identical with the ceremony practised by the
Tembeh.^

The ceremony commenced by the magicians
giving a signal, at which every one but himself was
compelled to withdraw into the small tree -huts in
which this particular tribe was living. After their
retirement he proceeded to enclose, by means of four
shallow furrows drawn with a pointed staff [at right
angles to each other], an open space, the size of which
depends on the (anticipated) number of spectators — in
this case it measured about 30 m. — and which has
previously been cleared and levelled for the purpose.

It is here that there takes place the expulsion of
the Cholera Demon, who is called ** Rak " and is
apparently exorcised like the Smallpox Demon by

1 Ghbtis, Ixix. 118(1896).

Markings of Mkn kkfresenting Demons in the Tembeh Ceremonv

FOR exorcising THE CHOLERA DEMON.

o
o
o ^

-ii^^

I'aujihaH-StrveHS (jG/ohus).
Purr OF (iKOUNI) MARKED OUT FOR THE CEREMONY OF
EXORCISING THE CHOLERA DEMON.
(For explanation sec Appendix.)

N, E, S, W. Points of the conipavs.

V = Corner at which the spear-bearers entered the plot, their track being
denoted by dots.

^=l»amboo sprays phinted in centre of plot, from which spears were
fashioned.

00= Positions taken up by sptar - bearers to await attack of the white-
striped men (demons).

yoi. //. /. a88.

. VI SAKAI OF SELANGOR 289

ins of a dance, during which certain magic formulae
chanted by the magician.^

SAKAI OF SELANGOR.

Cerenumies and Charms.

Records of the religion of the Selangor Sakai are
remely rare. It is therefore very interesting to
Ti from the late Mr. J. A. G. Campbell that the
:ai of the Ulu Langat district '' had a ceremony at
ich they used all to sit down, blow bamboo pipes,
I sing to demons (or ' Hantu ')," though whether
drive them away or to ask blessings of them he
I not, when writing, been able to learn.*
Yet more interesting is the Ulu Langat version of
\ famous love-charm called ** Chinduai." According
Campbell, the plant called "chinduai" " is extremely
•e, and almost unobtainable. The charm is a white
wer of three petals, which is supposed to be only
xurable in almost inaccessible places, such as very
'ep cliffs. It grows out of the rock and possesses
leaves or stem, but exhales a strong perfume. If
ced in a house it is supposed to make all the
abitants so enamoured of the owner that he can do
'thing he likes with them." Mr. Campbell con-
ies, ** I am told that there is a hill in the interior of
lacca where a * chinduai * is supposed to grow,
e Sakai are said to be able to climb these steep
is by the aid of devils. I have never seen the
induai.*"«

Globus^ Ixix. 118 (1896). The in the Appendix to this volume,
led description of this ceremony ' J. A. G. Campbell, p. 240.

\ Globus, Ixix. 1 37- 141) is given ' Ibid.

VOL. II U

29© NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pawi

III. — Jakun.

Jakun of Sungrei UJong. — The following story of tl
transmigration of the soul of a deceased tribal cfak
or ** Batin," of a Sungei Ujong tribe was contributt
to the Selangor Journal by a French Roman Catho
missionary, the Rev. Charles Letessier: —

** On the summit of the Hebang mountain, at t
foot of which dwells the Batin Lepeng, there lives
solitary retirement a beautiful black ape of \
Siamang species. It is known to all the Sun
Ujong tribes under the name of * The Sac
Ape * (* Siamang Kramat '), a title which recalls
mysterious origin. A Batin having died, the moun
repaired to his tomb as was customary seven c
later in order to make it up, but on their arrival v
unspeakably astonished to find no traces remainia
the deceased save his clothing and his shroud, ^
suddenly they perceived a * Siamang ' swinging 1
branch to branch of the great tree that overshado
the grave. As a * Siamang ' had never been sec
Bukit Hebang before, they came to the conclu
that it could be nothing else but the deceased B
especially as they never succeeded in their attei
to drive it away. They assert that on a
sequent occasion, when wounded by the dart fn
blowpipe, he transformed himself for a moment ii
tiger, striking such terror into his would-be ass:
that the latter expired not long afterwards.^
' sacred ape * is of the size of a child of six y

^ This is a very interesting point, as by the Malays of the Tembdin

it shows that the deceased ancestor in in Pahang of a bear that one

animal form is believed to be still able leaders of a previous ezpeditioo

to turn himself from one shape into Tahan Mountain had shot i

ariofKpr .^t »":il Ro, too, I "vas told wounHH. and which had foi

lAP. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF NEGRI SEMBILAN 291

nd IS covered with long jet-black fur. It is never
nown to descend to the ground, but whenever one
r its tribe climbs the mountain it hastens to meet
im, springing from tree to tree, and accompanying
im to the summit, expressing its delight the while
y means of cries and gestures; and in conclusion
bose who relate the story never forget to say that it
^retells, three days in advance, the approaching death
f their existing Batin."^

Jakun of Jelebu. — It is an interesting fact that the
ncient Malay regalia of Jelebu, one of the states of
le Negri Sembilan, are declared by Malay tradition
) have been of Jakun origin.

The list of articles composing it was given me as
Jlows : —

1. The ivory ear-studs, or ** Subang Gading." ^

2. The ebony-wood ear-studs, or ** Subang Kayu
.rang.

3. The ** monkey " bone, or ** Tulang Chikah."

4. The ** flying-fox" bone, or ** Tulang KSluang."

5. A mouse-deer's eye-tooth, or *' Taring P'landok.**

6. A slip of " male *' rattan, or " Sega Jantan."
The following tradition is also told about the

-igin of these Jelebu tribes : —

Batin Salengkur *Alam (the ancestor of the tribe)
ascended from heaven. He is said in Malay tales to
ave been the hero of the ** bamboo episode.'' There
ice grew a giant bamboo (which according to one
:count was called Buluh Bohal), upon Gunong Hijau,

nsformed itself into an ape. Such itself into an animal at will, and be-
least was the legend which I myself came a man when fired at."
ard on the Tahan, but on my ^ Letessier, p. loi.
;ntioning it to Mr. H. N. Ridley ^ *' Subang" is a Malay word
le of the leaders of the expedition signifying the ear - stud, which is
question), he wrote : ** It was rather worn by Malay maidens as a sign of
demon which was believed to turn virginity. See also p. 313, infra.

292 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pmn |

and the Batin is said to have stirred it thrice with his
foot, in spite of the mysterious protestations whidi
issued from it each time he did so. On the thirl
occasion a Princess, Lindong Awan, issued out of k,
and was married on the spot to a Prince of Johor
named Raja Ma'atham. The ceremony was performed
by a mosque official (" Kathi ") and the requiate
number of witnesses (four), all of whom descended
from heaven for the purpose of performing it. Suh-
sequently, we are told, the Batin ** disappeared," asd
the young prince and his miraculously provided
spouse together ascended the throne of Johor.^

BLANDAS.

Natural Phenomena and Paradise.

Blandas of Selangor. — According to the Blandasof
Kuala Langat the earth was originally the shape of a
particular kind of betel-box, which is called " sodok-
sodok " by the Malays, and which is flat and oblong.
The nether deep or ocean was the shape of a tobacco
receptacle of the kind called " lopak - lopak " (i/.
globular), and the heavens which were round and over-
reaching were like an umbrella ( = Mal. "payong").

The traditions of the Blandas Paradise are very
similar to those of the Besisi in the same district,
which latter will be set forth more fully below. A well-
known old Blandas chief told me that in the " Island
of Fruits" (the Blandas Paradise) the souls of "old
people" became "young" again;* that there was no
pain or sickness there, and that there was such an
abundance of ** well water " there that it formed seven
ponds or lakes.®

^ Cp. pp. 343, 344, infra. (di-Pulau Buah)."

"^»^nflr ciuUK K.-.e'ir T»nUV; kcchil ^ *' A^T' t^totga bftomiii kuUm tojok^

VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 293

He added that it was possible for a medicine-man
RO send his soul to visit the Island of Fruits in a
K^ance (** bSr-sawai "), and that if he and his people

* sat down in a line " that extended all the way there,
kany one who thus visited it could bring back enough

* rambutans " (a favourite jungle fruit) to feed every
l^ne of them. He added that the way to it led along a
l^ank (" mSniti papan "), and that any great medicine-
Oian, if he wanted to kill an adversary, could do so by
** sapping the plank" in question (**tStas papan").

Animal Beliefs and Traditions — the Elephant.

One of the nicknames given to the elephant by
the Blandas of Selangor is that of ** Babi RSbong," or
bamboo-sprout {v. p. 222) boar, i.e. the wild pig that
lives on the young bamboo shoots, these being the
favourite food of the elephant in the Malay Peninsula.

A form of the ** manis " story, as related by the
Semang, also occurs, for I was one day told by an old
Blandas chief of the same district that once when the
elephant had incautiously pushed his trunk through
a hole (in a tree), a manis caught hold of the tip of it,
and thus effectually prevented the elephant from with-
drawing it again. This, no doubt, is the reason why
the elephant's trunk has become so elongated, as it is
also the reason why the elephant still goes in fear of
the manis.

The story here told is the counterpart of numerous
stories very familiar to the Malays. In some of
these the manis bites the elephant's foot, in others it
rolls itself round the elephant's trunk and so suffocates
it ; in yet others the manis licks a wild banyan-tree
(** jawi-jawi "), and the tainted tree is for ever avoided
by the elephant and all his descendants.

294 ^A TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE pmm

The same (Blandas) tribe also had a story about
an elephant - stone which possessed certain magic
virtues, and which had been obtained by a member of
the tribe from an elephant killed by a spring-spear trap
(" blantek "). The stone was called " Batu* Badui."
or ** Elephant-stone," and appears to be an analogue
of the magic stone which the Malays believe may some
times be obtained from the head of a snake (cp. our own
** toad-stone ").

The Tiger.

The tiger's stripes are believed, among the Blandas,
to have resulted from contact with the "kfinudai"
fruit, which fell upon the tiger's skin and caused its
markings.^ But this effect was only caused by the
** kenudai " fruit that fell upon the land ; and that
which fell into the water is believed to have been
in some way connected with the origin of the
crocodile.^

The following is a Blandas charm which is believed
to have the power of crippling a tiger. It was given
me by a member of the Kuala Langat tribe : —

Tiger-crippling Charm.

Trong wet ! Trong wau !

Stick fast i' the tree-stumps, where thou prowlest ;

The weighting charm is said already.

Refuse thou then men's heads, O Tiger.

And be your hind-feet slow, earth-leaded.

And slow, stone- loaded, be your fore-feet.

A sevenfold rampart now surrounds me,

The weighting-charm Fve just repeated.

1 Mr. PI. N. Ridley calls this fruit break and leave a stain or smear on

*<kcnidai," which maybe Malay, but anything with which it came in

* * kenudai " was the name used by the contact.

Blandas. Mr. Ridley tells me that it ^ The exact connection was not a-

is a Gloihidion (possibly Brtinmum\ plained, but I believe it to have bees

and that it is a * * shrub with pulpy that they developed into the knob-like

fruit growing on wet river - banks. " projections on the top of the crocodile'^

The pulpiness of the fruit may doubt- head (over his ejres), which are voy

ess have helped the story, as the result conspicuous, and are alluded to io

^f its falling would laturally be to Malay stories of the crocodile's ot^

VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 295

A second Blandas tiger-charm, which ran as given
ow, consisted of a couple of stanzas of the Malay
* pantun " type : —

Tiger-charm.

Though the young tobacco bends in the breezes

Tis planted in a rock -walled cranny.
Pull ye the cord, clap hands together,

So from the sun the moon's defended.^

Grant me a ladleful of water,

A ladleful ta*en from the wellside,
It shields me like the king's umbrella,'

It shields me like unto a Fairy.

A charm for snaring the souls of monkeys has
^ready been given."

Exorcism.

Exorcism is called in the Blandas dialect **b6r-
sawai/' which is the equivalent of the Besisi ** b6r-
salong " or ** tisi\"

The directions for exorcism of the Blandas
magicians, given me by themselves, were as follows : —

Make a shelter with Nibong-palm leaves, big
enough to contain the Pawang or magician and any
one else who wishes to be present. Lay the sick
man inside it on his back. Burn benzoin or incense,'*
and summon the spirits (Hantu) of either tigers or
elephants or monkeys (**lotong") and the like, to
descend and enter into your body. Wave (** bSr-
limbei") a bunch of *Micuala" leaves, and as soon
as he (the spirit just invoked) descends and
'* twins " with you,* brush the patient downwards

* The allusion in the fourth line of ' Supra, vol. i. p. 2 1 5.

the first sunza refers of course to the * Called **cho*ong" (or **cho*ok*»")
belief that the sun is, on the occasion in both the Blandas and Besisi dialects,
of an eclipse, bent upon devouring the **Cho'ong" lit. means to **bum" or
moon, from whom he has to be "kindle," — "incense" being under-
frightened away by the din raised by stood,
the inhabitants of the earth. ^ " Kalau dia turun bekembaran

* The umbrella of Malay royalty kita."
is, of course, the one here meant.

296 NATURAL REUGION AND FOUC-LORE ?Anra

from head to foot seven times in succession
the bunch of leaves) repeating at the same time dK
following charm : —

Exorcising Spell.

One, two, three, four, five, six, \
All seven heads of you, begone now.
But let not go the soul i' the shadow ;
Let go the demons and the devils
That dwell within this flesh and sinews.
And let the Hot grow cold and frigid.
Descend ye now, all Venoms,
Ascend ye, Neutralisers.
Lo, thus I neutralise all Venoms,
Ascend ye, Neutralisers.

Another form of exorcism practised by the Blandas
consisted in casting out demons by means of a
ceremony called ** bfirjin," which appears to be
analogous to the Malay ceremony which goes by the
same name.

The requisites (** kalangkapan ") for the- ceremony
consist, they told me, of ** sgrdang " leaves, for making
the so-called ear- studs or **subang" (which is the
name given to the pendent leaf- ornaments used by
these people in all their ceremonies) ; " bfirtam "-palm
leaves, for waving (Mai. ** pglimbai ") ; and lastly,
** Ifigum " leaves to make the leaf-chamber (** salong")
itself in which the performance takes place.

The charm runs as follows : —

Spell for exorcising Diseases.

Spirit-guides, both all and sundry.

Both big and small, and old and young ones,

1 crave your help in healing some one

Who's sick i' the veins [or bones, joints, or soul, etc].

By the Blandas charms and spells are employed
against the Langhui (birth-demon), the Polong, the
Pontianak,^ and the ** Uri"^ demon.

> Cp. supra^ pp. 13-15. By many with the Langsuir, and not, n't
'♦>""''♦''** the Pontiani»k is identified should be, with the Matianuk.
' Tit. "i^f^-Hrth."

I SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 297

The Blood-throwing Charm.

be Blandas informed me that they did not now
se the actual throwing of blood, but always
water instead. At the same time, however,
5 of the ** bunglei " were burnt, and the following
I (which is principally directed against the
ral Huntsman) repeated by the magician : —

Charm against the Wild Huntsman.

Oho, thou Demon Hunter,
Accept this bowl of blood we offer,
And use it up to cook your mushrooms ;
But go a-hunting here no longer.
Hunt only in the Slough of Ali,
And in the Swamp of the Mahang trees.
With your good hound whose name is Tampoi,*
Your hound whose name is Koing,
Your hound whose name is Sukum,
. Your hound whose name is Langsat.
Lo, here I draw my jungle chopper
To cut the Neutralising Creeper,
To cut in twain the Giant Creeper,
And snuff out thus the Demon Hunter.
Come thou a-hunting here no longer,
But hasten back to where thou cam'st from.
Return unto the Slough of Ali.

Charm against Cramp.2

Crack -crack ! creak-creak !

That's the banyan with its streamers !

Your beard is long, your eyes are scarlet.

The web hangs down : why, children, bring it ?

E'en as I snap this staff of rattan,^

Be snapped and broke your jaws, O Demons !

And like to them be yours, O Giants !

Like hammered iron, like Indian iron.

Be snapped and broke your jaws, O Demons !

Be all to- broke your jaws, O Giants !

I neutralise your jaws, O Giants !

It is not mine, this Neutraliser,

But it is that of Malim Putih.

For >'t7«r jaws is it meant, O Giants !

dogs' names are those of ^ Lit. ** snap this * Rotan manau,' "

ild jungle-fruits. this beinj; a special kind of rattan

"Semut Huta." sjiecially used for staffs, etc

298 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE FAwm

The Blandas also attribute souls to maize and
banana-trees, and also, like the Besisi, bring back die
soul of the rice, and suspend it from the raften,*
holding a great feast afterwards.

BESISI.

Celestial Phenomena.

Concerning the ideas of the Besisi on the subject
of heaven, Mr. G. C. Bellamy reported in 1886 to the
Selangor Government that the souls of the departed,
according to their own notions, passed away to an
Island of Fruit-trees, where they spent etermty. I
This Fruit Island was, as far as he could ascertjdn,
nothing more or less than the moon, and on the occasion
of an eclipse they considered the shadow of the earth
on the moon's surface to be a spirit or demon (Hantu)
annihilating their moon-ancestors (** Nenek 'Bayan").
This belief occasions the greatest possible terror in
their minds, and they proceed into the jungle with
great lamentations and beating of tomtoms, and,
striking the trees with their jungle-knives ("parangs*'),
beseech the God of the Malays ("Tuhan Allah") to
release their moon-ancestors. All this I can myself
confirm from inquiries made in the same district,
but they are very shy about referring to it in
conversing with a stranger, and in such cases usually
remark evasively that they cannot say where this
island lies, since nobody has ever seen it. Yet to those
who have gained their confidence they will insist upon
its reality readily enough, their descriptions of it
forcibly recalling the poet's island-valley of Avilion,

* Supra f vol. i. p. 362.

1^. VI SA FACE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 299

iirhere falls not hail, or rain, or any snow, nor ever
Lnd blows loudly," — a land unfailing of durians and
mbutans and mangostins and all the varied fruits

the jungle ; ^ a land therefore of perpetual feasting,
liere the simple jungle-men may lie reclined, playing
;>cn their rude instruments of music. None but the
ood will be admitted to it, the bad will have no place
i^^re, but mourn, ** blown along a wandering wind "
te was the ghost of Gawain). It is only reached by
nossing a fallen trunk which serves as a bridge, and
^m which the ignorant and wicked when they go the
'^ng way fall into a great water, generally said to
^ a boiling lake, contained in a vast caldron. This
lily happens, however, to those who allow themselves
D be frightened by a big and fierce dog which sits at
be parting of the ways by which the souls must go.

Another account, from the Besisi near Sepang in
le same district, was to the effect that as soon as
le survivors retire seven paces from the freshly-dug
rave in which they have laid a newly-lost comrade,
lere comes a sound of thunder, which is the recep-
on accorded to the soul of the deceased as it ascends
le heavens and reaches the Island of Fruits. There
to be found every kind of fruit that grows, and there,
)0, are many straight roads planted on each hand
ith avenues of banana-trees and pine-apples. Here,
Iso, said my informants, are tigers and other wild
easts, but Gaffer Engkoh withholds them from
lolesting any one who goes there. The magicians of
ie tribe are reputed to be able to visit the Fruit-tree
^aradise in a trance and bring fruit back with them.

* Mr. Bellamy rightly remarks that the loud shout of ** Pie" = ** Fruit," with

is is just what one would expect from which many of the songs of the Besisi

eir way of living, one of the great fea- conclude). I should add that ** Nenek

resof which is their passion for fruit (cp. 'Bayan " = Mai. ** Nenek Kabayan. "

300 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE fak m

Of the divine ancestors of the Besisi this Gaffer
Engkoh (or Jongkoh), of whom the foUowii^ in-
teresting story is told, is the chief. Gaffer Engkoh,
I was informed, once upon a time fell from heaven
(together with his dog) in the neighbourhood of the
Besisi settlement at Sepang Kechil, on which occaskn
one Porang^ Atiyau became possessed and rem^ed
unconscious for seven days and nights. In this un-
conscious state he plaited a festoon, which soon b^
came a ladder reaching to the moon. By this ladder
Gaffer Engkoh reascended, and when he had gone
up, and Porang Atiyau with him, the latter quietly
slipped down again and pulled down the festoon with
him. And thus Gaffer Engkoh now dwells in the moon
and protects from wild beasts dead souls that visit the
Island of Fruits.

Now Nenek KSbayan (" Si Bayan ") dwelt in the
(upper) tier of the heavens in which the sun is, and
he cursed Gaffer Engkoh because the latter (when
on earth) had felled the sea-coconut palm* ("pauh
janggi "). Then Gaffer Engkoh in wrath (as he could
not retaliate) adjured his dog, whom he had left behind,
saying ** Thou shalt eat the Rough -skinned* (lit
* furred ') and the Smooth-skinned * shalt thou devour."
And with that Gaffer Engkoh^s dog became a sacred
tiger,* whose footmarks may to this day be seen at
Bukit Bangkong near Sepang K6chil. And so to this
day Gaffer Engkoh is chief of the Besisi Paradise, and
the guardian of the soul-bridge among them is a dog.

A number of other beliefs and traditions, such as

1 Sic, ? ** Poyang." Heart of the Seas. — Cp. Malay Magit,

- "Pauh janggi," the coco-de-mer or p. 6, tiote,
double coconut-palm, found in the ' " Yang ber-bulu."

"^lychelles, and believed by Malays * *• Vang ta' ber-bulu."

o grow on a sunken bank in the ' Cp. Hervey in the Mantia Belief,

Ttirict -kf a rrrt^f -*'Viiriru-krki in tViig p, 337f infra.

UP. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 301

le myth of the origin of the Rainbow, and beliefs
mnected with various animals and reptiles, will be
Mind in the Besisi Songs.

Spirits and Demons.

The following notes on the spirits and demons of
le Besisi were collected by the writer among the
tesisi of Selangor : —

The Wind-Demon (Jin Angin) lives on a white rock
ear Tanjong Tuan (Cape Rachado). "It is a male
pint and harmless, and once came to me " (the speaker)
in a dream and invited me to visit its abode."

The ** Legion of Demons " or ** Demonic Legion "
Bes. "Jin Si-ribu") dwell in the earth and feed
hen possible upon human victims. They are as
dl as the loftiest trees, and measure more than a
Lthom across. They have scarlet eyes, and very
wig black hair, which in the case of males is grown
own to the waist, but in the case of females falls
own below their feet (" l^beh kaki "). They have
jnical heads, and walk with the greatest swiftness, as
iviftly, in fact, ** as a fire-ship (i,e, steamer) can sail."
is they go, they make a shrill whistling noise, " that
Dunds like shi-i-i-i." At the full of the moon their
odies are perfectly white, as white, in fact, as a sheet.

The demon garrotter (Jin Sa-rapat) lives in the
ills. He is of the size of an ordinary person, but
arries a small pocket-knife (** pisau b'landa ") with
rhich he slits the weasand of his victim.

In addition, there are the Hantu KSmbang Buah
** bagei lanjut ") and the Jin GVotak, of which nothing
nore than their names is known.

There is also a strong belief in animal spirits and
n vegetation spirits of various kinds as well as in

302 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE put m

Spirits of inert objects. As regards vegetation sprits,
I have seen a fruit-tree (mangostin) decorated irith
palm-leaf festoons which I was told were used in a
ceremony for promoting the fertility of the tree, and
there was also, as among the Malays, a strong
belief in the spirits inhabiting trees yielding gutta
(Hantu Gfitah), eagle wood (Hantu Gharu), and
camphor (Hantu Kapor), all of which were treated
ceremonially and surrounded with taboos.

The "Orang Bunyan" live in swampy placcsL
** I " (the speaker) ** once met two of them near
the Pelkun in the Siak district (Sumatra). They
wore madder-coloured jackets and flowered skirts of
the kind called * batek ' ; beautiful women they were,
both of them, with pale skins, open features, and
black hair rolled up on their heads, and trimmed with
a fringe (like that of a bride) over the brows. They
asked me what I was doing, and I said I was ' collect-
ing gutta/ They replied, * All the gutta here is ours.
If you collect any, give it to us.' At this I turned
back, and when I had gone but two paces, they
vanished. When I got back, my comrades said, * Why
did you abandon all that gutta ? ' So I told them of
the two women I had met, and what they said. And
that night my two comrades died without a trace of
sickness. Afterwards I met a gutta-tree magician and
told him my story. So he would try too. He got
as much as two pikuls and sold it, and had just re-
turned to get more when his son-in-law died.

** One of these same * Orang Bunyan ' called
Gaffer Blue- Heron (Bes. * Dato* Si Puchong ') lives at
a Sacred Place near Sungei Kroh (close to Sepang),
and another at a Sacred Place on the way to Labu
(Bes * K'-^mat To' Kfimarone '). Whenever we pass

I SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 303

shrines we have to burn incense there and say,
idfather, harass me not, I am your grandson,* or
ould be destroyed by their attendants. Each has
ttendants, an elephant and a tiger, both of whom
3ne of their feet formed like the foot of a man."
[le Demon (or ** Spectre") Huntsman (Bes.
itu si Buru ") is full ten feet high, and his face is
lairy (with beard and whiskers). From nightfall
•ds at the full of the moon he goes hunting deer
»ig. He has two hunting dogs, both of them
and with reddish fur. One of them, the redder
I two, is called Sokong (Mai. **Sukun"), and the
Ko'ing (? Mai. ** KVuing "). He carries a spear
^hich he stabs people, and its shaft is six cubits
and as big as two hands may grasp (** bgsar dua
n"). He whistles as he hunts, and his dogs
irking ** weh, weh ! " ** Relatives of mine " {i.e.
speaker) ** have however repeatedly made friends
bim. If they want to meet him, they restore to
set position a half-snapped tree-stem. (Any but
ta-tree will do.) At this he appears, and says
It do you want ? ' And they reply, * I want my
-' To this he answers, * I will be a father to
if ever you are sick, send for me and I will come
u.' This promise he keeps, and when they are
hey invoke him, and he comes and cures them
lis charms."

he Spectre Huntsman described above, dangerous
is, corresponds in scarcely anything but name to
irrible Demon who is regarded as such a scourge
i forest-dwelling Malays in the same district,
he River Spirit (Bes. ** Hantu Sungei ") haunts
Durces of the rivers.
he Demon of fatal Birth -sickness (Bes. **Jin

304 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE FAnni

Mati Anak/* with which however it has scarcely anj
points in common), is of two kinds. The one which ii
harmless is called Kuwak. It is believed to resemble
a dwarf human being, being only three hand-spans
high. It has a white body and goes naked, "barkia|
like a deer" (** ke-e-e-eng ") in the very dead of night
The more dangerous kind has long nails (like daws),
is covered from head to foot with long bushy hair, and
goes lolling its long tongue out ** like a thirsty dog.'
Sometimes it enters people's bodies, and then they go
mad ; at others it enters into water, and no hann is
done. This demon sprang from a woman who did
in giving birth to her youngest child.

Of the Hantu Lang-hwe (Mai. " lang-suir," wUch
is often associated in Malay mythology with the Mad
Anak) very little was told me. I learnt, however, that
it lives in the Pulai-tree, is about the size of an owl, and
makes a noise which sounds like ** kok-kok-kok-kok.**

Of the Grave Demon (Hantu Kubor) there are
two kinds. The first enters into the bodies of wild
beasts, such as deer and tigers. When you see a
deer or tiger with its head turned round (lookii^
backwards), it is because its body has been entered
by the Grave Demon.

The other kind, which is called " K6muk," * has
a globular body like the fruit of the wax- gourd
(** kundor "). It is pallid in colour, and chases people at
sight, rocking itself after them, and making a noise
which sounds like ** nuh-uh-uh-uh." When it enters
people they get **all abroad'* and feverish, and litde
by little it ** steals their life."

Before leaving this part of the subject I maj
perhaps as well record the fact that among the Besisi

■ ? ^^^ue^'W -Stevens' •* Hantu Degup.*

UP. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 305

; is "pantang** (prohibited) to gather quartz, and
kat the practice if persisted in was believed to cause
0th fever and a swelling of the legs.

Transmigration of Souls,

In addition to the foregoing information, I may add
lat the transmigration of souls is also one of their
Jigious tenets, and they firmly believe that the souls
■ their deceased Batins now find a resting-place in
le bodies of tigers, deer, pigs, and crocodiles. ^

This testimony extends the list of animals into
hich the transmigration is believed to take place
*yond the limits of mere beasts of prey, and shows
lat the idea is based on more general grounds than
ight otherwise have been supposed. To the fore-
>ing list, again, monkeys or apes, the elephant, and
le rhinoceros should be added.

The Tiger.

The Besisi had several names for the tiger, whom
ley used to call ** Tueh " (Tuweh) and ** Malap " as
ell as **aa." They told me that the tiger had a
mg of its own, and that what it said was :

Teng wet bong
Teng wet bong
Merutup kapala chuchu ;

hich might almost be translated, on the analogy of
[le of our own nursery rhymes : —

Fee fob fum !
Fee fob fiim !
Crack goes your bead, my grandcbild !

* I may mention in this connection told a wild pig (in wbicb it was implied

It I myself well remember being that the deceased's ghost was embodied)

^wn a grave near Sepang in Selangor was believed to have issued. This

which the earth had partly fallen in, idea, was I believe, due to the Chinese,

.ving a hole in the centre of the but it is perhaps worth quoting as a

ive or mound out of which I was local parallel.

VOL. II X

306 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE ?mui

These lines evidently afforded them considerable
amusement They may very possibly be one of thdr
own children's rhymes, in which case they would
naturally amuse the grown-ups.^

The wooden ** scapegoat" images of the Beasi
will be dealt with later (pp. 374, 375).

Divination {'' b^r-sawai'').

The most usual form of medium-making among
the Besisi is the ceremony called ** Seoi," or more com-
monly, perhaps, ** Sawai " (Mai. " ber-sawai ") ; i>.thc
** chanting " ceremony. -

I was once present at a performance of this sort
near Ayer Itam, in the Kuala Langat district of
Selangor. The ceremony is performed usually for the
benefit of sick persons, but there was no sick person in
this case, and the Besisi informed me that the use of
the performance was not confined to cases of sickness,
but that the medium who falls into the trance in such
cases was able to answer any questions affecting the
welfare of any individual or individuals for whose
benefit the ceremony was performed.

The ceremony took place about an hour after sun-
down. All lights having been carefully extinguished,
so that the house was plunged into complete darkness,
the assembled company, which included women as
well as men, sitting in a wide circle close to the outer
walls of the hut, commenced to chant a weird kind
of incantation, to the accompaniment of bamboo
*' stampers" (*'ding tengkheng **), which were played

1 Two more lines about the tiger, of Lit. ** Chawong the elder, is hii

which I could not, however, get the elder brother, Chawong the youngefi

exact meaning, were — his younger brother."

" Chawong abang, abang-nya, 2 "S^i," lit. =to sing or chant fa

iikP. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 307

r performers sitting in their midst. Two of the
fcrformers, each holding one of these " stampers " (in
ich of his hands), struck these instruments in rapid
iccession upon the central beam of the house-floor,
■educing thereby a musical rhythm by no means
^pleasant to listen to. At the same time incense
^nzoin) was kindled in an improvised brazier of
^onut- shell. As the incantation (which consisted
r an invocation to the spirits) proceeded, one of the
Dirits commenced to give evidence of his descent, by
iking possession of one of the company, who presently
dl down apparently unconscious. While he was in
lis state (of possession) questions were put to him,
pparently by anybody desiring to do so. The
quired information having been given, the possessed
erson was restored to consciousness by the inhaled
noke of the burning incense, which, I was assured
^ one of the company, will always "restore him
nmediately."

I only succeeded in obtaining a portion of the
ords of the incantation, which proved to be a descrip-
on of the preparations required for the ceremony.

I would attempt to translate it, somewhat roughly,
> follows : —

Part of Charm used by Besisi Mediums.

»' Right," we cry, One, Two, Three, Four !

" Right," we cry, Five, Six, and Seven !

Hang up the ivory ear-studs.

Hang up the leaf-fringed pendants,

Stretch out the leafy festoons.

Stretch out the festooned fringes.

Count up your ** smooth-coat " lime-fruit,

Count up your ** rough-coat " lime-fruit,

Stamp on the leaf-cell's flooring.

The flooring of the Balai.

To the foregoing a few words of explanation
lould perhaps be added.

* For this ceremony, cp. pp. 257, ante ; 359, infra.

3o8 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE FAEira

The use of the word 'Tight " (Bes. "hel" or "nahSl"
= true, ratified, or approved, i.e. " right ! "), together
with the short numerical formula or category wluch
follows, is clearly parallel to the use of the same word
at a Besisi wedding, described at p. 74, ante.

The " ivory ear-studs " are ring-shaped decorations
or nooses made of white (dried) /tri^a/a-palm leaf, whid
together with long fringed festoons of leafwork, arc
hung about the house by the Jakuns at all thdr
religious ceremonies to snare the spirits.

The words ** stamp (or drum) on the floor," etc
refer to the beating of time by means of the " (Hi^
tengkheng " or ** quarrelling bamboos " just describci

The reference to the leaf-cell or leaf-chamber is
important, owing to the rarity of any such allusion.
I was however told by the Besisi (independently of this
statement), that for the purpose of divining a person's
sickness the magician often makes a small leaf-chamber
or cell for himself, called " Balei bumbun." This cell is
erected close against the walls of the sick person's
dwelling, and the magician conceals himself within it
during the performance of the ceremony in which the
treatment required for the patient is divined.

The Malays firmly believe that the performance
of this ** bersawai " ceremony (as they call it) on the
part of these tribes is infinitely more efficacious than
any ceremony of which their own medicine-men are
capable. Hence the Besisi kept it a very close secret

The following charm is employed by the Besisi
for exorcising the Demon of Pain, or as they call it,
Venom (Tawar Bisa') : —

Charm for neutralising Venom.

Dishevelled are your locks, O Demon,
V/^ur sp^ir too, sire, is weak and fragile.

>. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 309

Harm you the shoot, I'll show the Antidote,
Harm you the leaf, I'll show the Antidote,
Cross me, and I'll display the Antidote,
Point at me, I'll display the Antidote,
Enter, and I'll display the Antidote,
Oppress me, I'll display the Antidote,
Strike me, and I'll display the Antidote,
Harm me, and I'll snatch forth the Antidote.
Descend, O Venom ; ascend, O Antidote !
It is not I that am skilled in Antidotes
It is my Masters, the old magicians.
O Bird men call Chinchili', bring me
Wherewith to foil attacking Demons.
O skilful Master, bring the flour-paste
To heal this Anguish in the sinews.

Inwalling Charm.

The following is one of the so-called " inwalling "
prophylactic) charms used by the Besisi ( = Mai.
Sndinding ").

Spell for Self-protection.

7<r Krusau / On Batu Putih, on Ladun the lofty,

I tread the lemon-grass,^ the Iron Pestle,'

To inwall me against foul fiends so many.

The Seven Hill-crags have I uprooted.

The long cane's split ; walk ye o' the one side,

O fiends, whilst I walk on the other.

Comrades, may Light become your rampart.

Be mine a rampart of thick Darkness.

Charm for driving out Devils.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven !
Be cool, O Fever, cool and frigid.
In flesh and bones and joints and sinews
Pluck-forth, expel all Fiends and Devils,
Be opened, loosed, ye Fiends and Devils,
Drive forth, I beg, all Fiends and Devils.
Busu, bring thou the sucking Flour-ball,
Busu, bring thou the flour-paste Antidote,
To allay these pangs i' the flesh and sinews.
And thou, O Fever, \yt thou coolM,
And all the Fiends and De\nls forth-driven
From out the heart, from out the spirit.
Busu, bring thou the Tenglang blossom,
And chant in the leaf-cell, the leaf-chamber.
Bring, Busu, all these Fiends together,

Ooubtless in allusion to the legend * This no doubt refers to some

; seven magical clumps of citronella special geological feature of this partic-

which are believed by the Malays ular crag. There are places so named

ow upon the peaks of some of the in the mountains in other parts of the

St mountains in the Peninsula. Peninsula. Cp. p. 344, infra^ n, 4.

3IO NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE rorni

And drive them forth before jrour knife-blade
Unto the Rock that's called Perimbun,
And there remain they, at Perimbum ;
Foul be Perimbum with them ever.

Charm against Devils.

Hong Hang become Foam,

And Foam become Rock,

And Rock become Foam !

Dash them down, to left and right.

Dash them to ground, these devils divers.

Hong Plese',* that from the first wert Plcsc',

The pot's a-boil, the copper's boiling.

And lo, to left and right I brim it,

I brim it up with devils divers !

The following charm is used by the Besisi for
exorcising the Spectre Huntsman {v. p. 303, aii&),an
Oriental counterpart of the "Wild Huntsman" of
the Harz mountains, so familiar to us in European
literature: —

Charm against the Spectre Huntsman.

Headlong I fly to seize a peeling-knife
Wherewith to peel yon hairy betel-nut.
Pve drawn my sword and walked the tree-trunk.
And shaq)ened me seven stakes of bamboo
To pierce thy chin, O Spectre Huntsman !
Avaunt to the left, a\*aunt to the right hand !
Avaunt, avaunt, thou Spectre Huntsman !

Love-charms.

The Besisi have two or three very famous love-
charms, which are, however, sometimes confused in
native accounts. The first of these, the " Buluh P6r-
indu"(Bes. ** ding dioi " ?) is described as a kind of
dwarf bamboo, which grows, like its no less famous
rivals the **Chinduai" and **Chingkwoi," on the steepest
and most inaccessible mountain peaks.

It is said that- in former days the members of the
travelling theatrical troupes, still a feature of the

1 The Plesc* (=Mal. "Pclesit") is sucks the blood from its fictia's
also called Pemprit by the Besisi, who body.
j*»^/»riiy» ;f as •«. kind of vampire, which ^ Skeat, SeL J**v^m, v. 379, 38a

SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 311

ila, were in the habit of obtaining from the
K>me minute splinters or slivers of this plant,
slipping them in between their teeth, in the
lat this would render their voices irresistibly
lus ; when successful they kept all their hearers
mercy, and made use of their power to extort
g and everything that took their fancy. Hence
parts of the Peninsula the mere possession of
er of the " Yearning Bamboo " was formerly
ice punishable by death.
Chingkwoi, which may or may not be identi-
ith the Chinduai, is a fragrant rootlet about a
)readth long, which has minute efflorescences
t threads about it, and is said to possess a
elicate and refined fragrance than any other
n the world. The most widely accepted ver-
the story says that it grows underneath the
F an overhanging crag on the top of one of the
ins in Ulu Klang (near the sources of the
river),^ and that a Jakun when he wishes to
it has to ascend this hill and there build a
wherein to keep his fast beneath the crag
kite, which builds upon the crag and uses the
ai as medicine for its young, drops a piece of
It in flying over him. I have in my possession
nute rootlets which purport to have belonged

ing to Campbell, the Chin- ** Chop not at the « Tilang ' Bamboo,

> reported to grow in the If you chop at it, its splinters will

Vlalacca, but is not equal to strike you.

woL Set not your foot upon the Klang

g to another account, it is mountains,

voi which grows upon a crag If you do so, their lore -charm (lit

Lalau in Ulu Klang. It yearning) will strike you."

1, like the Chinduai, as a

& palm's-breadth long, with The story reminds us of old English

i about it. legends of the cinnamon, a plant of

quatrain of the Selangor wonderful virtues got from the nest of

as follows : — the phoenix.

312 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE put

to the Yearning Bamboo and the Chinduai respecdve
Unfortunately they cannot be identified, as theyp
sess no leaves or stem, but it is noteworthy that<
of them at least answers to the description whid
given above, and a faint and indescribable perfu
always seems to arise whenever the bamboo recept:
wherein they are kept is opened. In any case,
Chinduai of UIu Klang has a wide reputation as
rarest and most potent love -charm known in
Peninsula. It is usually carried in a pouch attac
to the girdle.

Besisi Traditions — Si Nibang.

One of the most remarkable of the legends
by the Besisi, though unfortunately I could not sue
in getting anything like a perfect version of it,
the following story of Si Nibong, which, from wl
was told by the narrator, an old Besisi man,
founded upon a story known to the Blandas.^

The story relates to a Jakun chief name
Nibong, (or ** Nibong-palm "),* who lived appar
in a house constructed entirely of materials obt
from the palm after which he was named.' This \
was described as being situate at or near the vi
and holding of his overlord, Busu Baba' (Mai. " B
the youngest born), who was described to me as hs
been in former days the greatest chief of all the J

^ As the story is incomplete, I only yang Nibong, or the *< Nibooj

propose to give here a short sketch of Flower • spathe," who lived

the several portions, but a completer Chembong in Kembau, and tl

version will be found in the Ap- ** ancient Jukrah " here mention

pendix. on Gunong Berembun, near m

* A Sungei Ujong Malay informed of Mr. T. H. Hill,
me that in a Malay version of the same ' The posts, thatch, and floi

story there were three brothers called the house were all to be of :

Pedang Salei, or the ** Single Sword- and it was constructed by Jal

'inde '' S<i.bentak Alang (?), and Sama- the order, apixarently, of Busa 1

EAP. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 313

uefs of Johor. The village in question, with its seven
etel-palms, seven betel-vine props, and betel scissors
isade from a mouse-deer's eye-teeth,^ was deserted, it
v^ould appear, in consequence of certain incidents
elated in the tale. At the opening of the story
!f ibong-palm's younger brother, Bujang Semangan,
ft represented as urging him to don his best apparel,
CI. order to pay a visit to the house " of certain people,"
lie reference being to an " aged Jukrah," the father of
^ro princesses, one of whom Nibong-palm at the time
Sfe^vidently desired to marry. Before he sets out on
4e journey, however, he has to make an inspection
^ the ** Five Times '* — in other words, he must divine,
by astrological means, the most propitious moment
Ebr his departure. This performance is, it may be
presumed, satisfactorily completed, and he afterwards
completes his attire, amongst which prominently figures
a head-cloth of the finest silk, the value of which is
expressly stated to be one hundred and ninety-five
dollars,* as well as a sword called ** Sweeper of the
Courtyard" (because he wore it trailing on the
ground), and a kris or dagger called "Sweeper of
River-reaches" (because it was stuck in the belt at
his side).* The journey is then described, and half-
way they meet with the two sister princesses, Princess
Tepong (or '* Rice-flour ") and Princess Adah (the
aged Jukrah's daughters), who are being escorted by
the Mantri (a minor chief) on their way to the house
of the aged Jukrah.

* The regalia (** kabcsaran ") of at p. 291, ««/^.

felebu is said to have been first dc- * This number points doubtless to

ived from an old Jakun chief, and to Malay influences.

xmsist of the eye-tooth of a mouse- 3 jhe first of these reasons is clear

leer (** taring plandok"), together enough; the second is one that was

vith several other magico • mystical also given me, but is not so ob-

>bjects, a list of which will be found vious.

314 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLKLORE w

The party now arrives at a place where then
five cross-roads/ one of which leads to the Gard<
Flowers, and another to the Island of Fruit (the J
Paradise). Opposite the house of the a^ed Ji
they find two different species of lime-trees gra
and " by the hot ashes lies a savage dog," whi(
the time (like the dog on the road to Paradise)
tually bars further progress.* They escape from
dilemma, however, by requesting the Mantri to
them some " medicine " to harden the skin of
hands, by which means they think to grasp the
ing embers, and throw them at the dog so as tc
it away. Their request is granted, the Manti
viding them with certain stones called " dew-si
(probably hail, which is occasionally, though
seen in the country), by using which they are ;
pick up the embers and dispose of their adverse

In this way they get to the house of the "j
Jukrah " and sleep there, Nibong-palm pairing c
Princess Rice-flour, and Bujang Simangan presi
with Princess Rice-flour*s younger sister.

Next morning, however, desolation reigns su

* In the usual version there are only ing to the Island of Fruit

two, or at the most three, cross-roads, Island of Flowers ; it shom

and it would be interesting to ascertain to the soub of the pious (*'

whither these five roads were supposed but bites the wicked, who

to lead. Moreover, the first part of to escape from it £3lI1 into

the road takes the form of a bridge or water in the great coppe

fallen log, which is said to be called and are killed (according

Batang K^landan. accounts). I was told by

I may add that this reference to the who knew the Besisi remarl

Garden (lit. compound) of Flowers that on this account, whenc

occurs elsewhere, and may point to their dogs dies, they wrap

some further subdivisions of the Jakun shroud and bury him in a g

*' Eden,*' as in some Irish myths — human being, and also

the ** Island of Fruits," ** Island of people are dying all theii

Flowers," etc, of Tennyson's poem, collected and brought close

the ** Vogage of Maeldune." man, and are requested to

^ There appears to be an allusion to recover. I have not, ho

he"» to the dog which is believed to any chance either of confirn

si ..' Vi* ->ar*inr «'' fh" wavs Wd- o*Tf»'**"wise.

fc. ■•. VI SA VA GE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 3 1 5

r in the early morning " Big Brother Nibong " is
L&nd to have stolen away from his lady-love during
•e night, and to have sailed away for ever, directing
B course towards the Sea of the Burning Island.
lie reason for this sudden desertion is not given, and
l5s is perhaps the most obscure part of the story, but
ak his way the faithless lover suffers shipwreck, his
^ssel going aground on ** the island of KSdong,^ which
' off the sea of Pahang." Like Dido, the princess
► " left lamenting," and the tears she sheds are " as
ig as the stones that support the cooking-pot."

An Upas-tree Legend.

In the Labu district (Selangor) I came across a
>rm of the upas-tree legend now long regarded as a
^ically daring attempt to ** gull " the home-staying
iriton.* There were once two Jakun chiefs or Batins,
ne of whom (Batin Gomok) was called the **One-
!ocopalm Chief," and the other (Batin Mahabut) the
One-Betelpalm Chief." The former took his name
om a solitary coconut palm, which is still alleged to
row in the depths of the forest on Bukit Galah (or
loatpole Hill). It is described as possessing a
lack stem, and its fruit is poisonous; indeed, it is
elieved to exhale so poisonous an effluvium as to
ill every green thing that grows within a radius
f ten yards around it. Its nuts are so plentiful
nd look so tempting that on one occasion a Jakun
ersisted in eating one of them, in spite of all the
^monstrances of his friends, the result being that

1 ? •• p. Keban " or " Kaban," just almost sacrilege to suggest that it may

r the Endau. possess some germ of foundation in

* The Upas-tree Legend has ranked native experience ; see above, and

long with the Sea-serpent and the vol. i. p. 263, for instance.
iant Gooseberry that I feel it is

3i6 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE ruriaf:

before he had gone ten yards from the tree he droppdl
down dead. There can be no doubt that the odxrl
chief (Mahabut) derived his name from this s
legend, but unfortunately I was unable to Qblaii|
further information, except that his full namewi
Batin Mahabut, and that he was still living (in iS^sM
He had resided all by himself on Bukit Nuang,cw|
since Batin Banggai abandoned it for Sepang KecU.]
I may add that this legend came to me through a |
Besisi source, and that for want of other evidence 1 ]
have classed it as a Besisi tradition.

Besisi Tradition of early Migrations.

The following tradition of the early history of Ac
Besisi was taken down by me from a young Jahn
who was credited with knowing all the traditions dl
his tribe, though this knowledge, on being put to 4e
test, did not carry him very far : —

** We came from a land at the edge of the sky
in the country where the sun comes to life (*mata
hari hidup *), beyond the country of Siam, at a dij
tance of more than a man's lifetime ('mati bali
hidup'). Thence we went south till we reache
Johor, whence, however, we returned hither agai
through fear of a cruel Malay Raja. At tl
edge of the sky (* tepi langit ') stood one of o
ancestors, who was a great giant, and whose du
it was, by order of Tuhan Allah, to guard the pilla
of the sky ('tongkat langit').^ By way of fo
he devoured the clouds which kept falling do^
wards at the edge of the sky, cutting off the ovi

^ But ** tongkat langit " {lit, pillar dialects also the name for the sun it
^- ^^^^ ^f K^jf-,^«\ ;^ w TTijinf rtf ♦K-.c* possibly through some populArconlw

SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 317

ig ** Sprouts " with his knife/ In those days we

taller than we are now, and slept in caves of the

. The country then was a plain and was called

ng Masah ; ^ it had no grass or trees growing on

I no rain fell there and it contained no rivers.

his country there lived besides the Head or

phet* of our own Religion (Nabi M6laikat), the

>phets' (Nabi) respectively of the White Man,

Chinese, the Indian, and the Malay, but this

J a very long time before Mohammed, and even

ibre the founding of Mecca. In the sky there

ire then to be seen no less than seven suns,

iven moons, seven stars, and seven rainbows, but

le seven rainbows were only the seven snake-souls

^f the serpent called Naga M^laikat. This snake

ies there with his head reaching to the gate of

lleaven. There too were seven birds of the kind

called Roc (*g6ruda*), and a solitary elephant of

immense size. This latter, however, was not really

alive, but only an elephant-soul.

" The plain itself did not resemble earth, but shone
like silver.' The 'prophets' of the different races
could, in those days, still understand something of each
other's language, and they all called the earth * mgnia.'
The * prophets ' who got on best together were those
of the White Man, the Malay, and the Jakun ; the
White Man's 'prophet' (Nabi Isa) was the elder
brother of the * prophet ' of the Jakun (Nabi M^laikat)
and protected him accordingly as his younger brother.
The Malays were sea-folk and came overseas from
RQm and Stambul, Sham {i.e. Syria), and Mecca !

* Cp. the Mantra tradition given to Mohammedan tradition, is the new

below, p. 319, which shows it to be a earth that b to be after the day

•• Last -Day belief." of judgment.

s Padang Masah. This, according ^ ? One of the salt plains of Central Asia.

3 1 8 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE mt a

** The next place we came to was Padang Berimbun
( = P. Bfirambun, * the plain of dew '), where the surface
of the earth was covered with deep dew, which i»
bitterly cold. Here also we slept in caves of Ac
rocks. Next we reached the mountains of Kchfrl
tong (which were very near the sky, and had do
trees or grass growing on them). Here there woe I
the souls of a sheep, a saddle-pony, and a *gapb
mena,'^ as well as the dragon whose head lay atdK
gate of Heaven and whose tail reached to Keluntoog, I
a distance of about ten years' journey, reckoning like
a Malay. All these animals had seven souls shaped'
like themselves (Mai. * tujoh sSmangat '). From the 1
mountains of Keluntong we next proceeded to the Mis
of Kelantan and thence to the hills of the Gianis
(Gunong Gasi-gasi), the Seven Hills (GunongMenm-
joh), Bukit Saguntong Guntang, Ulu Pahang, aod
finally Johor. And in Johor we first encountered the
Malays.

*' The titles of our chiefs (Batin, Jinang, Juknh)
were first given among the seven hills (Gunong Mento-
joh) which lie beyond the country of Siam. Before
we came to Johor we passed Ayer Tawar, and there
a Raja called Lumba-Lumba Putih ('The White
Dolphin '), who came from Pagar Ruyong, drove out
our Batin Siamang Putih ^ ('The White Ape*);
wherefore our chief fled to Sungei Ujong, and there
his daughter married and became the mother of the
Toh Klana of Sungei Ujong.

** From Sungei Ujong we continued our journey
to Selangor, where we then settled and have evei
since that time remained.

^ Lit. a sea-elephant or leviathan. than Penghulu, and still used in Sii

- " White Ape " is the title of an Meoanti and Negri Sembilan. So,
rv.^ <«it«»i of lowor -pnk too, probably was *« White Dolphin.''

«r r.*

VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 319

• Our language and customs have not changed
h. since we arrived here, but the Malay Peninsula
greatly altered, the straits extending in old days
sir inland as Ulu Klang ; Bukit Galah and Bukit
luwang were both formerly on the sea-coast, and
former took its name from a post to which a
naman, named Si Pakong, made fast his boat
ng a storm which occurred on his way to Riau.
the same time there was dry land where the
.its are now."

MANTRA.

Beliefs concerning Natural Phenomena.

The Mantra have not, to any great extent, acquired
of the Malayan ideas respecting the form of the
th, motion of the sun, etc. The dark spots in the
Dn they believe to be a tree, beneath which sits
Moon-man, Moyang Bertang, who is the enemy
•nankind, and who is constantly knotting strings
2ther to make nooses wherewith to catch them, the
7 reason for his not succeeding in doing so being
fact that some pitying mice are no less diligently
>loyed in biting through the strings.^ They do not
•w how or whence the winds arise, but believe that
Dugh their incantations tempests are made to sub-
\. They do not, like the Malays and Chinese,
eve that eclipses are caused by the attempt of a
§[on to swallow the sun or the moon, as the case
J be, but, like some of the Polynesians, that an
spirit is devouring or destroying it. Many of
m, however, have a different notion. They
eve the sky to be a great pot suspended over the
:h by a string. The earth around Its foot or edge

* Cp. Malay Magic y p. 13. This is properly a " Last- Day " belief.

320 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE paitk

(" kaki langit "), is constantly sending up sprouts
which would join the sky and entirely close it inowr
us if an old man did not cut and eat them. On die
other hand, should the string by which the pot is »
pended break, everything on the surface of the globe
would be crushed.* The sun is a woman who istid
by a string which her lord is always puUii^.* Tk
moon is another woman who is named Kundui'and
is the wife of Moyang Bertang,* who dwells in the
moon and is the maker of the nooses for snaring man-
kind. The stars are the children of the moon, and
the sun had formerly as many. But since they feared
that mankind could not support so much brightness and
heat, they each agreed to devour their children. The
moon, however, instead of eating her stars, hid then
from the sight of the sun, who, believing them to beaO
devoured, ate up her own.* No sooner had she done
so, however, than the moon brought her own &mil]f
out of their hiding-places, and the sun on seeing thei
was filled with despair and rage, and gave chase to
the moon in order to kill her. This chase has cofr
tinued ever since, the sun sometimes succeeding in
getting near enough to the moon to be able to bifc
her, and thus causing an eclipse. The moon stiO
hides all her children during the day when hff
pursuer is near, and only brings them out at
when she is distant.^

From another source we learn that, according lo

» Cp. Malay Magic, ^, 13. » =Bcsisi "Gendui,"i.&"Gnfl«y.''

- For the *« sun-rope myth" among * Doubtless the same as Bfa-

the Maori, v. F. L.J. vi. 106 ; and tang.

Gill, Myths and Songs, p. 62. For * Identically the same myth ■

an analogous myth among the Bella found among the Hos and UrMOS^

Coola, V, Orig, MUt, der kgl, Mus, £// Chota Nagpore (Latham, il 4^!

Berlin, 1 886, p. 1 70; cp. Tylor, Tr/i^wr'j A'<^m/, 1889, p. 75).

IT/.../' fr-'ft n -K^o. ^ /, LA. vol. i. pp. 2S4, 285.

VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 321

>ld belief of the Mantra, the sun was once sur-
ided by an army of stones, and when it had eaten
n up, it took to pursuing the moon, which conceals
hildren from the sun, but during eclipses runs the
of being bitten by it,^

To this we may add that both fogs and clouds are
sweat of the sea at flood-tide.^

The Future World,

Unlike the Benua of Johor, who apparently have
belief in the existence of the soul after death.
Mantra possess a peculiarly positive faith in
ther world. The sfimangat, or in other words the
I {i.e. the unsubstantial but sensible body which
)ermeated by the spirit, and which, according to
le informants, may be preyed upon by demons),
/es the gross earthly body at death, and is carried
Bayang Lasa,* through the air to a place called
angnari* or Pulau Buah (Fruit Island), which lies
away in the region of the setting sun. There the
Is (sSmangat) of all the dead dwell together in
stant harmony and enjoyment, for the great island
ill of trees, of which there are none that do not
r pleasant fruits. There, too, the souls marry and
e children, as in the present world, but pain, dis-
e, and death are unknown.^ The souls of men
) have died a bloody death do not, however, go to
lu Buah, but to a place called Tanah Merah (Red
id), which is a desolate place and barren, and

\usland, 1 873, p. 534. on p. 322, infra^ and perhaps cp.

\I.A, vol. i. p. 283. Vaughan - Stevens' "Tingha Howi "

p. Besisi Nenek Kabayan or («V, ? ** Tengah Hari " or " Noon "),

: 'Bayen, the Man (or rather for which see pp. 239, 240, ante.

stor ") in the Moon. * /. /. A, vol. i. pp. 325*,

robably the same as "Nyayek," 326*.

VOL. II V

322 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE fait n

thence the souls that inhabit it repair to the Fnik j
Island to procure their food.*

The Mantra Deities and Demons.

The traditions of the Mantra (collected by Herwy)
give Tuhan Dibawah, or the " Lord of the Under-
world," as the name of the creator of the earth. Yk
dwelling is, in fact, betieath the earth, and em
below the " Land of Nyayek " (Tanah Nyayck),*
which represents the underworld, and by his powff
he (Tuhan Dibawah) supports everything above him.

The first two men belonging to the human wot
were Poyang Mertang and B'lo (or B^Io) his brodtf,
and the former had so many children that he com-
plained to their creator, who turned half of thei
into trees. Later on, at B'lo's suggestion, whentli
proved too mild a measure, Tuhan Dibawah instituta
Death, to give some relief to overcrowded humanity.

Borie says the Mantra recognise a Supreme God
(Tuhan Allah), at whose command Raja Brahil [u
** Gabriel "] created all living things, God himsdf
creating the firmament. They have also a "day
of judgment " belief, yet their religion is manly
Shamanistic.

All diseases are believed to be caused either by
spirits * or by the spells of men. Amongst the spirits
or demons of disease (" Hantu PSnyakit") the most
powerful are the Hantu Hamoran, Barah SisipdemoDi
and Barah Terkilir demon.* These demons are those

* It is the slain^ not the slayer, * It would be more conect to ^

who is excluded from Ngangnari ; for that all Diseases are believed to ft

the pagan Mantra have no belief in Spirits.

future rewards and punishments. ^ The Malay phrase *' banh flsp

' Cp. p. 321, ante. means an '* abscess under the flhs'

' 'l//"jr. Ess, rel. Ind^-China, sec. and "bara tirkilir** external ak*

.1 : -,r, loP -^o- (which spread over the sur&oe).

SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 323

ause the greatest mortality. The Smallpox
1 (Hantu Ka-tumbohan) is held in such dread
e Mantra have a repugnance even to mention-
by name. The Swelling Demon (Hantu
>ng) haunts the abodes of men whom it afflicts
lins in the stomach and the head. The ** Crav-
sease " (Mai. ** Kfimpunan ") causes pains and
Its to persons who have had a desire to eat of
rticular article of food, and have not been able
it. The Hantu Sa-buru/ or Demon Hunts-
Iwells in lakes and river-pools. His body is
and he has three dogs named Sokom, or
nouth. When any one of these dogs passes a
le inmates make a great noise, by beating
of wood together, to frighten him away, and
ildren are caught up and held tightly by their
This Demon Huntsman causes his dogs to
Tien in the forest, and, if the victims are run
drinks their blood. At the upper extremity
) of every stream dwells the Lofty Demon
I Tinggi). In the ground lives the Hantu
g who causes inflammation and swellings both
hands and feet, so as to deprive his victims of
•wer of locomotion. The Hantu Dondong
in caves and the crevices of rocks, and kills
nd wild hogs with the blowpipe, in order to
leir blood. The Hantu Penyadin^ is a Water
, with the head of a dog and the mouth of a
le. It sucks blood from the thumbs and big
human beings, thus causing death. From

= V.-St.'s Hantu Sabuni, a night-bird named Berek-berek.

V.-St.) ** was not told about Whenever it is seen near a house as

V. B. G. A. xxviii. 307). much noise as possible is made,
alays have a similar belief. ^ 5/V, ? **Penjadian" or Protean

lem Sokom is preceded by Demon of the Malays.

324 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE rina

the time when it first leaves its watery abode, it
wanders about incessantly in search of food, until it is
at length satiated, when it returns home.* The Wood
Demons (Hantu Kayu) frequent every spedesof
tree, and afflict men with diseases. Some trees «
specially noted for the malignity of their demoK
The Hantu Dago'^ haunts graves, and assumes Ae
shape of deer, and whenever any one happens to paa^
it calls to them. When a person is wounded, tic
Hantu Pari fastens upon the wound and sudcstlc|i
blood, and this is the cause of the blood's flowing
Amongst the other demons are the Hantu Chih,
(who produces yet more excruciating pains in tie
abdomen than the Hantu Kgmbong), the Hantu Jimoi,'
Hantu Salar, and Hantu Swen.'* To enumerate At
remainder of the demons would be merely to convert
the name of every species of disease known to the
Mantra into that of a demon or Hantu. If any net
disease appeared, it would be ascribed to a demoo I
bearing the same name.^ '

The Malayan demons called " P'leset," '* Polong,"
** Bajang," " Pontianak," and Penanggalan," are not
demons among the Mantra, although the latter, ftoa
intercourse with the Malays, are in many cases
acquainted with their names and attributes.*

Animal Beliefs.

The tigers are the slaves of the magician or
Poyang. Although the Mantra believe in this, as well
as in the immortality of tigers, they nevertheless dc

* /. /. A. vol. i. p. 307. Vaughan -Stevens, p. 246, antt.

2 = Vaughan - Stevens ** Hantu * Sic, ?**Sawen" (MaJ. "stwwTi

^egup," vide Vaughan - Stevens ia convulsions.

^ R. G, A, - ^viii. 307. * /. /. A. vol. L p. 308.

>-.«i^ui ^.. 4« Hnnt" Tenoi,*' cp. • Ibid. p. 330*.

^i SA FACE MALA YS OF MALACCA 325

scruple to kill and eat the cubs whenever they

them,*
From Father Borie, Cameron learnt that the
un (by whom M. Borie probably means the
ntra) have a fixed and singular superstition con-
i.ing tigers, ninety-nine men out of every hundred
.eving it, even in the face of their Christian teach-
They believe that a tiger in their paths is
ariably a human being, who having sold himself
the Evil Spirit, assumes by sorcery the shape of

beast to execute his vengeance or malignity.
ey assert that invariably before a tiger is met, a
n has been or might have been seen to disappear
the direction from which the animal springs.^

Omens.

Much attention is paid to omens when a new
aring is to be made, and charms are used for the
)ulsion of evil spirits. The head of the family cut
ittle of the new rice and after the feast of the
lew Year's Day of Rice " each of the guests
eived a little to take home.^

Higk Places of the Mantra,

We now come to the sacred or ** high places " of
Mantra, concerning which we are told in an
ount from Logan, that there is a famous Wishing
ck in Klang called Batu Tre, to which the Mantra
re, from time immemorial, been in the habit of
orting. A person going there must not carry fire

* Logan in/. /. A. vol. i. p. 277.
mcron. Our Tropual Possessions, p. 394. ^ q^^ supra^ vol. i. p. 365 sq.

326 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK'LORE puio

with him, because if a spark should fall upon the rod
it would immediately take fire and be consumed ^

On the rock grows a flower called "chingkwi'lK
{sic, ? '' chingkui ''), which is not found elsewheR;!^
and can only be gathered by women. WhocwK
possesses even a little of this plant acquires gratV
power, since if a woman, she is followed by vm\
and if a man, by women. It is carried in a snair
bamboo vessel, which is kept in the ear lobe or
fastened by a string round the waist. Ifanypersn
wishes to obtain a portion he must sleep with dx
woman who has it, and take it by stealth, and a
the morning he must place eight or ten silver rinp
upon her fingers. When she awakes and sees tk
rings, she knows that the flower is lost beyon
recovery. If the flower be carried to sea, its virtue i$
lost. It is much sought after by the Malays, who art
greatly addicted to the use of aphrodisiac charms and
substances.*

There is also a Wishing Place on the summit of
Gunong Berembun, which is much resorted to bf
the Mantra in the neighbourhood. Other mountah
summits are also Wishing Places, because each has
its good spirit. When a person goes to a Wishing
Place he carries with him a couple of white fowls, anc
samples of various articles of food in use. The lattc
he places in a sort of flat tray or basket * made o
rattan, which he either suspends from a tree or place
on the highest peak of the summit. He then Idll
one of the fowls and deposits it in the tray, settii^th
other free. He next silently addresses to the spir
of the mountain the wishes that he has most at hear

1/. /. A, vol. i. p. 319.
''he •* anchak " or sacrificial tray o'" the Malays 'see Malay Magic, p. 4x4)-

p. VI SAVAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 327

Lis done, he prepares and eats a meal upon the
>t. If what he has desired at the Wishing Place
es not come to pass, he revisits it a second and
^n a third time ; after which, if his wish still remains
Stratified, it is considered that the spirit is not
X)urable to the wisher, and he therefore repairs to
other mountain.^

The Mantra Magicians.

The magicians (Poyangs), and a few others only,
.^e the power of afflicting and destroying men by
^Is. These latter are of various kinds, and operate

different ways, in some cases rapidly, and in others
owly. The most noted form of these is the Tuju
' Pointing Ceremony.* The magician first takes a
tie wax that has been found in an abandoned bees'-
ist (** Lilin sambang "), and after muttering a spell
er it awaits his opportunity to perform the ceremony
mfinuju "), because to ensure its success he must not
ly be able to see his intended victim, however
jtant, but there must be a strong wind blowing in
e direction of the latter's residence. When such a
nd arises, the magician takes the wax, places a
ssel of water, with a lighted candle or two, before
Ti, mutters an incantation and fixes his eyes intently

the water [until he discerns therein the image of
; victim], after which he throws the wax into the air,
d the wind instantaneously transports it to the
:tim, who feels as if he were struck by something.
:kness follows, which is either prolonged or induces
sedy death, according to the exigency of the spell.

But it is not upon every one that the spell will

y. /. A. vol. i. pp. 319, 320. Cp. on Logan's account, to which it refers.
c. Ess. rei. Indo-China^ sec. ser. * Mai. " tuja," ** menuju," literally,

!• p. 301, which is clearly based to *• point."

328 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE rut

operate. Many persons, by supernatural skill, or
counter-spells or charms, surround themselves wit!
invisible fence or wall, which not only renders
spell inoperative, but even prevents the magician 1
seeing their image in the water. The use of inv
tions and charms of this and other kinds to avert i
and counteract evil powers, both natural and si
natural, to nullify incantations, to inflict maladies
calamities, and to excite love and regard, is com
The first kind of these invocations consist, in gei
of " Inwalling " charms (Mai. " pgndinding "), call
the Malays ** Do'a pSndinding," or In walling praye
from the Malay "dinding," a wall — which mu:
repeated seven times at sunrise and seven tin
sunset. Examples of these charms as used foi
tection against the maleficence of various enemi(
given below.-

Fomts of Disease, Medicines, Drugs, Amulets,

The fatal diseases most prevalent amonj
Mantra are sickness from ** pointing" ("sakit
di-tuju orang "), sickness from unsatisfied " cra\
(**sakit punan"), sickness from "barah sisip,
sickness from " barah tfirkilir " (two kinds of abs

Mineral medicines are unknown, and the
animal substance used as a remedy is the oil
boa-constrictor.'

Amulets are much used. They are compo
pieces of turmeric (** kunyit ") or ** bunglei," and
substances which are strung on a shred of arta
(** t'rap ") bark, and worn round the neck, wrii

1 The proper meaning is " the in- - /. /. A. vol. i. pp. 308, 3

"-.iii^g intrr^cation ^r c>^irm/' Borie, U. » Ibid- p.

I SA VA GE MALA YS OF MALACCA 329

They are regarded as prophylactics against
ns, bad winds, and generally against all kinds of

here are also spells which are believed to have
)ower of rendering the person who uses them
lerable, though the fortunate possessors are
il not to impart them to others. There were
[47) several men amongst the Mantra, e.g. Luit
munyih. Pre at Beranang, Hambang at Lobo,
Jatin at Klang, Tongging at Semantan, the
hulu at Jibba, Kaka and Mempis at Pengawal,
vere reputed to be ** invulnerable."^
he following are specimens of actual spells used
antra magicians : —

(I) iNWALLiNG Spell.

G I O Horn, Shoot of Iron, offering of the wise to the forest in solitude.'
am walled round with rock, I recline walled round by the earth with
ny face downwards. Cover me, O Air ; may my enemies be ever as the
>elaguri plant. Tear off the husk within. Hang a thick mist before the
yes of him who looks at me. Come, thick mist, the concealer, and
cnder me invisible to all enemies, opponents, and assailants. Thou
hat art the true and holy instructor, descend, and pray that I may touch,

.A. vol. i. p. 319. S^munyih beyond God, and an appeal to it for

anang are in the Ulu Langat power which God has not granted to

Lobo may be for Labu or for man. It is used in Javanese invoca-

Batu, the old Malay name of tions, and a Javanese explains it to

Klang and Semantan are mean Embryo of Being, Primeval

>wn. There are no Mantra in Essence, so that Sir T. Raffles's con-
jecture that it is the Hindu Om (Aum)

:an here remarks: '^ Hong I is probably correct. " — History of Java,

ly can explain the meaning of vol. ii. p. 369.

d, further than that it is used Horn, Chula (instead of tandok)

al Malayan invocations in the is the name given to hard horns or

ly as the Arabic Bismillah in horn-like parts of animals, believed to

lem or modified ones. It is possess magical or medicinal properties.

a very unhallowed word, of The Malays cannot affix any definite

wer, and so panas (hot), that if meaning to the first two lines. Instead

uses a Hong invocation three of the rendering given above a better

nhing that he undertakes /^r one would perhaps be "(magical) science

will succeed, and he will live for protection when alone in the forest,"

and miserable, able to afflict or ** to make the offerer alone as when

others, unable to help himself. surrounded by a forest." [The latter

rs to be considered as a recog- is probably correct.] — -/. /. A. vol. i.

an Essence or First Principle p. 309.

330 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE fAnm ■:.

by the invocation of invisibility, all the eyes of my cnrmifi, oppasoti
and assailants.

(2) In WALLING Spell.

Ho, Iron, thou that art named Pisamin. I dwell within a fence of Aigth.
eleven on my left. I dwell within a firaoe of Angels, eleven oo nj ri|)i
I dwell within a fence of Angels, eleven behind me. I dweQ vidiit
fence of Angels, eleven before me. If Muhammad be opprened, thail
I be oppressed. If the sun, moon, and stars, be not o pp iesied, aql
not be oppressed either. And if earth and heaven be not oppre>Kd,Hf
I not be oppressed either. If the coqise within the grave be oppRMi,
may I be oppressed also [but not otherwise], by virtue of the gniitii|rf
the prayer of my religious instructor. Grant it, Muhammad ! Gnai il,
royal Prophet of God ! and grant, too, that by Tirtne of my nsag iki
prayer of a thousand lives, I may not be oppressed at all by anydusg te
breathes within this world.'

Charms to gain the affection or goodwill of the
person charmed are also much used. They art
termed "Pgngasih" (Mai. "kasih" = love or affec-
tion). The following is a specimen : —

Mantra Love-spell.

Oil I stir and stir. I pour it out. May I stand erect like the nfil
Umbrella. May I be greater as I walk than the sons of all msnkind, bf
virtue of my using the prayer that causes affection ! Love (me) entneiy
all mankind, who have two feet and are five-fingeied. Spesk not cf
men, when even grass, twigs, and trees of all kinds, both of Euth lad
Heaven, bow down in sheer affection. Let all so bow in aSectiai, bov
in love, towards me.^

The '* PSmanis " (from " manis " = sweet) renders
the person using it universally agreeable.

Dulcifying Spell.

Dulcifying shoots, dulcifying leaves, I cut, running the while. Evenislstt
may I be exceedingly sweet ; as I stand may I be exceedingly Wi:
sweet in the sight of all mankind, two-footed and five-fingered, Cfa tf
the moon and sun together. Exceedingly sweet to look npoD be dK
brightness of my face. Grant that I, through using this duld^fing spA
may have a sweet lustre rise over my fiwe.'

Subjugating Spell (»*PfiNUNDO'").

A nail, a low nail I deposit in this kerchief (** sibei "). Though I sit iDOB|tt
many may I be counted among the greatest, O Prophet of God I Gitf
me the good fortune to cut that which is called Mama.* When I m

^J./.A, vol. i. pp. 309, 310. forwhichthiswouldbetheMantxtfan,

- /bid, pp. 310, 311. and the stem of which, when miignvBii

' Ibid, p. 3 1 1 . a particular manner, was credited ^

'^. ' sr-mprnKM •* 'Malacca cane), the most considerable w««gi<^l tin

lAP. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 331

seated, may all manksiid who breathe bow in complete subjection. Make
them bow, O God ! Make them bow, O Muhammad. Make them bow,
O rojal Prophet of God ! Grant that I, by using this subjugating prayer,
may cause to bow down all men, two-footed, five-fingered. Grant it, O
God ! Grant it, O Muhammad ! Grant it, O royid Prophet of God !
Grant that I, through using this subjugating prayer, may stand and
confront the living (ones) of all mankind, two-footed, five-fingered.^

Pacifying Spell ("Chucha").

S/lustf padang sHasa,

My throwing-stick is of holy basiL

May the heart that is angry be shut.

May the heart that is kind be opened.

AJe ej€ eche echo.

As the young jungle-grass springs up in moist ground,

Though I am wicked, may I be applauded.

Though I do wrong, may I be reverenced.

Speak not of mankind,

Two-footed, five-fingered,

When even the white elephant.

The streaked elephant from b^ond the sea.

Reverses its hair, reverses its tusks.

Reverses its trunk, reverses its feet.

Reverses its flesh, reverses its blood.

Bows down reverentially to the little toe of my left foot.

My oil is pressed out and runs down at the side of the door.

Though the young hombill ' sit upon the topmost bamboo spray,

May I yet hit it with my blowpipe.

For the sun is lifted upon my eyebrows.

And my tongue is as the swell of the ocean.

And my lips are as ants pursuing each other.

Abase them, O God ! abase them, O Muhammad !

Abase them, O royal Prophet of God ! '

Tongue-breaking Spell (**P£matah lidah").

Dry betel-nut, seed betel-nut,

Split by the foot of an elephant.

His heart's blood I lock, his bones I break, break.

Hail, O God ! Hail, O Muhammad ! Hail, O royal Prophet of God !

May this tongue-breaking prayer be granted

That I may break the tongues of my enemies, foes, and assailants.

May they be soft, may I be hard.

There is no god but God, by virtue of my use of the tongue-breaking prayer.*

Mantra Hate-spell ("PRbinchi ").

Shoots of the Hate -plant, leaves of the Hate -plant, I pluck seven stalks of
you, seven leaves of you. I cut them seven times, and cut the heart of

' y. I. A, vol. i. pp. 311, 312. be the meaning, as the tree here

* Logan here hsis a note : ** This mentioned is a bamboo, which never

d fircquents the upper branches of grows so high as to be beyond the

highest trees, and is probably in reach of a blowpipe dart.]

leral beyond the reach of the ^ J. I. A. vol. i. pp. 313, 314.

wpipc." [This, however, can hardly * /bid, p. 314.

332 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE paw m

the son of Somebody A Look upon that person as you would lookupoo
ashes, as you would look upon a swamp. Sitting, bate! Sleepsf,
hate ! Walking, hate ! Eating, hate ! Bathing, hate ! \>c^a^
hate ! Come, shadow of Somebody, Until three days are past, bie lo
look upon Somebody, Look upon me alone as surpassingly sweet, » 3
you saw that which shone brightly in my face. Twelve days, who tk
sun descends, let your soul descend together with it, and when tlte m.
rises, let the soul of Somebody rise together with it.'

Another Hatb-charm.

Shoots of Bcruwang intermix with leaves of the Hate-planL By fiuth oi
sacrifice carry away the heart within with excessive hatred. Studng
hate Somebody! Walking, hate Sonubody! Sleeping, hate ^mdm^f
Speak not of mankind, when even grass, twigs, and trees altogether bte
to look upon Somebody I May brightness descend upon my fiioe. If tk
night brighten, then indeed shall the face of Somebody brighten. Bet 3
the night do not brighten, then shall not brighten the £m» of SomAtei*.
I make descend the oil of sweetness. I make to rise the invoanoi of
hatred. Hate ! all ye people, all mankind ! Descend ! O Sweetnea flf
Somebody! Rise ! O prayer of Hatred in the fiace of Somebody \ HMt
entirely, all ye things that breathe, to look upon the feoe of Smu^,
yea, to hear the voice of Somebody,^

Spell for driving out the Mischief.

Hong ! Quake, O Mischief, quake ! I wish to cast down. I wish to oiib
Swerve to the left. Swerve to the right. I cast out the Mischief, qoakt
The Elephant murmurs. The Elephant wallows on the opposite side of
the lake. The pot boils, the pan boils, on the opposite side of the point.
Swerve to the left, swerve to the right, swerve to thy wallow, Misdoef rf
this our Grandfather,^ I unloose the finger of my hand.

Another exorcising Charm.

My Grandfather's to me, mine to my Grandfather ; my smell [be only the]
smell of water ; my smell [be only the] smell of leaf ; my smdl [be
only the] smell of earth ; my smell [be only the] smell of mud ! Throo^
eating this areca-nut mixture, I close thy nose, O Grandfieither. If jw
raise your hind foot, be your hind foot heavy ; if you raise your fore foot,
be your fore foot heavy, as [heavy as] if it were a split rock ; suspended,
as if it were a suspended water-jar. When this rock moves, then ud
then only move thy feet, O Grandfather ! Move ye all tc^ether ! move,
entrails ; receive the hand and fingers of thy grandchild, O Grandfither '.'

Storm-quelling Charm.

Rambong p&ango^an baiang! The Elephant gathers all in together. I>
the Elephant should wallow, may it wallow on the opposite side of tbe
sea ! Withdraw to the right, withdraw to the left ! I breik the
hurricane ! *

* Here the name ot the person •* Ibid, pp. 315, 316.

"gainst whom the charm is directed * I.e, the Elephant,

hould be mentioned by those who re- * /. /. A,, vol. i. pp. 316, 317.

" * " T T J vol ; p. 315. e jifid, p. 317.

K^p. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF SELANGOR 333

Demon-quelling Charm ("Tangkal").

Swerve to the left, swerve to the right, all ye my enemies, opponents and
assailants ! May your gaze be thrust aside away from me. May I walk alone. ^

Charm for exorcising the Wild Huntsman,

For protection against the Hantu SSburu, or
I>emon Huntsman, the following charm is repeated : —

Spell for banishing the Wild Huntsman.
What is your name, O dog ? Sokom is your name, O black dog, and your
master's name is Water. Your master's name is Redang.' Your master's
name is Forest. Begone, depart, and take away your dog. What do
you hunt here ? There are no hogs, no deer. Your nostrils are shut, the
smell of your nose have I charmed. My smell the wind carries away.^

Charms for exorcising Fever Demons^ etc.
The Kapialu Demon and the KSmbong Demon
are exorcised by means of the following spells : —

Charm against Fever.
Hong ! First of Fevers. Fever that fliest as I pluck out this b^luntok-
shrub, may the counteracting charm be uttered. I cast this charm for
Fever upon my head. I throw it upon my head. As the Fever is lost
may it too be thrown away from above my head.^

Another Fever-charm.
First essential life ! Primitive life ! The devil's life have I counteracted.
The life that lodges have I counteracted. The life that is affected have I
counteracted. I cast out the hard-souled (evil) life. Let your spirit, the
spirit of your life, rise and be lifted up ; and may all the life in your
belly, in your body, spring up, and be drawn out. Lo, I replace all
your life [or, cast away all spirits].*

Madness,
When a Mantra becomes mad, his parents are
obliged to kill him, in order to prevent him from
killing other persons. A sharp sword of wood must
be employed.^

Traditions of tlie Mantra,
The Mantra do not appear to possess any more

» /. /. A. vol. I p. 317. * Ibid. pp. 318, 319. Sic Logan.

'^ Lit. *• swampy jungle." but **jiwa" (here trans. **life") prob

s y. /. A. vol. i. p. 318. ably = Mai. "dewa" (an inferior deity

♦ Ibid. The reading of the second or spirit),
sentence is doubtful, v. Appendix. * Ibid. p. 255.

334 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE narm |>

precise traditions respecting their origin than other
tribes such as the Besisi. They all believe, howcw,
that they are the original occupants of the counoy.
**You know," once said a Besisi, "that this is dke
Great Island (* Pulau Besar*) which belongs tons,
and not to the Malays, who have intruded into our
country." The Mantra have the same noticm as
the Besisi, and some of them add that the "Gitai
Island " is of such vast size that in former ages their
ancestors were for many generations employed m
endeavouring to circumambulate it, but since each new
generation met with a new country, the last of thdr I
nomadic forefathers settled where the race now Uvci
They were not now, therefore, in continual motion,
but each generation, after advancing a considerabk
distance, rested, and the succeeding one, when grown
up, resumed the journey.

The Mantra possess the following tradition respect-
ing the origin of their Batins or great tribal chiefs. The
first of all Batins, and indeed of all rulers, was Baun
Changgei Bfisi, whose nails, as his name imports, were
of iron. H e lived at a place called Guntong Penyarong^
in the Menangkabau district of Sumatra, and by him a
Raja was placed over Menangkabau, a Bendahara o\'cr
Pahang, and, at a later period, a Penghulu over
Ulu Pahang. Bat in Iron-nails, in the course of time,
died, leaving in his place his son Batin Krat Tiga,
or Chief Cut-in-Three-Pieces, who derived his name
from the following circumstances. The Bendahara
of Pahang was greatly offended at the fact of a
Penghulu having been placed in chaise of Ulu
Pahang, but dared not show his resentment openly
iuring Batin Iron -nails' lifetime. The latter was

--.„ — !«a 'i» ^o ^^o.wThan-Ste-ons in K B. G, A, xxviiL 307.

^. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 335

til aware, however, of his feelings, and on his death-
c3 enjoined Batin Three- Pieces not to receive any
rnplaints nor seek anything from him. The Benda-
ara therefore, finding that Batin Three -Pieces, on
cxeeding his father, was not disposed to afford him
ty opportunity to open intercourse or provoke a
larrel, resolved to take the initiative himself. He
L^refore sent to the Batin some of his Penglimas
* war-chiefs, and these having requested presents
r various kinds from him, and having received a
^sal, set upon him and cut him down. But every
'ound which they inflicted immediately closed, and
le Batin remained alive and scathless. The war-
biefs therefore reported the circumstance to the
lendahara of Pahang, who hastened to Menangkabau
I person, and there ordered the war- chiefs, in his
wn presence, to cut the Batin in three. This having
een done, each piece as it was severed was carried
) a little distance and there deposited. But no
X)ner were they placed on the ground than they
ew together and became reunited, whereupon the
ving Batin stood before them uninjured as before,
'he Bendahara therefore took counsel with the Raja,
ut the latter advised him to desist from his attempts
) molest the Batin. ^

The best aboriginal traditions yet published in
lie Peninsula were those related to D. F. A. Hervey,
)rmerly of the Straits Civil Service, by Batin Pa'
nah, who claimed to be the head of all the Batins of
le Mantra tribes. He had resided in Johol for
fteen years or so. His original name was Koloi,
id his native place was Tanah Tasek in Jelebu.
*hey are given in the following pages.

* /. /. A. vol. i. pp. 326*, 327*.

336 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE PUTia |

7 lie Creation of Man.

The Lord of the Underworld (Tuhan Di-baiak||
made the earth, and lives beneath it. The eardiisl
supported by an iron staff, which is strengthened lif I
iron cross-bars; and beneath these again is a pixel
called the Land of Nyayek^ (Tanah Nyayek), whiij
is inhabited by a race of fiends (Setan), whose diild»|
are not born in the ordinary way, but pulled out of
the pit of the stomach ! This interesting race ms
visited by Mertang, the First Magician (Poyangu
who brought back this account of them.

The Lord of the Underworld (Tuhan Di-bafah)|
dwells beneath the Land of Nyayek, and by Ms |
power supports all above him.

It was through Mertang, the first Poyai^, and'
Bfilo (or B*lo), his younger brother, that the earth ws
first peopled. Their mother was called " Handfiil of
Earth" (Tanah Sa-kgpal), and their father " Drop of
Water "(AyerSa-titik).

They came from a place called " Rising Land*
(Tanah Bangun) in the sky, and returned thither
taking back with them, however, a house from tb
sources of the Kenaboi river, on the further side c
Jelebu, which flows into the Pahang. Bio havin
died and been buried, a skink or grass-lizard (" mfinj
karong ") approached the grave, and Mertang thre'
his jungle-knife or parang at it and cut off its tai
whereupon the skink ran away leaving its tail behini
and B'lo came to life again forthwith, and left th
grave and returned home to his own house,*

When Mertang took his house away with hii

1 Cp. Tanah Nangnari, p. 322. * Hervcy in Jottmal rf tJu R119

vfAr»ang or Bertang is the Moon-man, Asiatic Society^ Straits Brwtci, K
> 7«o. /?«/' 10, pp. 189. 190.

I SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 337

i^ising Land," a dog, the first of the species,
red on the spot where the house had formerly
» but was prevented by Mertang's power from
:ing mankind. Then a dog appeared at the
: of B'lo; and from this dog came the tiger,
I devours mankind as well as animals. We are
old that when Mertang left the earth for ** Rising
," he flew away, house and all, through the air.
^hen B'lo went to ** Rising Land " he crossed
ea on foot ; for he was so tall that the water
just reached to his knees.

riginally the sky was very low and near to the
, but B'lo raised it with his hands, because he

it stopped his pestle whenever he raised the

in husking his rice.

ertang took his youngest sister to wife, and

them the Mantra are descended. B'lo married

:her sister, but they had no offspring.

I course of time the descendants of Mertang

plied to such an extent that he was forced to

the Lord of the Underworld and represent the
to which things had come, and the Lord of the
rworld remedied it by turning one-half mankind
rees.

those days men did not die, but grew thin at
aning of the moon, and waxed fat again as she
d the full, and hence when their numbers had

increased to an alarming extent, To' Entah, a
r Mertang and the First of the Batins, brought
latter to his father's notice. The latter wished
5 to remain as they were, but B'lo said it would
tter if they died off like the banana (** ptsang "),
leaves its young shoots behind it, and die
ig their children behind them, and the matter

OL. II z

338 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE puti

was submitted to the Lord of the Underworld, iho
decided in favour of the view held by Bio, so tbt
ever since men have died and left their duUn e
behind them as Bio proposed. b

In the earliest times there used to be three Sub
— husband, wife, and child — and hence there was w
night, since there was always one Sun left in the^
when the others had set. In those days, too, people
slept as they felt inclined, and there were no divisiooi |2
of time.

After a long time To' Entah * thought the bet
was too great, and he devised a plan for reducing k,
in pursuance of which he went to the Moon, wWi
in those days gave no light, and told her to summoi
Bintang Tunang, the Evening Star (her husband),
and the other stars her children, and to put then
into her mouth, but not to swallow them, and to I
await his return. When she had carried out li I
wishes, he then went to the Female Sun, andbf
representing that the Moon had swallowed heron
husband and children, induced her to swallow (a
reality) her husband and child — the other two Sum
— likewise. ** Lord-knows-who " having thus gmnei
his end, returned to the Moon and told her that sh
might now release her own husband and childra
which she did by flinging them out into the skyag^

As soon as the sole remaining Sun discovcR
the deception that had been practised upon her, d
waxed very wroth and withdrew in dudgeon to tl
other side of the heavens, declaring that when tl
Moon came across her path she would devour h(
a promise which she still performs at the season of s
^clipse.'^

- ;► ' ^:o«>r » ^"^ V^r v ■^- " « Hervey 'm/.R.A,S,, S.B,, Na 10, p. I|

VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 339

!.t was from this period — this separation between
Sun and the Moon — that the present division of
r between day and night, and the rule of the
Ml and the Stars over the latter first took place.

Tke Origin of the Sea}

Fill the time of Batin Lord-knows-who men never
I to drink, no water was to be had, and the
nation of thirst was quite unknown. It came about
nis way. One day Lord-knows-who having shot a
ikey with a blowpipe, made a fire, at which he
<ed and ate it. Some time after he became sensible
L desire to imbibe something, and went about in
■ch of water, but found none, not even a water-giving
a or monkey-rope (**akar"), for lianas did not
iuce water at that time. At last, however, he
e upon an old stump of a tree called ** j5l5tong,"

on listening at a hole in it heard the sound of
IT trickling down below. He therefore fastened
ma (of the kind called **rotan manau''^) to the
of the tree outside, and by this means let himself
n into the hole until he reached the water, where
slaked his thirst. He then made his way out
n by means of the creeper, and just as he was
ing the spot saw a large white river-turtle (**lelabi'*

labi-labi ") issue from the hole, accompanied by

his is really a form of the J^'olklorey p. 367 sq.). Lough Shulin

T - reservoir " myth, and not a {loc. cit. p. 394) was formed by the

myth, or at most inter- waters of a well on which a woman

;e between that and a deluge forgot to replace a flagstone. She

Cp. Dawson, Australian fled from the deluge and was cut down

Hrus. p. 106. For a deluge by a man, after she had run seven

of this type, cp. Brett, Indian miles, in order that the water might

of Guiana^ P- 37^ seq. Several advance no farther.

and Irish lakes are said to ' '* Rotan manau " is a large rattan

been formed by a cover being which is often used by the Malays as a

f a spring or well (Rhys, Celtic sort of walking-stick.

340 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE F«r m

a vast body of water, and begin to chase him. Loii
knows- who therefore ran for his life, and called to the
elephant for help, but they were both driven back by
the rush of water. Lord-knows- who then encountwd
a tiger, whose help he likewise begged, and the tiger
attacked the turtle's head, but failed to produce as;
impression. Lord-knows- who therefore continued his
flight until he met a wild bull (" sgladang "), whomte
implored to come to his rescue, and the bull proceeded
to trample upon the turtle, but all to no purpose. Lad-
knows- who next begged the aid of the rhinoceros, but
equally without effect, as both of them were compelled
to fly from the turtle. At length Lord-knows-who
was forced to apply for the intervention of a mous6
deer (" kanchil "), which is the smallest of all the deer
kind,^ and not so large as a hare — whereupon Ac
mouse-deer said : ** What good can be done by small
creatures like ourselves ? " Lord-knows-who said : "I
have asked all the others and they have been able
to do nothing." Then said the mouse-deer: "Very
well, we will try ; do you therefore get to one side'
But the mouse - deer forthwith called together an
army of mouse-deer, in fact the entire race, and said:
** If we do not kill the turtle, we all perish ; but if we
kill him, all is well."

Then they all jumped on to the turtle, which was
of great size, and stamped on him with their tin]
hoofs until they had driven holes through his heac
and neck and back, and thus killed him.

But meanwhile the body of water which accon

1 llie mouse-deer or ** kanchil," a the Underwood. The " Brer Rabbit

small chevrotin, is very prominent in of Uncle Remus cannot, of coune, \

many of the tales told by the Penin- a true rabbit, but either an Amend

"far tribes. It is, in fact, a sort of hare, or, perhaps, as the late Mi

- lirer Rabbit," and is called in Malay Mary Kingsley once suggested, t)

if-ntrf viMicar »' of the Vizier of African tree-cony.

.». VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 341

nied the turtle had increased to a vast extent and
•med what is now the sea.

After the destruction of the turtle, the mouse-deer
Iced Lord-knows-who what was to be his reward for
c service he had performed, upon which he replied
at he would take for his part the root of the sweet
>tato (" kledek "), and the mouse-deer could have the
aves for his share, wherefore they have ever since
Ben the food of the mouse-deer.^

To' EntaKs Descendants.

From the sources of the Kenaboi river Lord-
lows-who proceeded to Pagar-Ruyong * (in Sumatra),
id his son To' Terjeli came across again thence and
ttled in Jelebu.

To' Terjeli had eight sons — Batin Tunggang
agah, who settled in Klang ; Batin Changgei Besi
\x Iron-nails), who lived in Jelebu; Batin Alam,
ho settled in Johor; Batin Perwel, who crossed the
traits to Pagar-Ruyong ; Batin Siam, who went to
iam ; Batin Minang, who crossed the Straits to
[enangkabau ; Batin Pahang, who settled in Pahang ;
atin Stambul, who went to Stambul (Constantinople);
id Batin Raja, who ruled over Muar.

Penghulus, or tribal chiefs, were first appointed
^ To Terjeli, who placed one in charge of Beranang
I the Klang {i.e. Selangor) country ; the To' Klana
utra in charge of Sungei Ujong ; To' Aki Saman ^
I charge of Jelebu ; and in charge of Kuala Muar
b' Mutan Jantan (Male Rambutan), a woman, whose

1 J. R. A. S, No. 10, pp. 191, 192. Raja's palace was made {Areca

* "Ruyong" was explained as nibotiff),

Tiifying the "nibong" or hard palm ^ =** Akhir Zaman," a N. Sembilan

K)d, of which the fence round the title?

342 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE run

husband, Jauhan Pahlawan Lela Perkasa, he remcn
to Johol. Hence, to preserve the memory of
first female ruler of that state, the Dato' of Jc
always wears his hair long, down to the waist

The To' Klana Putra of Sungei Ujong establis
the States of R^mbau and Naning, placing his i
over them.

Lukut was also established by the To' Klana. .
the Dato' of Johol founded Terachi, Gunong P
Gemencheh, Jempol, and Ayer Kuning.
originally formed part of Johol, but afterwards b
away from it.^

After the death of ** Male Rambutan," the fe
ruler of Johol, the succession passed to her nepl
and has since been held by males, though always
ing through the female side, as in Naning. To' N
Jantan was succeeded first by To' Ular Bisa (*
Poisonous Snake "), then by To' Maharaja Garan(
then by To' Tengah, To' Nari, To' Bunchit (" Th<
bellied "), and the present Penghulu, To' Eta,

The first Raja ever appointed was Sale
Alam of Bukit Guntang Penyaring * (in the intei
Menangkabau). The name Guntang Penyarin;
said to be derived from "guntang," which
explained as signifying the shaking of the " ja
(or fowling-net), which was used to catch the f
fox (" keluang ") for the feast at which Salengkar
was proclaimed Raja.* After the feast they deso
the hill (of Guntang Penyaring) and clearec
settlements of Menangkabau for the Raja. Bl

* Hervey in/. R, A,S., S.B,, No. merely popular. Guntang P

^o, p. 192. is really a Malay legendary n

2 Cp. ** Pulau Guntong Pinjarring," the "Sejarah Malayu," or

..ontioned by Vaughan- Stevens. Annals, where we find Mo

«•«» •»i ^r>r>\n€p^ tnnA'»- to W guntang Mahameru). Sec p. 21

». VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 343

L^in Minang previously mentioned remained in the
^gle.

The Bamboo Princess.

Khatib Malim Seleman, the son of Salengkar
lam, once came over to Bukit Peraja (in Ulu
sanpol) with a jungle -knife ("parang"), an adze
* patil "), a chisel (" pahat "), and a pair of betel-nut
assors (" kachip "), in pursuit of a beautiful princess,
od after searching in vain for food, went to sleep
eside an enormous bamboo whose stem measured a
ithom in diameter. During the night the princess
MT whom he was seeking appeared and cooked him
mie food, and passed the night with him, but dis-
>peared at dawn.

The Khatib attempted in vain to cut open the
unboo (in which the princess had told him he would
id her), using each one of his implements in turn,
he one that he last tried was the pair of betel-nut
issors, which he used upon the topmost shoot of the
tmboo with success, after which he was able to split
downwards, whereupon the princess fell out of the
em and he secured her. She did not disappear
jain, but was escorted on horseback by many
llowers in company with her husband to Bukit
sraja, where, however, they both disappeared
gether. And there they both live invisible to this
ly, and their horses in full trappings are occasionally
sible at certain favourable seasons. If their aid is
voked by the burning of incense (** kSmnyan ") they
11 come and perform whatever is required of them
b€chara "), and then disappear again. The princess
was added) was quite fair in complexion and her
.if was white and measured seven fathoms in length.

344 NA TURAL REUGION AND FOLKLORE pukbIi.

All the different tribes of aborigines were said ttl
be merely subdivisions of an (assumed) (»ipal|
Mantra stock, who were also allied to exist in tkj
country of Menangkabau, unless (says the BatinjdKfj
have possibly turned Malay .^

Another Version of the Creation of Man.

According to another version of the creatioil
(recorded by Borie), the Mantra were all descenddl
from two white apes (" ungka putih "). These haviB||
reared their young ones, sent them forth into tke j
plains, where for the most part they developed so \
rapidly that they and their descendants became nm
Those, however, who returned to the mountains stl
remained apes.* Others say that apes are d^radel
men.'

Legend of the Peopling of the Peninsula,

In an age gone by, of which they do not cw
know the century, a Mantra chief, named Batin Ahi
(" King of the Universe "), constructed a large ai
beautiful vessel and set sail for {sic ? from) RQm (i
Constantinople).* This ship not only sailed wi
great rapidity but possessed the wonderful propei
of propelling itself. It anchored, after several da;
voyage, in what was then a small port (since nam
Malacca). In this ship had been brought all the req
site materials for founding a colony. The immigrai

1 Hcrvey in/. R, A, S,, 5. ^., No. built by God, which was set fla

lo, pp. 193, 194. Cp. p. 291, ante. on the waters of the earth. The

" Horie (tr. Bourien), p. 73. sailed with fearful rapidity round

3 Jilisc. Ess, rel, Indo-ChituLy sec. about the earth till it grounded on a

ser. vol. i. p. 288. the mountains of the peninsula, «

^ Of a ** Mantra tribe behind Mt. they declare it is still to be seen."—

3phir " John Cameron writes : '* They Tropkal Possessions in Afaiaytm h

>ay their fathers came originally from p. 1 1 3. A limestone cave leg

ipa«f^p in <i i^i^re and niac[p«ficpn* ch»o Cp. Hervcy in ^P-*^, I904t 14.

VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF MALACCA 345

: divided into five parties ; one of which was
:ted to the foot of Johol and Rembau; another
nded the river Linggi to its source, and there
ed ; and two others, penetrating still further into
interior of the country, established themselves at
ig and Jelebu respectively.

latin Alam (with the fifth party) established him-
upon the sea-coast, but reserved for himself the
reign power, the chiefs of the other four parties
g only his vassals. It may be remarked that the
f Batin, when visited several years ago, still
med to himself the rights of a suzerain.
3atin Alam's ship was not destroyed, but still
:s (they say) underneath one of the mountains of
Peninsula. As long as Batin Alam lived, the
tra remained in undisturbed possession of the
itry. It was not till long afterwards that the
ks came over from Sumatra and slaughtered and
royed a great number of the Mantra. There

however, among the latter a courageous chief
succeeded in re-uniting his scattered countrymen.
reat haste he constructed a ship, in which he em-
ed with the remainder of his people. They made
for Rum, where they arrived in a few days. The
n, whose name was Merak Galang, here dis-
arked his people in safety and started for Malacca

more by himself. The news of his return to
icca spread like lightning ; the Bataks gathered
ther once again in great numbers, in order, as

said, to roast the old man. The latter, how-
•, had become invulnerable, and when Merak
mg threw himself among them they were never

to arrest him or wound him. Upon this he
ed towards his enemies and said to them, ** Even

346 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE Jwn

your arms respect my person ; tie your weapoos
together in bundles and throw them into the air, ami
if they are able to fly, I will admit myself tobeyoor
prisoner for ever. If, on the contrary, yourweapoB
fall down upon the earth, and if mine only have 4c
privilege of flying, you will obey the laws of yoor
conqueror." This challenge by Merak Galangms
accepted ; but as soon as they had put it to the test,k
was found that his weapons alone could fly. They, how-
ever, flew by themselves, felling the trees in the ndgb-
bouring forests, and then returning to the astoniicd
Bataks,^ whom the chief forthwith cut to piecei
Indeed, all the invaders perished, with the solitary
exception of one individual, who saved his life bj
making his submission. Left in undisturbed possesskn
of the country after the defeat of the Bataks, Baiiii
Merak Galang returned to Rum, whence he returned
with his people a short time afterwards. These ta
divided, as Batin Alam had done, into five colonies,
over each of which he appointed chiefs, on the unte-
standing that they should continue his vassals. A
long time after the death of Merak Galang the Bataks
again invaded the Peninsula, and this time Badn
Changgei Besi, or Iron-nails, who was thengoveraing
was completely driven back, with all his following, intt
the interior.^

Tradition of Lost Books.

In addition to the foregoing, the Mantra possess;
tradition relating to the loss of certain religious boob
said to have been lost during the reign of Batin Alar
or Merak Galang ; but most of the Mantra agre

^ Might this be some faint txadition Compare Borie in Afisceiianetms Sat^
jf a lx>omerang ? re/. Indo-China^ sec ser. vol. L p|

'' Pori. '♦- PonnVn^ DD 7'?-75. 288. 280.

SA VA GE MALA YS OF MALACCA 347

fragments existed in the time of Changgei
ese, however, only served as a reminder,
lat time they had forgotten how to read,
ecord which then remained was the skin of
i (" biawak "), on which there were certain
written, which, however, nobody could
It was Batin Changgei Besi who
:his skin, and thus destroyed the religion of
1,^ alleging as an excuse that that religion
le incompatible with their mode of life,
to other informants, however, Batin Iron-
cted this monument, which was destroyed
ne by a dog.*

Mantra Doom-myth.

lowing doom-myth is possibly of Christian
he human race having ceased to live, a

will rise, accompanied by rain, the waters
d with rapidity, lightning will fill the space
and the mountains sink down ; then a great
jcceed. There will be no more night and
n\\ wither like the grass in the field ; God
come down, surrounded by an immense
of flame ready to consume the universe,
rill first assemble the souls of the sinners,

for the first time, and weigh them, after

IS, as already shown, only what they have picked up (not

ood this name, which always perhaps very intelligently) from

the Malay form Raja the Roman Catholic missionaries, of

>rahil = Gabriel, ante^ whom M. Borie himself was one.
638, «., and ibid. 641, * Borie (tr. Bourien), p. 83. Similar

cen from Mohammedan traditions are current in various parts

lid hardly be necessary of the Malay Peninsula and are not

expression has nothing confined to the Mantra alone. See

onnect it with the vol. i. pp. 378, 391, 536; and cp. the

Isa (Jesus Christ), or Karen practiceofeating dogs in the hope

lateverofthe Christian of regaining the lost knowledge. — See

ich the Mantra know J. I. A. vol. v. p. 346; cp. vol. iv. p. 316.

348 NA rURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LOBE purn |*^

having collected their ashes by means of a piece of
linen cloth. Those who will have thus passed tk
first time through the furnace without having beei
purified will be successively burned and weighed ir
seven times, when all those souls which have beei
purified will go to enjoy the happiness of heaven, al
those that cannot be purified, that is to say the s(Mb
of great sinners, such as homicides, and those dot
have been guilty of rape, will be cast into hell, where
they will suffer the torments of flames in compaif
with devils — there will be tigers and serpents in hd
to torment the damned. Lastly, God having takes i
light from hell, will close the portals, and then setfiR
to the earth.^

BENUA-JAKUN.

Benua-Jakun of Johor. — It is a curious iactdiA
the fables relating to the personification * of the sdb,
moon, and stars are identical amongst the Benuad
Johor and the natives of Macassar and several otbff
eastern races, as well as amongst the Kols of India.'

Beliefs concerning Natural Phenomena.

The Benua believe the world to be globular ii
shape and enclosed in the sky. " The sun and moon,'
once remarked a Benua, **move round the earth, s
that now, whilst we are in darkness, it is light on th
other side of the earth where the sun is shiniiq;.
Clouds and rain they believe to be produced from d
waves of the sea by the action of the wind. Whc
thunder is heard to the north or south, the Benua sa;

^ Cameron {Trap, Poss.\ p. 122. here, but of such a fact there b

^ Logan uses the term deification trace whatever.
' / /. A, vnl w. p. 333.

p. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF JOHOR 349

7he North " (or South) " tree is sounding." ^ The
ly explanation that they could give of this was that
t:he extreme north and south were the two extremi-
s of a great beam ; the northern extremity being
enty days' journey beyond Boko, where there was a
eat hill from which the north winds issued.^

Belief in a Deity.

Speaking of the Benua belief in a deity, Logan
marks that, so far as he had been able to ascertain,.
« Berembun tribes had no idea of a Supreme
eity, and he had taken it for granted that he would
id the Benua equally atheistic. His surprise there-
re was great when he discovered that they had a
mple and, to a certain extent, rational theology,
hey believed in the existence of one God, Firman^
10 made the world and everything that is visible ^
d at whose will all things continued to have their
ing. This Pirman ^ dwells above the sky, and is
v^isible. He is unapproachable, save through the
sdiumship of Jewa-Jewa.*

Intermediate between the human race and the
lavenly powers are the Jin (or Genies), the most
>werful of whom is the ** Jin Bumi," or Earth Genie,
e minister of Pirman. He dwells on earth, and
eds upon the lives of men and all other living things.
is the Earth Genie who sends the various kinds of
:kness and causes death ; but his power is entirely

' "Bcrbunyipoko*Utara"(or **Sela- angin" = the body of the storm (or

"y. **Poko*" = (i) main body or wind), /.^. cloud-rack.

Qcipal part of anything, as in "poko* - /. /. A. vol. i. p. 283.

ng" = ihe principal (of money laid ^ ** Pirman" was derived through

; at interest) ; (2) especially as here in Malay from ** Firman " (the Decree or

phrase **poko' ribut," tfr**poko' Word of God), Cp. ly^, ante,
* /. /. A. vol. i. pp. 275, 276.

350 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE PAirn

derived from Pirman. Each species of tree has iis
Genie. The rivers also have a spirit connected litk
them, but this spirit is the Earth Genie, who hamb
them with his power. The mountains are simiUf
animated by him. He does not, therefore, appear lo
be entirely a personification of the destructive pow
of nature, but is, to some extent, identified with its
living force also.^

The Soul.

Although the Benua have a conception of the spiii
(or rather the soul) of man as distinct from the body,-
and their belief that the souls of their magicians are
carried in music to heaven,' whilst their animate bodies
remain beside them, even shows a high degree of ita-
materiality in their conception of its nature,— djqf
appear to be without any glimmering of faith or hope
in its permanent indestructibility, or rather in iis
retention of individuality.

It is believed to be fashioned by Pirman of air, anl
when the Earth Genie is commissioned to dissolve its
union with the body, it relapses once more into the
airy nothing from Whence it came.* '

The Magician.
To avert death recourse is had in sickness to a

1 /. /. A, vol. i. pp. 275, 276. It by most of the tribes of the lafa

should be noted that though the word Archipelago. It is to prepsR dx

**Jin" is of Arabic origin, the spirits traveller for this jouniey that ^

to which the name is applied by the weapons and cooking utensils used bf

Jakun are almost certainly of native him in life, and a pittance of food,iR

origin, in spite of their thin disguise. buried along with the corpse. T^

' Newbold, writing of the Benua, souls of the bad are to be devooed bf

says : — '* The better informed of the spectres, who approach the gnvei far

Hcnua have a confused idea that after that purpose on the seventh day ite

leath the spirits of good men travel to- interment, on which fires axe kindled

-"•"Is the west and are absorbed into to drive the evil spirits away" ^

■■' ^^ulgence of the setting sun, *the 389, 390).

Hqv ' aft )P ip T^'^^ti'rtllly ff^mied ' J, /. A. V'*^ l. p. 279,

SAVAGE MALAYS OF JO //OR

35 X

Poyang), no other person being supposed
e right of imploring mercy from Pirman.
ficians are an order of men combining the
•>{ priest, physician, and sorcerer. The
lo appear to be more superstitious than the
ve a greater faith in the efficacy of the
IS of these Poyangs, and a greater dread
ipernatural power. They are believed not
able to cure the most virulent maladies, but
iisease and death upon an adversary,^ and
J have recourse to them for both purposes.^
tigers are believed to be subject to them,
magician has one in constant attendance
^ When a man falls a victim to a tiger he

f the Tuju (or Pointing
le Poyangs are imagined
the Tuju, or the art of
ly, however distant, by
ells, and by pointing a
•itan in the direction of
in performing the in-
d Bersawai ('Besa^ye')
*Chinderwye'), and in
es and hidden treasures,
led to be endowed with
iring the most grievous
ausing their familiars to
nister to the sufferers,
ns are carried on by
ncense, together with
roots of peculiar virtues
"he Bersawai (ceremony)
ling incense, muttering
over a variety of herbs
ng which are the Palas,
mg, the Lebar, and the
calling upon the spirit
is. Should the process
e spirit descends, throw-
t into a trance, during
owledge he wishes to
ed" (Newbold, pp. 389,

1. i. p. 275, 276.

the account given by

says that the soul of a

Poyang after death is supposed to enter
into the body of a tiger. This metem-
psychosis is presumed to take place
after the following fashion. The corpse
of the Poyang is placed erect against
the buttress or ** strut" at the root of
a large tree in the depth of the forest,
and carefully watched and supplied
with rice and water for seven days
and nights by the friends and relatives.
During this period the transmigration
(believed to be the result of an ancient
compact made in olden times by the
Poyang's ancestors with a tiger) is
imagined to be in active operation.
On the seventh day it is incumbent on
the deceased Poyang*s son, should he
be desirous of exercising similar super-
natural powers, to take a censer and
incense of Kemnyan wood, and to
watch near the corpse alone ; when the
deceased will shortly appear in the
form of a tiger on the point of making
a fatal spring upon him. At this
crisis it is necessary not to betray the
slightest symptom of alarm, but to cast
with a bold heart and firm hand the
incense on the fire ; the seeming tiger
will then disappear. The spectres of
two l)eautiful women will next present
themselves, and the novice will be cast
into a deep trance, during which the

352 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE fAnm

is supposed to have been sacrificed to the malevolence
of some magician whom he has offended. When the
aid of a magician is sought on behalf of the life of i
sick person, presents are carried to him, and le
repairs to the house where his patient lies, takoi
with him a musical instrument named " gSlondaog."
which consists of a long bamboo suspended in i
horizontal position under the roof and stnick witk
small sticks. When night comes on, the magioM
commences to chant his incantations, at the sametiine
waving a white cloth to and fro, whilst one of b
attendants (frequently his wife), beats the " gSlondang,"
and another burns incense (benzoin). The chants aie
invocations addressed to Jewa-Jewa,* who resides ii
heaven, and through whom alone Pirman can be
approached. They are chanted to different airs tlie
whole night long, and sometimes for three or four
nights in succession, until the magician is able to
announce either that he has received medicine to cure
the disease or that the deity is inexorable. The more 1
powerful magicians do not need to prolong thrir
invocation beyond one or two nights. The explanar
tion given of the object of the invocations, and of the
mode by which they reach the deity, is this. When-
ever a person becomes sick, it is believed that Pinnan
has ordered the Earth Genie to ** eat his life " (" makan
dia-punya nyawa"), and that death will certainly ensue
unless Pirman revoke his mandate. But as Pinnan is

initiation is presumed to Ix: perfected. spirit of the deceased, it is belieid

These aerial ladies thenceforward l)e- will re-enter for ever the body of A

come his familiar spirits, * the slaves of tiger, and the mantle of endnntad

the ring,' by whose invisible agency be irre^*ocabIy lost to the tribe"

the secrets of nature, the hidden 387-389).

treasures of the earth, are unfolded to ^ Sometimes pronounced Den

him. Should the heir of the Poyang dei^-a. It is, of course, a //ww/, 60

'.tnit to oi»serve this ceremonial, the the Sanskn* •« Ucva " (through Maltf

VI SA VA GE MALA YS OF JOHOR 35 3

xessible to mortals, Jewa-Jewa must be supplicated
ntercede with him. The fumes of the incense rise
he heavenly abode of Jewa-Jewa, who, pleased with

fragrant smell, is disposed to welcome the spirit or
I of the magician which ascends to him in the
ric of the ** gSlondang." Jewa-Jewa inquires of

magician's soul what his errand may be. The
\r then informs the minister of heaven of the
lition of the sick person, and solicits medicine.^
^irman pleases, Jewa-Jewa gives medicine to the
:ician to cure the disease, e.g, the juice or root of
ant, a flower, etc.^ The Malays outside the limits
he country of the Benua, were not aware either
the Benua believed in a God, or that the
fician's power was considered to be derived from
n and entirely dependent on His pleasure. On the
trary, they declared that they had no religious belief,
that the magicians cured diseases and inflicted
imities by means of spirits which they kept.*
The Benua (as has already been remarked) are
ch less superstitious than the Malays, and the more
sible among them even doubt whether the Poyangs
he present day can really attain supernatural power

\ /. A. vol. i. p. 276. decoction of Lawong-wood; if the
>f Herbalism among the Benua, chest, the patient should drink a decoc-
>old writes as follows: — •* The tion of Kayu tikar leaves. Such
L are celebrated among Malays recipes as these, of which there is
leir skill in medicines, and, it is abundance, are not, however, sup-
know the use of venesection in posed to be fully efficacious without
imatory disorders. The following the incantations of the Poyangs.
:>ecimen of their rude receipts : A Guligas, stones extracted from the
1 with sore eyes must use a heads and bodies of animals, particu-
ium of the infusion of Niet-niet larly the porcupine, and the Rantei
i for four days. For diarrhoea, Babi, which is imagined to be endowed
•coction of the root of Kayu yet, with powers equivalent to those of the
Kayni panamas ; for sciatica, celebrated Anguinum of the Druids of
ered Sandal - wood (?) in water, Gaul and Britain, hold a high place in
d on the loins ; for sores, the the Materia Medica of these rude

Kambing. If the head be tribes " (ii. 408-41 1).
•d, it must be washed with a ^ J- ^' -'^- ^"^'J- J. PP- 276, 277.

VOL. II 2 A

354 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE w

or aid. "Not one in a hundred reaches Jewa-]f
said an old man. ** The only one I ever knew i
so was a Poyang who died when I was young,
spirit was seven days in heaven. I have never
recourse to them in sickness, but always allow dis
to take their course. If Pirman is determined t
man shall die, he must die. If Pirman thinks;
grant him an extension of his life, he must recove

Treatment of Diseases.

To ascertain whether fever exists, the patie
directed to take ** Chuping "- leaves mixed with
rub them together in the hand, and squeeze the
into a cup. If it hardens, the patient is pronouns
have fever. The most common of the remedies \
fever the leaves of the ** Sedingin,"* and for fev<
ague the growing shoot (** umut ") of the " S€m2
The ** Akar Butut " is used for jaundice in the (
young children, and the ** Akar Balaksini " for
in the loins.* After child-birth a decoction of **

^ /. /. A. vol. i. p. 277. the tooth of a wild bull ("

'^ Unidentified. —Bos gaurus) is grated \

' This is probably Bryophyllum upon a stone and applied to

ailychtum, Salisb. (Crassu/acgo'). jart.

* According to Vaughan - Stevens, For cuts a fruit called •• 1

** on the breaking of an arm or a leg, is used in the same way.
the Benua magicians are in the habit of For diarrhcea, benzoin (**]

killing a * large black bird with brown is scattered on a fire, and th

wings ' (whose name was not given). the stomach fiimigated with
The patient is fed with some of the For indigestion the fruit <

boiled flesh; and one of its bones is rattan called **J^mang" o

then moistened and grated upon a Blood {Calamus draco) is

stone, and the liquid applied to the the liquor drunk. Or the

injured part." porcupine is grated with wj

The gall-bladder of snakes {e.g. of stone and applied to the re

the python) is worn round the neck in stomach,
order to heal fever. Also the wood of For abscesses the bark

certain trees (^.^. the *• Peradang") or called "Samung" is boile

orchids {e.g. the Dipodium palti- infusion rubbed on the ini

fosum) is boiled and the fluid drunk. by means of a piece of bark

" »e« a thorn hp<5 entered the flesh, a brush.

SA VAGE MALA YS OF JOHOR 355

dministered to the child, the mother being
:h an infusion of various kinds of ** Mgrian,"
Igrian api," ** Marian padi," '' Mgrian batu,"
ian igi." ^

)rang Laut believe that small-pox is a
lalignant spirit which moves about from

to another, and those of the tribe that
ed on the east side of the island (Pulau
osed all the paths that led to the western
IS and bushes, for, as they said, he (the

get along a clean pathway, but he cannot
or pass through the barrier that we have

Traditions of the Benua-Jakun?

igin of the country and race of the Benua
•elated : ** The ground on which we stand

sm the painful j>art is supernatural powers ; such, for instance,

1 bees'-wax. as the Pikats of Java, who are said to

Iry roots of Citronella dwell on the summits of hills, and to

;/ //<2r<///i) arc laid upon intermarry with the Siamangs ; the

e smoke used for fumi- Pangans and the cannibal Benangs,

se ( V. B. G. A. xxiv. who, like beasts, cohabit with their
nearest relatives ; the malignant Mawa

ildren (in general) the that mocks the laugh of a human

Kcmunting" [Khodo- being, with its iron arm and body

sa) are br)ile(i, and the covered with shaggy hair ; and the

over with the infusion. treacherous B'lian that watches over

acs the nx)is of the the tigers, and which is supposed on

*) or " Tongkatali '' and rainy nights to visit the alx)des of men,

" *• Perugas " are use<l; and under the pretext of asking for

<1 when the sun has fire, to seize and tear them into pieces

ian. [The Tongkat ali with its enormous claws " (ii. 416).

ailed " Rumput Tong- Elsewhere we are told by Newbold

'ci4m SarmctUosum, or that "in the beginning of the world a

'ci, or perhaps a fern. — white Ungka and a white Siamang
dwelt on a lofty mountain ; they co-

i. J). 277. habited and had four children, who

.p. 141. descended from the mountain into the

o Newbold, " there are {)Uiin, and became mankind. From

current among Malays them sprang four tribes. In after

:e in the woods and times the heads of these tribes, Nenek

malignant races, half Tukol, Nenek I^ndasan, Nenek Jelan-

ikeys, endowed with dong, and Nenek Karah, were invested

356 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE w

is not solid — it is merely the skin of the earth (*1
bumi'). In ancient times Pirman (the Deity) b
up this skin, so that the world was destroyed
overwhelmed with water. Afterwards he ca
Gunong Lulumut, together with Chemundang
Bechuak (hills in Johor), to rise out of the water
low land which we now inhabit being formed 1
These mountains in the south, together with M
Ophir (Gunong Ledang), the mountains of
(Gunong Kap), * Flute-pillar ' Hill (Gunong Tew
Bangsi), and Gunong Tongkat Subang (lit. * Ea
pillar' Hill) on the north, give a fixity to the e
skin. The earth still depends entirely upon
mountains for its steadiness. The Lulumut i
tains are the oldest land. The summit of Tc
Bangsi Hill is within a flute's-length (one foot)
sky ; that of Tongkat Subang Hill is within a
stud's length ; and that of the Hills of Kal
contact with it. When Lulumut had already em
a ship (* prahu *) of * pulai ' wood, completely o
over and without any opening, was left floating
waters. In this Pirman had enclosed a man
woman whom he had created. After the la
some time the vessel no longer progressed eith
or against the current, and ceased to be driven
fro. The man and woman therefore, feeling i
motionless, nibbled their way through it, and sf
upon the dry ground, beheld this our work
first, however, everything was obscure. The

by an ancienl king of Johor with the Balang ; the second aso

honorary titles of To' Batin Kakanda Samawa or Linggi river, ai

Unku, To' Batin Sa-ribu Jaya, To* Sungei Ujong ; the third pr

Batin J ohan LelaPerkasa, and To' Batin the hill of lantei Kulit, an

Karah. The first founded the state of the State of Johol ; and tb

^Iflne- «"'' Dossessed tb** canoe Sampan Ulu Pahang " (ii. 376-378).

*.:!•. VI SA VAGE MALA YS OF JO HO K 357

tmther morning nor evening, because the sun had

^X. yet been created. When it became light they saw

^en small wild rhododendron ('Sendudo') shrubs,

1^ seven clumps of the grass called * Sambau.* They

•n remarked to each other, * In what a condition are

left, lacking both children and grandchildren ! *

icimetime afterwards, however, the woman conceived,

however in her womb, but in the calves of her

js. From the right leg came forth a male, and

3m the left a female child. Hence it is that the

je of the same womb cannot intermarry. All man-

^■tind are the descendants of the two children of the

^l^^t pair. When men had much increased, Pirman

*^Doked down upon them and reckoned their numbers

''^rith pleasure."^

In addition to the foregoing, Logan further re-
^narks that in crossing the Lenggiu at the upper part
of the ravine in which it rises, a long flat granitic slab
covered with thickly-growing moss, and called ** Batu
Bekachong," is pointed out as the first couch of the
parents of the human race.

They look upon the Gunong Lulumut group with
a superstitious reverence, not only connecting it with
the dawn of human life, but regarding it as possessed
of animation itself Lulumut is the husband, Che-
mundang his old wife, and Bechuak his young one.
At first the three lived together in harmony, but one
day Chemundang, in a fit of jealousy, cut off Bechuak's
hair.* The young wife retaliated by kicking Chemun-
dang*s head with such force as to force it out of its
position. Lulumut, seeing his mistake, stepped in

* J. /. A. vol. i. p. 278. own inquiries enable him to confirm

' Hcrvcy in quoting this tradition Logan's account (v. J. R. A. 5"., S, B,^
verbatim from Logan, remarks that his No. 3, p. 105).

358 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE FAnm

with his huge body between them, and has ever since
kept them separate.^

From an old Portuguese writer comes the follw-
ing interesting passage : —

** Queen Putri (** Putry '*), spouse of Permiom,
founder of Malacca, was said to inhabit a cavern oo
Mount Ophir (" Gunoledam "). Here the Bcna
were said to learn magic. Without seeing any one
they heard the magical qualities of plants revealed by
mysterious voices. They drink a decoction of the £rfi
vilca in order to put themselves into communicatioo
with the evil spirit or with Putri, who was ssdd to
take the form of beasts and birds. The Benua by the
same spells and charms transformed themselves into
tigers, lizards, crocodiles, and other animals ; they then
became gifted with divination and communicated with
persons at a distance. The Benua were said to come
to Malacca at night in the form of tigers, and to IdB
women and children." -

** In the forests of that country [Johor] dwelt th<
Benua, wild races who . . . lived on Mount * Guno
ledam * (ix. Ophir, or Gunong Ledang), where reside
a certain Queen Putri, a magical enchantress wh
. . . collected herbs and plants possessing mediciiu
virtues, and transformed herself from the human fon
(of a woman) to that of a tigress, and of other anima
and birds.""' "Putri" is the Fairy "Princess" <
Mount Ophir legend.

* /. /. A, vol. i. pp. 278, 279. called Saletes, inhabiting Mab

^ Cloudinho do Eredia, p. 32<^. before the Malays. Of the Mali

^ Ibid. p. II ; cp. Malaca^ IJ Inde he says: "The witches employ lu

Meridionaleet Id Caihay^^l^, , . ,(\tij. roots, plants, trees, and animals

de £., reproduit en facsimile et traduit their charms, and above all ipe

par Leon Janssen. Bruxelles, 1 882. especially those who kill children bd

Goudinho de Eredia wrote in 1613. baptism, on the fifth day after biidi,

T^ nicocpeaL'«-'>f a «« cannibal "(!) race in some cases before birth. 1

SA VAGE MALA YS OF JOHOR 359

BEREMBUN TRIBES.

e Berembun tribes, like the Malays, attribute
agician's power to his command over spirits
possess and inspire him. The spirits of the
(Hantu Sungei)are evil, inflicting diseases, and
\ on the human soul (or "s2mangat"). On
[ler hand, the spirits of the mountains (Hantu
g) are harmless. Every magician has several
*s who attend him when he visits a sick person.
11 hut called ''sawai" is constructed near the
and in this the incantations are performed,
ody being excluded save the magician himself
> disciples. Incense is burned, and invocations
d to the accompaniment of music, until the
an is possessed by the spirit, which answers
h his mouth the questions put by the disciples
:ing the mode of treating the disease. When
• spirit enters a man and he begins to waste
:hrough its evil influence, the magician has
to exorcise it. The tigers are his slaves.^

JAKUN OF JOHOR.

Belief in a Deity,
jreat part of the Jakun know and acknowledge

^ard the fifth day after birth reason hostile to man. But they are

, and keep watch with their rather demons, for they have their sides

d relatives. open and inflamed." — Goudinho de

: witches, pupils of the Benua Eredia, p. 38.

/ems of Gunoledam, subdue ** At the equinox, especially the

icwords crocodiles, elephants, autumnal, on the day called **divaly"

I serpents. Others transform [jiV, evidently the S. Indian or Tamil

s into lizards, etc., to do evil. feast called Thivali], trees, herbs,

irds, V, p. 373, infra,\ plants talk and disclose the remedy for

; is another kind of witch every malady. To hear them people

>nteanas,' who usually reside hide in the forest." — Ibid, p. 38^.
rees such as poplars and * J, /. A, vol. i. p. 277. " Sawai "

People say they are women is the name of the ceremony, not of the

in child-bed, and for this hut in which it is performed.

36o NA rURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE wrn

the existence of a supreme being, whom theydli
by the Malay name **Tuhan Allah," the LordGoiw
Many of those in Johor also admit their belief in a j
punishment for sin. With some of them itisool;
a general admission, and they have no ideabyitaj
means it is to be executed; but some few odwsj
declare openly that sinners will be thrown afafl
death into the fire of hell, though even these do Mtj
know of any reward for good men and good woik
Those of the Menangkabau States, probably oaj
account of their more frequent communications withlk ]
Malays, have more knowledge of religion, somcol'
them speaking of God as the creator of everytKnj
of Adam as the first man, of Abraham, Moses, David,
Solomon, though very confusedly, and there wasnottD
be found amongst them any real knowledge either d
Christ or the Christian religion.^ The more leanid
of them are called magicians or ** Pawang," and thos
of Malacca are the most ignorant of religion. The
do not worship the sun or the moon or any idols.

Spirits and Demons.

In demons (or "Hantu") the Jakun devou
believe, but unfortunately little or nothing has be
collected on the subject. Hervey's account of \
Jakun belief concerning the ** Hantu SSmambu"
however, I think, worth quoting here. " The noi!
he says, ** that a certain species (of cicada) makes
almost unearthly and quite disagreeable. There
only one other sound in the jungle at night -ti
which, though otherwise different, resembles it
this peculiar way — it is that made by the 'Ha

^ Favre in/. /. A, vol. ii. p. 249L. Abraham, Moses, David, axMl Soli
•Tp I'nown to all qood Moslems.

1 SAVA GE MALA YS OF JOHOR 361

Linbu/^ which is very weird, consisting of three

ur long-drawn notes rising and falling slightly ;

he effect it is impossible to describe. The Jakun

bat it is a weather guide." ^

i/e are further told that some Jakun regard jelly-

is human souls waiting to be born.'

'he offerings of rice laid on graves to appease

emons have already been mentioned/

The Magician,

)f the paraphernalia used by a Jakun ** Poyang "
lagician, Hervey writes that the ** Kayu kglon-
" (or ** GSlondang," as it is also called), which
nek by the magician's attendants when the latter
ercising his skill on behalf of a sick man, must
ig the Jakun of the Madek people be made of
I from the MSrawan tree, and no other. Whilst
ttendants are striking the instrument in question,
lagician waves a spray of a tree called ** Chawak,"
It the same time proceeds with his incantations.^

Treat7nent of Diseases,

'he knowledge of the Jakun in the art of physic
y limited. They use very little medicine, and the
lack almost every form of assistance, the sickness
\ ordinarily abandoned to the ordinary course of
•e. Notwithstanding, the Malays consider them
r physicians, and in their stupidity believe them-
s very fortunate when by giving them either
iy or clothes they succeed in obtaining from them
: medical prescriptions.^ Some of the Jakun,

c noise is probably made by a * Cp. supra^ vol. ii. p. 105.

og. ^ Hervey,/. R. A, S,, S, B., No. 8,

R.A.S.y S.B., No. 8, p. III. pp. 119, 120.

f. E. xxviii. 187. ^y. /. A, vol. ii. pp. 249-251.

362 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE putid

though not very many, and only those who are st]^
** Pawangs," pretend to some knowledge in physic
as well as to a knowledge of the secrets of nature;
but their actual acquisitions in that respect are not
so great as is ordinarily reported, and in fact they w
very little more clever than the others.^

We are also told that some "tribes" of Jakni
refused to eat the flesh of elephants, alleging thalk
would occasion sickness.^

The Malays believe that when a Jakun hates any
one, he turns towards his victim's abode, and strikes
two sticks together, one upon the other, and that in
such a case, no matter how great the distance betweci
them, his victim will fall sick, and even die, should he
persevere in this performance for a few days.'

H. W. Lake, in writing of two Jakun who W
been brought in very badly mauled by a tiger,
remarks that, according to their statement, they W
been attacked whilst asleep on a sandbank sone
distance up the river. One man's scalp -wouni
appeared to be of a fatal nature ; the other, i
youngster, was badly bitten in the fore-arm. Both
refused to be treated by a European, and later in
the day they could be seen lying in the blazing sun
with their wounds well smeared with wood ashes and
wrapped in leaves.*

Fire-making,

In addition to the foregoing, an account of cert
menial fire - making among the Jakun is given i
Vaughan-Stevens : —

* Ix>gan iny. /. A, vol. ii. p. 251. imply totemism. Cp. p. 260, uM.

'^ Ann, J\ F. xxii. 303. The word ' J. I. A. vol. iL p. 274.

*• tribe " here doubtless merely signifies * H. W. I^ke in y. R, yf. 5,, 5^ i

''>''al crrouD an<^ ♦he *''^ct does not No, 25, pp. 3, 4.

SA VA GE MALA YS OF JOHOR 363

a company (of Jakun) were on their travels and desired either to
camp or to prepare for a longer stay there, a new camp-fire was
ack " by an unmarried girl with a fire-drill.

selected was usually the daughter of the man who happened to be
eader of the company. Such a selection was regarded as specially
; the leader's daughter could only be chosen if she were of an age
)erty. And this custom is especially remarkable, since the Jakuns
lerings always carry with them a smouldering rope-end of tree-

^ever, we have a survival of an older custom. The fire is obtained
the drill from a block of soft wood of the kind which the Jakun
ig the handles of their choppers ("parang"). A small block of
jenerally carried either on the person, or more especially inserted
id of tree-bark, ** exactly like the charm on one of our own watch-
/as shaped like the marine bivalve which they say their ancestors
•re they had learned the use of iron to cut up their fish, as well as
g the spot for their encampment when they happened to be upon a

fire was about to be kindled the girl took this block of soft wood
the ground, whilst her father or some other married man worked
tiaft which served as the drill. When the spark appeared she
flame either by blowing upon it or by whirling the block round in
which purpose she surrounded the spark with a heap of shredded
)sed it to a current of air.'-*

fire thus kindled were lighted the other fires, for every successive
it were ascribed good-luck in the matter of cooking, and a greater
ing off wild beasts {e.g. the tiger) than was possessed by the first
mpment when it was kindled by means of the smouldering rope-
rk. At the same time there was no hard and fast rule that this
nust be performed by a girl, since any person whatsoever, man,
an (unless, in the case of the latter she were having her monthly
ght do it if it happened to be more convenient.*^

Taboo Laftguages,

igst other industries the collection of various
gutta and camphor obtainable in the forests
ninsula is practised by the Jakun, who, whilst

len was sent with the women generally carried such shell-

). shaped blocks about with them, there

vo\. xxviii. pp. 168, 169. was no obligation for them to do so.

re remarks that it is not From this passage it would appear

e context whether it is that it was the shell - shaped block

wood used for kindling that the girl used in this case for

is shaped like a shell, fire - making. On the other hand,

t has no special shape. Vaughan-Stevens says later that these

Vaui;han - Stevens the shell - shaped blocks are of extreme

Iter obtained the block rarity, and are now never carried for

her father, for the blocks their original purpose, viz. that of

le unmarried girls and fire-making, since the custom had long

making have no special become obsolete.]
although the men and ^ ^ j\ £ xxviii. p. 169.

364 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE futb

at work in this way, employ a peculiar dialect usuaJy
called the Camphor (or Gutta) Taboo language*
(** Pantang Kapur," etc.). As to the origin of tli
dialect there has been a good deal of speculation, but
whatever its origin, the Jakun attribute great efEcacf
to its employment, as well as to certain strafe
ceremonial practices. Logan, for instance, menriom
the eating of earth as a concomitant of the uscrfl-
the Camphor Taboo language, as well as complelt
abstention during the prosecution of the scard
both from bathing and washing. Without these
accompaniments of the superstition the "PantaDj
Kapur " would hardly be complete, and they wodi
readily be suggested by the magicians themsdveSj
to whose cunning and influence over the Malaji
Logan bears striking testimony. As some proof d
the complete confidence the Malays possess in thdr
powers, it may be recorded that the Malays at Kiflt
Madek, for instance, asserted of the Juru-krah tci 1
dent there, that he used to walk round the village
(or kampong) at night and drive away the tigcR
without any weapons.*

I may add that many restrictions as to diet (or
*' food- taboos ") were observed by the parents in 4e
months preceding a birth, and that divination was
employed to determine the probable sex of an ex-
pected child.^

The Jakun Tradituyns.

The following is a Jakun tradition entertaine
by several tribes, and formerly related by a Bali
of Johol : —

» This question of the Taboo * Hervey,/. ^. ^. 5"., 5. A, Na

dialects will l>e fully treated of under p. 103.

. '»npii'»«'« " 8 Cp, pp^ jT . 23, ante.

SA VAGE MALA YS OF JOHOR 365

d created in heaven, in former days, a man and
an. They were Batins (that is, a king and a
of course, but had no kingdom or subjects.
y does not say how long this couple remained
ven; but only that one day they descended
:h and were discovered in the neighbourhood
I river of Johor, in the southern part of
minsula. There this celestial Batin and his
t begat a numerous family, who peopled all
ninsula. Those of them who embraced Islam*
& now called Malays ; and those who remained
1 to the manners and customs of their ancestors
d the name of Jakun.^

other legend (collected by Hervey) is that of
Penyabong, near Kelesa' Banyak. The legend
; a cock-fighting match once took place here,
:n Raja Chulan and another Raja of old times,
le defeated bird flew away to his house at
Bulan, whilst the victorious bird was turned
tone and still remains a mute but faithful
3 to mark the spot where the tremendous
: took place. The Dato\ or chief of the
stated to Hervey that he had himself seen
ure on the top of Bukit Penyabong ; it was a
leal above life-size, he said, and just like a cock
e stone ; ^ he added that the top of the hill was
id that a good view was to be had from it.*
similar legend is told of a Jakun Batin whose
igrated into a white cock.
e ** Batu Hampar," or ** outcrop rock," which

4. vol. ii. p. 271. known in the Peninsula.

ey suggests that the hill it- ' Hervey in Journal of the Royal

possibly have been lime- Asiatic Society^ Straits Branchy No.

which case it would be 3, p. no; cp. Man^ 1904, 14, and

t southerly limestone hill supra, p. 344, «. 3.

366 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE ?mn

gives its name to this place, is a shrine (" kramat \ iio
a sacred rock in the river, on which the devout sprad
the mat of prayer ; it owes its sanctity, according to4c
legend, to the execution carried out upon it (by order
of the Sultan of Kota Tinggi) of one Jit, a Jakua
chief, who had been detected in necromantic practice!
When they came after the execution with the burial
garments to take away the body, it had disappeared.
Three months after Jit was met by his son on thesame
spot alive and well, which from that period onward
he used to haunt. He was also said to assume ai
times the form of a white cock ; and when met in
human form he disappeared, and a white cock wassea
vanishing in the distance.^

Tradition of Tribes with Great Feet,

Finally it may perhaps be worth while toreferto
the explanation given by Vaughan-Stevens^ofthehuge
foot-prints attributed to certain of these jungle tribes,
more especially the ** Eastern Jakun." Accordii^
to Vaughan-Stevens, the great size of the footsteps
of these Jakun, at certain seasons, is due to their
binding the leaves of the Bgrtam-palm upon thdr
feet, in order to avoid sinking in the deep mangrove
mud when they are forced to traverse it in search
of jungle produce, etc., the bad land which requires
this special provision to be made being said to extend
in patches as far north as Pahang. There may be
something in this explanation; on the other hand, it
must not be forgotten that, as has already been
pointed out, this legend of tribes with great feet is
a widely spread Mohammedan legend, which is found

^ Ilervcy mj, R, A, S.y S, /?., No. 3, p. 97.
2 y./, E, xxix. 195 seqq.

VI MALAYAN SEA'GYPSIES 367

ther countries besides the Malay Peninsula, and
is perhaps the more probable explanation.

Orang Laut or Sea-Jakun.

Principles of Religion.

^rangr Laut, Sabimba. — The statement that the
mba have no religion, believe in no demons
antu ") or other supernatural beings, hardly any
icines, and no magicians (** poyangs ") ^ can
ly be accepted as final, even if the word
igion " be confined to the narrow sense in
:h it was, till recent years, so frequently em-
ed. The converse statement would probably
e nearer the truth. The present writer has on
e than one occasion, without going out of his
to look for them, met with a variety of demons
charms believed in by the Orang Laut, and he
ks there is very little doubt that when it is
quately investigated the Sabimba religion will
/e to be the old religion of the pagan (pre-
hammedan Malays) which was most probably a
1 of demonology or Shamanism, overlaid with a
ht Hindu veneer.

Dreams,

Dreams, we are informed, are greatly dreaded, and,
:n bad, suffice to keep the dreamer in a state of
asiness for several days. A Sabimba man of old is
to have dreamed that he would be killed by a
r, and within two days his dream was fulfilled.^
\gain, they declare that their ancestors were

' /. /. A. vol. i. p. 298. Cp. also ibid. p. 348*.
2 find. p. 298.

368 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLKLORE Piirn

warned in dreams that if the race took to
they would be visited by tempests. Hence % t
abstain as religiously from bathing as theydofai|^
eating the fowl. The only punishment whidi Ae
Malays threaten them with, or ever inflict, is to
duck them in water, and of this they have so gici
a horror that they say they would prefer being IdlM
at once.^

Sabimba Traditiofts.

Before the Sabimba were transported to Johorbf
the Temenggong of that State, they inhabited tint
portion of the island of Battam which is traversed bj
the stream called Sabimba and its tributaries.

They are entirely a forest people, having no I
clearings or cultivation of any kind, and also (ft I
are told) no boats. They are therefore in a loitf
plane of civilisation than the Benua. According to
their own traditions, however, they have not always
been so rude of habit. They declare that they arc
of Malayan race, and give the following account d
their arrival at Battam. Their forefathers lived i)
the land of the Bugis {i.e. Celebes), and were, lik
the Malays, of agricultural and maritime haKt
In voyaging, however, from Celebes to the wes
ward, a vessel containing a party of them and
Bugis Raja was lost off the coast of Battam. Soi
of them succeeded in reaching the shore, and havi
no means of returning to their native country, i
mained on the island. In the course of a f
generations their numbers increased, and they li\
in comfort, making clearings in the forest a
gradually regaining the easy condition in wh

* /I /. A. vol. i. p. 297.

MALA VAN SEA-G YPSIES 369

ipwrecked ancestors had lived before they
r native land. At this stage, however, they
ately attracted the attention of pirates and
tlements (" kampongs ") were ravaged. New
3 were made and their houses rebuilt, but
un they were visited by the pirates. They
noved to another locality, but their merciless
levering assailants yet again discovered thern^
inued to repeat their attacks every few years.
when their settlements had been destroyed for
nth time, they gave themselves up to despair,
ed their ancient habits, and sought safety by
ig in the forest and restricting themselves to
k1 as it yields spontaneously. To prevent
ire to return to the comforts of civilisation
posing them again to plunder, slavery, or
be whole tribe then and there made a vow
y would never again form any clearings, live
1 life, or even eat the domestic fowl, the
of the cock having sometimes betrayed their
s to the pirates.

tever be the foundation of this tradition, it
nly descriptive of the condition in which
f live.^

lUt, Sletar. — To the impulses which govern
ns of the Sletar, only a long acquaintance
:ir prejudices and domestic feelings could
:lue. Of a Creator they did not appear to
I slightest comprehension, and even when
:est care was taken over the investigation.
It was still entirely negative. They neither

I God nor Devil of the Christian or Moham-
hough they confessed they had been told of

* /. /. A. vol. i. pp. 295, 296.

II 2 B

370 NA TURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE mT m

such, nor any of the Hindu demigods, many of whom
were recounted to them. In the three great epochs
of their lives {i.e. at birth, marriage, and death), we
consequently find no rites or ceremonies enacted
Of the Pari, Dewa, Mambang, and other aerial
spirits that are assigned to every mountain, rock, and
tree in Malay mythology, they did not even know die
names, nor had they anything to be afraid of (as thw
themselves said), except the *• Gallang Pirates," wIm
were men like themselves.^

0. Laut, Biduanda Kallang. — They have a Bomor or
physician who chants in order to summon the demons
to give them medicine.

For swellings they bruise the leaves of the "Bam,"*
and rub them over the affected part. Cuts or wounds
are rubbed with the juice of the "Akar lale uraL'
For pain in the bowels they employ ginger. For
headache they drink the juice of a tree called
** Kapielu {sic, ? Kapialu) angin.""

0. Laut, Muka Kuning. — The Orang Muka Kuning
have derived some obscure and distorted notions of
a Creator from the Malays, but otherwise appear^ to
have no religion or superstitions. Allah Ta*ala
(the God of the Mohammedans) is the creator of aD
living things, and Nabi Muhamad (the Prophet
Mohammed) is his wife,* who destroys all living thingi
They dwell together above the sky, and have tiw
children, a male and a female, whose names and func-
tions, however, are unknown. The Orang Mub

J /. /. --/. vol. i. pp. 343, 344. Sabimba already mentioned.

- ** liiinx'^ = I/idiscus fi/iaceuSf Linn. * This idea is perhaps die moB

(A/a/Tmri£). striking proof that could be imagined of

3 y. /. .^. vol. i. p. 300. that absolute superficiality of the ll»

* The italics are mine. For the hanunedan element for which I bsR

^rr.*. -^^nnorUc nr>r»iv r hcm as to tfac contendcd.

="4CIIAP. VI

MALAYAN SEA-GYPSIES

371

uning have no idea of the soul as existing separately

•m, or surviving the body. It is probable that their

lief in a male creating and preserving, and a female

stroying, deity was derived either from Hindus or

indu Malays in the pre-Mohammedan era, and that

e Muka Kuning have merely altered the names, a

ictice which appears to be common in the Archi-

^|>eIago, and one, indeed, of which the history of almost

liftvery nation furnishes examples.^

0. Laut, Temiang. — A special form of arrow-release
is said to be employed by the Orang Temiang in shoot-
ing fire at the spirit of sickness. According to the
description the bow is perforated in the centre (the
•• handle " of the bow), and the arrow has a shoulder
near the distal end, which prevents it passing through
the hole, and the nock is fastened to the string,^

A ball of inflammate material is loosely placed on
the end of the arrow, and when the arrow is released,
it is suddenly checked by its shoulder striking the

^ Logan here remarks, in a quaint
note, that in the eastern parts of
Bengal, which have a distinct ethno-
logical connection with the Indo-
Chinese peoples, instances of this kind
occur. The successive changes that
ihc religion of Europe has undergone
were accompanied by a similar con-
fnsion of names. "The memory of
the pagan (classic) creed was not
speedily eradicated in the extensive
provinces through which it was once
aniversally received ; and in many par-
ticulars it continued long to mingle
with, and influence, the original super-
stitions of the Gothic nations. Hence
we 6rKl the elves occasionally arrayed
in the costume of Greece and Rome,
and the Fairy Queen and her attendants
transformed into Diana and her nymphs,
and invested with their attributes and
appropriate insignia " (Sir W. Scott's
Introduction to the TaU of Tam/atu).
•* Ciiristianity never succeeded m root-

ing out the ancient creed ; it only
changed many of the subjects, which
maintained, and do still to this day
maintain, their place among us. What
had been religious observance subsists
as popular superstition ; the cross of
the Saviour only replaced the hammer
of Thor, and the spells which had once
contained the names of heathen gods
were still used as effective, having been
christitud by the addition of a little
holy water, and the substitution of the
names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
Tobit, St. Peter, and St. Paul" Q. M.
Kemble's Introduction to the Anglo-
Saxon Dialogut of Salomon at:d
Saturn^ p. 7).—;/. /. A, vol. i. p.

338.

' Mr. L. Wray informs me that the
form of bow here described is employed
by Malay Pawangs, or magicans, in
Perak, and that there arc several
specimens of it (that came from Larut)
in the Perak Museum.

372 NATURAL REUGION AND folk-lore i

bow, the fire-ball being projected into the air I
momentum.

To effect this "release" the first finger is{
above the string and under the arrow,* the l
being straightened, and the arrow grasped be
the thumb and finger.^

Traditions of the Orang Akik.

0. Laut, Akik. — Dato' Klambu,' a man of
power in former days, employed a number of
in the building of an Astana or palace. He I
only daughter, a young and beautiful damsel
once upon a time observing the primitive cost
one of her father's workmen, was seized with
controllable fit of merriment. Thereupon d
tated Jakun commenced the incantation " Chi
and pursued their way to the forest, followed
spellbound princess. Dato' Klambu despatchc

^ Professor Morse adds, ** This is a * Kubur,' or tomb, of Date

most awkward and inefHdent release. This was a Mohammedai

and as the description of this and the considerable odour, who a

previous release were given me by an from Achin to the Malay

oKi man, it is possible that they may and who, during his

have been incorrectly described." selected this spot for the i

[The fact that these releases were of his remains. It is si

described by an old man some years the summit of a steep rnooi

ago is, however, rather in fisvour of bank of the river, and havi

their being correctly (not incorrectly) stream winding round its i

described. It is the younger (town- structure has nothing pecn

bred) generation in the Peninsula that being built after the usual

is the less reliable. Is it not possible, the Malayan Mussulmans ; :

too, that the weakness and inefficiency of twenty yards long by two I

the release may have been intentional, is visited by most Mussulma

as a strong release could hardly up the river, who repeat a

be required by the circumstances ? ] offer an oblation for the pe

- Intemat. Archiv f. Ethn, vol. iv. Marhum. There is neithei

p. 278. inscription on it, with the e:

^ Lit. Mosquito-net Chief. " About a few sentences of the Kon

two and a half miles up the Linggi, names of some of the derot

''fter passing the mouth of Sungei have been rudely scrawled

4*=.^, V. >»^^.r -—^v^ at rhe charco-1."— ^^bie, ppw 40Q

LP. VI MALAYAN SEA-GYPSIES 373

gers to bring back his daughter, but she refused
return, and eventually became the spouse of one of
te Jakun chiefs. Dato' Klambu, on receiving intel-
nce of this occurrence, dissembled his resentment,
invited the whole tribe to a sumptuous entertain-
^*ient on pretence of celebrating the nuptials. In the
'^tiaidst of the feast he fired the palace in which the
'^•^■^^vels were carried on, and the whole of the Jakun,
; ""^^tcept a man and a woman, perished in the flames.
* ^^ese two Jakun fled to Rawang, a marsh near the
|^"^^ashore, and from them sprang the Ray at Laut, some-
^ *iines termed Orang Rawang or Akik, who, not daring
^*^ return into the interior, have ever since confined
r ^^iiemselves to the coasts and islets. The truly char-
; "^^cteristic tradition among the subjects of the sea
themselves, is that their first parents were a white
^ligator and a porpoise.^

Belief in Spirits.

Orangr Laut (unspecified). — The Orang Laut, for
instance, believe (we are told) that the flying lizard
looks out for births and causes the soul to take up its
abode in the new body. It is the subordinate of the
mythical lizard, the guardian of the Stone [of Life],
and can leave the earth to go to its master. If an
Orang Laut killed one of these lizards, the others would
refuse to bring the soul of his new-born child. The
flying lizard can transform itself into a crocodile ; the
crocodile and the shark are brothers and carry out the
death sentence on a man whose Stone of Life is soiled
and buried, if the lizard does not do so in person.'^

1 Newbold, ii. 412, 413 [cp. the tribe is not stated. For the belief in
J. /. A. vol. ii. p. 278]. the power of the Jakun to change into

* Z.f. E. xxviii. 187. The name of lizards, cp. p. 358, atite.

374 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE wnm

Again, the time from birth to the cutting of tie
umbilical cord is the critical period, and all present
unite in shouting to drive away the evil spirits.^

The Orang Laut do not fear sharks. " They are
our own brethren, they are Sea Pirates ('pfirompak
laut ') like ourselves," said one of them to Thomson.-

Use of Wooden Images,

Before leaving the Orang Laut I must not omh
to mention a valuable contribution to they. -ff.i4.1
S.B., in No. 41 of the Society's Journal, by Dr.
Abbott, who writes that in July 1903 he discovered
among the Orang Mantong of Sanglar Island, two
wooden images representing women, in a cave near
the seashore, not far from Kampong Telok Lanua.
Each image was about 3^ feet high, and one of them
had three wooden horns about 6 inches long pro-
jecting upwards from the head. These horns were
serrated along one edge. This figure also had straight
rudely-carved arms of soft wood much decayed.

The teeth were represented by pieces of broken
shell. A blackish line extended diagonally across the
chest, meeting a horizontal one extending across just
above the breasts. The region of the heart was
marked by a blackish spot. The other figure was
very rudely carved of soft white wood, and was with
out arms.

The figures were lying face downward on th<
floor of the cave, and had evidently not been disturbei
for months, as roots were growing over them, and th«
wood was beginning to decay.

No information in regard to the use of the image
could be obtained. Everybody questioned by Di

S*»^-v '3. ''6, ante, ^ J, I. A, vol. v. p. 144,

CHAP. VI MALAYAN SEA-GYPSIES 375

Abbott denied the existence of such things, not know-
ing that Dr. Abbott had already found them.

No true Malays live on the island, and all the
inhabitants eat pig.

Dr. Abbott concludes, I think quite rightly, that

^bese images cannot be regarded as true ** bfirhala "

Or idols, and that most probably they are a form of

^cape-goat (** sakat buang ") for use in sickness. Dr.

''Vbbott adds that when an Orang Laut is ill, a wooden

^[ure of a bird, snake, fish, or other animal is made, and

^ soon as the medicine-man (** pawang " or ** bomor ")

tias exorcised the demon (** hantu ") in the sick man,

5and has driven it into the figure, the latter is then

carried out to sea and thrown overboard. In the

same locality (during the' previous year) Dr. Abbott

picked up the floating image of a bird. Very likely

(says Dr. Abbott) these human images were similarly

used. They resemble the **adu-adu" of the Nias

Islands.

To this (already mentioned) testimony I may add
my own, for I myself once picked up on the Kuala
Langat coast, close to the regular haunts of the local
group of Orang Laut or B^sisi, a large wooden figure
representing a coconut -monkey or ** b'ro'." As in
the case of Dr. Abbott's specimens every kind of
information was rigidly withheld, but in view of these
later discoveries, I have now little or no doubt that
my own specimen should be explained in the same way.
As somewhat analogous, I may add that at a shrine on
the Bird's Nest Islands in the remarkable ** Inland
Sea *' ( Tale Sap) of Singora, visited by the Cambridge
expedition under my guidance in 1899, a (human)
image of wood occupied a central position, between
the skull of a rhinoceros and that of a crocodile (this,

376 NATURAL REUGION AND FOLK-LORE atf.ii

however, being the nearest approach to an idol that I
have seen among the natives of the entire Peninsula,
offerings of edible bird's-nests and broken clay images
of animals, etc., being placed before it). During the
same expedition, at a later date, I picked up on the
river bank near Jambu in Jering (one of the seven
modern subdivisions of Patani) a large woocb
elephant (with mahout), which had been used, b
place of the more usual "lanchang" or spirit-boat,
during the ceremony of casting the spirits of evil out
of the village in the preceding year.

Summary.

As is evident from the foregoing, the religions of
these native tribes are made up of mixed elements,
in which native notions greatly preponderate and fonn
the basis, with details from Indian and Mohammedan
sources superadded. (For the former see especially
p. 176, ante.) Much of the Indian element seems to
have been introduced direct, but some of it also
appears to have come through an Indo-Chinese
channel, though the exact manner of its introduction
is still uncertain, in view of the vagueness of our
knowledge of the early history of the Peninsula.

A detailed comparison is outside the scope of the
present work, but still it has to be largely kept in
view in forming an estimate of the extent to whidi
even these rude jungle tribes have been influenced
by their more ** civilised " neighbours in the obscure
twilight of their unrecorded past.

AGE.

PART IV.

CHAPTER I.

Present State and Future Prospects.

languages spoken by the aboriginal tribes of the
Y Peninsula present various problems of un-
ion interest as well as of exceptional difficulty.

are split up into a large number of dialects, all
lich are of course unwritten, as these tribes^
never attained to the level of civilisation which
wledge of the art of writing implies ; and in the
er part of the Peninsula each of these dialects
ifined to a relatively small area, and it often
ins that a little clan, or even a single family,
a form of speech which, though more or less
d to the dialects of its neighbours, is neverthe-
lufficiently differentiated from them to be practi-
unintelligible to all except the members of the
community itself.

necessary consequence of this state of things
h itself results from the natural segregation of the

into small clans nowadays to some extent cut
)m one another and surrounded by settled Malay
lunities ^) is that most of the aboriginal dialects
ow, and have been for some generations past, in

he neighbourhood of Malacca some of the Perak tribes write on

iividuals have been taught to leaves, remains unconfirmed.
write by the Roman Catholic - Cf. Clifford xn Journal of the Royal

ries ; but Newbold's hearsay Asiatic Society^ Straits Branchy No. 24,

it {op. cit. vol. ii. p. 417), that pp. 14-16.

379

38o PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS vm

process of decay. Being of no use except for i
very restricted intercourse for which they serve, di
have hardly ever been thoroughly learnt either
Europeans, Chinese, Malays, or even, it may
supposed, by members of other tribes or clans: a
nearly all communication between the aborigines!
the outside world has therefore, for a consideia
time past, been carried on in the general /m;
fraiica of the Peninsula, that is to say, in Malay, m
or less modified by the national and personal idios
crasies of the speaker.

Accordingly, in such parts of the Peninsula
have been at all exposed to outside influences,
dialects of the aborigines have for some general
been maintaining a precarious existence in cons
competition with the invading Malay language,
in some parts they are now almost entirely supers*
by it. All the dialects, so far as they are knowi
us, contain a considerable, though very varying,
portion of Malay loan-words, and the number oft
is daily increasing. There can be no doubt that
tendency has been accentuated of late years bj
establishment of peace and order in the Penin
The aborigines, who, in many districts, were fon
hunted like wild beasts, and whose well-founded
trust and fear of their Malay neighbours kept the
the jungles, have now learnt that the existing go
ment will protect them. The consequence is
they now often visit Malay villages for purpos
trade and barter, and naturally they learn to J
Malay and imitate Malay customs.^ The nu
of aborigines who are thus bilingual, having 1
enough Malay to carry on a limited conversatic

" I ,„»ri«e in r.R. ^ v., 6* ^., ^-^ 35. pp f^', 9^-

K 1 DECA Y OF THE DIALECTS 381

inary subjects, must be increasing in most districts,
tn where the tribes to which they belong are
tionary or dwindling in numbers.

The way is thus being prepared for the gradual
sorption of these wild tribes by their more civilised
^^bours, and it must not be forgotten that this
ftcess is for them really a rise in the social scale, so
i:t they are under a constant temptation to cast
unselves adrift from all that is most characteristic
their customs and language. Accordingly there is
strong tendency for these dialects to die out and to
: replaced by a Malay patois, differing little from
dinary Malay.

This process of assimilation, though accelerated in
cent times, has been at work for several generations,
\A in the extreme south of the Peninsula it has
ached such a pitch that almost all the dialects of
lat region are now practically obsolete. Already
I the middle of the last century, when Logan ^ made
is exploratory journey through Johor, he found that
le Jakun aborigines of that State used Malay even

speaking amongst themselves, and that the only
aces left of their extinct dialects were a broad and
.ther uncouth pronunciation of Malay, a few words
hich appeared to be survivals of their older tongue,
id a peculiar, half- artificial jargon used by them
hile engaged in the search for certain jungle pro-
icts (especially camphor), when the use of their
dinary Malay vernacular was for the time being
booed.-

Miklucho-Maclay,^ Hervey,* Lake and Kelsall,^

^ J.l.A. vol. i. p. 289. No. 2, p. 2i8.

* Ibid, p. 263. * Ibid. No. 8, pp. 99-101, 112, 120.

»/. R. A. S., S. B., No. I, p. 39 ; * Ibid. No. 25, p. 3; No. 26, p. 40.

382 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS Furir

and Machado/ who have since Logan's time reportd
on these southern tribes, all agree with his account ol
their condition in the matter of language.

Similarly Emeric- states that the Sakai along tk
Klau river in Pahang speak only Malay, with "afii<
soiipfon of the guttural brogue that enables ooei
recognise aborigines within earshot, even if dresHi
like Malays and speaking Malay"; and Clifibrd,!
his manuscript notes communicated to me, recdl
having met a clan of Sakai between Tras and Bentoi|
in the same part of Pahang, who spoke only Mafaf
even amongst themselves, and explained it by dd»
ing to be descended from a Rawa " Malay anccsm
who, being invulnerable from his birth, could n«be
circumcised and had therefore to go and live in tk
jungle with the wild aborigines. No doubt the legal
was invented to account for the fact of their spddi|
only Malay, but curiously enough some members rf
the clan were themselves circumcised, thoi^h itisnfli
stated (and does not appear likely) that they w«
converts to Islam.

So too Lawder* in 1887 wrote, with reference ti
Kuala Selangor, that the very few Sakai in thai
district spoke only Malay ; and about the same time
Turney ^ wrote of the Klang Sakai, that they thcifr
selves asserted that their language was Mahy. |
Similar statements have also been made as to the
Ulu Selangor Sakai.^

Yet words have been recorded quite recently in
the last-named district which prove that the old dialects

^ J.R.A.S,, S.B,, No. 38, p. 31. situate about lat. o* 40' S., long. i«'
- Calcutta Review^ January 1 904, £. (of Greenwich), adjoining the Ma-
No. ccxxxv. p. 59. deling Batak country.

3 I believe these Rawa people come * SeLJoum. vol. ill p. 224.

rnm ap Jnij^nd rcgiou in Sumatra, * Ibid, • Ibid, vol. v. pL 39I

I LOCAL SURVIVALS 383

lot entirely extinct there ; and the present writer
/ouch for the fact that some at least of the Klang
igines speak a dialect closely allied to, if not
tical with, Besisi, for he obtained similar words
e Malacca Besisi, which he knew, from a planter
e acquaintance with Sakai was limited to a few
s of the dialect of some of the aboriginal coolies
Dyed on his estate near Klang.
1 fact, the assertion that a particular clan of
gines speaks Malay exclusively is often rashly
: on evidence which really only goes to show
the members of it all know Malay, but does not
tive their having a special dialect of their own
*11. The aborigines like to be thought civilised,
are extremely shy of displaying any of their
1 characteristics to an outsider who may be un-
)athetic. Moreover, in the south of the Peninsula
natter is complicated by the fact that there may
I be some doubt whether what is spoken by the
igines is really a roughly pronounced form of
ly or a closely allied dialect of separate develop-
t, influenced by, but not directly derived from,
rivilised Malay language of the country,
severtheless the process of decay which these
cts are undergoing is now in most parts of the
nsula advancing at such a rate as to justify the
umption that in a few generations there will be
or nothing left of them, except, possibly, in the
or three remote tracts where at present bi-
lalism has hardly begun to appear,
t follows that any research that is to be made
these peculiar forms of speech, must be made at
: before the inevitable extinction with which they
:hreatened makes all further collection of materials

384 PRESENT STA TE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS puri

for ever impossible. These tribes, surrounded
they are by men of different faiths and alien
who despise them and regard them as litde
than brute beasts, have no recorded history; baid|j
a few allusions to their mere existence are to
found in Malay literature, and practically ni
whatever is on record that can throw any lig^
their origin and antecedents. It is to their pi
structure, their customs, and above all to
languages that we must turn if we would gain
insight into their past.^

Such is the somewhat pathetic interest wU
attaches to the languages of these forest-dwdlen;!
and though the study of them is not likely to be i
practical use to any living soul, .yet, embracing a
they do the modes of speech of some of the km
developed and most thoroughly wild and undvOisBl
members of our race, it is perhaps natural that dKf
should form a fascinating subject of inquiry.

Apart from this, however, they are of considcrahk
importance in relation to the study of langua^in
general, and of the languages of South-eastern Ai
in particular, for they are connected in a peculiarff
intricate way with several groups of these languages^
some of which have hitherto been almost eniiidf
neglected or at least very inadequately studiei
Situated at the extreme end of a vast continent, these
** aboriginal " tribes of the Malay Peninsula represent
the disjecta membra of several distinct portions of the
human race, and their languages are a curious blend
of the most strangely amalgamated constituents.

* Cf, Logan, y. /. A, voL i. pp. 290, 291.

SEMANG, SAKAI, AND JAKUN 585

Cktssificaium and DtstriitUian.

Mre, however, dealing with this point, it will be
le to explain how the different dialects are
ited within the Peninsula, and to give some
cimens of the differences which exist between
The terms Semang, Sakai, and Jakun will not
1 in this section of the work to indicate merely
guages spoken by the tribes which anthropo-
\f fall under these respective divisions as

in Part I. of this work, but will bear a more
linguistic meaning. In arranging the materials
ire embodied in the Comparative Vocabulary
ed to this volume, it soon became evident that
^as a typical Semang group of dialects, best
nted by the speech of the aborigines in

Kedah and the adjoining state of Raman,
itrasting strongly with a typical Sakai group,
:h the best specimens came from Southern
smd the adjoining parts of Pahang.^ These
>es clearly differed in some important points,
li the most obvious were a considerable diver-
1 phonology, and the existence in the Semang
a whole series of quite common words which
d to be entirely absent in the Sakai type.

these strongly contrasted types have been
i the intermediate and outlying dialects, and
le dialects of the north and centre of the

assification has been admir- pp. 528*537, which for the 6rst time

>y Schmidt in his excellent established on purely linguistic grounds

e Sprachen der Sakei und the existence of a Semang group

if Malacca und ihr Ver- distinct from the Sakai group,
en Mon-Khmer-Sprachen," The new material given in the

tn tot (U TacU- Land- en present work confirms and justifies

5r van Nederlandsch-Induly Schmidt's classification in its main lines,

.\urt 8 (Part 52 of the whole), while extending it in some particulars.

^11 2 C

386 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROS.

Peninsula have fallen more or less satisfe
series of groups and subdivisions.

In the south there are not the same
tions ; for reasons which have already
indicated, there is no such good represei
Jakun type as still exist in the case
Semang. Nevertheless, the remaining <
Peninsula have been classified and will I
as Jakun, both for convenience and beca
be ultimately derived from a common s
at any rate distinct from both the Sakai
types.

The pages of the Comparative Vc
amply illustrate the leading difference
between these types ; but for conveni
some indication of the divergences w
here subjoin a short list of words which
a specimen.^

Semang.

Sakai,

Jakun (I)

Ant

kdso'

laish

pha'

Bird

kawdd

chep

sabu

Child

wong

k^non

chaii

Day

kdto»

jlsh

sen

Egg

mak4'

tap

bantat

Fish

begjag

rftyap

Hand

chas

t6kn

r&wet

Snake

ekob

taju

niih

Thunder

kare

£ngkuh 2bu

Tooth

nyus

Ifmofi

cheiih

Water

tom

teu

par

1 It must be understood that

: these

Jakun dialects ; wl

words are selected, in some

cases.

series of words, 1

from a number of variants, for which

distinct families <

reference

can be made to the

Com-

more or less throi

parative

Vocabulary. The J

iist is

These will be discu

intended

to be typical, but

by no

short list merely U

means exhaustive. Further, it

often

verbal differences

happens

that the " Sakai "

word

In view of th

appears (generally with some modifica-

diversity of the Ja

»on of foTn\ in a number of Semang and

represented by tm

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 387

matter of fact, the relations which exist
;hese different types are exceedingly com-
cannot be satisfactorily discussed without
to the other families of speech in South-
sia with which the dialects of the Peninsula
:ted, or by which they have been modified,
e entering into the consideration of these
roblems, it is desirable to explain the geo-
distribution of the dialects, and to indicate
me time the subdivisions into which they
lese subdivisions, though based on linguistic
n fact agree to a considerable extent with
>rial arrangement and geographical relations
eral tribes.

ily speaking, then, the dialects fall into groups
respond, though not accurately, with the
)gical varieties of the aboriginal races. In
of the Peninsula are the Semang dialects
I the eastern side of the main mountain
the name of Pangan) ; in the centre the
d in the south the very mixed and broken-
sets which are here grouped as Jakun.^
f. — The Semang dialects, including those
igan tribes, are spoken in an irregular tract
from at least as far north as lat. 6° 30'^ to
5° 5' on the western side of the Perak river,
: lat. 4^ 45' on the eastern side of the main
he States of Kelantan and Trengganu ; and
veen longs. 100'' 40' (though a century ago

t to the map here given outside these lines, while within them

the relative position of some of the recorded dialects may have

The lx)undary lines become extinct.

map merely indicate - Except where otherwise stated,

limits as evidenced by all latitudes are north. All longi-

a of dialects recorded. tudes are east of the Greenwich

ssible that others exist meridian.

388 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS nirn It^ i

the limit was near the actual coast-line, about kig: Ipt. i
i(xf 20') and 102° 45'. Outlying members o( 4 Isai '
group have been recorded beyond these linis: I Ti
Miklucho-Maclay ^ heard of Negritos, presumalii lir i
Semang- speaking ones, though nothing is sasdoDWC
that point, as far north as the mountains of Patalia| I
(probably about lat. 7"* 35', long. 99** 45'), and he ah ^
saw two captured boys of that race in the house oi :
the Raja Muda of Singgora. Again, Warringtoi
Smyth ^ states that a small tribe of about four hundred
Negritos inhabit the district of Chaiya (lat. 9* 20', long.
99"), but he too says nothing as to their language;
on the other hand, Clifford records the presence of a
single Semang-speaking family, apparently not of puie
Negrito stock, as far south as Sadang (lat. 4"" 30^,loog.
100" 53'), and in Pahang, though no specimens of
their dialects have been recorded, it is probable that
a few Pangans wander at least as far south as this, if
not farther.'*

Throughout almost the whole of its very extended
range, the Semang language is curiously uniform as
compared with the Sakai. This may with mudi
probability be ascribed to the relatively more nomadic
life of the Negritos, which leads them over a con-
siderable tract of country, keeps up communicaticm
among the several clans, and checks the process of
local differentiation. There is no clear linguistic line
of demarcation between Semang and Pangan ; in fact,
the Semang speech of Central Kedah and the Pangan
of Southern Kelantan, though more than 120 miles

i/.A'..-/..V., .V./>*., No. I, p. 207. they go as far as Pulau Tawar (ht

He calls Patalung " Madelon." 3* 51', long. loa** 27'), and a pSi-

"^ Five years in Siam, vol. ii. pp. 76, ghulu informed Emeric that they w«e

77. to be found on the tributaries of the

3 Ei^'*ric reports, on the authority Semantan (about lat. 3** 30' or 3* 40^»I

^'- v--^^, Vcf riot oft;/;er. Pekan, that presume) ; but this awaits coofiraatipa

IP. I SEMANG AND PANGAN DIALECTS 389

iu-t, resemble one another more closely than do some
Icai dialects which are near neighbours.

The following short list, which could be consider-
ily amplified if necessary, will suffice to illustrate
is close resemblance ; —

Semang of Kedah,

Pangan of Keiantan,

Black

beltek

Father

Hand

chas

Lip

tdnud

t«ndyt

Shoulder

klapeh

k'lapi

chong

Stone

balog

balu

Thunder

kaye

kare

On the other hand, the Semang and Pangan
ialects have a long border-line where they march
ith members of the neighbouring Sakai group, and
a both sides of that line there has been some inter-
lixture and mutual influence. While all Semang
ialects, so far as at present recorded, have many
ords in common with Sakai, several of the Semang
ialects near the Sakai border, especially the dialects
f the Plus and Galas valleys, contain a few Sakai
^ords and forms which do not occur in the more
epical Semang further to the north. But this is only
^hat might have been expected, and it does not
mount to much.

In a few instances the Pangan dialects seem to
refer a different word from the Semang ; but in such
ises it usually happens that one or both synonyms
ccur also in Sakai : —

Semang. Pangan. Sakai.

Cold hangit tengked sengat, dekat

Female mabe yalu

Hot pedih bakud bekat

Water betcu, ho, gel torn teu, hong

The following short list of words will suffice to

390 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS Mnn

show that the Semang dialect of the Plus is distal
from the Sakai dialect of the same valley : —

Big
Child
Dog
Good
To give

Even when, as in the last instance, the Sema
and Sakai languages use the same word, there are,;
a rule, characteristic differences of form which she
that the phonetic tendencies of the two races divo]
considerably. The following are a few instances:-

Semang of Plus.

SiUtti^PkL

bod

mteo

wong

kaod

«od

cfaodri

boded

Semang.

Sakai.

Bone

lyeng

jaak

Eye

med

mat

Foot

chan

jakn

Leaf

hali'

s3ak

Moon

keche'

gechc'

Skin

keto'

gauh

Tail

hatek

sentak

Thorn

hiir

jgrlftkn

Tongue

lUi'

lentak

Low-country Semang. — A more substantial
ception to the general uniformity of the Sen
language consists in a small group of dialects,
probably extinct, but formerly spoken in the exti
south of Kedah and in the upper part of the valle
the Krian, the boundary river between the Stati
Kedah and Perak. This little subdivision seen
correspond with the Semang Paya, or low-cov
Semang, of Anderson and others ; and, in spite c
probably very limited range, it appears to have
stituted a distinct subdivision of the Semang fai
for it sometimes differs from the other dialects <
when these agree with one another. It appeal

^ Perhaps this should be chttA.

. I THE SEMANG'SAKAI BORDERLAND 391

e more words in common with Sakai than the
ical Semang has ; thus for ** hand," it uses tang,
^ai tok", instead of the typical Semang chas ; and
it occasionally has a different term where most of
other Semang dialects have a word corresponding
h the Sakai equivalent, e.g. ** ear," pol {pul, pun)
compared with the usual Semang (Sntong {inteng,
Hng), Sakai kentok i^ntdky etc.). Sometimes, though
)as the same term, it differs somewhat in form, e.g.
) eat," chio\ as against the usual Semang cht,
kai chd ; ** shoulder," kapueh [kapweh), as against
peh {klapoh), Sakai g^lpduly etc.
Pangan-speaklngr Sakai. — Included among the more
ically Semang dialects are two, collected by Clifford
the Lebir valley in Kelantan, and the Kerbat in
mgganu respectively, which are spoken by tribes
)m the collector, a careful observer, describes as
ig physically Sakai. If that is so, it is clear that
se tribes must have adopted the speech of their
yrito neighbours, or they may have been originally
yritos whose physical type has been modified by
ising with a Sakai strain.

Sakai-speaking Negritos. — Conversely, the Negritos
he region of Kenderong, Kenering, Sungei Piah,
Temongoh (or between lats. 5° 25' and 5° 5', and
ys. loi*' and lor 20') in Northern Perak speak
ects which, though containing a few Semang words,
5t nevertheless be classed as Sakai. In tBis dis-
t it is evident that the Sakai speech has en-
iched at the expense of Semang, a view supported
Semang tradition, which, according to Clifford,
» claim to Mt. Korbu (lat. 4° 41', long. loi"* 20'),
)eing part of the old Semang territory.
It will be noticed that, with slight exceptions in

592 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS in

Perak (and formerly Province Wellesley), all
Semang dialects hitherto recorded are compr
within the States politically subject to the Siao
suzerainty; that is to say, Kedah, Raman, ];
Teluban (or Sai), Ligeh, Kelantan, and Trenggai

Sakai. — The Sakai group occupies the ce
mountain tract of the Peninsula, with the headw:
of its principal rivers, and extends, approxinu
from long. ioi° in Perak to long. 103** in Pahai^,
on the western side of the main range, in Non
Perak, from lat. 5° 25', and, on the eastern side c
range, from lat. 4*" 50', to lat. 2** 25', approxim
where it ends in a few outlying and obsole
dialects on the Pahang-Johor border. Almos
whole of the group is comprised within the liir
the Federated Malay States under British protec
that is to say, Perak, Pahang, Selangor, and the
Sembilan.

With such a wide range it is not surprisinj
this group of dialects should be characterised h
siderable internal diversity, especially when
borne in mind that the tribes which speak th<
for the most part broken up into small clans ii
ing the upper parts of valleys in a mount
country, and to some extent confined each to i
little district. Unlike the Semang tribes, the (
part of the Sakai clans are no longer engaged r
or even mainly, in hunting and in gathering wih
They tend to settle down into small tem
villages, and to practise a rude kind of agrici

* The only exceptions I know of waters of the Dungun rivt

are the Sakai of the Nenggiri valley in same state, a few Besisi in

Kelantan, a straggling tribe in the and the above-mentioned tri

Ketiar valley in Trengganu, another the northern frontier of Johor
v*»ir>i rkr:ra«»'^noii" r*»co»^5 to the head-

UP. 1 SAKAI DIALECTS 393

d. though they do, from time to time, change the
^aition of their clearings, it is probable that they
«^y ever shift into a valley inhabited by another
^M\} for such an act would be regarded as a form
trespass ; nor are they always on perfectly friendly
K^ns with their neighbours.^

Apart from this, the Sakai group borders on two
tig frontier lines with the Semang and Jakun groups,
>th of which, especially the latter, it overlaps and
Is probably encroached on, so that it is in part
i^e up of dialects which have retained or absorbed
ements derived from one or both of these two alien
Purees.

It is only, therefore, in a relatively small tract,
pproximately between lats. 4° 30' and 4*", and longs.
>!** 15' and 102°, that the really typical Sakai is
x>ken ; while just to the north of this is another
igion, extending to the Semang - Sakai frontier,
here the dialects, besides differing in some other
tspects from their southern neighbours, are evidently
imewhat affected by Semang,^ and appear to be
K>ken by tribes of mixed descent, with a consider-
>le though varying percentage of Negrito blood.

The map here given shows with sufificient precise-

* Leech in/. R, A. 6'., S. /?., No. 4, their vocabulary ; but they have a few
29, says : **The common idea that special words (which do not seem to

ey wander at large all over the hills occur in Central Sakai) in common

certainly a mistake ; each particular with Semang, e.g. ** alive," goish^

be keeps exclusively to its own Tembi ; gdsh^ Sakai of Korbu ;

Jlcy . . . their habits are migratory ** arrow," /j7/]f, Sakai of Plus ;** bow,"

their own districts, but . . . they ag^ Sakai of Plus ; ** pig," fuipagt

Idem leave their own valley." Semang (so-called, but really Sakai) of

' Leech, he. cit. , speaks of them Kenering ; for which compare the

being frequently at feud with their Pangan }^(is ; Semang loig (and loyd)^

ighbours on either side. I do not <^, and tidpeg. This last appears to

ink, however, that actual fighting be a typically Semang word, being

curs nowadays, if it ever did. recorded only in dialects that are un*

* The Semang influence is more doubtedly Semang and two others
iceable in their phonology than in that adjoin the Semang area.

394 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS m
ness the localities where the chief Sakai dialects li

8J>IU9

+
+

NORTHE RN }

S. Korbu i

SAKAI teAube

Ounong Korbu J^

Ipoho

Tanjong
Rambatm

8. Raya

Ulu Ktnta

■J-

BUiga

(Lriic^uatt) I

oBatu o

%Qum>ng "f
fChabwgi^

+
+

Ulu Kampar
Koala Dipang « Ulu Bertmg

Bmmi
8. Kampar ^B

CENTRAL -^^

S.Tehm

S E N I

8.Jel9d

S. Chandwiattg
Tapah

S.Batang Padang

Ulu\,
Tapah^'

SAKAI

8.BI4or Ulu Otlang

Ulu Sungkal
Ulu

+
Slim %

— * —

I.,

S,8unghai s.8llm\

Approximate boundary between Northern and Central Sakal^ , . , ,
Approximate poaftion of Perak frontier and main mountain rumgo^.
S.^'MaL Sungal ("river")

Sketch Map of Principal Sakai Districts.

been recorded in the central region where thes
ciiKHn/iQ-'onc qH^nin. This is described by Cliflfi

. 1 NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SAKAI 395

tm^ one true Sakai district of the Peninsula, the

Ely permanent inhabitants being all of aboriginal
ce, and comprises the headwaters of the rivers Jelai,
pTdom and Serau in Pahang, Batang Padang, Bidor,
KLampar and Plus in Perak, and Galas ^ and Nenggiri
WMX Kelantan.

\ Northern and Central Sakai. — I shall call the two

^ktabdivisions of the Sakai group which are represented

^**^ this region by the names Northern and Central

Sakai, which correspond respectively to the T6m-be'

•nd S6n-oi of Clifford, who was the first to point out

/''^e distinction between them.^ They are separated

^y a line* drawn from the neighbourhood of Blanja

\*^t. 4^^ 30', long. 100° 55') on the Perak River, in the

^^rection of east by a little north, passing between

*poh and Gopeng, then north of the Sungai Raya

^5dley but south of Tanjong Rambutan, Ulu Kinta,

^^d Mt. Korbu (and probably of Mt. Chabang) to the

^erau valley in Pahang, across which it seems to run

^mewhere about lat. 4° 35'. According to Clifford,

the line continues to Kuala Nenggiri, lat. 4° 45', long.

lor 53', but I have no data as to the nature of the

dialect spoken by the relatively numerous Sakai

population of the Nenggiri valley ; probably it falls

into the northern subdivision of the Sakai group.

The dialects of Blanja, Sungai Raya, and the
Serau valley are border dialects falling into the
central subdivision ; those of Tanjong Rambutan,
Ulu Kinta, Korbu, and the dialect specifically called
Tembe* (or Tembi) are their immediate neighbours

* Part at least of the (iaias valley modified, and with additional detail

is inhabited by Semang - speaking supplied from more recent data. It is

aborigines. noticeable that this line cuts straight

' y. R, A, S. , S, B., No. 24, pp. across the main mountain range of the

14-16. Peninsula and has no relation to any

^ This is Clifford's line, slightly jwlitical or physiographical frontier.

396 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS wiiif j

on the north ; and it is certain that Northern Saloi is 1^ ^
unintelligible to the clans speaking the oeotnl 1^'^^*
dialects,* just as Semang is unintelligible to tbe 1^ ^
Northern Sakai. 1^

To the south the Central Sakai extends coo- 1=^-
tinuously as far as the Slim valley in Southern Penk, 1^ '
probably about lat. 3' 50^ after which there is a gap ■'??
in the record, the only other known specimen to 4e if "^
southward being the dialect of the Orang Tanjoag, j^
or ** men of the river reaches," in the Ulu Langat
district of Selangor, about lat. 3^ 10', long, lof 5c/.
As to this outlying clan, one can only wonder howk 1*
got so far away from the main body to whidi il
belongs and from which it is now separated by tribes
speaking dialects of a different type.

Southern Sakai. — The tract of country extending
from lat. 3" 15' or thereabouts to about lat. 2' 25', and
between longs. 101° 20' and 103° 15', is pre-eminently
a mixed district inhabited by a motley crowd of tribes,
some of Sakai and others of Jakun speech. Some
aborigines in this region {e.g. the Besisi) speak Sakai,
but are physically Jakun, and vice versa some (f/.
the Belandas) appear to be of Sakai origin, though
they do not speak Sakai dialects. This puzzle may
perhaps be in part explained by the habit which these
clans have of seeking their wives from a stock different
from their own ; anyhow, it is a very mixed district

With the exception of the Ulu Langat dialea
mentioned above, the Sakai dialects here spoken
constitute a distinct southern subdivision which is more
allied to the Central than to the Northern Sakai, but
is quite distinguishable from both. They are best
represented by the Besisi of Southern Selangor and

» T i.-rinjT, f,R J v., S.B., No. 35, D. 92 ; Clifibrd, /.r.

►. I SOUTHERN SAKAI 397

Negri Sembilan (especially Sungei Ujong), a
ttered tribe speaking a relatively uniform dialect,
I. extending even into the British territory of
Uacca. Other cognate dialects have been re-
dded in the Serting valley of the Negri Sembilan.
i Bera valley in South Pahang ; and also on the
:>per Palong and Endau (or Indau) in Northern
hor, where, however, they are obsolescent, if not
tinct.

This southern subdivision of Sakai can be further
lit up into two subgroups, a south-western and a
uth-eastem one, the former comprising, in addition
Besisi, the dialect of the Orang Bukit (** hill men ")

Ulu Langat and the somewhat mixed dialect
lected somewhere in Selangor by Daly, the latter
bgroup including the remaining dialects just men-
ned, and perhaps also the so-called Beduanda
Ject of Chiong in Johol, which, despite a consider-
ie Jakun element, seems to have a larger percentage
words in common with Sakai than with the Jakun
ilects with which its name would incline one to
Lssify it. Of the occasional differences that justify
is division of Southern Sakai into two subgroups
e following words (not all of which are really of
nuine Sakai origin) may serve as specimens : —

South-western South-eastern Subgroup.

Subgroup.

^'''"' Chiang, '^"'^'"^- ^''^- Indau,

ianana hcntok kentok tiok ... diok »

Jelly eot lepon lepiH leput lopot

lyc

mit man mot muat mot

rlouse dong

dol dol dol "^

kVater doc" dak dak dak dak 3

N'xit gado tempun kcmpun kempung kompotn

"fi^isi collected at Nyalas(Malacca) •' Also in Ulu Palong. The Ulu

y^j^^ Indau dialect also has diau ; Orang

' Also in Ulu Palong. Hutan of (Northern) Johor, diac.

398 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS Men

Occasionally the south-eastern subgroup has (dtds
more nearly akin to those of the other Sakai sub-
divisions than the Besisi equivalents: e^. "big,"
Serting thai, Senoi ^ntoi, but Besisi kadut; "nail,"
Serting chords, Korbu cheros, Orang Tanjong of Uh
Langat chinros, Besisi kok&t (a Malayan word comnn
in the Jakun dialects). But, as a general nile^tk
two subgroups agree pretty closely together.

Probably all the tribes of this southern subdivisin
know Malay and speak it pretty frequently, and that
dialects have been much mixed with Malay aal
Jakun elements. Dealing, as we often havetodoi
with mere lists of words without specimens ci
sentences or grammatical information, it is imposabk
to draw a hard-and-fast line here between Sabi
dialects and Jakun, as the two seem to have b-
fluenced each other to a considerable extent, anl
many mixed vocabularies are recorded.

Eastern Sakai. — Returning now to the northwari,
we find in Pahang, to the east of the central sub
division, a number of dialects scattered over a tnfl
extending between lats. 4° 40' and 3'' 30', and longs
102° and 103° approximately. The dialects here tt
corded, which I have classed, somewhat tentativd]
as the eastern subdivision of Sakai, fall into two sul
groups, viz. an inner subgroup located in Centr
Pahang, comprising the dialects spoken about Kua
Tembeling, Pulau Guai, Kerdau, and the Kn
valley ; ^ and an outer one, consisting of the speedi
the Sakai tribes of Ulu Tembeling and Pulau Besar(wl
also occupy or resort to Ulu Dungun in Trenggani
and of the Sakai of Ulu Cheres in Ulu Kuantan.

* A vagrant branch of the Krau valley in Trengganu, about Ut 5*
♦ri'h*. .^c wandered to the Ketiar to 5*, long. 102" 35' to 102' 40'.

p. I EASTERN SAKAI 399

Both these subgroups, though, having much in
nmon with Central Sakai, occasionally favour the
>rthern type. They both contain a sprinkling of
■xiang words, which thus extend much further south
rte eastern part of the Peninsula than they do on
i western side of the main mountain range. It is
rious, for instance, to note that whereas, for instance,

Perak the word for ** sun '* is the Sakai madyis
^-^it jlsh) as far north as lat. 5"* 25' at least, in
tliang the Semang mat kHor {kHa probably) extends

far south as the Krau valley in lat. 3° 40'.^

The outer subgroup also approximates in some
LTticulars towards the Southern Sakai, e.g. ** belly,"
toch, Ulu Cheres ; cf. l^put, Bera ; lilpot, Serting ;
tot^ Ulu Indau, as against the typical Sakai, kut\
sun," motbri, Ulu Tembeling ; cf. matbri, Ulu
dong, as against the typical Sakai mat jlsh :
tongue," /epeSy Ulu Tembeling ; l^peA, Ulu Cheres ;

/^pUs, Serting ; /ipeSy Ulu Indau ; typical Sakai,
^td^: **to climb," jv^/, Ulu Tembeling; Aza/, Ulu
beres ; cf. ya/, Besisi and Serting ; typical Sakai,
f/ : ** to go," sua^y Ulu Tembeling ; chuak, Ulu
leres; cf swag, Ulu Indau; chok, Besisi; this word
►parently occurs also in the other Sakai subdivisions,
id in Semang and Pangan, but the typical Sakai
Drk is chip. As the above instances indicate, the
nnection is mainly with the south-eastern subgroup
Southern Sakai, while some of the words also occur

the Jakun dialects of the same region and possibly

Perhaps this Semang element is Palong ; kukeau^ Semang : ** mouth,*'

:eable even in the Southern sub- //«/, Ulu Indau ; j«w/, Orang Hutan of

isioD of Sakai, but the instances are J ohor( 2nd list );//*««/', Semang: **nest,"

. numerous, and it is not quite gisum^ Besisi of Kuala Langat ; kisun^

tain that they are specifically Semang Bera ; sunty sam, Semang ; eftsobn^ Se-

rds : e.g. "banana," keikei, Ulu mang (really Sakai) of Kuala Kenering.

400 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS nnv

a few of them are Jakun loan-words, not originlf
Sakai at all.

With all this internal diversity, the two subgroofi
have perhaps enough in common, and are suffidodf
distinct from the other forms of Sakai, to justify tUr
inclusion in a subdivision of their own. In spite i
their foreign elements they are undoubtedly Saka
dialects, though of a mixed and somewhat degenento
type.

I append a few words illustrating the sort d
resemblances and differences which exist betvca
the four subdivisions of the Sakai group : —

Comparative List illustrating the Main Types of Sakai.

Northef-n,

Central,

SoHtkem,

Easttnu

Ant

las

laish

pes

petomi

Banana

telui

t«lai

hfotok

...

Big

mfinu*

entoi

kadui

miDa'>

Bird

chap, chem

chep

chiWn, chim chem

Child

kuod, kon

k^non

k«non

IwaVttka

Day

\\s

jTsh

ch6hoi

bri
cho'

Dog

chuo

cho'

chau

Egg

tap

p«16kn

kCpohs

«nup

Eye

mat

mat, mot

Foot

juk"

jokng

jong

Hand

tik, ting

tokn, tak

tih, ti

tcng, ti

House

daBng. deh

dokn, dUk

doling, ddl

siet

Leaf

s«la

s^la

plong

s«la*

Man

sinoi

sinoi, mai

mah, s£ma'

jah,iiia',
sftma

Many

biga, kupn

j^oi, kopn

'nom

baOo*

Nose

moh

muh

moh

Pig

gaur

gau

k«tuS

rap

Tongue

l^ntag

Idntak

l«pas

l«pes,Kiitik

Water

ag4

tcu

doo, dak

t5, torn*

Jakun.-

—The Jakun^ group

now to

be conside

* Cf. Scniang piflttm^ wofij,% A'^to\
baloy torn.

'^ Occurs also in some Pangan dia-
lects, e.jS[. nUnd^ Pangan of Belimbing.

3 Perhaps a Jakun word.

^ Occurs also in low-country Semang,
€,sr- 'lo^ Se'T^anp of Juru.

^ Though for convenience I a
whole of this mass of dialects \
name, I must point out that the
Jakun is really properly applici
the tribes ialling into thejiln
division of the gronp, and «m
repudiated by all the rest.

JAKUN DIALECTS 401

»st difficult one to deal with ; the materials
are far more fragmentary than those which
the Semang and Sakai groups, and no
attempt has ever been made to classify
"he one certain thing about them is that,
ley embody some words of the Sakai and
types, they cannot as a whole be classified
)f those groups.

roup extends as far north as the neighbour-
lasa in the Ulu Selangor district, lat. 3° 30',
° 37^ but here, so far as our information
:re is merely an outlying patch, perhaps
of a single clan, severed from the main
he next members of the group are met with
2^ 50', long. loi^ 30', in the Kuala Langat
the same State. From that point it extends
ed communities known as Belandas, Bedu-
itra, and Jakun (intermixed down to about
with portions of the Southern Sakai sub-
as far as lat. 2°, long. 103'' 45^ approxi-
Johor. A separate subdivision, so strongly
ited from all the rest that it ought perhaps
ned into a distinct group by itself, is found
il localities in the Negri Sembilan, but
)y its name of Kenaboi would seem to
its real home in Jelebu, in the valley of the
or Kenabui river, lat. 3^ 10' to 3° 5', long.
3 102° 8' or thereabouts,
[akun group is thus characterised by con-
internal diversity, so that much doubt must
lether it can be considered as a unity at all.

classification, excellent deal with Jakun, of which, however,

;s) as regards the Sakai very scanty materials were at that

jroups, fails entirely to author's disjx)sal.

I 2 D

402 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS rum

In the mixed district north of lat. 2^ 25', being owr-
lapped by Southern Sakai, the dialects of the jakm
group are much mixed with that form of speedi;io
the south of 2' 25' very few words appear that hm
anything in common with the Sakai group. On the
other hand, throughout its whole range, the jakn
group has been so much mixed up with Malay that I
is often impossible to say whether a particular diakct
is to be described as Jakun much overlaid with Ililai^
elements, or Malay embodying a few remnants of
Jakun. One consequence of this state of things a
that collectors of vocabularies, on the search for die
non- Malayan elements in these dialects, finding tb
almost all words in ordinary use were obviously of
Malay affinity, were driven to push their inquirb
further afield, and sought for out-of-the-way woA
such as the specific names of particular trees, the loi
known animals, and the like. As they worked ia-
dependently of one another, they naturally did not ai
inquire about the same species, etc., and so it happens
that they have left us for the most part very fiaf
mentary, scrappy vocabularies, which offer singuMj
few points for comparison.^ |

South of latitude 2"^ (with one or two exceptioDi 1
which will be mentioned hereafter) it is clear tte
practically nothing specifically Jakun survives in tk
speech of the Jakuns of the interior ;^ and almost the
same is true of the dialects of the Orang Laut wbo

* Someiimes the jungle - men in Sayong Jakun (lat. i* 45' to l* $fi

rcsj)onse to a request for out-of-the- long. 103' 33' to 1 03" 43'), a mn ^

way words, have evidently given words great age (over eighty apptNtflh

of thoir tal)00 jargon, which have thus J, A*. A. S,^ S. Z?., No. 3, p. lOl)^

to some slight extent crept into several no recollection of a dialect pecolivV

of the lists. his own race (/, A\ A. 5., S.B,^ Kd i

- Thus Ilervcy (in 1879) found that p. 108). Cf. Logan, /. /.^. ToLi

rhe '^Id Rafin of »he Lcnggiu and p. 289.

JAKUN DIALECTS 405

out in their boats among the little archipelago
Is south of Singapore to about lat. i'' S. (where
;o have a few settlements on the Sumatran
and who resort from time to time at least as
h as lat. 1° 50' on the west coast of Johor,
amongst the islands to the east of Johor and

if not farther.

difficulty of dealing with the dialects of this

increased by the fact that in part of the area
I by them, inland of an irregular line running

few miles' distance from the coast in South
r, the Negri Sembilan, and Malacca, the
peech by which they have been influenced is
nangkabau dialect (from inland and western
l), which differs considerably from ordinary
md has never been thoroughly studied in the
la. Sometimes where the Jakun dialects
3m ordinary Malay, it is merely because they
Dpted words or forms from the Menangkabau
f their immediate Malay neighbours.
t of the Jakun tribes, then, speak dialects
n the face of them are Malayan : they contain
dl residuary percentages of words peculiar to
/es, and it is these small residues which offer

basis of classification.^

boi subdivision. — Kenaboi is recorded only
^ vocabularies, representing apparently two

dialects, both collected by Hervey, the one

re also Orang Laut, known them in a series, with the almost
1 Billiton. They speak a entirely non- Malay Kenaboi at one
:t, but are excluded from end, and the practically unmixed
by reason of their geo- Malay of Southern Johor and the
sition. Their name Sikah islands at the other ; but that would
not connected with Sakai^ be no real classification.
.1 form of Sttkti (with the ^ I neglect Vaughan-Stevens* scanty-
Ian " or '* tribe "). contribution, as it contains nothing
»uld, of course, arrange distinctive.

404 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS im

numbering about 200 words, the other about to^
and amounting together (as the lists haveacoaum
element) to a total of about 250 words.

The specifically Kenaboi words common to k
two lists include the important words of relati(»ii|i
'* father," sangkat\ ** mother," hapet\ " child; flW;
** elder brother/* mohdlok ; " younger brother," di*j
** elder sister/* t(iniai\ ** younger sister," «^
** father-in-law/' lahik, lahik; and also the wonkfcr!
** ear," ch^liah, ck^lwk ; ** gibbon " (monkey), ^
jing6n^ but hardly anything else. But as thi
divergences are due in most cases to one of ttai
using a Malay, Sakai, or other identifiable synony*
these differences are not perhaps a sufficient rcasoi
for refusing to classify the two lists together as aW
dialects.

Assuming, then, that they constitute a unity, «
have about 250 Kenaboi words to classify; ando
these I find that nearly half stand quite alonej
least. I have not succeeded in tracing a connectt
between them and any other language whatever.

Of the remainder, excluding words of Ma
affinity and a few that are related only to langua
outside the Peninsula, a greater percentage appeal
be connected with Sakai than with Jakun, whi
small minority appear to point to Semang.
Kenaboi is so thoroughly different in its general
from both Sakai and Semang, of which two gr
we have a large mass of materials availabk
comparison, that it cannot possibly be classed
either of them. On the other hand, the other J
vocabularies are, as already stated, so fragmo

* Excep^in^ the last one, these words have no certain paralleb in tl

KENABOI 405

surprising that a large proportion of the
enaboi list should be incapable of being
n. Confining our attention to the fifty
; where the materials available enable a
o be made, I find that K enaboi agrees
[lore of the remaining Jakun dialects in
:h or a fifth of these cases and differs in
n them all, even where some of them

is no striking divergence in general type
\y between Kenaboi and the other Jakun
and as no grammatical information
ivailable that would modify the position,
iboi as a possible Jakun subdivision. It
: before their decay, the other Jakun
Tibled it more than they do now : para-
may seem, Kenaboi must be regarded
best specimen of Jakun recorded or else
; Jakun at all ; and I doubt whether, on
evidence, it is possible to be quite certain
)f these two conclusions is the right one.
i problem awaits further investigation on
i collection of a few sentences and some
)rds may perhaps solve it/
subdivision. — I give the name Beduanda

iher possible su<^- taboo jargons, which show considerable

at the Kenal>oi lists uniformity amongst themselves, and

) a mere made-up (4) the fact that they were collected by

thing in the nature a most careful observer, who would

ge. This I reject, have recorded their taboo character if it

)artial) congruity of had existed, go some way towards ex-

ch were apparently eluding this hypothesis in its alternative

y, (2) the evidently form. It must, however, be admitted

the Sakai element that some of the Kenaboi words do

to me to negative look like taboo words ; but then such

It they are merely isolated cases also occur in Beduanda

) their dissimilarity and other Jakun dialects, as already

I specimens of the stated.

4o6 PRESENT STA TE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS m9W&

to this subdivision of the Jakun group because, bes&i
being the name under which two or three of tklen
dialects have been actually recorded, it is claimed sIec
of right by the Mentra as well.* I am not aware thlf^
the Belandas, who are included in this subdivisiQi,|vi:
claim the title ; but they are closely connected lii
the other members of this subdivision, which indufe
besides the Belandas of Kuala Langat and Remln,
the Beduanda of several unnamed localities of Ae
Negri Sembilan, and the Mentra who are the leadinj
aboriginal tribe of Malacca territory.

The dialects of all these agree together suffidcndf
well to warrant their inclusion in one subdivisiot
They contain a variable percentage of Sakai work,
but the Jakun element on the whole prepondera»
Into this subdivision also falls the mixed diaks
collected near Rasa, which (after excluding words d
doubtful connection and words of Malayan origa
consists for the most part of Jakun and Sakad in dc
proportion of three to two approximately. The Sala
element in this dialect is apparently related more a |
less to all the Sakai subdivisions ; but in general tbt I
Beduanda subdivision, when it agrees with Saka
shows most affinity with the Southern Sakai spoktt
in its neighbourhood.

The following words will serve to illustrate this
last point : —

Jakun Group, Sou/hern Sakai. Centrtd Sakai.

lilooi]

maham

bahim

liar

tong

dntak

Fire

OlS

Snake

tiji

tijau

tajG

Tree

long

delong

jdlog

* It is also the name of the leading and claimed by them in Tiitne d

Malay tribe of **]and inheritors" their allied descent in the fevk

•jVa/, wnris) of »he Menangkabau- line from the aborigiDal lords d A*

-^-oii'in. iictp/«t( ■> ♦>iA i^enir^ula, «oil

B ED U AND A AND JAKUN

407

pend a short list of words showing the con-
between several dialects of the Beduanda
ion, and also illustrating the existence of
:ly Jakun words in the Southern Sakai sub-
which are not found in Central Sakai : —

Belamias,

Beduanda,

Meittra,

Southern Sakai.

, elder geek

geak

gee

yek

kapo

...

kepoh

m," timo'

tem6'

limo'

tembo'

;ey {Mai,
lother genoi

gfinui

genui

gendoi

ilder gau'

gau'

gau

raejc

maja

mejeh

...

. {Mai.
i)

...

yet

yat

1 subdivision. — The dialects specifically termed
•e spoken by the tribes to whom this name
belongs. With the exception of the Malacca
which, though its most marked connections
the other Jakun dialects, yet agrees occasion-
i Kenaboi and Beduanda, besides having a
ds apparently peculiar to itself, the Jakun
ire found only in Johor, and are more closely
;ogether than those of the Beduanda sub-
greater uniformity is partly due to the Jakun
laving fewer elements in common with Sakai
i other two subdivisions in general have,
ome of the Mentra dialects are also relatively
I Sakai elements.

is subdivision, on the slender evidence of two
words," may be classed the remnants of the

jntra claim lo be the Johor. The latter, on the jwint !)eing

rigines par cxccllcnie, and put to them, did not dispute it.

e Bcsisi l)elong properly ^ "Come here," ka-kiauy Orang

Ijong, and the Jakun to I^ut of Galang ; kiyduy Barok ; kiyan^

4o8 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS fakb

dialects of the Orang Laut of Singapore and the
islands to the southward. Here too, so far as ii
embodies relics of the obsolescent Jakun diakds,
falls the taboo language of the Johor Jakun, whkk
is used apparently throughout the greater part of the
interior of Johor, even by tribes that no longer xezok
any trace of Jakun words in their ordinary speed'
But this taboo language is a very mixed product, and
cannot be classified among the ordinary dialects; it
must be discussed separately.

Much the same observation applies to the taboo
language of the Mentra, of which, however, only very
few words have been recorded. One or two of these
correspond with Beduanda, to which subdivision i
probably belongs : but the list is really too short to
admit of classification.

I append a list of words showing the connectioo
of the subdivisions of the Jakun group amongst
themselves, and with the Johor taboo language:—

Comparison of the Jakun Vocabularies.

Kenaboi

Beduanda

Malaica

J^Jun-

7«te

Subdivision.

Jakun.

Jakun,

i^w?.

Cold

sddck

...

scdek, siap=* sddek

siap

Come here

intil\ mfichan

chian

kiani

kiah, kian

kiin

Dog

iimun, kdtok

amun

koyok

koyok,
m^nchor,'

mtachor'

Elephant

gCntul

gental

gantir,-
bringkil

segantu

s^ifltfl

(to away

songsang

chiun

kiuh

kiyun

kinm

]{aml

rawet

k5k<'>t

kokot

kuko'*

Finger

rawet

kokon

kukat

...

Kalang ; kian^ Jakun of Kuala Le- traced by Hervey in the Upftf

niakau ; kiani^ Jakun of Malacca ; but Lenggiu and Madek ; and by Lib

chian J fhauy Belandas and Mentra. and Kelsall at Kuala Lemakin on the

Similarly '*go there," '*far off," is Indau, on the Madek, and at Sinpa

kiyuu^ kiyoh^ in Orang Laut and (UIu Batu Pahat, Sembrong).

Jakun, the Beduanda subdivision ^ Benua of Newbold.

having chiun or chun, ^ Cf. Sakai cho\

' lx>gan found the same taboo ^ Only in the short undaned ma-

'anguage in use on the Sedili, Indau, bulary from Tanjong Sagenting, u *

^A^ Kat" Pahnt nv#»rs. !♦ has been which see po. 4.11, 412, imfra.

ip. I

JAKUN SUBDIVISIONS

409

Comparison

OF Jakun

Vocabularies — coiuinued,

8s^

Kenaboi

Beduanda

Malacca

Johor

Taboo

Ste:

Stiddivision,

Subdwision,

Jakun.

Langua^a^c.

"^Tjltil

risfk

kokM

...

^I^Jicokey

jeun, jing6n

timo', temo

' je»iin

tawok*^

...

^^W* ungka)

^^^ookey

roit»

bag^h

bageh

...

^:^k«kah)

siroi

risim,

r£sam,^

j6kot«

jokut,*

tfibong.

jongkat,»

sdmungkor

^'-

kdtu *

chongkor,

tdbong,

kctur »

l^mnipine

• ••

puntu, joi

puntu, sonoi sebuntu

...

Xtainbow

...

b«hota

...

bohuta,
kawat

...

l^inoceros

t^kho

...

res^ki

s^ngkrat

Spider

...

tfiwowoh ^

tSwowoh •

...

Summary of Classification and Distribution.

The principal dialects and subdialects of the
aborigines of the Peninsula, so far as represented in
this work, may now be grouped under the main heads
mentioned above.

I. Semang Group.

( I ) Main Semang and Pangan subdivision —
Semang dialects of Kedah (Mt. Jerai, Yan, and
Siong), Ulu Selama, Ijok, Jarum," Plus, and the
Jehehr (or ** Sakai Tanjong ") of Temongoh ; Pangan
dialects of Jalor, Sai, Ulu Patani, Teliang, Belimbing,
Sam, Ulu Kelantan, Lebir, Galas, Kuala Aring, Ulu
Aring, and Kerbat ; also the '* Hill Semang " dialect
of the Maxwell MS., 29 of the Royal Asiatic Society's
collection.

* Benua of New>>old.

^ Cf. Semang tawAh^ Sakai of
Serting tdwd\ cf. "spider." Is it so
called because of its long and slender
limbs?

3 Besisi rot.

* Perhaps cf. Sakai cluinggak.

•'* Besisi kitur.

^ Semang tatm\h.

^ The Jarum dialect might with
equal propriety have been called
Pangan.

4IO PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS fttrn

(2) Low-country Semang subdivtsian : —
Semang dialect of Juru, Begbie's Semang, Sema!i|

words in Newbold's Orang Benua list, and di

•* Swamp Semang '' dialect of Ulu Krian of A

Maxwell MS.

Pupier's Semang words and those of the Semai

of Sadang probably come into this subdivision, h

are too few to admit of classification.

II. Sakai Group.

( 1 ) Northern Sakai subdivtsian —

Sakai dialects of the ** Semang" of Kendero
Grik, Kenering, and Sungai Piah, of the Po-Klo
** Sakai Bukit ") of Temongoh, of the Sakai of P
Korbu, Ulu Kinta, Tanjong Rambutan, and of
Tembe* or Tembi.

(2) Central Sakai subdivision —

Sakai dialects of Blanja (Lengkuas), Sungzu R
Ulu Bertang, Ulu Kampar, Mt. Berumban, J
Serau, and the Senoi of Ulu* Pahang ; the S
dialects of Chendariang, Tapah, Ulu Gedang, Sunj
and Slim ; and the dialect of the Orang Tanjon
Ulu Langat.

(3) Southern Sakai subdivision —
{a) South-western subgroup —

Daly's Selangor Sakai, the dialects of the
Bukit of Ulu Langat, and the Besisi of F
Langat (Ayer Itam and Sepang), Negri Semi
and Malacca.

{b) South-eastern subgroup —

Sakai dialects of the Bera, Serting, Ulu Pa
and Ulu Indau (and perhaps also the mixed Bedi
Hial^ct of Chiong, Johol).

T. I SUMMAR Y OF CLASSIFICA TION 4 1 1

(4) Eastern Sakat subdivision —

(a) Inner subgroup —
Sakai dialects of Pulau Guai, Krau and Kuala

^mbeling, of the Krau men of Ketiar (Trengganu),
d of Kerdau.

(b) Outer subgroup —

Sakai dialects of the Ulu Tembeling and Ulu
dheres.

III. Jakun Group.

(i) Kenaboi subdivision —

Two Kenaboi dialects (of the Negri Sembilan).

(2) Beduanda subdivision —

Dialects of the aborigines of Rasa, Ulu Selangor,
of the Belandas of the Kuala Langat district and
Rembau, the Beduanda of the Negri Sembilan and
the Mentra of the territory around Malacca ; to which
may be added the Taboo language of the Mentra.

(3) Jakun subdivision —

Dialects of the Jakun of Malacca territory, Ulu
Batu Pahat, Sembrong, Simpai, Kuala Lemakau, and
Madek, Johor ; and of the Orang Laut of Singapore,
Galang, Temiang, and Barok (of Singkep, Lingga) ;
to which may be added the Camphor Taboo language
of the Johor Jakun.

Unclassed Dialects.

There remain two unclassed dialects, spoken by
the Orang Laut of Muh Island near Trang, lat.
7 24', long. 99 25', and the Orang Rayat of Tanjong
Sagenting, Johor, lat. T 48', long. 102° 54', respec-
tively. These are recorded in two lists of about a
dozen words each, and too short therefore for purposes

412 PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS fmn

of classification. The most that I can say of them
here is that, judging from the specimens recorded,
these are both Malayan languages in the wider scnst
They are not merely Malay subdialects, nor do thcf
fall under any of the subdivisions of the abori^
dialects of the Peninsula, though they have, of course,
by virtue of their Malayan element, more in commGQ
with the Jakun group than with the other two. The
connection of the dialect of the Orang Laut of Trang
with those of the Selungs of the Mergui Archipelago
(who, as not being geographically appendant to the
Malay Peninsula, are excluded from the scope of this
work*) would be worth investigating, if a more
extensive vocabulary of the Trang dialect could be
obtained.

Language Frontiers.

It is impossible to say with any approach to
accuracy of statement how many different dialects
and subdialects are included in the classification that
has been given above. The materials are in
many cases too scanty, and in some too inaccurate,
to serve such a purpose. Having given the main
lines of classification, I think it safer to avoid prob-
lematical subdivisions, and merely to point out that
there are among the dialects of the Peninsula a
number of striking instances of sharply defined
linguistic frontiers between contiguous but mutually
unintelligible forms of speech.

Such, in the north of the Peninsula, are the border
lines separating, e,g.{i) Semang from Northern Sakai,

* See Anderson, Sclunf^ of the Prhncr (1846) mentioned ihid, pfk
Mcr:^ui Archipelago (1890), especially 18, 36, of which a copy exists in the
pp. ip-/*'' 9Xi^ thi* Se/ung ^Jm^^tage Tnjia Office Library.

LANGUAGE FRONTIERS 413

=^a) Pangan from the outer subgroup of Eastern Sakai,

^^3) Northern Sakai from Central Sakai.

" ^ In the south of the Peninsula the boundary lines

^^fkre less definite but more numerous ; for instance, the

*%bsolutely distinct dialects of the Central Sakai of the

■^fOrang Tanjong of Ulu Langat, the Southern Sakai

' |W the Orang Bukit of the same, the Belandas and,

^iprobably, the Kenaboi, are crowded together in an

^farea which can hardly be more than 50 miles long

— and 35 broad. So, too, Besisi, Mentra, and Jakun

3P jostle one another in the 660 square miles of Malacca

*- territory ; and again between the Sakai dialects of the

Upper Palong and Indau and the adjoining Jakun

dialects of Johor there must have been a strong line

of demarcation, which, however, is probably now

obliterated by the almost total extinction of both sets

of dialects.

It is worth noting that nearly all the tribes still
speaking peculiar dialects live at some distance from
the coast and from the main navigable rivers. The
only substantial exception in our own day, among the
tribes whose dialects have been classified above, are the
Besisi, who are in part coast-dwellers and even some-
times go short distances by sea and have relations
with the Orang Laut of the Johor coast. This state of
things is probably more marked than it was about the
beginning of the last century, when a Semang clan
lived close to Kedah Peak and another came down
into Province Wellesley (at that time a strip of land
extending only four miles from the seashore). At
the present day, however, nearly all the tribes are
essentially landsmen, and are even more cut off from
communicating with one another and the outside
world by sea than they are by land.

s? -

itirti
bf.

k
CHAPTER II.

TABOO AND OTHER SPECIAL FORMS OF SPEECH, ^^-^

The Camphor Taboo language of Johor has ofta
been referred to. It was first dealt with by LogaiC
after him by Miklucho-Maclay,^ then by Hervey/and
lastly by Lake and Kelsall/ who have contributed dc
greater part of the materials on which our knowledge
of this curious form of speech is based. Hervey bs
also published a few words of the taboo languap
used by the Mentra of Malacca territory and the
surrounding region when engaged in searchii^ for
eaglewood and gold.^

Logan appears to have regarded the taboo
language as a purely artificial production ; Mikludio*
Maclay considered it to be a survival of the otherwise
obsolete Jakun dialects, stimulated by the fact (whidi
is in itself probable) that the more primitive and
remote tribes of the interior of Johor would be the
most likely both to preserve their old language and
to retain an intimate knowledge of jungle-craft. His
inference is that these expert camphor-gatherers found
it to their pecuniary advantage to keep outside
competitors at a distance by consciously setting up

^ /. /. A. vol. i. pp. 263-266. * /did. No. 26, pp. 39-56.

■-/.A'.^..y.,5'.^., No. I, pp. 39, 40. ^ Notes and Queries^ No. I, pp^

3 Ibid. No. 3, pp. 1 12-115; No. 8, 8, 9, issued with No. 14 of tk

IP r-^^ -o? I f « . No. o- DP 167, 168. /. R. A. 5., .S: A

414

. II TABOO LANGUAGE 415

ictitious connection between successful camphor-
iting and their esoteric knowledge of the obsolescent
lects, which thus became a sort of craft mystery
sreon they deliberately traded.
Hervey and Lake and Kelsall, while recognising
partly artificial character of the language, agree
to its probably embodying some relics of the old
ects, and Hervey accepts Miklucho - Maclay's
onalistic explanation of such partial survivals.
While admitting that these views go some way
ards explaining the Camphor Taboo language, I
not consider them an adequate account of the
)Ie matter. This taboo language does not stand
le in the world ; in many places, especially in
item Asia and the Indian Archipelago, there are
logous modes of speech which throw light upon its
iciples of construction.

Linguistic Taboos in General.

The Malays have several such taboo vocabularies
ropriate to different purposes ; thus there is a list
^ords which must be used in speaking to royalty
under no other circumstances ; and there are
;uistic taboos applicable to fishing, fowling, mining,
fare, and other occupations, besides a ** spirit
juage " used by magicians/ Closely resembling
5e last in principle, is the Sasahara, a jargon used
the Sangirese (of the islands north of Celebes)
in at sea, to conceal their plans from the malice of
water-spirits.- Somewhat less analogous are the

Ikcat, Malay Magic^ passim : the spirit language are given on p. 646.
references are collected in the ^ Adriani, Satigireesche Spraakkunsiy

:, 5, V. Language, and specimens of pp. 7, 53-65.

4i6 SPECIAL FORMS OF SPEECH put*

various forms, Krama ^ and Krama Inggil, (rf the ^
ceremonial, or rather "high chief,*' language of 4e
Javanese,^ and the Basa Sangiang or sacred toope
in which the Balian (priestesses and dancing-girlsjof
the Dayaks of Borneo chant their invocations aJ
legends;^ and there are no doubt many other more
or less similar forms of speech elsewhere in tk
Indian Archipelago/

I cannot therefore agree with Hervey*whenk
says that the Jakun " may prima facie be assianrf
to be unequal to the coinage of a special langu^'
and consequently can only have turned their own oil
dialects to account in the search for camphor by repre-
senting to their Malay competitors in the trade dul
without its use all search would be unavailing. On 4b
contrary, if (as is almost certain) the Jakun are, t
least in part, of Malayo - Polynesian ancestry, Ae
presumption would be in favour of their having
inherited the widespread and therefore certainly vaj
ancient tendency of the Malayo- Polynesian races to ]
specialise their language in particular cases of tli
kind ; and it is by no means certain that in dns
instance the process began only under the dfirctt
impulse of Malay competition. It may have been
going on from a very remote epoch, when the Jakun

^ Pronounced Krama, in accordance English readers unacquainted liik

with a rule of Javanese phonetics, Dutch.

whereby iinal -c/, and a in a previous ^ Hardeland, Vernuk eintr GrVf

open syllable of a word ending with -a, matik dcr DaJackscAen Spracki, p{i

are sounded as «. 4-6.

^ See especially Brandes, Bijdragc ^ Brandes points out the aisiao

tot de Verqeiijkefuid Klankleer der of *' high words" in Balinese, )b

iVcstirscJu Ajdeeling van de Maleisck' durese, Sundanese, and Bdaiag

Polyncsische Taalfamiluy pp. 79- Mogondou. There are mlso in Slip

95. Crawfurd in his Grammar and certain *' high words," besides A

Dictionary of the Malay Ijingnaffi^ Sasahara.

vol. i. pp. xxvii.-xxxv., gives some •'' _/. R, A, 5"., S, A, No. 8, pp. lOl

s|y^«*»«ens vV\r\^ Tn«iv be of use to 102.

II PRINCIPLE OF TABOO LANGUAGE 417

jcts were still generally spoken ; or even before
Malays had gained a permanent footing in the
nsula at all, when they perhaps merely visited it
>orarily as traders. The search for camphor has
going on for many centuries ; it was known
»st as early as the sixth century/ and though
l>est known source of supply was North-west
atra, it is mentioned as a product of Johor in the
lese history of the Ming dynasty (a.d. 1368-1643),*
may have been found there much earlier for
It that is known to the contrary. If the taboo
uage was used by the Jakun while their own
5cts were still commonly spoken, it cannot in its
inal form have been identical with their ordinary
ch, but judging by the analogy of other taboo
uages, it is pretty sure to have been some modi-
ion of it.

The root -idea in all these taboo languages is
lie enough : it is merely the avoidance, in an
terminate number of cases, of the ordinary every-
word, and the substitution of something different
out of the common. The primary motive is not
niary gain or a desire to exclude possible corn-
ers, but a respectful fear of the superior powers,
m, natural, or supernatural, as the case may be,
h creates and enforces as a matter of etiquette,
inting almost to law, the use in their presence,
sometimes even when referring to them, of a
al honorific terminology.* In the case of the

R,A.S.^ S.B.J No. 26, p. 36. Nicobar Islands, there is a converse
ocncveldt, ** Notes on the Malay form of taboo which enjoins that the
slago and Malacca " in A/is- names (or parts of the names) of high
us Papers relating to Indo- chiefs, relations by marriage, or
2nd series, vol. i. p. 254. deceased ancestors must not be pro-
some parts of the world, e,g, nounced in common speech. This, in
&ia, South Africa, and the some languages, from time to time
VOL. II a E

4i8 SPECIAL FORMS OF SPEECH Pinii

Jakun it is the Camphor-tree Spirit which has to lie
propitiated ; and the use of the taboo jargon isd^
one part of the necessary ritual, which also includs
abstinence from certain kinds of food, and fai
washing and bathing, as well as the offering i
portions of each meal to the spirit. Moreover, dun|
the camphor hunts, the taboo language must beusd
not only by the hunters absent in the jungle, butaisB
by the men and women left behind in the villagcor
settlement.^ All this points to its being a genuint
traditional usage of ancient date.

Methods of Formation.

Speaking generally, the various devices by means
of which these peculiar jargons seek to avoid tk
forms of common speech may be classified under
the following heads : —

(i) Use of an archaic form of the ordinary wri,
where such a ** doublet '* exists.

(2) Deliberate modification of form, sometima
according to a definite system, perhaps originaBy
based on the analogy of some particular pair ol
** doublets," and therefore in some cases not eadj
distinguishable from (i).

(3) Use of a rare or obsolescent synonym, entire!
distinct in form and origin from the ordinary word.

(4) Use of a synonym derived from a fordj
language ; sometimes this is further modified by tl
application of the method of (2).

involves the temporary or permanent that it is ultimately based on the a

abandonment of many ordinary words principle as the other viz.

in favour of synonyms coined or deliberate severance of sacred th

adapted to meet these exigencies. from things of ordinary everyday li

With this form of taboo I am not ' J, A\ A.S,^ S. B,, Na 8, a I

otherwise concerned than to point out No. 26, pp. 39, 40.

- n METHODS OF FORMATION 419

{5) Metaphor : this again it is hard to keep quite
inct from (3).

(6) Descriptive periphrasis : a method closely
d to (5).

[y) Lastly, a secondary form of metaphor or trans-
ace of meaning, sometimes adopted when a word,
idy imported into the taboo language by one of

preceding methods, has its application further
:nded by some strained analogy to cover a number
^w significations more or less allied to its primary
>o signification.

^o doubt Schmidt,^ when he complains of the
Lay words and *' mystifications " contained in Lake

Kelsall's Camphor Taboo vocabulary, is referring
Licularly to the forms which may be classified
Ler Nos. (5), (6), and (7) ; but this peculiar feature
perfectly genuine characteristic of these ceremonial
jons, and not due to any caprice or error on the
t of the collectors or their native informants. It
ves to show that we are not entitled to treat the
mphor Taboo language as if it were an ordinary
original dialect, to be judged by the same standards
any other, for it belongs to a class apart from
imon speech.

Descriptive Periphrasis.

If one may hazard a conjecture, it would seem that
adoption of descriptive periphrasis is due to the
It of other material and the poverty of invention ;
.ny rate it is by far the most widely used method.

* Die Sprachen der Sakei und Bijdragen tot <U Taal-^ Land- en
,ng auf Malacca und ihr \'er- Volkeiikimde van Nedcrlandsch-lndic^
is zu den Mon-Khmer Sprachen," 6® Volgreeks, 8© Deel, p. 404.

420 SPECIAL FORMS OF SPEECH rmir

Thus, in the Camphor Taboo language, to giveafcr
instances out of many, the ear is " the hearer," tir i
eye " the seer,** the nose " the smeller," the wk
" the chewer," fire " the heater," the wind is **tk
blower," mat and umbrella are " the thing th
unfolds," salt "the saline," pepper "the pungei
thing," tapioca "the poison-wood" (some kinds, asii
well known, contain a poisonous element whidi In
to be washed out before they can be eaten), Ae
scorpion is " the pincher," the pig is " short legs,"i
medicine - man is "he who sees through (or sea
straight)," the goat is " the be' animal," the bufib
"the wong animal" (no doubt from their respeciiie
noises), beans are " the fruit of the climbing rattao.'
rice is " the fruit of grass," and so on. Similariyii
the Mentra taboo language the snake is " the Iod|
animal," the elephant "the big animal," and a fish is
" the glistener of the sand."

In these and many other cases the expressions aie
perfectly intelligible, being derived from words i
Malayan affinity (though not in all cases necessarilf
from Malay itself). In other instances, as in plngajiL
" the intoxicator," i.e. tobacco, piSmuntol^ " the white
thing." i.e. silver, the root-words themselves are not
obviously intelligible through the medium of Malay,
but their primary sense is preserved in the Camphor
Taboo language itself or in some other Jakun diaJect
So too it is pretty clear that the sea is " the salt]
water," honey " the water of the bees," and th
elephant " big bones " (or " big and stout ") in Offl
periphrasis and " the big thing " in another. Similarf
" to weep " is " to have water in the seer," and thuiA
is " the far-sounding noise in the sky."

^^ other taboo jargons precisely the same methfl

— ■■>. II PERIPHRASIS AND METAPHOR 421

pjk^^ains : thus in Malay mining taboo the elephant is

P'^lme tall one that turns himself about," the cat is

l^liat which turns itself about in the kitchen/' and

|kke:€allic tin is '' white stone " ; in fishing taboo the

pBli are '' sea-rubbish " ; in war taboo a stockade is a

!^ *3ra.iisverse log (or shed) " ; in the spirit language, as

W^ ^he Camphor jargon, a pig is " short legs," fish, as

fore, are " sea-rubbish," and the cat is " the kitchen

fer." Similarly in Krama iron is " the hard thing,"

-cane " the thing with knots," the duck is ** that

^t^ich floats," and the pig is "the black thing" or

'^Ixe low thing" ; in Krama Inggil the grave is " the

^'^ery place " (flowering shrubs being usually planted

ire); and in Sasahara water is '*the cooler," the

"the hunter" and "the barker," the pig "the

ig-haired thing," the cat " the scratcher," the goat

the bleater," teeth are " the flashers," hair is " that

^'^Hich is combed," and so forth, the examples being

^^ry numerous in this particular form of speech.

Metaphor.

Instances of the use of distinctly metaphorical
i^nguage are less frequent. In the Camphor Taboo
the scorpion is " the hoop," the snake " the climbing
t^ttan," hair is " leaves," a coward " the intoxicated
One," and " manner " or " conduct " is " a cutting,"
'Which is seemingly derived from the idea of a line
cut through undergrowth or jungle, and hence a line
of conduct or mode of procedure. Similarly in the
Malay spirit language the eyes are " the stars," and
betel-leaf is apparently " the soaring peacock " ; in the
fowler's charms his nooses are called " King Solomon's
necklaces and armlets," and all his apparatus is given

422 SPECIAL FORMS OF SPEECH rm%

similar fanciful names, while the birds themselvesv
addressed as princesses ; in mining jargon thesnabi
" the climbing rattan " or " the live rattan," A
centipede is "turmeric," and tin-ore is "thefruki
the grass" or "the flower of the grass"; m fiski
jargon the fish are " tree -leaves," the snake is,
before, "the climbing rattan" or "the live rata
and the crocodile is a " tree-log " ; and in war lal
a bullet is a " white beetle," the ball of a swivel-gm
" black beetle," a cannon is a " trunk of bamboo
of the cotton tree)," and a cannon-ball is a "cocom
So too in Krama, it would seem that the teed
royalty are spoken of as "steel," and the eyeofal
is a " gem " ; while tobacco is " the cock" (whidi
curious parallel to the " peacock " mentioned ab(
Similarly in Krama Inggil, nasal mucus is ta
" ivory."

Secondary Metaphor.

Instances of secondary metaphor are very nuir
in the Camphor Taboo language ; thus a word i
which apparently properly means " sick," has tod
for " to hate," " angry," " tired," and perhaps al
fight" {b^bmtok). Another -wordy p^nakdn, sen
the allied meanings of " back," " afterwards," "
" rudder," and " boat-pole." A third, bisatty
for "woman," "bird," "the camphor-spirit," 5
combination, for " cat," " mankind," " mai
"fowl," "mother," "widow," "child," and "n
ball," so that it is difficult to attach any more <
meaning to it than " creature," with a te
towards " female." On the other hand, in som
where the primary meaning is distinctly tra
Yhf> franqfprPipi-.e is also Very remote ; thus i

IX ARCHAISMS AND SYNONYMS 423

tllow," is used for ** gold," which is an obviously

riptive periphrasis, sometimes further modified in

Xop(imuning or pdchen kuning, " the yellow thing."

^^n, apparently, the word is transferred to the

J- waning "debt" and "order," while its presumed

^^*^vative muning means "to buy," and another

P'^'^'vative b^rkuning " to swear " (perhaps originally

^^> wager money"), and the River Mas (which in

lay means " gold ") is naturally called p^nguning.

the instances of this kind of secondary metaphor

collected together under their several root-words

^^ the Comparative Vocabulary, I need not further

r^l^i^e on them here, the more so as in most cases

^ is not possible to be quite sure what the primary

^^^aning of these transferred words originally was.

J^^e thing which is very noticeable is that the transfer

^^ meaning is often accompanied by a differentiation

^V means of Malayan formative prefixes and infixes,

^^d, occasionally, suffixes.

Archais7ns and Synonyms,

The methods of which examples have been given

Account for by far the greater part of the Camphor

^Taboo language. Of the use of synonyms it is

difficult to speak precisely. It would seem that the

Malay Taboo languages resort occasionally to Arabic

{e.g. kUlbu, "heart," for "life"), Sanskrit {eg. bayu,

** wind "), and archaic Malay (e.g. hulu, " head " ; tohok,

•* spear"). Krama and Krama Inggil depend largely

on Sanskrit, and considerably on archaic Javanese, and

perhaps also on Malay. The Basa Sangiang adds

Malay words to its native archaisms, and the

Sasahara contains archaic words that no longer occur

in ordinary Sangirese.

424 SPECIAL FORMS OF SPEECH ruri

The difficulty in the case of the Camphor Tain
language is that we know too little of the ordmif
Jakun dialects to identify with certainty the c
where an archaic synonym may have been used in tk
ceremonial vocabulary. While these dialects i
still in common use it is possible that the Camfbl
Taboo was eked out with synonyms borrowed tm
Malay ; at any rate it seems to contain a few vdi
like buah, ''fruit," and hadap anak, "a railing ti
prevent children from falling down the ladders d
houses'* (if these are really used in the taboi
language), which have nothing to distinguish tha
from ordinary Malay, while others, like lepen^ "dj^
are at any rate derived from a Malayan dialect C
the other hand, when in any given Jakun tribe thc(
dialect had begun to be superseded in everyday us2
by Malay (or a Malayan dialect closely resembling
any obsolescent Jakun word, of whatever origin, w(
become qualified for admission into the special
taboo jargon ; hence, doubtless, the acceptance in
Camphor Taboo of such words as shtgkrat '*rl
ceros " ; slap, '* cold " ; jokut^ " P^gi" and the
which are reported to be still preserved among s
of the Jakun tribes in their everyday speech. 1
words are relatively few in number, and to this lin
extent only can it safely be said that the t
language represents the old Jakun dialects.

In fact, however, it becomes at this point
cessively difficult to draw a hard-and-fast line bet
the Camphor Taboo and the obsolescent remnar
the ordinary dialects. The circumstance, rema
on by Hervey, that Miklucho-Maclay's vocabuk
which purport to represent the old ordinary lang
//)/ th*>i C^^mphor Taboo, nevertheless contain oi

MODIFICA TION OF FORM 425

ideniably taboo periphrases, is to my mind not
ce, as Hervey seems to have thought, that
iboo language is a relic of the old ordinary
ge,^ but rather that the two have become
up, and that collectors in search of out-of-the-
rords amongst a tribe which in modem times
I its everyday life speaks only or mainly Malay,
ibly pick up a mixed lot of samples containing
taboo expressions. The taboo periphrases
hmU, " ants' ^gs,'* for rice, in one of Hervey's
nda vocabularies, and Miklucho-Maclay's/od&VijI^
ihUngok), "the seer," for eye, illustrate the
clearly enough. As the old dialects dwindle
nere relics, no longer in everyday use, they
in fact, to become esoteric jargons and to be
nded with the taboo language.'

Doublets and Modification of Form.

me little assistance towards unravelling these
problems may perhaps be afforded by a
uity which has been more than once noted in
of the ceremonial jargons, namely, their use of
which differ from their ordinary equivalents by
definite modification of form. Sometimes this
to the survival of a genuine old doublet, some-
to the artificial creation of one according to
)r less ascertainable rules.

bave not thought it worth while to point out
losely all the previously mentioned methods of

A.S,, S, B., No. 8, p. a few specimens of what was evidently

a "back -slang," e.^. ngilah^ "sky"
Doe occasion when I was (from Mai. langit, quasi ngit-la)^ nati^
» collect Jakun words in ** earth" (from Mai. tattakf with a
territory, I was at first given suggestion of the Besisi it).

426 SPECIAL FORMS OF SPEECH m

taboo usage correspond with phenomena obscml
in European languages; how, for instance,^
want to avoid words which are considered too sac
or too indecent for conversational use, we gel to
them by a periphrasis, a metaphor or a Lada
synonym. Sometimes, especially in oaths and expk
epithets, we merely modify the form of the oriB
word.^ Similarly in the Malayo-Polynesiancerem
languages there is a system, carried out some
more consistently than in Europe, of modifyia;
form of common words to make them smtaW
special occasions. In certain cases it would
that there really existed two genuine forms
same word, being either in different stages of d(
ment, or dialectically differentiated, and one ha
selected to serve for ceremonial purposes, wl
other was left for everyday life.

One set of these ** doublets" in Javai
differentiated by the vowel sounds which
ceremonial form are H — a, while in the comm<
they are u — «, both being ultimately refera!
more primitive ^ — H (or ^ — o). An instance
word suruh, in Krama s^dak, which is equiv
the Malay sirih, " betel." * Words of this da
to have served as a basis for the analogous
creation of others by heightening one or mor
vowel sounds, in the order u, o, a, ^, tf, i\ bi
origin this differentiation was, at any rate
instances, quite unartificial.

Whether the same can be said for certa

> I need only instance the ex- - See Brandes, op. cii

pressions ''by Jove," "by George," on which a good deid ofi

"Great Scott," "the deuce," "the is based.

Dickens," and the like in English, ^ Here the consonants

and " diantre^^^ " morbleu^'^ and to differ, but they also oi

.^*> -r*: " ;„ v'-*»«ch. differe'^t stages of natunl i

^^^^- II SPECIAL FORMATIONS

427

^^thods of modification which involve a change or
Wdition of consonants, I do not know. At any rate
P^re are several such in Javanese. One only need,
^'^'^^ever, be noted here. Its formula seems to be
I given a word with an open penultimate syllable
^<i a final syllable preferably open and generally
^^ing in -a), to turn it into a Krama form, close
^li syllables with a nasal (or the final one more
fe^r^'^ly with a liquid), modify the initial consonant of
■^T^^ final syllable to suit the nasal which now closes
/^^^ penultimate, and change the vowel of the final
^ ^Xlable (as a rule to ^, which, however, may become
;^» i, or u). As this is probably not very intelligible,
>ivill make it clearer by examples : —

To think

kira

kintdn

Pardon
Sea

Evening
Coconut

apura
s^gara
sore
kalapa

apunten
sdganten
sontdn
karambil

"^ifgant^n, being from the Sanskrit sagara, is a good
illustration of the fact that this change is, at any
l*ate in some cases, made quite consciously and
Artificially.

But the curious thing is that in other Malayan
languages similar forms occur, without, however, any
ceremonial or specialised meaning. Thus in Sun-
danese, danten, ** a hen that has not yet laid an egg,*'
" a female buffalo that has not yet had a calf," corre-
sponds with the Malay dara, ** virgin'*; and conversely
it would seem that the Malay jantan, ** male,** is a
quasi -Krama form of the Sundanese yii/w, while the
Malay ^ords pantang, ** taboo,'* and />aniun, ** eclogue,**
appear to be quasi- Krama forms of two words which
appear elsewhere as p{em)ali and pali, and the same
seems to be the explanation of such ** doublets** as

428 SPECIAL FORAfS OF SPEECH faith

the Malay antan and aluy '* pestle." Evidently, unkss
these forms have been deliberately moulded on the
Javanese Krama, which seems unlikely, this fonnubis
either in its origin unartificial, like the method of void
modification, or at any rate it is of very ancient datt

The reason why I have mentioned, with perhaps
too much detail, these two leading Javanese fonnsof
doublet-formation is that both of them, the one iriih
mere vowel change and the other with consonantal
modification as well, are found in the aborigiml
dialects of the Peninsula (including the taboo
language). Thus in Besisi the polite {bSkasa Aoiu)
word for " long " is yi?/(fl:*«^, and for "deep,"/?nii,rf
which the vulgar {behasa kasar) forms ^re j^li^ng vA
jcrok respectively, thus affording a precise paralld,
both in form and meaning, to the Javanese Krama
and Ngoko differentiation by vowel change. Similarly
** black '* is presented by a double form hirafm and
hiri/jn ; and though in this instance we are not told
that the one is considered politer than the other, yet
it may be presumed that there is a shade of difference
in their use corresponding to the slight difference in
form.^ Probably further inquiries would result in the
discovery of additional doublets.*

Of the differentiation by consonantal change
examples also occur, but no specialised meanii^ has
been distinctly recorded in connection with theffl.
The following, however, are so closely analogous to
the Krama forms that it seems worth while to draw
particular attention to them.

^ The word, moreover, is Malayo- has pointed out, probably * ^BBt

Pc»;yncsi.in, being identical with the variant.

Kawi hit'Mi^ (originally probably ^ Compare, for instance, the BeM

hul^m)^ of which the Malay kitam gentah and Beduanda g^rintak^ wi*

•f-^nl *« aIcIc^ kitim) is, as Kern the Malay .?««/«r, «* thunder."

ABORIGINAL ANALOGIES 429

Wild cattle

sapi

sdlapodn

Coconut

k£Iapa

karambil, k^ramil

Crocodile

baya'

bayul

Dog

asu*

(anjing), nyang

WUddog

s«rigaVs«gala'i

s^ranggil

Elephant

gajsdii

g£ntal, g^ntal,
sagantel

White

putih

p«ntol

The quasi-Krama form for " coconut " also appears
iiilalay, whence it may therefore have been borrowed,
; the other words in the third column are not
ceptible of this explanation : even if nyang is the
ae word as the ordinary Malay anjing, it cannot be
ived from it. I imagine that both go back to a
tn anjing or anyingy which may conceivably be
med from asu}

Although in the above cases nothing is definitely
orded which would justify us in attaching a
emonial meaning to these forms, there is one
:umstance which tends in that direction. Most of the
jer animals have a variety of names, some of which
: evidently honorific synonyms, while others must
: be used while the animals are supposed to be in
\ neighbourhood, and especially while they are
ing hunted ; the Comparative Vocabularly, particu-
ly under the headings ** elephant," ** pig," ** rhino-
•os," and ** tiger," illustrates the great variety of
:h animal synonyms. It may safely be said that
\ tiger must never be spoken of as ** tiger" when
is supposed to be within earshot. Similarly the
sntra word rlsim must not be used of the wild boar
the hunters while engaged in tracking one. There
therefore some inherent probability in the con-
ture that the quasi-Krama formation of the names

These are words of Sanskrit of the first one is sfgawon.
in. The Javanese Kraraa form * See Brandes, /.r. p. 88.

430 SPECIAL FORMS OF SPEECH m

for " wild cattle," " wild dog," and " elephant," n
had a ceremonial basis,^ and though their formatic
not absolutely according to rule, it seems to
sufficiently near to the Krama formation to illua
the widespread tendency of this particular trid
language amongst the Malayo- Polynesian races
the tribes which have fallen under their influence.
In a few instances it would appear that
aboriginal dialects have retained forms which repre
theoretical Ngoko {i.e. vulgar) equivalents of i
which Malay possesses only in a quasi-Krama si
I put forward this suggestion with some diffidi
but it appears to me to be a possible explanatii
such forms as e.g. kechd, k^choit, " small," siddlm
little," and kochoi, ** to urinate," when compared
the Malay equivalents khhil, s^dtkit, and khu
This, however, is hardly more than a mere conje

Poetic Forms.

Too little is known of the poetic diction
aborigines to enable us to make any very p
statements on the subject, but it is asserted 1
Semang,^ and I have heard it said of the Sale
in their songs they use words and forms di
from those of their colloquial dialects ; all these
call for further inquiry.

^ In the case of the ** crocodile," peculmrity takes a final -/ to «

the close analogy to the Javanese with the final consonant of

doublets hayn — haiul strongly supports The form has probably beei

this hypothesis. meirt gratidy as in other

^ Thus telelwil, in a Semang song, Clifford reports that among tl

said to mean ** turns round and round," s)^'aking tribe of the Kerbi

is probably an amplified form of tetivil^ Trengganu, the medicine-me

'"om the root wil (in Sakai «;«/), ** to cases of sickness recite inci

nm/' with the prefix ie-y which in the spirits in a tongue unkn

.^-^-'innri- with a recognised Semang uninitiated.

II MALA YO'POL YNESIAN INFL UENCE 43 1

Che upshot of the whole matter appears to be
: there are, throughout a great part of the
aye - Polynesian area, traces of a tendency to
ialise common everyday language to suit particular
OSes. The aborigines of the Peninsula seem in
5 degree to have inherited a similar tendency.
le south it has taken the shape of a fairly elaborate
>n, which has been preserved and enlarged owing
s association with a special and more or less
live employment. Elsewhere the tendency has
been developed to the same extent, nor has it
as carefully investigated, but traces of it appear
cist especially in those dialects which bear other
ence of Malayo- Polynesian influence; and in
s cases the actual mode of specialisation is strik-
er analogous to that of the Malayo- Polynesian
uages. That it is a mere modern imitation of
ay seems extremely improbable ; it is far more
ly that the tendency, perhaps inherent more or
in all races, has been fostered by the influence of
primitive Malayo-Polynesian tribes whose early
sence in the Peninsula is attested by so much
er evidence.

CHAPTER III.

PAST HISTORY AND RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES.

\Vk possess no data regarding the past history of tk
aboriginal languages of the Malay Peninsula prior to
the beginning of the last century, since which period
they do not appear to have undergone any markd
changes except in the way of further acquisition of
foreign words and consequent gradual decay. We
are unable, therefore, to compare their present cod-
dition with any preceding stage of development, and
are thrown back upon a comparative study of thek
various dialects and an investigation into their I^
lations with other languages.

Specifically Malay Element. \

A good deal has already been said as to thcff
relations with the Malay language by which theyiR
being superseded. There is internal evidence tbl
this process has been going on for a consideraUs
time : it has repeatedly been observed that many
Malay loan-words in these dialects are pronouncd
not as the Malays of the Peninsula pronounce thea
to-day, either in the standard speech of educate
people or the various local dialectic pronunciations, hi
as they appear in the Malay written language, and a
'> -"/^ijld seem, from comparison with other Malaya

Ill MALA Y LOANWORDS 433

Liages, they must have been pronounced at the
)d when Malay was first transcribed in the Arabic
acters in which it is usually written.
Thus the final -a, which in standard Malay is heard
^ (or -o), something like the last syllable of the
;lish word better, and the local pronunciation of
:h varies from -a to -/, -^, and -i, is in the aboriginal
sets almost invariably a pure -a', with the abrupt
ing so frequent in final vowels in these dialects,
ilarly the final Malay ending in -k (or -k ^), which
le spoken language of the Peninsula has dwindled
1 to the glottal check, is pronounced as a distinct
1 the aboriginal dialects, as it must have been
1 Malay orthography was first fixed, and still is
iome places {e.g. Borneo) in spoken Malay,
larly initial h-, often silent in spoken Malay, is
nctly audible in the aboriginal dialects,
n these cases there is no reason to doubt that
an was right in considering the aboriginal pro-
:iation to be a survival from the time when spoken
ay still preserved the old sounds that are stereo-
id in the written language.^ Clifford's rejection
lis explanation, in favour of a supposed phonetic
by which in these dialects final -^ (or -o) and the
:al check are necessarily transmuted to -a and -k *

in Arabic is pronounced further have rejjresented it by the hamzaJi,

than /■. The adoption of the * J. I. A. vol. i. p. 289.

, rather than the latter, letter to ^ y; ^». ^ ^;^ s. B., No. 24, pp. 28,

•nt the Malay final -k points, 29. In 1887 Clifford had accepted

s, to the probability that even Logan's explanation : see Notes and

:enturies ago this final had no Queries^ No. 4, p. loi, issued with

precisely the same force as a J. A\ A. S.^ S. B.^ No. 17, in which

or initial k. Bui, as a matter of place he adds the interesting state-

e spelling varies, in some words, ment that a Sakai, when talking

n -/: and -J^ ; and anyhow, if Malay, drops these peculiarities, but

il 'k in the spoken language had resumes them immediately when he

become a mere glottal check, has to use a Malay word in the middle

IS likely that the Arabs would of a Sakai sentence.

VOL. II 2 F

434 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES purir

finds no support in their phonology, which frequentlf
admits the supposed rejected finals in their owb
native words. It is, too, surely more reasonable to
believe that the original sounds have persisted (as
old sounds often do persist in isolated dialects) rather
than to assume that they have been reconstructei
These dialects have retained much that is moit
archaic, by hundreds of years, than their Malay Ichd-
words, and it cannot therefore be considered vs\
remarkable that in some of these they should h»e
preserved the pronunciation of a few centuries aga

Of the Malay element in the dialects of the
Peninsula it is not necessary to say more, save to
point out that it is essentially foreign to them, and
was originally foreign to the Peninsula itselt The
Malay language has been introduced into the I
Peninsula from Central Sumatra, where the Mahy-
speaking tribes were trained under Indian influences
into a more or less civilised condition before they
sent out the successive swarms of colonists who
made new homes for the race in the Peninsula. At
what date this colonising process began is unascer-
tained, except that it was before the final conversioB
of the Malays to Mohammedanism (a process whidi
appears to have begun in Sumatra early in th
thirteenth century and to have been completed ii
the Peninsula about two centuries later). The earf
emigrations appear to have proceeded mainly froi
the east coast of Central Sumatra. Subsequently I
the complete establishment of Islam in the Peninsul
there was a separate movement of colonisation froi
the inland parts of the island (where the Menangkabs
dialect of Malay is spoken), directed mainly towan
^^ -orn'fnrJps just inland of Mala'^on -. but the infli

MALA Y INFLUENCE EXTERNAL 43S

ic^ of this later stream has remained very much
local than that of the main stream from the
S^uimatran coast districts, though both continue, in
linr^inished volume, even to the present day.
* Together with the genuine Malay words thus
fenttircxluced into the aboriginal dialects of the Penin-
there have, of course, come in a certain number
"vrords of Sanskrit and Arabic origin which have
lined a footing in the Malay language, under the
-cessive influence of the Hindu and Mohammedan
^*^^ilisations.

At the present day, as is obvious in almost every
(e of the Comparative Vocabulary, Malay loan-
^^>rds constitute a large part of the language spoken
^ the wild tribes ; but it seems unnecessary to
^**Vistrate them here, as they are after all relatively
^**^ern accretions on the aboriginal dialects, and do
^^t form an essential part of their structure.

Generically Malayan Element.

It must, however, be borne in mind that Malay is
^nly one of the languages comprised in the vast
^4alayo- Polynesian family, and it must not be assumed
t:hat every word of Malayan ^ affinity found in |the
aboriginal dialects of the Peninsula has come into
"them from or through Malay. In a great number

^ For the sake of brevity I shall use Elaster Island and from Formosa to

this term instead of the somewhat New Zealand ; it is generally con-

^umsy ** Malayo- Polynesian," when sidered to be subdivided into the

iderring specially to the languages of (i) Malayan, (2) Micronesian, (3)

the western subdivision of the family, Melanesian, and (4) Polynesian sub-

which comprises Sumatra, Java, Borneo, divisions; but except as regards the

Celebes, the Philippines, and a few first and last of these, this classifica-

neighbouring smaller islands, as well as tion appears to be tentative and

Madagascar. The Malayo- Polynesian provisional • rather than strictly estab-

family extends from Madagascar to lished.

436 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES mwif

of cases, where such words are as closely alike b
form to their equivalents in a number of odxr
Malayan tongues as they are to their Malay equn»
lents, their immediate source of origin is, fortke
present, doubtful.^ In a certain, more limited, number
of instances, there is not the slightest doubt tht,
though of Malayan affinity, they cannot have cook
into the aboriginal dialects through Malay at alL

The following are examples of such words :-
*• bee," bani dahan ; ** belly." beting ; ** black," /bfP**:
** blowpipe," s^put\ ** buffalo," katidung\ "dead,"
kcbus, mantai\ ** dog," asu \ "elephant," /mm;
•* finished," tHas\ ••fowl," manuk\ " fruit," woA, W;
••husband," sawa\ ••knee," tdot\ " monkey" (spec
lotong), baseng] ••nail," kok&t\ "old," bakes \ ''mC
lh^m\ ••rattan," awe \ "ripe," taseg\ "salt,"^;
••spear," bubts, tarok\ •* to stool," inenih\ "weak," I
Icntes ; *• yam," talis. I

I have instanced only such words as, in my
judgment, are certainly of Malayan affinity. A
number of others, as to the origin of which there
may be some doubt, are noted in the Comparadvt
Vocabulary, and it is very likely that a more extended
comparison with the numerous Malayan langu^[esQ[
the Indian Archipelago would lead to the discovery
of a good many which have escaped my notice.

These words appear to me to suggest the solutka
of a peculiarly interesting problem. While every part
of the western division of the Archipelago has iu
local Malayan languages, varying in number inverse!]
with the state of civilisation of the people, from tin

^ A Malayan origin independent of ** father"; re»id^ ••low"; simfi
Malav may reasonably be suspected for '* narrow," where the Malay equinkH
.-» orr«. ,. *,^i; - rhiUi " ; ^fl/fl/, arc anak^ bapa^ rifndah^ UmfU.

GENERIC ALL Y MALA VAN ELEMENT 437

three) languages of the highly civilised island
to the numerous dialects of Borneo and
*n Celebes, the Peninsula, though situated
the area of this language family, seemed to
A exception, as its only known Malayan
e, viz. Malay, was a foreign importation, not
growth. It would seem, however, that the
»n is more apparent than real,
e words, which are Malayan but not M^day,
appear to be referable to any one of the
languages of the Archipelago ; ^ while their
; are mainly with the Sumatran languages,
ly Achinese, they sometimes differ from these
le closer to the dialects of Borneo, and even
ally to more distant branches of the family,
Javanese, Madurese, and the mixed half-
1 dialects of Southern Indo-China, of which
J the typical representative.* Accordingly, I
ley must be regarded as relics of a group of
1 dialects locally differentiated in the Penin-
5lf, for I do not think that their existence in
riginal dialects can be accounted for by any
of borrowing from casual strangers coming
ree or four different islands. There is no

existence in the aborigiDal are not Malayan, I have omitted in

s apparently observed by the above short list a number of abori-

speaks of Benua [i,e. ginal words which I have identified in
Jakun) dialects containing these languages, but have not, as yet,
)r vocables — mostly Suma- traced in other Malayan languages,
(ome have remoter Indo- The following are some of them :
ities" (/. i?. ^. 5., 5./?., ** blowpipe" (outer case), tagu\ "to
6), but no particular atten- break," bikah ; " cloth," dbat^ ;

to have been drawn to "cloud," sagub\ "quick," milagai %

their peculiar importance " river-bank," tirbis\ "sand," atiiy \

1 out by the present writer "sleepy," libdd\ "tame," A^*;
.v., S, B,^ No. 39, pp. 50, "very," tihet. Probably some of

these will be identified as Malayan ;

se and Cham being mixed but two or three of them are perhaps

containing elements which of Mon-Annam origin.

438 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES puiif

evidence of any intimate intercourse between sudi
occasional immigrants and the wild tribes of the
Peninsula; and nothing short of prolonged aai
intimate relations could have given these words a
footing in their different dialects. They point, in af
opinion, to the presence in the Peninsula, long bdioR
the Malay conquest, of primitive Malayan tribes (of
whose existence there is other evidence) ; and a
these Malayan words are found in all three laDguag^
groups, Semang, Sakai, and Jakun (though less ii
the purer dialects of the second group than in dx
other two), it seems a reasonable inference that thflc
«arly Malayan tribes for the most part occupied dt
coast-line, and that their influence diminished towaii
the interior of the Peninsula.

Owing to the fact that in a great number of cases
it is impossible to decide whether a word of Malaji
affinity has been introduced into the aborigid
dialects from Malay or from this more ardii
Malayan source, it is difficult to draw any inferences
to the nature and extent of the influence exercised bj
these primitive Malayan tribes upon their Sakai ai
Semang neighbours. Perhaps the domestication rf
the dog, the introduction of the domestic fowl, aai
the use of salt and of spears, was in some parts of d*
Peninsula due to them ; but the blowpipe, thoujji
included in the instances given above, has (as vrillbe
shown later) another and more usual name whidi is
not of Malayan derivation at all; and the same is
true of most of these words, which in almost every
case have synonyms of non-Malayan origin.^

' The relative im})ortance of this which will have to be compucd ii4

Malayan element can only be ascer- the several Malay dialects qwkeaii

tained by a careful collection of new the Peninsula, most of which d

mo»o,;a] f^^jp x\\^ -boriginal dialects, await systematic investigatioiL

MON'ANNAM LANGUA GES 439

Mon-Annam Element.

lore important element in the aboriginal

the Peninsula is that which illustrates

relation to the Mon-Annam^ family

portant family has, until quite recently,
entirely neglected, and the comparative
s a whole is still in its very beginnings.^
in the first place, the now almost extinct
Lower Burma, which is properly called
generally known as Peguan, or by its
:kname, Talaing ; Khmer, or Cambojan,
je of the kingdom of Camboja; and
he principal spoken language of Cochin
m, and Tongking. All these are literary
le two former being written in alphabets
igin, the last in a script based on the
ographic system. To these must be
iless number of unwritten dialects spoken
less uncivilised tribes inhabiting different

Logan, who was, I ^ A Ijcginning was made by Forbes

point out its sepa- {Comparative Grammar of the Ijinguages

lore recent author- of Further India^ 1881), and Kuhn

Dn the Continent, (Ucber Herkunft unci Sprachen der

the name Mon- lyans^^aui^etischen Volker^ 1 883; Bet-

t has the advantage, irdi^e zur Sprachenkunde Hinterindiens^

judicing the position 1889). The study is now being admir-

h stands in a some- ably pursued by Schmidt {Die Sprachen

lation towards the der Sakei Ufid Semang auf Malacca

\ the family. As, undihr Verhdltnis zu den Mon- Khmer-

'. of its abnormal Sprcuhen^ 1901 ; Gnttuiziige einer

lamese cannot Ijc Lautlchre der Khasi-Sprache^ 1904 *

other languages, it Gruttdziige einer Lautlehre der Mon-

he old name might KJimer - Sprachen^ 1905). See also

or the family as a Cabaton, Dix dialectes indo - chinois

Khmer will serve to recueillis par Prosper Odencthal —

iges, when, as often Etude liu^^uislique^ I905> and Grier-

i to exclude Annam- son, Linguistic Survey of India^

ion. vol. ii.

440

RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES

^pp"

XONd

Sketch Map showing the pa
of the Mon^ Annam dialects
Eastern Indo- China.

3U£

HINT
TARENO KOHTU
^ A(-AK
CHURU j^

KA9EMO

-^WAHtiN-

itaui (OOIK)

DEK

•™' LAVE >

tUK lEDAMO

(PRiOONS)

pon

KANOHO
KHAQl

iCMiav
KHMER BT.t«o

CHAM CHAM

DISTRIBUTION OF MON-ANNAM FAMILY 441

>f the forest country of Southern and Central
^hina, especially along the borders of Annam,
>ja, and Siam, the stretch of mountain country
g east of the Mekong, mainly between latitudes
id 12**, and elsewhere in scattered patches
St the now dominant populations of the alien,

Tai and Tibeto - Burman, races of these
s.

ken together, these languages constitute a
listinct, and (with the exception of Annamese,
has been much modified by direct Chinese
ce) a relatively uniform group. In the early
tes of our era, Mon and Khmer (with their
dialects) were the dominant languages of
1 and Southern Indo-China, long before the
se and Siamese had come down from the

while the Annamese were confined to the
ing delta and its immediate neighbourhood,
be south - eastern coastland, which is now
\ and Cochin China, was occupied, under the
of Champa, by a race called Cham, whose
ge, already mentioned, was a mixture of
Ihmer with Malayan elements.^
art from the special interest attaching to them
ing been the earliest indigenous vehicles of
r culture in Indo-China, the Mon-Annam
ges are of unique importance in connection
le past history of South-eastern Asia. They
ated in various ways to Nicobarese, Khasi, and
unda (or Kolarian) dialects of India on the
md ; they present curious analogies with the

interesting language, together dictionary of it by Aymonier and Caba-

;w allied dialects of ruder ton (which, by the courtesy of the latter,

ing tribes, still lingers on in I have been permitted to use in proof)

im and part of Camboja. A is in the press, and will shortly appear.

442

RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES u

I RELA TIONS OF MON^ANNAM FAMIL Y

443

^o- Polynesian family on the other; and yet
strangely they have a certain number of points
fttact with the northern languages of the great
Chinese conglomeration which includes the
o-Burman, Kareng, Chinese, and Tai families.^
ow much of all this is genuine original relation-
how much is due to mere historic contact or
wings from some common source, it is, however,
t impossible to say. So far as the connection
Nicobarese and Khasi is concerned, it would
that the relationship is vital, entering as it does
he very structure of the languages. In the case
5 Munda dialects this has not been proved ; and
structure (especially their syntax) presents
marked differences from the Mon-Annam.^

to the connection with Nico-
•ee especially the grammar of
sse by Temple, annexed to his
1 the Census of 1901.
best authority for Nicobarese
Vlan, DUtiotiary of tfu Central
'se Language y 1889. The con-
with Khasi is dealt with by
in his Grundziige einer Laut-
" Kkasi-SpraLhey 1 904, where
50 shown that the Palaung,
Wa, and Riang dialects of
and the Shan States are a
ng link between Mon and
on the one side, and Khasi on
:r. For the connection with
see Grierson, Linguistic Survey
t, vol. iv. pt. i. (by Konow),
y the courtesy of the editor I
•n permitted to use in proof.
a was called by the present
1 J.R.A.S., S.B., No. 38,
analogies with the Malayo-
EUi group. The relation to tlie
1 Indo-Chinese languages has
en worked out, but see Korch-
** Indo-Chinese Languages "
Antiquary^ 1882). That there
:ommon element in the vocabu-
is perceived by Haswell, who

in his Grammatical Notes and Vocabulary
of the Peguan Language ^ p. 6, com-
pares the Mon cha pung (pronounced
chii pong), ** to eat rice," with the
Amoy Chinese tstah png. See also
that learned but not always quite
accurate work, Terrien de Lacouperie's
Languages of China before the Chinese,
1887. It must, however, be borne in
mind that in the case of languages which
are monosyllabic or quasi-monosyllabic,
the chances of accidental coincidence
are much increased ; and, until careful
investigations have established the exist-
ence of regular laws of phonetic corre-
spondence, no individual identification
based on mere resemblance in sound
and meaning can be safely accepted.

'^ The sketch map here given indi-
cates the relative position, io modem
times, of the language -groups most
clearly connected with the Mon-Annam
family, and illustrates the importance
of the Mon-Annam races as links in a
broken chain that extends from the
district of Nimar in the extreme west
corner of the Central Provinces of
India all the way to Johor, or from lat.
22** long. 77°, to lat. 2^30' long. 103%
approximately.

444 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES

Nevertheless it is certain that a considerable oo
element runs through Munda, Khasi, and Nicot
and this common element is identical with the
constituents of the Mon-Annam family. Thi
nection of the Mon- Khmer languages wit
Malayo- Polynesian family is most mysterioi
there appears to be a considerable resembk
structure, accompanied (despite a certain num
common words), by a very distinct diversity
actual materials.^ Their relation to the Nc
Indo-Chinese languages (including Chinese)
seem to point to long contact and consit
borrowing, but not to community of origin.

These peculiarly complex relations may [
be explained by the former geographical posil
these various races. In Indo-China there has
great shifting of populations to the southw:
would seem that some two or three thousan
ago the southern coast-line was occupied by 1
tribes, and the interior by tribes speaking
Khmer languages.^ To the north of tl
Southern China and the adjoining regions, d

^ The syntax is almost identical, and a mixture of Gaulish and

there is a remarkable likeness in some English a blend of British

of the prefixes and infixes in use in the ^ The Chams are sufitc

two families. The Malayan languages of this former state of thi

also use suffixes, whereas the Mon- the south-eastern part of 1

Annam lang^uages do not ; but, curi- concerned. As to the pn

ously enough, Nicobarese also to a the centre of dispersion of

limited extent uses them. When, Polynesian languages wa:

however, De Lanessan {Eticyclopadia on the coast of Indo-Chii

firitannica, vol. xxvi. p. 513, 1 902) Taalknndi^ gejpezfens ter

styles Khmer a blend of Malayan and ket Stamland d^r Ma/eisck

Chinese, he goes completely astray. fW/t^;/, 1889. The island

There are in Khmer certain words of Tenasserim up to abou

which it has in common with Chinese to this day occupied by a 1

and certain others which it shares with the Selungs. But as th

the Malayan languages, but the main sea-gypsies, their presen

substance of it is neither Chinese nor not help us much to del

i/f-iiavnn o — nr^ifriit o^ y^-^\\ Q<y\\ Krench early location.

Ill HISTORICAL RELATIONS 445

^stors of the Tai and Tibeto-Burman races, which
i.in the last fifteen centuries or so have flooded
^- China with successive swarms of conquering
-migrants, who after receiving through Mon and
inner channels a varnish of Indian civilisation, broke
^he political organisation of the older races, and
Bited their various fragments from one another.
The Annamese, unlike their relatives, fell some
^ thousand years ago within the sphere of Chinese
itical and cultural influence, and, thus strengthened,
t'y have taken part in this conquest, the eastern
ijstlands, which constituted the old Hinduised
^gdom of Champa, having fallen to their lot.

It would seem probable, therefore, that for ages
gether the Mon-Annam races occupied a central
sition between the Northern Indo-Chinese in the
irth and the Malayan races in the south. But it is
30 a fairly safe assumption that all three families
d their original locations still further to the north,
d probably outside Indo-China altogether. As
ch in turn sent out colonising swarms to the
uthward, it may well have left a remnant behind
lich was absorbed by the next group of races, and
LIS each family would be influenced to some extent

the one that had preceded it in its southward
irch. We know that this has actually happened in
me parts of Indo-China, and we cannot at present
>f from how far north a similar process may have
en going on in remoter ages.

Such an hypothesis would not, I believe, be in-
nsistent with ascertained facts, and might perhaps
rve to explain the curiously complicated entangle-
ent of languages which South-eastern Asia presents.
5 attempt to] discuss it here would, however, be

446 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES rurir

entirely out of place. I have only mentioned tie
matter in order to draw attention to the SfsA
importance of the hitherto much neglected M»
Annam family of languages, and must confine mjxl
here to its relations with the aboriginal dialects of tk
Peninsula.

Mon-Khmer Structure.

The structure of the Mon-Khmer languages^ »
sists, to put it briefly, in a system of monosylhli
root- words, to which can be added prefixes anl
infixes for the purpose of expressing modificatiois dI
the original idea. This system is best represented k
Khmer, and may be illustrated by the followia|
example : - —

kat

to cat

khnfit

memsure

kumnat (kunat)

piece

ihkat

pun

tamk&t (tikat)

suffering

skat

to cut off

siingkat

division

pingkat

to cut, to divide.

Here, if all these words are related, the roottt
is modified by the prefixes /-, ^-, and /-, and At
infixes -;/- (-«-, -ng-^ and -w- and their combinations;
and, besides these, other prefixes (such as k-y ck- (/■),
/- and r-) and infixes (such as -/-, -r-, and -/-) occur ia
some of these languages.

All this contrasts with the Malayan system ol
structure, notably in the fact that in the latter
although the system of prefixes and infixes is some
what analogous, the root- words are dissyllables ; am

^ In Annamese the structure is ticular tone, just as in Chinese.
strictly monosyllabic, and the meaning ^ From Schmidt, Du Sprtdim i>

V ..^^Ar u \r^t^rA .^^> ^-j^ ^^jg pg^, So^n ufn/ S^^ion^^ p. 568.

I STRUCTURE OF MONKHMER GROUP 447

h in some cases it seems to be possible to
n in them an original monosyllabic root, yet
oes not stand out as clearly as in the Mon-
\r languages ; it is no longer (as a rule) capable
ependent existence, and the normal type of the
age is dissyllabic. If it was originally mono-
ic, it has long since passed out of that stage,
ts dissyllabic words are now treated as inde-
nt roots for all purposes of composition by means
: addition of prefixes, infixes, and suffixes.^
le point, however, which mainly concerns us, is
great part of the constituents of the Sakai and
ng dialects agree closely with the Mon- Khmer
ages both in the monosyllabic character of their
vords and in the method of composition by
es and infixes.^ When we exclude the Malay
ther Malayan elements, we find that the words
are common to Sakai and Semang are in the
monosyllabic, or capable of being reduced to
syllabic roots. Thus, in Sakai, from the root
[Semang chi), ** to eat," we get the verbal
tions dm-chuy en-cha\ ka-cha! (and in Semang
z**), and the substantival dncha (Semang inchi)
hana\ '* food " ^ ; from yuty ** to return," i.e. to go
the transitives tytU and tengyut, **to return,"
give back, and so on, quite in accordance with
Khmer methods.

o the probability of an earlier Tagalen und Madagassen, pp. 48-57,

>f monosyllabic roots in the 1 902.

languages, see especially ^ g^g especially Schmidt, op. cit.,

1, •* Over de Wortelwoorden in where this fact was first pxjinted out.

schcTaal,"and Vreede, "Over Skeat (in the Seiaugor Journal) had

telwoorden in de Javaanschc already drawn attention to the prefixes

n AcUs du Sixi^me Congrh in Besisi.

imtal des Orientalistcs tcmt en ^ Probably an infix formation ( =

Leidcy 1885, and Brandstetter, ch-an-a').

448

RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES wi

Ordinary Mon-Annam Words.

But not merely is there this close correspondei
in structure : there is a very large common elcn
in the vocabulary itself. The number of worfs
Sakai and Semang which can be traced in the Mi
Annam languages (and in some cases also ia Ni
barese, Khasi, and Munda) is very considerable, J
includes many of the most important words of evt
day life. It would be impracticable to set them
here at length ; and I have illustrated this connca
as fully as circumstances permitted, in the Corap
tive Vocabulary. But the following list of the na
of the principal parts of the body will serve 2
specimen of the extent to which this common elen
runs through the ordinary speech of these tribes:

Semang.

SakM.

Arm

beling

belegn

Back

krd

kern, k:nok

Blood

mahom

behlm

lione

lyeng

jink

Breast

tendo*

ento

Breast (female)

...

tuh

Chin

'ngke'

jengkao

Ear

pol, empong.

'ntong 'ntik

Eye

mad

mat

Flesh

scg

sach

Foot

chan

jukn

Gall-bladder

kemod

...

>lair

sog

$0k

Hand

tong

tokn

Head

kui

Heart

*••

niis

Knee

kaltong

kaltun

Liver

rus

gres

Mouth

ban

'mp*k, pang

Neck

kua

Nose

m^h

moh

Thigh

bl6»

belu

Tongue

liti'

lentak, l^pes

Tooth

lamoing

lemOn

Th#» above list is not exhaustive, but include

MON'ANNAM WORDS

449

1 words of this category that can be safely
to a Mon-Annam origin. Besides these, a
of quite common words such as ** sun,'*
" " darkness," " rain," ** water," " fire," ** earth,"
• ** forest," ** tree," ** wood," *' flower," "fruit,"
*' thorn," '* rattan," *' banana," "centipede,"
louse," " mosquito," " spider," " leech," " fish,"
** egg," " rat," " tiger," " elephant," etc., and a
of adjectives and verbs (as well as some other
if speech) have one or more identifiable
mts in the Mon-Annam languages ; though
them also have synonyms, which have not, as
n traced to that source.

Mon-Annam Culture Words.

e interesting, perhaps, than the foregoing are
tively few words which throw light on the
development attained by the aboriginal tribes
dently of any Malay influence : the following
itative list of these is confined to such as
o be of Mon-Annam affinity : —

Semang.

Sakai,

To bathe

muh

muh, hum

Blowpipe

bclau

belau

Blowpipe dart

...

rong

To boil

to^m

tohop

Bow

Cloth, clothes

abat»*

Comb

k^nsiet

To cook

'nchin

chrt"

To dance

kengseng

...

Dog

cho'

Flute

jeniloi

Cihost, spirit

kCmoyd

kemut

Grandchild

kancha'

cheno'

Grandfather

yat^^

(irandmothcr

yd'

...

House

dung

dok"

nd in Cham and Bahnar, this word may be of Malayan origin.

.II 2

450 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES

Simutt^,

Sakai.

Ivory

bftU'

...

Mat

not

nls.tpil

Name

...

inm*

Nephew

kanoB

Paddle

chindwi*

Chan

Pillow

• ••

tawi

To plant

tap

^P" .,

Poison (for darts)

••.

Quiver

• ••

lok

Rice (in husk)

bi*

fat,»i

Rice (husked)

heki'

raraa\cbnj

Rice (boiled)

inchii

cbanfti

Roof, ihatch

•••

kerop

Salt

empoyd

'mpSi

Somewhat doubtfully identified are the
ing:—

Semang. Sakm,

Adre

...

Areca nut

...

UUk

Koat

kupon

...

Chopper

choki*, weng

...

Debt, price

dashs

Fiddle

kribm

krim

Iron

...

pat

To plait

dendan

Pot

...

Too much stress must not be laid on these wi
the word for ** clothes " probably meant no more
the wisp of bark-cloth which still constitutes the
article of apparel among some of the wilder t
the ** house " was no doubt always a small and n
built hut, the **dog'* may conceivably (thoug
probably) have been the wild, not the domesd
variety, the word for " ivory " by no means ii
that it was an object of traffic, the word for " p;
is perhaps derived from the word for ''head
may have been independently invented,* as mi

* These primarily mean "food** ^ Pillows do not appear \

only. very common use : see st^

^ If rightly identified, this is a pp. 178, 180; and Martin,

Sanskrit word which has passed stdmmt der malayiuken I

iironeh a Mon-Khmer channel. 1905, p. 677.

I CULTURE WORDS 451

for '• flute/' which has a different prefix from its
Khmer equivalents (some of which differ amongst
;elves) and may have been newly formed from a
lon verbal root. But nevertheless there is here
:ent evidence that some at least of the aboriginal
; of the Peninsula do not owe their primitive
ilture and general semi-civilisation to Malay in-
res exclusively, but must have retained them at
from the time (now some eight or nine centuries
if not more) when they were finally cut off from
Nations with the Mon- Khmer civilisation of
lem Indo-China.

herefore I cannot agree with Martin when he
^sts that the Sakai house on piles is borrowed
the Malay style of architecture/ or that the
ing of cereals, especially rice, is due to Malay
nee.' The house on piles is the typical structure
e greater part of Indo-China as well as of the
n Archipelago, and even if the words for " rice "
lally meant some other cereal, which I do not
ny particular reason to believe, they are at any
'vidence of some, however primitive, cultivation,
\ in itself negatives the view that all planting on
>art of these tribes is due to Malay influence,
true inference, in my opinion, is that, like many of
ider Mon-Khmer tribes, some of the wild tribes
e Peninsula have from time immemorial planted
n their jungle-clearings. But they have never
the great advance to planting in irrigable
p-land : that, in South-east Asia, is the Rubicon
\ a barbarous tribe must cross before it can fulfil
onditions precedent to real civilisation, first in

> op, (it, p. 670. * fffid, p. 731.

452 RELA TION TO OTHER LANGUAGES nnv

the material sense of the word, and ultimately in its
social, moral, intellectual, and other connotations.

The only possible alternative is that the aborignl
tribes have in some past age lived in close oooUc
with a more civilised Mon-Annam race, who did phi
rice and so taught them the words if not the practkt
But that view also does not find favour with Mani. .
who cannot discover any evidence that they wal/

ever under such influence.* I;

Do7tbl€ Relation with Mon-Annam Languages.

This leads us to the question whether therelalioQ|
of the Mon-Annam languages to the aborigifflJ
dialects of the Peninsula has been one of root
external influence or whether the latter can be |
classified as true members of the family. Logan, fta]
was the first to notice the presence of Mon-Annaij
words in the aboriginal dialects,- propounded a vm ^
complicated theory of the relations of the Mon-Annw
languages with the Malayan family, which it wouUbt
out of place to discuss here, but apparently held thai
their influence on the aboriginal dialects was extend
His view was that a civilised Mon- Khmer net
colonised the Peninsula in early days long before tk
Malay immigration from Sumatra had begun, ani
that during this Mon-Khmer era that people occupifi
towards the aboriginal tribes the same position whic
the Malays now occupy. ** The language of tl
Mens and Kambojans/* he says, ** would become tl
lingua franca of the districts round their colonies ai
of the rivers on both sides of the Peninsula whii
their praus' frequented for barter with the native

' ')- ..- .. 099. ' /,I.A. vol. iv. p. 431. a /.r. ships.

RELA TION TO MON-ANNAM FAMIL Y 453

would ultimately, in a large measure, displace
er dialects of the latter." *
s view was again advanced by the present
in a paper dealing with a number of, mainly
analogies between the Mon-Annam languages
t dialects of the Peninsula.^ The possibility
ultimate genuine relationship was not excluded,
t aside as not being proved by the evidence
ider consideration. On the other hand, Kuhn,
ry valuable paper on the relation of the Mon-
languages with the Mun^a languages, Khasi,
rese, and the aboriginal dialects of the Peninsula,
eady, though only on similar evidence, inferred
istence of a common substratum, but still did
ite go the length of classifying these diverse
5 in one family.*

re recently Schmidt, in his excellent work
referred to, has devoted a much more thorough
l^ation to the question, and has arrived at the
ion that the close correspondence in phonology,
re, syntax, and a considerable percentage of
K:abulary between the Semang and Sakai
; and the Mon- Khmer languages cannot be
:ed for except on the view that they are
ally members of one family of speech.*
s to be observed that these two views are not
ly exclusive ; these dialects may well be distant
\s of the Mon -Khmer languages separated
hem in a remote prehistoric age, and long
rds again influenced by renewed direct contact
Mon-Khmer population. There may be two

I. S, , S. B,, No. 7, pp. 85-87. HutteriHduHs, p. 22a

Ho, 27, pp. 21-56. * Die Sprtuhen dir Sakei itnd

jpr zur SprachetiA'ufuie ScMOfij^, p. 581.

454

RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES m

distinct Mon-Khmer sources, just as there have to
two of Malayan origin, entering into their ca

Sketch Map showing the Distribution of the Numeral Sm

position. That this is really the case seems
indicated by the diversity of the numeral sy
which are found in the Peninsula.^

* In ilie i>kctch map here given,
numerals of Malayan type are neglected :
hey occur occasionally, especially on
hr -^'iLskJ^ts of the area inhabited by
.- 1/ A\.^ n,» iioun/jary lines

between the four S3rsteiiis are
less hypothetical. TheAnbic
refer to the following dialects :
I. Semang of Mount J<
Semang of Ula Selama ; J. S

SEMANG AND SAKAI NUMERALS 455

5 often been remarked that the purer dialects
entre of the Peninsula do not possess any
jmerals for higher numbers than ** three " ; ^
wring short lists will therefore suffice for a
omparison of the different types that exist : —

//. ///. rv.

nei {or ne)

nar

ne*

nanu

nar

mui {or moi)

•mUr

*mpe'

nai
bie
(various) '

I. represents the Semang group of dialects;
. the Northern Sakai and the inner sub-
of the Eastern Sakai; Type III. is co-
\ with the Central Sakai ; and Type IV.
the Southern Sakai, one or two mixed Jakun
and the outer subdivision of the Eastern

it is clear that (with the exception of the
leral of Type II. which it has in common
pe I.) Types II. and III. are really one

and this system cannot be derived from
>r Type IV., nor can these be derived from it.

;mang of Sadang ; 5. 27. Daly's Selangor Sakai ; 28. Drang

u Patani ; 6. Semang of Bukit of Ulu Langat ; 29. Kenaboi ;

<ai Jeram of Grik ; 8. 30. Sakai of Serting ; 31. Orang

ang of Ulu Selama ; 9. Hutan of Ulu Palong ; 32. Orang

uala Kenering; 10. l3e Hutan of Ulu Indau ; 33. Besisi of

lang of Sungai Piah ; 1 1. Ayer Itam ; 34. Besisi of Sepang ; 35.

^mongoh ; 1 2. Sakai of Besisi of Malacca ; 36. Sakai of Ulu

>akai of Korbu ; 14. Chercs ; 37. Sakai of Ulu Tembe-

Sakai of Pulau Guai ; ling.

Krau (the emigrant Krau One or two dialects, of which the

ir is not marked); 17. numerals are imperfectly recorded, have

gai Kaya ; 1 8. Sakai of been omitted.

; 19. Sakai of Ulu ^ For higher numbers some of the

. CliiTord's Senoi ; 21. aborigines nowadays use the Malay

i ; 22. Sakai of Tapah ; numerals.

Sungkai ; 24. Sakai of ^ The various forms given are diut

25. Sakai of Slim ; /a/, and tfmpong. Most of the typical

anjong of Ulu T^ngat ; forms above have minor variants.

4S6 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES pmnls

We have therefore at least two, if not three/ differed
systems of numerals to deal with.

But Types II. and III., which on the feu:e of them
are so closely allied, are also relatively central, wluic
Types I. and IV., especially the latter, are distinctly
peripheral in their geographical positions in die
Peninsula. Prima facie, therefore, the true Sakai
types, II. and III., have the best claim to represent
the old Sakai numerals, while the rest may be
suspected of having been due to outside in-
fluences.

Now Type IV. is the only genuine and authenti-
cated non-Malayan numeral system in the abor^fid
dialects of the Peninsula that extends to h^
numbers than "three" (or at most "four"), whidi
fact in itself suggests its derivation from a more
civilised race than the wild tribes of the Peninsub;
and there is no shadow of doubt that it is of Moo-
Khmer origin, as the following comparison wil
show : ' —

Type IV. Mqh, Suk. HuiL

mui {fir moi)

mwai

mui

«»

mbar

bar

'mpc'

t-mpun

pan

puon

masok^i

masun

song

sung

pe-ru'

tilrau

trou

trev

tempo

thipah

pho

pha

1 It is doubtful whether the Semang from ** two," and probably mm

equivalents for "two" and "three** "doable two."

can be derived from the Mon-Annam * The geographical positioo of Mt

type, though with the exception of the of the tribes which use numerals ctaff

anomalous diu, "three," it seems resembling our Type IV. can be Mi

likely enough. It is possible, how- from the maps which have bees pM

ever, that they are of independent alx)ve. It is important as gpriig t

origin. There is, unfortunately, no clue to the r^;ion from whidi tidi (■■

properly authenticated Semang word ticular influence proceeded. Tkis,sl

or *'£our" except sa-bek in the conjectured iny.^.^.j*., 512?., NolI?.

^pAtyyff dialert, wbirb is clearly derived was probably the Menam vaUqf;

MON'KHMER NUMERALS

4S7

mm^

Boloven.

NiahoH.

Prcu,

Ka.

moi

muei

muui

moe

r «B-

bar

ban

baar

bar

— ?-.

pch

puan

puon

puan

^Et:.

son

song

chheng

cbang

tarau

trdo

trau

trao

p6h

pah

pes

pah

1^ 'b"

— 1

But the numeral systems of the languages of the
-«^reat Mon-Annam-Munda-Khasi-Nicobarese alliance
Jsaving only those of the mixed subfamily, best re-
presented by Cham, which have numerals of Malayan
a^itN'igin) are distinctly divisible into two different

/ I. The Mon-Annam-Mui)da group (of which the
^^nboye Mon type agreeing so closely with our Type
JV. is one subdivision only).^

2. A group comprising {a) Khasi ; {b) the dialects,
such as Palaung, Riang, Wa, and Lemet, which are
itntermediate between Khasi and Mon -Khmer; and
^e) Nicobarese.

The following specimens will sufficiently illustrate
the peculiarities of this second group : —

' The first four numerals are
practically identical in almost all the
Mon - Annam languages ; at *' five "
the diflferences begin, and the family,
regarded from this point of view,
splits up into a number of subdivisions,
none of which, however, except the
•ne of which Mon is typical, need
concern us here.

It is remarkable how closely the
Mupda dialects (where they have not
borrowed Aryan or Dravidian numerals)
agree up to ** four ** with the general
Mon -Annam type and differ from the
intervening Khasi, thus : —

SantaiL
mit
bor-ea

Kurkii.
miya
b&ria

Kharia,
moi
ubar

Santali,

pa-a
pon-ea

Kurku,

api&
uphunia

Kharia.

upe
i'pon

See the Linguistic Survey of India,
vol. iv. part i., especially pp. 12, 24,
and 242-245. In the higher numbers
(which, however, do not directly
concern us) two of the Munda dialects,
namely Kharia and Savara, agree
closely with the Palaung, Wa, Lemct,
and Khmu dialects of the second
group ; a fact (first noticed, I think,
by Konow in /. R. A. 5"., 1904,
part iii. p. 429) which strongly
supports the view that all th^e
groups of languages are ultimately
related.

458

RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES

A'ioji (Standard).

Riang.

En.

S»n,

2.
3.
4.

wei

siu

hik
kftr
kwai
k'pwon

tai

ra
loi
pun

te
a
oi
wu

TauUi
IVa.

Palaung
{Ruma£\,

Danaw,

UmL

I.
2.
3-
4.

kati
la-al
la-oi
pun

hie

pwan

kiit
an
wi
pun

BUB

k)he

Car
Nicobar,

Central
Nicobar.

SmUUm
Nicobar,

Skmfi
Nutkr}

1.
2.
3.
4.

kahok
neat
lue
fan

heang
i

loe
foan

heg

lue

Oat

hog

fut

Having regard to the geographical positii
these languages and to their connection, as evid
by a large common element in their vocabulai
is impossible to believe that these resemblances
numbers **two" and "three" are due to aod
coincidence, while ** four " brings almost all d
into close agreement with the Mon-Annam-1
type. If, however, the words for " two " and "
throughout this group are connected, they mi
present originally identical roots, merely differei
by different prefixes k-, r-, and /-.

If that is so, we get back to something like
** two *' and i for " three " as ultimate roots, anc
will then explain not only the Mon-Annam-
types b-ar and p-i, but also the Sakai n-ar s

* As to Khasi, sec the Linguistic
Surz'ey of India, vol. ii. \\ 38. The
Lemet numerals are of the dialect of
Jhieng Khong (about lat. 21" 30',
ong. 1 GO** 30'), see / In'age d Exploration
n Indo-Chitte ^871), vol. ii. p. 516.

For the Nicobarese nma
Man, Dictionaty of tk$
Nicobarese I^anguagt (1 889]
241. For all the rest see th
of Upper Burmah and ike S
(1900), part L \-oI. L pp. 62

►.Ill TYPICAL SAKAI NUMERALS 459

^T' ^-e), the roots being in each case the same but
tl^^ prefixes differing. A similar explanation would
fcli^en attach the Mon-Annam m-wai and the Semang
*— ^e (Sakai n-ei), " one," to the Khasi wet.

The Eastern Sakai forms ni-weng, ni-u-e, nil-e^
^*^ci the Central Sakai nanu^ "one/* may perhaps
^^^ the same nai (or net) with different numeral co-
'^flficients welded on to them, as has happened to the
^^'I^alay satu (from sa + watu, lit. **one stone "),^ and a
^^^tiilar explanation may be given of the Central Sakai
^^^riant nina, ** three."

If the above explanation holds good, practically all
^^^e properly authenticated numerals in the Peninsular
^^lalects are accounted for; but it follows, as a con-
sequence, that they derive from two distinct sources,
.^oth (though not in the same degree of affinity)
^'tognate to the Mon-Annam languages. This ex-
"J^lanation of our Sakai Types II. and III. is ad-
mittedly somewhat conjectural,' but finds some support
tn the fact that in a certain number of cases where
words closely allied to the typical Mon-Khmer forms
occur in the outlying dialects (including those which
have numerals of the Types I. and IV.), they are
either not recorded at all in the dialects of the interior
(which have numerals of the Types II. and III.) or
else occur in them in forms differing more distinctly
from the normal Mon-Khmer type.

The following are representative instances : —

* On the other hand, it is not im- for **onc"; this may either be an

possible that these forms may better abbreviation of nanu or, if the above

represent the supposed primitive /; -f- wet explanation is wrong, its root,

(which may have been weng originally ^ It was first suggested by Schmidt

and so connect with the Nicobar- in Die Sprouhen der SaJkei und Semang,

ese heng). But this is a mere pp. 524, 580 ; and again in GrundzUge

guess. einer Lautlehre der Khasi-Sprache^ pp.

- A form noh is, however, reported 759, 760.

46o

RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES muv

TypUal
Mon-Kkmcr,

Outer
Dialeets.

Jmmr
DiMkOs,

Bamboo
Banana

ding, diii '
chck«

ding
tidk

To bathe

hum

...

Blood

chharo, chhim

mabam, hahom

Deiut

Day
Hand

ti, tai

tengDgi
ti, thi

loktt.tfk

Heavy

Hill

kejUt, kajok,

jiik

bondm, manam

kajoh, hcnjut

benom, benum
menom

nyuh, nyfl

Tree
Water

long
d&k

long, delong
doo, dak

jaop.jaok

ten, tfi

It would seem, therefore, that there are really t
distinct strains of the Mon-Annam element, the (
ancient and remote, the other much more recent
the composition of these dialects, or at least soou
them ; and in view of the relative importance of
element, which seems to run through their whole si
ture, the Sakai and Semang languages in their pre
stage of development, at any rate, may well be d
fied as outlying members of that family. It muJ
remembered that in the case of uninflected langu
the problem of classification is necessarily very difi
especially when, under the influence of alien toq
the vocabularies have been much mixed. Su
language as Cham, for instance, can from ce
points of view be classified as Malayan, while (
aspects of it are distinctly Mon-Annam, and sdi
have accordingly differed in their classification
Much the same difiliculty besets the classification c
languages of the Peninsula, with the additional
plication that they are numerous and heterogen
besides being very imperfectly known.

Uninflected languages can pass, almost impe

T»V.*

* In Khmer only.

t-- III DIFFICULTIES OF CLASSIFICATION 461

ly, from one family into another ; thus some of the
lects of the Peninsula at the present day are being
H« and more modified by the influence of Malay,
d are being transformed into Malay dialects.
Sien a language is in such a state of transition (or
en when its condition is fixed but it is a hybrid
Oduct), the classification of it will vary according

the principles adopted: a hard and fast system
"lich looks only to grammar and puts the vocabulary
uirely aside can hardly meet the difficulty. What
the grammar, which may mean nothing more than
le order of words in the sentence, is similar in the
ro languages of which the hybrid is made up i^
Fhat if a mixed dialect uses the vocabulary of one
Qguage put in the syntactical order of another?
classification according to grammar only would lead

paradoxical results : the pidgin English of the
lina ports and the Malay of the Singapore bazaar
>uld have to be classed as Chinese dialects, although
ere are very few Chinese words in either of them.

Viewed in this light, the problem of the origin of
ese languages does not, I venture to think, coincide
ecisely with the question of their proper present
ossification.

The phonetic tendencies of the Semang race have
:ercised a modifying influence over the Mon-Annam
ements which their dialects have absorbed, soften-
g their primitive consonantal hardness and moulding
lem into a more vocalic form.^ The Sakai dialects,
I the other hand, and especially the purer members of
lat group, have better preserved the characteristic
irshness of the Mon-Annam phonology ; in fact they

1 A few instances of this have been found in the Comparative Vocabu-
ren on p. 390 supra ; others will be lary.

462 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES futit

are sometimes more archaic than even the stereotype!
forms of the Mon and Khmer written languages.

In the Jakun group, so far as can be judged (n
the fragmentary evidence available, the Mon-Amai
element is present in a much smaller percentage dm
in Sakai or even Semang, and is of merely secondarf
importance. The Jakun dialects share it in sock
degree with the Sakai dialects with which theyit
intermixed,^ but there can be no doubt that it is oot
an essential part of their composition ; and ezcqi \
that the forms in which it appears are somerimes
modified by the peculiarities of Jakun phomAiB.
which has perhaps also affected the neighbouriif
Sakai subdivisions, it seems to require no sped
notice here.

Unidentified Elements.

It is certain that the Semang dialects were at
originally members of the Mon-Annam family. Thcj
still embody a number of words, of a distinct type;
which have not been, and I believe never willte
traced to a Mon-Annam or Malayan source. Amfl?
such words are many quite common ones, relating tt
matters of everyday life. The following list BBf
serve as a specimen: — ''bad," j^beg\ "bag,'
chog, s^neng] ** bamboo," I3eh, g^niin\ •'banana,'
kukeau ; *' bear," tilabas ; " beast." ab \ " betel-leaf
bed', ''big," bdo\ **bird," kawdd\ "blind,"*
•* blood," nyap ; ** body," ley ; ** brain," iKfai
"broad," nien-ey\ ''calf" (leg), langtU; "cloud,"*';
** coconut," herpai] "day," k^to' \ **dog," ek, wok,9l\
"earth," kelyid\ "to eat," ya-gey; "egg," «*tf

^ It '<: this element which has been Sakai element occurring in ttKlik*
«0i-.^ *o r»p p, tnd mpra as the group.

I UNIDENTIFIED ELEMENTS 463

ails," ejued\ ** female," yalu ; ** fever," kengkam ;
' begjag, ^^^yr j^long; -frog," kam^ " full,"
; •* girdle," tentam\^ ** good," bdded\ •* hand,"
"heart," k^langes \ ** lizard (big)," patiau\
;," beteg\ *' middle," tahll\ '' n?k^d:' J^ligun ]
:," taiog\ **old," bedok, med\ "palm" (hand),
"pig," ndpeg\ ** quiver," ^^^ ; ** seed," ^a/-^ti^/ ;
vt^' j^kob\ "spear," ad\ "squirrel," wayd\
le," kula ; " tooth," jangkb\ nyus ; " water," tonty

" yam," tdkob.
he chief point about these words is that their use,

as is known at present, is conjfined to tribes of
Jegrito type. These words are therefore pre-
)Iy remnants of the old original dialects of the
sular Negritos, such as they were before they
le modijfied and transformed by foreign in-
es.'- A comparison of these specilfically Semang
., with their equivalents in the dialects of the
manese Negritos, is naturally indicated by the
nstances of the case ; but so far as I have been
to make it, it has proved inconclusive, although
few cases I have ventured in the Comparative
bulary to append the Andamanese equivalents,
bat they are worth. Until, however, a much more
ided series of comparisons reveals the existence
me phonetic laws connecting the Semang with
Vndamanese words, their relationship must be
iered as hypothetical. The structures and
mars of the languages at the present day are quite
ent, and can give us no help in this matter,
here are many words also in Sakai which have

s probably really means the ' This was first pointed out by

tring of which the girdle is Schmidt in Die Sprachen ikr Sakei

and Semangy pp. 563, 583.

464 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES wm

not as yet been traced to any known source^aodi
may still be regarded as an arguable question whetkr
the Sakai dialects were originally cognate toik
Mon-Annam languages. Both groups must benae
minutely examined than has been possible up to ik
present time before absolute certainty can beattaiiri
as to their original relations. But there does M
appear to be in Sakai, as there certainly is in Scnuf
a substantial list of common words in everyday is
which would betray an alien origin/ and, on ik
whole, the evidence at present rather tends to ik
conclusion that the Sakai dialects were from the iiat
related to the Mon-Annam languages in the sa«
way as is apparently the case with Nicobarese. KW
and the Palaung. Riang, and Wa dialects. Sofars
I know, there is nothing in their grammar or stnicat
which would negative this conclusion.

The Jakun group, after deducting thewordsiW
can be accounted for as Malayan or Mon-Ana*
leaves us a considerable residue, the origin of whiil I
am unable to explain. Some of these have bed |
mentioned already,- but it may be convenient iog«
a few specimens here. The following are tyjAalfll
Kenaboi, which contains the largest percentage i
unidentified forms : — '* bird,** sdbu ; *• black," rfjil
•* breast," rapang ; ** cloud," lingsa \ " croco&*
toliol\ "dog," kmk\ ''fish," rayap\ "forclMal
cliala\ "head," tahal \ *' moon," linta\ ** pig," sWi
**root,">Vrfr: " tooth," fA<Vrf//. The following ai

* If Sakai was virigiiuilly descended therefore, in Sakai vi som<^xick^

frtMii the same mother-tongue as the cannot be found in the Mob-Ab

Mon-Aimain languages, it might never- languages does not cause any ditto

theloss |X)ssess words which the others in view of the lai^ge |iercentige(iBSi

had lost or which it had evolved since ±35 per cent) of important «vi

the remote date of its separation from everyday use which it shares with lb

tV^ oomi.« ^n «ou"*e The presence, ■ See p|>. 386, 404, 407-409 «

Ill UNIDENTIFIED ELEMENTS 465

i in various Jakun dialects, and some of them
ar even in the neighbouring members of the
i group: — •* ant," narit\ "brother" (elder).
•* dog," dmun ; ** eyebrow," Uilis ; " face," rXman ;
ndmother,"^<?«^' ; " house," ch^rdng, j^kot ; " pig,"
\ ; ** porcupine," puntu ; *' rhinoceros," resiki ;
er" (elder), gau\ *' snake, " ///^^ ; ** tiger," maj'd,
% m^ngkolom ; ** tired," kabo.
4ore words of this kind will be found in the
parative Vocabulary. A few of the words of
lown origin in the Jakun group are also found in
ang, but are not recorded in Sakai : ^ these words
perhaps be relics of dialects formerly spoken by
•itos of the south of the Peninsula and now
•bed into the Jakun group, but they are hardly
irous enough to support the view that the Jakun
cts were originally allied to Semang.
*he origin of the Jakun group is therefore still in
►t. Very little is known as to its structure and
imatical system, but apparently the latter, at least
hose dialects which contain a strong Malayan
lent, is of the Malayan type. It would seem that
Jakun group, if it is a unity at all, was originally
lien origin, but has been for centuries under the
ence of Malayan dialects, with which it has been
;d up, so that it may now be said to be mainly
lyan in character and in process of becoming
ely so. In their present state, the Jakun
cts (with the exception of Kenaboi) may
r be classed as mixed Malayan dialects : in fact,
i of them have become mere subdialects of

e, for instance, in the Comparative M 135, M 151, I* 76, P i56,aDdS 378,
ilitfy parai^raphs C 267, L 1 19, and compare B 215 with B 217.

VOL. II 2 H

466 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES wrir

Language and Race,

I shall not undertake to correlate the conpla
facts of language here briefly sketched out with tk
physical relationships which connect the wild tribesof
the Peninsula with the various races of South-eastei
Asia. It seems to me somewhat premature to do a
until these races have been more thoroughly i
vestigated and more accurately described But!
must not be forgotten that in this r^ion thae
are several originally distinct racial strata: first i
stronger and dominant race, which thoii^h varpn
materially in different localities, has the comav
characteristic of being more or less Mongoloid it
type, and, underlying it. fragments of two other wft
which were both probably seated in this region eaifa
than the race of Mongoloid type. One of these olte
races seems to correspond with the Sakai type. Tk
Mon-Annam languages are spoken to a great extril
by communities of Mongoloid type, but also by wiftr
non- Mongoloid tribes, and it is still a question tu
which racial type this class of language or^naly
belonged. It is somewhat significant that at thelK
ends of the great Mon-Annam-Munda-Khasi-Nici
barese alliance, viz. in the pure Sakai and the Mud
region, the races should be of somewhat simil
Dravidian or quasi-Dravidian, non-Mongoloid, typ
It may be that the intervening populations have he
modified by an intrusive Mongoloid strain, wh
nevertheless retaining their original language: tl
at present seems to be a tenable hypothesis.* T

* This would appear to be Schmidt's tions of Mon-Annam s])eechafe, ins

view ; sec Die Sprachen der Salrf umi of slight specific peculiarities, sofatt

iemani;^ P- 5 8 1 , but he does not point out ally M ongoloid in type. This coostic

>,« foof th"* thn pr-nr »-iHtof the popula- the main difficuVy of the problen.

BLAP. Ill LANGUAGE AND RACE 467

»€:her submerged race above referred to is the Semang
W Negrito type, which is much more restricted in
flne^a. than the quasi- Dravidian one. It is still doubtful
pSn^tiher the Negrito type can really be traced else-

ire in South-eastern Asia than in the Peninsula
t:he Philippine and Andaman islands, and it seems
^ have had very little influence in building up the
•cr^s of this part of the world.

Then there is the further complication that the

l^or^goloid race speaks languages, of various different

^•^^ilies of speech, which have not yet been satis-

•^t^orily grouped under one head ; while on the other

T^'^cl the Malayo-Polynesian language-family (like the

P^Oxi-Annam) coincides with no racial group, but

'J^^lxides several diverse types, Mongoloid and non-

J^Ongoloid. In short, the question of the relation

T^tween race and language in South-eastern Asia is

^*^ extremely complex problem, and all these matters

^"tSll call for much more extended and detailed in-

^^^tigation before a really certain conclusion as to

^lie early history of these races can be arrived at.

Language and History.

It would seem that fragments of these various
races, probably in small numbers and in a very
primitive stage of development, independently found
their way into the Peninsula at various remote epochs.
It may reasonably be supposed that the Sakai brought
with them the habit of cultivating patches of ground
roughly cleared on the hillsides, and so tended mainly
to occupy the hilly country of the interior, while the
more savage Semang hunted in the lower levels, and
the Jakun tribes (or such of them, at least, as spoke
Malayan dialects) settled along the coast-line.

468 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES w;f

At some pericxi after the Mon- Khmer popubtbs
of Southern Indo-China had become more or ka
civilised through the medium of immigrants fron
India, the central portion of them, inhabiting ik
Menam valley, seems to have extended its influeooe
to the southward and to have founded settlements b
various parts of the Peninsula. This occupation, d
which there is no distinct historical record/ is evidenad
by the local tradition which assigns such a great pait
in the past history of the Peninsula to the Siamcst
Ancient mines and other workings, remains of ibrts
and the like, are generally styled Siamese by the
Malays ; in fact, '' Siam," in the local popular topO'
graphy, plays the part which in England is shared
between Caesar and the devil : it serves to expbii
any ancient and striking landmark the real origin d
which is unknown. As, however, there is not a tnce
of anything really Siamese, i.e. Tai, in the dialects o(
the aboriginal tribes or elsewhere in the Peninsuh,*
and as the Siamese are relatively modem intruders in
Southern Indo-China, it seems reasonable to suppose
that these traditions refer to the Mon -Khmer race

* It appears from Siamese sources sula from lat. 7* (or thereabouts) soU^

that the Mon race had occupied Ligor wards, that being the region vidii

(lat. 8"* 24\ long. 99° 58') Ixffore the which the S{)eciineQs of abonsiai

Siamese arrived there : see Low in dialects were collected. Kofth of tbri

y. /. A. vol. V. pp. 518-521 ; Bastian, region there has been a, more orki

Geschichtc der Indo-Chinesen^ p. 197. mixed, Siamese popuUtioo for fttco)

Further south than this they have centuries ; south of that latitude tki

not been positively traced : Sanskrit was, until quite modem times, do mi

Buddhist inscriptions in alphabets of Siamese penetration or occupiD4

South Indian origin have been found in but merely a traditional and pecsM

Ketiah, but it has not l)een shown that claim to suzerainty over some of Ai

these were the work of Mon settlers. Northern Malay States. It is oiit

The arch.x'ological collections in the during the last hundred yens or t

museums of the Peninsula have never that this purely external suzerainrf hi

yet l>eon properly studied, and it is been transformed in some cases itf

Dossiblc that they might throw some actual eflfective occupation, aceo*

lew light on these matters. panied in a few districts by th

■ To avoid misunderstandings, I settlement of a Siamese4petkii4

n.irf irir Kof *»,;». ..nfArc »/> thc PcHin- populat'^H,

HISTORICAL INFERENCES 469

nhabited Siam before the Tai came down from
th of Indo-China.

I hypothesis of such a Mon-Khmer occupation
^eninsula is strongly supported by the linguistic
e. If the above attempt to unravel the

skein of language has proceeded on the
nes, it seems clear that the numeral system
[ have termed Type IV. was introduced into
linsula by a Mon-Khmer race from the r^on
Menam valley at a period which cannot have
iry remote, inasmuch as these numerals have
diverged at all from the type still current in
icent parts of Indo-China. The precise date
be determined, but possibly the Mon-Khmer
ion, which may have lasted for hundreds of
[>^;an about the fifth century a.Dm or even

It may have come to an end nearly a
d years ago.^ Since the last seven or eight
IS (for here again the precise dates cannot be
;he Malays from Sumatra have colonised and
i the Peninsula, and except in the dialects of
I tribes and in the popular traditions already

to there is little trace left of its former
i connection with Indo-China.^

ai conquest of the Menam Khmer source. If these words have

> the precise date of which come direct into this jargon from a

ertain information), and the Mon-Khmer language, this is evidence

extension of the Tai race that the Malays of these northern

thward finally cut off the States have been in contact with Mon-

rom the Mon and Khmer Khmer-speaking individuals who had
acquired the art of taming elephants

appear to be a few words and imparted it to the Malays. The

mer origin in the Malay latter do not appear to have learnt this

edah, but the matter awaits craft in Sumatra, nor is it nowadays

stigation. In the jargon practised in the south of the Peninsula,

elephant drivers of Kedah This Malay elephant jargon, however,

n speaking to their mounts also contains some undoubtedly Siamese

few words which are al- words and may have come through a

nly derived from a Mon- Siamese channel.

470 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES Furir

Language and Culture.

While the heterogeneous composition of tk
languages of the Peninsula is evidence of the fat
that the tribes which speak them, besides bdogiil
several different races, have been subjected to varioB
alien influences, the number and diversity of ik
dialects into which the several languages fall is abo
eloquent of much. One sees at once that dt
Peninsula has not, in any period within our ken, bees
the seat of a great unifying civilisation, and that is
aboriginal inhabitants have lagged behind in dx
progressive movement which has affected SoA
eastern Asia generally.

Here, as elsewhere, we seem to see the diiferot
stages of social evolution mirrored in the phenomeni
of language. First comes a stage of merely nonfldk
hunting and fruit-gathering, during which it wodi
appear that there is comparatively little tendency to
development or differentiation of speech among die
several fragments of a roaming race. Then tbe
gradual beginnings of agriculture bring with thcB
somewhat less temporary modes of habitation, and
restrict the wanderings of the clan or tribe within the
narrower area of a few miles around the huts it noi
more regularly occupies. Its small patches of cuid
vated ground shift, it is true, from season to seasoo
but only within a strictly limited range. Thi
necessarily results in local differentiation of diakc
and consequent difficulty of intercourse with othc
clans or tribes. Next, in the normal course, shoul
come the practice of cultivating permanently occupio
ireas, partly planted with fruit trees, partly irrigate
^nr ^p-oHiVpllv sown and plan^^ed with rice. This,ii

►. Ill CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT 471

^uth-eastern Asia, is the most momentous step in
'^ajice ; accompanied, or soon followed, by the
lestication of the buffalo and ox, it allows of a
increase and concentration of population in
in favoured localities, and thus tribes begin to
fer in numbers, wealth, and power, according to
circumstances. Next come intertribal wars,
ling generally in the predominance of the most
*^^^>xierous and powerful tribe over its neighbours, and
imposition of its language on the other tribes
lin a considerable area, thus welding the whole
- a new unity and laying the foundations of a truly
^^^^ional existence.

But by the aborigines of the Peninsula this stage

never been attained : they never took the great

■ *3ride from shifting cultivation to the permanent

^^^cupation of land, and while they have remained a

^*iigle of more or less savage clans, the coasts and

*^Ver-valleys of their native land have been colonised

^^ immigrant aliens, who in their own island home

*^ad already passed this stage and gained the possession

Of a common language and some of the other elements

^hich go to the making of a nation. Thus the

aborigines of the Peninsula find themselves to-day

in the position of scattered fragments dependent on

^ stronger and far more numerous race, in a distinctly

higher state of culture. It requires no great stretch

of imagination to foresee clearly enough that the

only unity of speech they can ever attain will consist

in the loss of their own and the adoption of a foreign

tongue, while their other special characteristics will

also soon disappear.

Many of the districts in which aborigines were
formerly to be found have, even in modern times,

472 RELATION TO OTHER LANGUAGES mti

been deserted by them in their flight from their i
civilised neighbours. In other districts they hue
been absorbed into the Malay population, which ■
several of the States of the Peninsula has a strQi|
strain of aboriginal blood. This process has bea
going on for many generations, and will soon be
complete. The tribes that have maintained tbdr
separate existence down to the present time ait
evidently mere remnants, which happen by favour rf
local circumstances to have escaped extinction or
absorption : and even these few survivals of a pu
stage of human development will in no long dor
become absorbed by their somewhat more advanod
neighbours.

NDIX.

1(1

I (

APPENDIX.

PART III.— RELIGION.

Page 10.

jcviii. 189-196, Vaughan-Sievens (ed. Bartels) describes some of the

s of the Sakai (whom he calls Blandas). Incantations (wrongly

ang " ^ by Vaughan-Stevens) are spoken over the sufferer, who is also

>n an infusion of ** three plants called • merian ' (* mirian *)." ^ There

ry special to note in the methods of manipulation, which are, how-

ly described.

y is, as a rule, very easy, and the death of the mother in child-birth

e, although still-born children are not uncommon."

:ase of protracted delivery, which is generally rare, a second charm

r the sufferer and her body rubbed with the fat of the big python,

m of whose fat is also given her to swallow."

Thage and ruptured blood-vessels seldom occur, but where they do,

must decide the result, since the Sakai know nothing of the art of

lilar account of the manipulation employed by the Orang Laut, see
i. 196.

Sakai Love-charms. Page 67.

Stevens (ed. Bartels) describes the use of a particular plant by any
ho wishes to make his wife indifferent to himself in order to further
;ue with some other woman. ^ This plant, which is laid under the
is said by Ridley (who informs me that Vaughan-Stevens himself
Decimen of it) to be Lasianthus.

men are said to make use of cotton from a silk-cotton tree to secure
I's fidelity.*

Page 287.

: Creatio.n Myths of the Tembeh (Orang Trmia).

manuscripts of Hrolf Vaughan-Stevens, translated into German by
ims.

Dr writes that in vol. Ixix. Nos. 8 and 9 of Globus^ this story of the
ilready been mentioned, in part reproduced, and that on account of
erest he now gives a translation of the whole of the original. His
IS follows : —

g," spelt ** powang " by the charms by which he works.

^ens, signifies a magician ^ For ** merian" see note to p. 10

r" (the old-time *'con- of text.

jst-country folklore), not ^ Z.f. E. xxviii. 184. * Ibid,

475

476 APPENDIX ■

"ita
** liefore the sun was created the earth was like a board ^ lyiagoo ihe^lj;

1>cneaih which swarnied centi{)edes, scorpions, and ants, in a putnloeKHl|^

These creatures are similar to the demons which then lived in darknoL kil '

hole under the board lived Naing, while Sammor had his dwelling high ^^1^

the board. I

** Sammor often came down on (to the board) to take a stroll. ThisdsU I
Naing, who ordered the demons to sting and bite the feet of Sammor (nmkl^
now when we tread on ihcm). 1^

**One day Sammor got very angry and lifted the board uptosaKKii|l^
Then they Uith fought and tried to kill each other. Sammor got theBBti^l^
Naing ran away, crawled down into his hole and hid himself. Since SoH
knew that Naing could nut hear the light, he determined to keep him ii fc
hole. During the tight both of them had torn great pieces out of theooLi
order to throw them at each other (hence originated the hills and moattii
which we now see ui>on the earth). Sammor also sought the largest rods lU
were to be found, and heape<l them on the hole, in order to prevent Nnf in
coming out. Then Sammor went to his own dwelling-place, and took M
6re out of it, and when he had rolled it into a boll with his handSi heictai
to the scene of the strife. He threw the board up high into the urindfliBil
it to stay there, and he commissioned the fire-ball (/.r. the sun) to {Hi At
mountain-covered hole, so that Naing might never come out again. Tbtiidf
the sun always goes round the mountain, watching it from all sido^ AV
^aing has often tried to push away the mountain from the month of the biik»k
is always obliged to let it fall again as soon as he has raised it slightly, beGHtrf
his inability to bear the light.

**Now the sun discovered that Naing was doing this on thatadecfit
mountain where she herself was not. But Sammor had gone bd M )■
dwelling-place, and since the sun could not forsake her duty to oibtsn
from Sammor, she kindled a fire at the place where Naing was ulatiii
attempts to escape. She then continued on her way.

'< Every time, as soon as the sun has passed b)', Naing stretches bimM
of the cavern and attempts to smother the fire with earth. When theaa^
in the course of its motion, appears before the hole, Naing throvi it il >
handful of earth, until he has at length quite extingui^ed it, and theaab
then to kindle it once more.

**The stars are the hot eml)ers which are scattered about by the fiitcRq
time Naing throws a handful of earth at it. These embers are driven tonh
the l>oard, where they remain burning. The sparks thrown oat from the aba
are shcnning stars. Naing has often been seen in the act of drawing o«t i fo
brand from the moon.

« Thus has it always happened ever since. When Sammor hurled thebtff
up into the air, it took the form of the heavens above us, and what we see ii <
lower side.

<* On the upper side of this board is the place (heaven) to which thegooda
pass, but no one knows what sort of place it is, or what the souls do there. ^
only know that there is neither marriage, nor birth, nor death, nor change of a
kind. Every one has there whatever he wishes.

'* The place of Sammor lies far above this upper surface of the world.

** Naing, being unable to come out of his hole, dug a great cavern ia!
ground for himself and his demons. During the battle between Sammoii

^ This comparison of the earth to a ** talam '*), which is described in )b

l)oard or plank, which afterwards is folklore (r. JAi/s^ JAi^, p. 3) as be

apparently transferred to the sky, looks representative of the original dimcBH

to me somewhat like a confused recol- of the earth when first created, aoco

-./»»ion of thr .so-c*ned «« tray" (Mai. ing to the account of Malay 1

REUGION 477

tliese demons had run away in a fright Some ran down into the hole
d remained confined there with Naing. The greater number, however,
DQselves behind the hills thrown up by the two combatants.^ They are
parated from Naing, and still dwell in the same place that is inhabited by

Kre follows the story of the creation of man. )

IHien Naing found that he himself was prevented from coming out, through
ot watch maintained by the sun and moon, he tried to get the better of
sy means of the demons which, at the covering of the hole, remained
; on account of the superincumbent mountain. This failed, however,
s the demons were not strong enough. Naing, therefore, created a great
r of demons (the Tembeh could not explain how this was done) which,
er, succeeded no better in stopping the watchful course of the sun and the

>}aing then commanded the demons that dwelt outside, in a body, to heave

the mountain from his place of captivity, so that he might come out
: by night in order, if possible, to destroy the sun. All the demons then

their forces, and with the help of the demons that dwelt underneath, and
oog, they heaved the mountain slightly upwards and shook it But when
lor noti^ the shaking of the mountain, he came back to see what was
ning. When the demons saw him they immediately ran away and hid
dves in the rocks, trees, and rivers. Thence it happens that the woods
ierywhcre full of demons, and every tree, every rock, every river, has its
lemon. The demons, however, escaped in a body from the mountain on
I Sammor stood. In order to prevent the demons from repeating their
pt, Sammor determined to create men so that they might fight against the
OS. He therefore took some sparks of the sun-fire (stars), which Naing
iroken off from the moon by throwing earth at it, and out of them made

men. He then, however, reflected that the fire would never die, so he
red the seven men thence, and afterwards made them into the seven guides
ssengers who show the good souls the way to heaven. He then took seven
1 which grew close by, and from them made men, whom he commanded to

on the mountain, and to prevent the demons from moving it again.
, however, went on increasing the number of demons, until it became
sible for the seven men to fight with them all. At their request Sammor
ed, removed them thence, and afterwards made them into the messengers
ad to lead the wicked souls to hell (because the men made out of leaves
rithin a fixed period, like the leaves from which they had been created).
Then Sammor went back to his place and brought thence a man and a
Q (no one knows of what material they were made), and placed them on
loantain to guard it. This pair had at one birth three sons and three
ters. When the children had grown up they were given names ; the eldest
ok the name (and the emblem) of a leaf, the second that of a star, and the
that of an ant. Each one married a sister.

As the son who had taken the leaf-name was the eldest, he was chief over
thers. Prom him are descended all the Tembeh Batins (chiefs) of the
an.

The second son, who had adopted the star emblem, was very clever in
way and became a magician. All the Tembeh magicians are of this totem.
The third son, who had taken the name of an ant, was the father of
iry human beings. The ant-families have always been more numerous and
prolific than either of the others.
The families of the three sons and their wives increased with great rapidity,

These mountains separating man the Caucasus, the **Kaf" Mountains of
le demons from Naing are probably Malay legends. See Malay Magic ^ p. 2.

478 APPENDIX

so that, with the help of the incantations and magic given to the wn
the sun, the moon, the stars, and by Sammor himself, the demoos i
back to their hiding-places."

(Since the first man was placed by Sanmior on the motmtain, di
always prefer to live in the hills.)

** When Naing discovered that men were guarding the mountain li
by Sammor, and that he himself could not get out, he tried to build
road up through some of the other mountains, which had been bem
torn from the flat earth in the great battle. These attempts ht?e <
huge caverns which are found in so many mountains.

** Since there were not enough men to guard all these mouiitiini
brought yet more and more men and women from his habitatioD and pi
in \'arious localities. These men who appeared later differed somevin
and appearance from the flrst-crcated Tembeh, hence it comes that in
there are various races of men.

** The seven men created from leaves watched at first very caidbl
the course of time they became weary of the constant watching and pid
down, and fell asleep. The demons soon discovered this, and slipp
the trees, and hid in the brushwood, until they were again quite d
mountain, when they began to push it away. When some ^ them bat
the seven guardians were asleep, they divided themselves into kpcs
in order to seize them and take them captive. The demons that fc
selves among the attacking forces disguised themselves under the
animals and insects — each party having a special form. The fen
follows : millipedes, snakes, ants, tigers, leeches, and moaqoitoe
fought with the seven men, and the noise of the battle and of the dei
were trying to overthrow the mountain brought Sammor once again o
of action. He drove the demons away, and condemned the seven {
serve as guides to the souls journeying towards Nenek ^ (Hell) in the

Page 289. Details of the Cholera Charm of the Tbm

On leaving their tree-huts, they both painted themselves and help
to paint themselves with their totem ^ emblems (leaf, star, and ant]
and forehead. Three magicians were then chosen, who painted
persons with white lines and devices, according to a prescribed pa)
a screen of leafy branches erected to conceal them. In this s
triangular opening formed by two converging uprights with
horizontal bars fixed across them. Over these cross timbers were i
leafy branch of a plant resembling a palm and another resembling
The opening is supposed to represent the triangular figure in
horizontal cross-lines that the Tembeh are said to employ as
character" typifying ** night" or ** darkness," but which here lypii
and the darkness dear to spirits.^ A screen that was erected on tlH

1 There should be seven of these and so forth ; cp. voL i

parties, one corresponding to each of text,

the leaf-men. — W.S. ^ It need scarcely be r«

- Or " Ni-nik." This is possibly since it has been insisted

identical with the word that appears text, that there is no [

as the name of Hell or Purgatory in totemism among these trib

the legends of other tribes, in various * P'or these mesaage c

forms, such as ** Ngari," ** Nyayek," vol. i. p. 414 of this book.

RELIGION 479

3n the west, except that the opening on the east formed a
le, typifying "day" or "light," this figure being supposed to
in rising behind the mountains. Behind the screen at the
»d a post of about 4 metres high, stripped of its bark, and
a a roughly built round roofless hut, quite 3 inches high, so that
; in except by the door, in front of which hung a mat decorated
blem plaited in red on a ground of yellow, the natural colour of
s — a device the use of which was confined to the magicians. In
r was a fire composed of three converging fire-logs.^ The plct
; people stood was then measured off by the magician, beginning
(t comer and proceeding westward. On its completion the
ied to the round hut already described. Alter half an hour's
1 fearful din in the hut by blowing into a bamboo of special
Vt this sound the men, each with his jungle knife, hurried to a
where some days before had been stuck a number of bamboos,
sticking in the ground as though they grew there. Every one
these bamboos and fashioned a spear from it. Meanwhile the
e had begun wailing ** Ah-wah," " Ah-wah," as soon as the
aimboo in the magician's hut had ceased. On completing their
leapt forth brandishing their weapons, and looking in every
igh they expected the attack of some enemy. The concealed
lew three deep booming notes, when there suddenly appeared
western leaf-screen the white-striped men who took the place of
ans of the seventh class, that in former times represented the
of them bore a long piece of liana,^ bent in the middle and
the two loose ends being held together. With howls and yells
> now turned round and took to running and proceeding first
:, parallel to the southern boundary of the plot, and then from
alongside the eastern boundary (along the line of the dotted
intered the plot at the north-east comer and took up their
s just within the plot's limits with their &ces turned outward and
ait for the attack of the white-striped "demons." These last
iirection as that in which the boundary line had been drawn, all
md attempted at the same time to throw their liana lassos over
of the men who were standing within the plot and using their
t the lassos from falling over their heads, and for that alone,
of the three would let go one end of his liana so that it fell to
poked it to and fro over the boundary line in an attempt to touch
gs of those who stood within. But as these latter leapt aside
: pliant lianas with their spears, none of them were hit. Thb
I, since any one so hit would soon after have been attacked by
themselves, but accompanied by the fearful yells of the men,
; women, shrieks of the children, and barking of the dogs, the
ound and round the rectangular plot, until suddenly at the sound
the magician who was in the hut the din ceased, except among
dogs. One of the three *' demons*' had thrown himself on the
\ and writhing as if he were in bodily pain. His two companions
mas, ran to the magician's hut, and as they entered the magician
e dress of the latter consisted of a bark loin-cloth, together with
ind, girdle, anklets, and knee-bands, plaited from strips of tree

cindled by these tribes tuang," as to which videnoXt to vol. i.
of converging tire- p. 472 ante.

'■'' Hy "liana" no doubt some kind
* tuntong * or "tuang- of rattan (Calamus) is intended.

48o APPENDIX

fibre resembling grass.' The three burnt spots on bis forebead wen |Mi(
white, and on his breast the totem emblem in white clay. In one hand \t Is
a bamboo, presumably his staff, but this particular staff showed ndther diaip
nor patterns. He held the staff with the lower part uppermost ; in tbe hob
part, at its lower end smoked some fragrant tree-gumt* wldch, as I had notidid
it before, the magician no doubt must have kindled at the fire in frontgflihi
as he passed by. One of the three who had been lefl bdiind wat cfidak
rehearsing a part for the first time, as he now quite simply asked the napa
what more there was for him to do, and the magician had to poll bin nto it
proper position with his hands. The magician slowly approadied tlKmto,ili
kept rocking himself to and fro as though he had the colic ; he bent om ha
squatted down, and applied his ear to the man's stomach. Next he kaoddtk
burning tree-gum out of the end of his staff, so that it fell within the liinrf
the plot. One of the men who happened to be there caught up t hnU i
earth, collected the burning tree-<pim, pressed it quickly upon the euth, m
then lx>re the whole round to his comrades, so that each ^ould get t link tfk
smoke blown over him. Meanwhile the magician had been apparentlj aci^
ing to examine all over the inwards of the man lying on the ground Idi aft
thing or other ; at last with one hand he applied the upper end of hii of*
the mouth and nose of the man, and appeared by this means to bring pRH
upon the thing in the man's inwards to come out at his month. Whs ki
length had succeeded in this, he uttered a loud cry of joy, and at the me M
the man who bore the earth and the tree-gum let this fidl into thehoflorfirtrf
the l)amboo, right on to the cholera demon. The latter being induced voB
out by reason of the challenge of the spears opposed to him, had, it Mk
entered into the white-ringed belly of one of the assistant magicians, whsAi
l>ctng unable, even with the aid of magic, to endure such an aocretioii, thnrlifr
self on the ground and rolled to and fro, till the magician [of dan] N&I|A
in consequence of this proceeding now knew where the demon was, av^ ^
latter and enclosed him in the hollow at the upper end of the staft what At
** damar '* kept him imprisoned. The magician then went in company vilhdii
other men (who up to then had remained within the marked-ont plot)* At
magic hut, laid his staff within, and announced to all present that the ta
would stay there a month, until he died of hunger and thirst HoueWi*
anticipation of that desirable event, all persons able to walk would hare v hrt
the encampment for that period, and in the meanwhile reside on thesntfti'i
distant hill.^

> Doul)t1ess strips of the *< palas " > Globuiy vol Ixix. {\H\ f

(or //t7//7/«i) palm. - Mai. «* damar." 137-141.

PART IV.— LANGUAGE.

MATERIALS AND SOURCES OF THE COMPARATIVE
VOCABULARY.

MleriAls on which the study of these dialects must be based ave in some
ti fiurly copious, but they ve heterogeneous, and the different portions of
they consist are of very unequal value.

r the most part they are confined to vocabularies, some of a few words
itheis of respectable length running into several hundred words ; in a few
Mily are there any sentences, and these are lor the most part very short
• they are, these sentences (together with the songs and diarms contained
Appendix to voL L of this work) are the only means we have of arriving
pmdples of syntax on which these dialects proceed,
e vocabularies and lists of words which have been embodied in the
ntive Vocabulary represent the collections of many difierent investigatois,
ms nationalities, including English, French, Russian, German, and, in a
laes, Malay. Their modes of orthography di£fer very coosideraUy in
iicnce, and it is only by checking them inter u that it is possible to airive
ear idea of the sounds intended to be represented, for in most cases the
on have omitted to give any key to their systems of orthography, and in
tbey have evidently been somewhat inaccurate either in their observation
idering of the sounds. Moreover, not unfinequently, they have evidently
ind 1^ giving a wrong meaning to the woids they have collected. It
)e remembered that, with hardly a single exception, the collectors had no
lad knowledge of the aboriginal dialects, but had to work through Malay, a
^ which was often imperfectly known both to themselves and the aborigines
whom they attempted to converse. Sometimes the European collector
rs to have been practically ignorant even of Malay, and to have gone to
through one or more interpreters ; often, as in the case of Vaughan-
is, his knowledge of Malay is obviously very imperfect Very seldom does
car that a collector has even a fiur knowledge of the aboriginal dialect on
be reports. Oiffoid is one of the rare exceptions to this state of things,
though objections may be made to his rendering of certain sotmds, his
ulary of the S^noi dialect is probably a very close approximation to absolute

he material embodied in the Comparative Vocabulary resolves itself into
parts, viz. : (i) publbhed matter, which has appeared in various books or
ikals ; and (2) collections in manuscript and as yet unpublished. By &r
ireater part of the Comparative Vocabulary is made up of hitherto un-
shed matter, partly collected by the authors themselves, and partly con-
ed by others, by whose courtesy the authors have been permitted to include
heir collection.

be earliest of our sources for the study of the aboriginal dialects is a short
^ words of the **Jakong" or **Jokang" (f>. Jakun) language of Malacca

VOL. II 4S1 2 I

482 APPENDIX

compiled by Sir Stamford Raffles, and published bj him, together wid
matter, as a sort of appendix to an article on *' The Maritime Code of the M
in the Asiatick Rtsearches (i8i6), vol. xii. p. 109. It was reprinted m Vii
Miscellafuons Works (1834), p. 87, and again, but apparentlj iDdepco
from the original MS., in the McUcuca Weekly Register in 184a A zcp
the last-named version is given in No. 3 of Xh^ Journal of the Stndti ^
the Royal Asiatic Society (1879), pp. 6, 7. The versions differ sUgfathr a
The list of words is of no particular importance except as oonfirni
existence of the Jakun dialect in Malacca territory at the b^iniuf 1
nineteenth century. About half the words (including all the nunieah
identical with Malay. There are only about fifteen words that are not Mih

The next vocabulary to be mentioned is contained in John Gml
History of the Indian Archi/^elaqo (1 820), vol. ii. pp. I2S-I92 (wWji
consist of a Comparative Vocabulary of some twenty languages or dbi
compiled from various sources). The S^mang words in this coOeaia
expressly stated to be a ''specimen of the language of the Simang om
haired race of the mountains of the Malay peninsula,** collected for Cm
** by the minister of the prince of Queda " {i,e. Kidah), *• a man of tot x^
mind,'* and correctetl by Major Maclnnes, who, according to Crtwfuid, «ii| "
Marsden, among Europeans, perhaps the best Malayan scholar existingi"
number alK>ut eighty-six, but a few of them are Malay loan wonis. b
dissertation to vol. i. of his Grammar and Dictionary of the MaUj Im{
(1852), pp. clxxi. clxxii., Crawfurd repeats about twenty of these voidi
slight differences), but adds to them the^numerals (all of which, ho«evB,c
the first two, are merely Malay). On p. clxvi. of the same dissertatioi h
gives a short list of seventeen words, most of which are conbuned in Is I
vocabulary.

Crawfurd's main object in adducing these specimens appears to htTt b
support his pet theory that there was no such thing as a Makyufa
languages by showing that inter alia the Simang did not belong to it 1
list is a very good one for all that, and very accurate, as comparison lii
sources, even the most recent, sufficiently shows ; and it does great oefl
Malay official who compiled it. But as it was almost certainly taken (
the first instance in the Arabic character, which is ill adapted to the iq
tion of the highly differentiated vowel system of these dialects, not mod
can be attached to its rendering of these sounds, and it must be conti
the more recent records made by Skeat in the adjacent region.

In the Journal of the Indian Archipelago (1848), voL ii. p. 205,
says that it was in 181 1 that he got the list from the minister of the
*' Queda," and that it was a list of 176 words of the language of the S
Mount J^rai {i.e. K6dah Peak, a mountain visible from Penang, w
definitely enough the locality of the tribe speaking this dialect). He go
to this list he added 2 1 words ^ from Marsden's Miscellaneous Works (I
of the total 197 he finds that 156 are native, 15 Malay, 2 Javanese, 2
to these two languages, and i word Sanskrit. The numerals, hen
Malayan, which, however, is not the case with numbers **one*' and
the list given in his Grammar. It seems evident that this list has 1:
published as a whole, and the unpublished words are no doubt lost altc

Adriano Balbi in his Atlas Ethnographique du Globe (1826), Ta
No. 103, gives a dozen words avowedly derived from the list in '
History of the Indian Archipelago. No account has been taken of th
Comparative Vocabulary.

* Those arc the **Juru Semang'' list Kn \^i'& History. There
words, of which, however, one is therefore to a different di
•^npp»''»ntlv toi^^n frntn Crawfurd*s own the K€d*\h dialect.

LANGUAGE 4B3

3Ch in Na 12 of the Journal Asiatiqus (1833), pp. 241-243, gives a
ocabaUuy, which is for the most part a copy (with some omissions)
rffird's longer list, but turned into the French spelling. That it is so

shown by the &ct that he gives a Staang word tftos %s meaning
«. *< without"; but in Crawfurd mos is given as meaning '* without"
use opposite to <* within," as the Malay htar in the same column
f shows. Moreover, for "gold" Klaproth gives as Staiang a word
which does not occur in Crawfurd as a S^mang wofd, but under the
maner as a Malagasy word in the line immedktely below where the
ntiy would be if there were one. Obviously the oonpyvslt blundered,
t was not Klaproth himself, for he adduces the Malagasy word, in another
s a form to be compared with his fictitious Sdmang voletman^ which
hardly perhaps have done with Crawfurd's Comparative Vocabulary
n to refer to. Anyhow, the indebtedness to Crawfurd is not ac*
id, and does not extend to the whole of Klaproth's words, some few
(including some variant forms given in addition to those where the

with Crawfurd is close) are derived from some other, unknown,

hort lists of Kedah Sdmang in John Anderson's FolUical and Com^
msiderations relative to the Malayan Peninsula and the British Settle-
the Straits of Malacca (1824), Appendix, pp. xliv.-xlvii. ; William
Miscellaneous Works (1834), p. 113; Edmund Roberts' Embassy to
-n Coasts of Cochtn-China^ Siam, etc, (1837), pp. 413-415 ; and T. J.
I Political and Statistical Account of the British Settlements in the
Malacca (1839), vol. ii. pp. 422-434, are confessedly drawn from the
oe, viz. a vocabulary collected by Maclnnes, of the Steang dialect of
fan, a village at the foot of K^dah peak), and are substantially identical
NFfiird's materials, or perhaps merely extracts from the '* minister of
original list. Anyhow, the evidence of these sources is not cumulative,
mces between them are probably due mainly to printers' errors and to
lese authors making slightly different selections firom the original source,
however, professes merely to reprint Anderson's list; and Marsden
Iges his indebtedness to Anderson, but several words appear in his list
not occur in Anderson's book. Of the whole set of sources Crawfurd is
and best representative. Taken together, and compared with quite
lections, these old lists tend to show that Sdmang, though the language
[primitive savage tribe, has not during the last century undei^ne the
Iges to which savage languages are commonly supposed to be subject
of ten S^mang numerals published on p. 113 of Marsden's already
1 work, and there attributed to James Scott, is embodied in the
ive Vocabulary ; but the numerals are utterly unlike anything collected
ollectors, and the £act that they extend to ** ten " is in itself suspicious,
ittle or no importance to them.

ext set of sources goes back to Anderson's list (contained in his already
, work) of some ninety words of the S^mang dialect of "Jooroo,"
the Company's territory (as it was in 1824) of Province Wellesley,
by Mr. Mainp^y, the Resident of that territory. "Jooroo" is
the Juru river in Province Wellesley, which territory now extends
land than it did in Anderson's time. No S^mangs are to be found
mywhere in Province Wellesley nowadays, and there were none even
\ time, fifty years ago, nearer than Ulu Kdrian. Marsden and Roberts
inted this list, like the previous one, with due acknowledgements to
Newbold has drawn from the same source with acknowledgments
ly, but omits some of the words that Anderson gives. Here again,
Uiere is but one original, and differences are due mainly to misprints.
Loberts and Newbold have corrected a few of the misprints in Anderson,

484 APPENDIX

hut they have, on the other hand, made a few new ones on tbcir oira acna,
so that there is not much to choose between them. ComparisoD mf^arif
with other sources is i^cnerally sufficient to show which is in therig^^
they diflfer.

All these versions have l>een included in the Comparative Vocabolan, mi
estimatin*; their value as evidence it roust be remembered that eachgroops^
one source, and that their weight is therefore not in any way increised If ik
nunil)cr of the versions, wiiich have only l)een reproduced b)-ratooiifk
variations which occur in them.

A leiior written by the Rev. Father Pupier, dated Penang, the 2aid Oagh
1825, and printed in the Annalts dc la PropagtUion de la Ftd (1826-, BKi
P- 303, contains a few SOman^ words and phrases also, apparently, lat
district in or near Province Wellesley, but collected independently DM k
above materials and expressed in a French orthography. Thissoaice istfi
(;rcai value, but lias never Ik'lMi noticed hitherto, so I have thongbt it ml
while to mention it. A diligent search in other missionary records nuj pdf
lead to the discovery of more such material. ,

P. J. liegbie, in his rather rare l>ook \^t. Malayan Penimula{\%'y^^
14-18, gives a list of about 160 S^mang words (including, ofcouncifa
Malayan loan words) which was furnished him by an unnamed friend of his.' &i
not stated where the dialect was compiled, but it is undoubtedly a Sta{
dialect,- and from a source quite inde^^endent of those already meotioBeill
related more nearly to the Juru than to the Ian (or K^fdah) Sftniag. ft
s]H:lling appears to l>c rather good, but the list has been badly printed, 9 diti
ten c.-'.ses vowels are left out and represented by turned letters, thus *. Th
however, is not due to IJei^bie's own printer, for Begbie apologises feiimj
xvii., ai the end cjf the Krrata, and explains that these blanks occund c !■
orij^inal, which (having himself no knowledge of the aboriginal dialeci>|lK*
unable to correct. It appears, therefore, that Regbie's list is founded a >
printed source, which I have l>een unable to trace.

The >ame list appears to have been reprinted in the Malacca (Wff»W|i>»
article on the missionar\- journey of the Rev. Jacob Tomlin, mentioned in J.i
^'ale^'s I itteratur dir (h-ammiUikm (2nd eil., by B, JUlg, 1 847), p. 537' "*'
co]>y of this rej^rint is preserved in the Roj-al I«ibrary, Berlin. I hive Ml ■
access to if. but from the words extracted from it in Griinwedel's GkjsBiyi'
Schmidt's work it is evident that it is identical with Begbie*s list; one 01 W
minor dirteronces are noicil in the Comparative Vocabulary, but otheffi*"
so-called '^Tomlin's SOmang" is not cmliodied in it.

The next list to be considered is Newbold's Vocabulary, headed ''Ob^
Ik»nua," prinieil in his already mentioned work. This is a long list of ikrt
450 forms (including some trifling variants) l^eing the equivalents of ilxat 9
English words. In some c:ises there are as many as five synonyms, gofl^
there are two or three.

In {K^int of fact this list is a heterogeneous s^lomeration of tt leist tiff
distinct dialects belonging to three quite different groups.

As .^^chmidt ix>ints out, one element in it is Simang, of a type so do^
allied to that of Begbie's list that it must Ije referred to the same or atle**
neighbouring dialect ; but the spelling differs from Begbie's, and is %xf^
less accurate, so that perhaps Schmidt is right in concluding that thetio*
not go liack to the same written source. On the other hand, in a fct a*

' Prolxibly the Rev. C Thomsen, a Al>origines.

missionary and scholar, of Malacca and - In No. 27 of the Stroiti Mi

Singapore, to whom Hegbie in p. ix. of Journcd I wrongly expressed id«l*

his Introiluction makes his acknowledg- on this point. Probably the diiltf

nenis for a paper treating of the was recorded in Southern Kedab.

LANGUAGE 485

in the Comparative Vocabnlaxy) Newtxdd appears to have based his
» Begbie or Begbie's printed original, with its printer's errors, which
led : so that it would seem that, at any imte in some words, Newbold's
nents Begbie's unknown original with the q)eUing recast into the
Eng^ style.

her dement in Newbold's Bfoua list is B«sisi, and though Newbold's
[being mostly the old-&shioned English spdling) differs (rom that of the
ently collected specimens of B^Ssisi, a comparison shows that this part of

1 fairly accurate and leaves no doubt as to its being really Bteisi. It
Ably collected by Newbold himself, for he mentions that he interviewed
id B£landas; the latter may perhaps be represented by the strong

element in his list ; but this is quite uncertain.

her element in his list is Jakun, which was collected for him by the
'Abdullah bin *Abdulkader at Gunong Panchor, near Alor GajsJiy in
territory, as related by 'Abdullah in his autobiography (pp. 381-391 of
spore edition of 1887).

Ittllah's account of the matter is worth summarising, as it throws some
the manner in which the words were collected, and goes some way
explaining the fiurt that a good many of them are quite unintelligible and
r wrong. The worthy Malay was not favourably impressed with his
of the jungle. Their squalor disgusted him, and their language in their
don amongst themselves seemed to him " like the noise of squabbling
the general effect of it being graphically rendered by him by the
Kws (and meaningless) words, *' kakak • kaka)^ kang king chalra."
rts the sound of it," says he, *< and I don't know what they were talking
r I didn't understand it." The Jakuns were very much afraid of their
especially of Newbold, who was wearing a red coat, which he had to
in order to set them at their ease), but by dint of gifts of tobacco and
and the persuasion of a tame Jakun boy who acted as guide and
iary to the little expedition, their fears were got over. Then Newbold
.\bdullah, in English, ** Go and sit with them here and write down their
, numerals, and customs, and I will go and have something to eat,"
Newbold and Mr. Westerhout (the local official who had accompanied
m Alor Gajah) went to their lunch, and the Jakuns appeared to be
It their departure, and began to talk and laugh more freely amongst
es. 'Abdullah, who had brought a vocabulary or list of words written
dy for the occasion in a pocket-book, proceeded to examine the Jakuns
Hr language, asking such questions as, ** What do you say for 'earth'
' ? " and they answered him accordingly. Some of the words they gave
! *< much the same as the Malay words, some were much the same as
Be," which last astounding statement * Abdullah supports, however, only
>rd Dius for '* God," whereon he proceeds to found a theory that the
ere of Portuguese descent.* Then he got a good deal of information
rm as to their customs in such matters as marriage, birth, bringing up of
religion, property, the ipoh poison, the names of the different aboriginal
eir dwellings, and their practice of magic and medicine. At 5 P.M.
and Westerhout returned to 'Abdullah, who was still pursuing his
and as they were in a hurry to get back to Alor Gajah he bundled up
s, pen, and ink, and they all left.

evident that Newbold himself took no part in collecting the Jakun
kd was not even present when they were written down, and it seems
that 'Abdullah noted them down in the Arabic character, which he

e has a similar theory {Jour, hood of Malacca a stray ♦* Portuguese "
rch. (1848), vol. ii. p. 243), and half-caste or two may have contributed
x)6sible that in the neighbour- a new strain to the aboriginal stock.

486 APPENDIX

would naturally use as being the one most £imiliar to him, tbci^ !it « j
ac([uaint(.'tl with the Roman alphabet as well. If that is so, it iniflxa%fl<^
imagined that when the words came to be transliterated into the Ka I ^j
character, which may have happened some da}-s or even weeks bar, ^T
'Alxiullali had probaMy quite forgotten what they sounded like,misiabi«l^'
very likely to l)e made. The Arabic character is such that the pioaaf 1^*^
absence of a dot over a letter may make all the difference: lodNibil-*
writing; hurriedly frequently put one rather large extended dot to tqM I ^
two dots over one letter, and habitually use one dot instead of thmcnfc I ^
letter / (a modification of the Arabic y*). As a rule, the}* do notrqmaticl'
vowels at all. In fact, the Arabic character lends itself to emnofilMB*
more readily even than shorthand or the Morse code of telegn^ gptt^i
circumNinnce, I think, goes to explain the anomalies of the Jakim voritil
Newbold's list, a li>t that includes some quite extraordinaiy foniB,theSkH
which arc to be found nowhere else. I

Trobably the strange forms l>cginning with /awar- and /am/. lepidat fc 1
rough Jakun /--, which 'Alnlullah perhaps rendered by the Arabic lettes/iBir 1
ra and j;;/iui ft + Aim, In sul)scquently reading these off he could eisilyBBfcl
them for .'- w- r and /- w- / respectively. I

The next set of sources are those contained in ^^^ Journal of tht Inii»A^ \
/t/(ff.st'» a i>eriodical publication which was edited, very ably, by J. R. lip j
between the years 1S47 and 1862, and of which he himself was the nairib]: ]

In vol. i. pp. 263-266, api>ears a list of the words of the "Ca^ '
Langiiaj;e" of the Johor Jakuns, collected by L<^n himself from trifas*
exce[)t in the search for camphor used the >Ialay language exdusivdy. fai
of interest as l>eing the first recorded spiecimen of this ceremonial jargon.

In vol. iv. is a short pajter by Colonel James Low on the Sakais of Beak,
containing, on p. 431, a few words and sentences which hare diis ipeii
interest, that they were the first si)ecimcns published of a Sakai dialect (tf4
the Hesisi words of Ncwbold's BOnua lu^t), and that they were till qnie rbb
times the only specimen available of the Central or purer Sakai group.

It apix^ars from a statement in vol. v. p. 230, that Logan had a:his&pB
specimens *.^i the dialects of the following tril^es : B^nua of Johor, B^sisi, )ttnbt
South Sakai, Jakun, l-dai. North Sakai, and two dialects of StmaDg. TV
two are, from the evidence of the few words he gives, pretty certainly the Sib
and Juru dinleets, and no doubt from the sources already mentioned, theSoolhS
is doubtless J. Low's tribe, and the North Sakai b presumably cognate to theS
dialects t^f This and Kfrbu, of which we |X)sscss more recent records, theBi
and Hesisi, and perhai>s also the Jakun and M£m£ra. represent in part Keib
*' Bcnua '* list, in i)art probaI>ly other collections made in the same reguos
Johor and the neighlK)urh(.x)d of Malacca. The Udai dialect is altogedw
recordeil by other collectors. I-'rom other parts of the Jountai it appeus
Ix)gan also had access to a few words of some other dialects, €.g, 5»»hi
Heduanda, etc.

l-nfurtunately, instead of publishing his materials in a full compt
vocabulary or a series of separate lists, Logan as a rule merely gives indr
words here and there throughout his numerous articles dealing with <
graphical and philological matters, and in short comparative vocabi
intermixed with other words of more or less similar meaning and font, <
from all manner of distant and alien languages. The consequence is tl
is imp<jssible, without sifting practically every page of his volumimoi
([uisiiicins, ti> collect the specimens which are scattered in them, few ai
l)etween as they are. I have been at great pains to gather as many ol
as I Could recover, but the result was so incommensurate with the labour iw
that I had to abandon the task, which I can recommend to some future ti
.n,i/^..- v,i vMtv -imi>ior ^-tcyrc than myself.

LANGUAGE 487

of Logan's manuscript collections may still be in existence,
session of his descendants at Penang, or in the L(^;an Collec-

Library at Singapore : if so, they would be worth publishing,
abularies of the Malacca Mantra or M^ntdra, collected by Borie
, call for no special remark. The first was first published in

Mantra which appeared in the Tijdschrift voor Indische Taai-
hiftdg (1 86 1), vol. X. pp. 413-443, and of which a revised
ted in vol. i. of the second series of Miscdlaneous Papers
China and the Indian Archipelago (1887), pp. 303, 304. I
I revised version, but added the words contained in the earlier
le two differed. De Castelnau's vocabulary appeared in the
iV et d'' Ethnographie (1 876), vol. ii. pp. 142, 143. The ortho-
kjrie and De Castelnau is somewhat influenced by the French
two collectors.

bout this period, I think, must be placed the two Sdmang
lined in MS. No. 29 of the collection of Malay books bequeathed
tic Society by the late Sir W. E. Maxwell.
: of this manuscript was given by me in the Journal of that
1902, pp. 557-566, and a further note (mainly by S. H. Ray)
)ther than the two Sdmang vocabularies) will be found in the
iry 1903, pp. 167-179. The M.S. is partly made up of paper
jark dated 1850, and I conjecture that it was probably acquired
:rak soon after 1S75. At any rate it is rather a curiosity, being
\ the Arabic character, apparently by one or more Malays,^ and
iparative vocabulary of Malay, two S^mang dialects, Madurese,
ct of Amboyna in the Moluccas, and the Makua language of
frica. I came across it in making a rough catalogue of the
for the Royal Asiatic Society, and subsequently, by the courtesy
f-as enabled to keep it for a considerable time with a view to de-
)ying the two Sdmang lists for the purposes of the present work.
g lists are mostly in pencil and rather badly written, but are
laries ; they contain a great many repetitions, Malay loan words,
lunders. Nevertheless they are decidedly a valuable addition
in hand, and are of special interest, as one of them, a ** low
of the " S^mang Paya " of Ulu K^rian agrees on the whole very
e of Begbie's S^mang and juru S^mang (a tjrpe of which no more
;\ists, and which is now probably extinct), while the other, a hill
\ Hukit "), agrees with the ordinary run of Sdmang as represented
f Kt^dah, [arum, etc. This second dialect has also a locality
ipparently the hill in question is called B^rambar or some such
ot identify it on the map. Presumably it is in Northern Perak

do not think (1. B^iumban (lat. 4" 20') can be meant, for that
of the Sakai country, and not likely to have been occupied in

tribe sj^eaking a S^niang dialect.

lists are in the Arabic character and roughly (sometimes illegibly)
literation is occasionally doubtful, esjxjcially as regards the vowel
therefore given a double transliteration, which is explained below,
he reader, if necessary, to reconstruct the original script and form
o whether my rendering of it correctly represents the sound in-
iter.

clay, whoso exploratory journeys in the Peninsula took place in
deserves sj)ecial mention as the first to give us a specimen of a

ve been compiled at have succeeded in communicating his
Logan, who seems to enthusiasm to others.

488 APPENDIX

Fmm ihe map appended to his second paper in the Tijdsckrift tm !m^
Taal- Land- en Volkcnkunde (1876), it is obvious that he ne^ier aw asy SA4
properly so called ; his first journey was confined to Johor and the Ici^i
district of Pahang, where he saw mixed tribes speaking dialects inwhiditiK
number of words of Southern Sakai still survived, but who from his docriflii
were in the main Jakun in physical type ; while in his second expeditioolsB
with no aborigines on his way up the Pahang River till he got near the Kta
border, where the Negrito element is already predominant. This ophiilii
otherwise inexplicable identification of the Sdmang and Sakai as phjaa! tffs.
he liad not .seen the latter pure.

Linguistically he is fairly accurate : his two Pangan dialects are £urirpB
and relatively well rendered. His Ulu Kclantan dialect was probably gilW
near the Aring River, his Ulu Patani one perhaps at Jarum in Rimafw
visited l»y Skcai), or else in Ligeh or Jalor : for, unfortunately, oviog to IJI
preconceived idea that these tribes are indefinitely nomadic, Mikliid»-SUif
does nut s})ecify the localities where he gathered his dialects, though be te
mark on his map the places where he met with aborigines.

It is to his credit that he noticed the common (Indo-Chinese) ekoKBtiU
runs through his Pangan and Johor vocabularies, but he wrongly attribattd 4 »
the strain of Negrito blood which is probably present in the mixed tribes d( At
South of the [^eninsula.

He has the further distinction of having collected the completed xid
undoubtedly genuine non-Malay numerals found in any aboriginal dialect dIAl
Peninsula: they extend to ** seven" in his Ulu Endau dialect, and thoo^jklki
collector modestly queries the Ixst three, there can be no question as tote
sul>stantial correctness. It is to bo regretted that his vocabularies are dl iBj
short. They were in part rej)rinte<l in No. I (1878), pp. 41, 42, 44«dte
Jottrnal of the Straits Asiatic Society, but I have preferred the lists as given i&^
Tijdsihrijt^ etc. (1S76), vol. xxiii. pp. 306-308, 311, 3 1 2, as being fuller n&Ai
containing fewer misprints. Miklucho-Maclay was a Russian, but his onbogniih;
is (jcrman.

Unfortunately the value of a good deal of the material contained inte
Journal of the Straits Asiatic Society is impaired hy misprints. This appfiato
the vocabularies in No. 5 and to Hervey*s vocabulary of the Camphor Tiba
language in No. 3 (1879). pp. 113, 114 (but not so much to his lists of ]i1db
words in No. S (1 88 1), pp. 99, loo, 1 12- 1 17, and of the Camphor TabM
language in No. 9 (18S2), pp. 167, 168). Hervey hinaself is extremely acanft
in rendering the sounds of words, and he consistently employs the RonanMi
Malay orthography, lie is esiiecially good on the Malayan element, «hid ii
such an important factor in the Southern dialects. Ilerx-ey's hitherto unpnbbkd
collections, which he has l^en kind enough to permit me to embody in the Co»
parative Vocabulary, comprise no less than thirteen vocabularies, of ^-aiying kofi.
of which three were collected from the Orang Laut of the Singapore island ^e2ia^
and the rest in the territory of Malacca and the adjoining parts of the Nefi
Sembilan (especially ROmlxiu and Johol, and to the exclusion of Sungai Ujoi|
and Rl^bu, which for some years, from 1875 onwards, were administeKd
separately from the rest of the Ndgri Sembilan, though now reunited to tht
little Confe<Ieration of States). I am also indebted to Her\'ey for a sboit lift
collected by the late A. M. Skinner from coast aborigines near Batu Pahat, Johsr*

The lists given in No. 5 of the Straits Asiatic /otfrtta/ {I S^) were collected
by various j^rsons at the instigation of the Society. They are unfortunately wy
incomplete, and the si>elling is not consistent throughout. The K^n^ring (PcbI|
•* SCmang " (though stated to have been collected Ijy D. D. Daly) is in a partiaBj
French orth<jgraphy (possibly ** sub-edited " in MS. by the Secretary), as appeal
by comparison with the neighbouring ** Perak Stmang " dialect. This last I*
neither collector^ name nor locality assigned to it, but from internal evidence it

LANGUAGE 489

set (with Sdmang admixture) from Northern Perak, and a reference
>n pp. 153, 154 of No. 5 as compared with pp. 46-50 of No. 4 of
takes it probable that it was collected by the late W. £. Maxwell
try at Kuala Kangsar from aborigines who had come down from the

of Kdnddrong in Ulu Perak in connection with the recovery of
children, who had been abducted by Malays. Maxwell observes,
, that in Upper Perak the Sdmangs and Sakais of the plains appear
eing distinct from the men of the mountains, who are described as
;er-looking than the others. The Sdmangs of Ijok ("Ijoh") are
irribed by F. A. (now Sir Frank) Swettenham (who collected words

as being Negritos, and a rough sketch of the head of one of them

description. Linguistically, two of the six dialects, of which
recorded in No. 5 of ihtjaumalf are S^mang (Ijok and Selama),
ikai (Chendariang),* and the remainder Northern Sakai, the two
k showing special S^mang admixture. The original MSS. of the
xrabularies are extant, and were kindly put at my disposal by the
Society. They have served to check the printed record. It is
MS. that the Ulu Selama vocabulary (collected by R. D. Hewett)
id " by Swettenham (then Secretary of the Society), who turned its
ilnglish spelling into the modem " romanised " system,
id be mentioned three hitherto unpublished vocabularies preserved
library of the same Society, and dating from the same period, viz.
80. Like the above mentioned they are on forms issued by the
that time for the purpose of recording dialects. One of them, a
the Sakai dialect of Blanja in Perak, collected by Swettenham, is

last sheet having become detached and lost ; the other is of a
:t, locality unspecified, collected by Daly. As in those early days
Clangor was unexplored, and probably only the districts of Klang
npor had been visited, the dialect in question probably belonged to
wo districts, especially as it resembles B^sisi pretty closely. The
'er, unlike that of the Blanja vocabulary, is the old English spelling
c A list of numerals is given, which except for the first three
ite unique and probably spurious.
MS. contains a list of words of the Central Sakai dialect of the

of the Sungkai and Slim rivers in Southern Perak. The name
r is not recorded, but the list is accurate and compares well with
ialects.
Low, Errington de la Croix, and Brau de Saint- Pol Lias all deal

region, which they \nsiied alx)ut the same time, it will be con-
e them all together and to include also De Morgan, so far as he
e same dialect as the others. All these explorers collected
om Sakais of the Ktrbu valley in Perak. De Morgan, who was
f time and who gives by far the longest list of words, penetrated
he interior of the district. Lias only met the Sakais on the out-
egion, near Lasak in the Plus valley, below Kuala K^rbu, where
irrangement, to meet him in February 1881. He only gives about
, a few phrases, and a fragment of a Sakai song (printed in the
dI. i. of the present work) in his book, P^rak et les Orangs-Sak^s
0-273.

w's vocabulary was printed in the Appendix to Ling Roth's Natives
d British North Borjieo (1896), vol. ii. pp. xlv. xlvi. as the dialect
e Rejang district t>f Borneo. This mistake was detected by S. H.
ted it out in Man (1902), No. 42. There were some errors in it
^ing Roth's book, and it has now been revised with the original

' Or Chanderiang.

490 APPENDIX

MS., kindly lent by Ling Roth for that purpose. Like some of the pna
ones, this MS. is written in pencil on a forni issued by the Straits Biaiuifl
Royal Asiatic Society soon after its formation (about 1878), for the poipt
encouraging the collection of alx>riginal dialects. The form contains spH
115 words (including fifteen numerals), and Low supplied no. He oi
however, to indicate the locality and name of the tribe : hence the mistake,
was made, when, after his death, this vocabulary was found mixed op «i
Uorneo pajxrs.

I^w and Errington de la Croix in January 1S81 went together up the PI
K^rbu rivers, and a comparison of their vocabularies shows condusivelj th
represent the same dialect. De la Croix gathered bis words independau
ap]iarently supplemented them by adding some of Low*s, in which prooes
into a few errors. In 1a)w's manner of writing the letter / the crois a
often separated from the rest of the letter, and consequently De la Croix
for / followeil by a vowel with the mark of length over it ; also Low's fin
like a^': this I take to be the origin of De la Croix*s lanldyUxt laniag^ "b
and /i// for /«/, ** egg." De Morgan (who visited these regions two c
years later) appears to have added some words collected by De la Ooi
own collection : for he also has latiidi^ " tongue,'* but gives it in addition
form h'ntdh, I know of no authority for lanldi or lanldy except thi
collectors, and Low*s rather roughly pencilled manuscript appears to be res]
for this mistake.

De la Cruix has a few words not given by Low, but omits about twcM
that are to l>e found in Low's list. His orthography is French. Hisvoo
and probably also Low\, was collected at Kampong Chabai^, De Mo;
Changkat Chano, both l>eing places in the Kdrbu valley.

De Morgan's other two vocabularies are of the dialects of Smi^
vallc>' to the south of Ulu Kinta and falling just within the Central ^ka
and a Northern Sakai dialect which the collector calls S^mang (*'Sc
collected apparently at Changkat ChSbong (** ChobofS ") in the Sung
valley. This last is to the north of the K^rbu region and the Pins nl
not very far distant, Iwing on the left geographical bank of the Perak rrre
Kual.i Kcncring (which is on the right l)ank of the same). Accordiog
Morj^an the habitat of the S^mangs is bounded on the south by the Pli
thou<^h a detachetl clan of a few families remains in the hills south-west c
Kan^sar : evidently these hills are G. Arang Para and G. Bubu. De H
S^mang is not a true S^mang dialect, but must be classed amongst the ^
Sakai, though the tril)e is probably in the main of Negrito descent

I le further enumerates the Perak Sakais, of whom he has heard, in the
ing order, viz. those of Sungai Kirbu, S. Kinta, S. Ra3ra, S. Kampar,
Malaka, S. Chandciiang, S. Batang Padang, and S. Kidor. And remai
the Kcrlju tril)e is much larger than the next two ; that the K^rbu anc
tril)cs siK^ak the same language ; that the S. Raya and Kampar tribes abo
Mt. Bujanv; Malaka, and that a detached fragment of them exists
mountains south-east of Kuala Kangsar, between the Perak and Kinu
(these mountains are presumably (lunong Kledang and G. Ijau, between Bli
I{)oh), while the S. Ltidor tribes inhabit the upper >*alleys of the Batang
nnd Hidor rivers. I'hen, says he, come the tribes of B£mam and S^lanp
ai this point, I fancy, he is getting beyond the range of hLs own imi
(»bscrvations.

De Mon^an's spelling is l)ased on the French system and is all
elaborate. Unfortunately he does not carry it out with perfect cons
I'^urther, he has made some bad blunders in the rendering of some of his
and his lists contain a large Malayan element. They are, however, veryli
he evidently to<.)k great trouble over them. His method of marid
«,.c«»n«Mqf-.ri cyllalile in *^''<* Sakai words is of considerable value. HissfN

LANGUAGE 491

f Sftkai prose, consisting of translations of a page of his diary, will be found in

Appendix to vol. i. of this work. They are, however, evidently word for

1 translations from the Malay version, and of no great value as evidences for

1 syntax.

De la Croix's vocabulary appeared in an article entitled *' Les Sakaies de

"' in the Revm <P Ethnographic (1882), vol i. pp. 317-341. De Morgan's

lalaries were first published in the Bulletin de la Soci^U normande de

phie (1885), vol. vii. p. 434 seq.y reprinted as Exploratimt de la Presqu'ile

Linguistique (1886). Some further remarks of his on these dialects,

I specimens of words and sentences, are given in V Homme (1885), vol. ii.

(t 578 seq,

Hale's paper in iYit Journal of the Anthropological Institute (1886), vol. xv.
285-301, contains very few words. His vocabulary of the Ulu Kinta dialect
\ deposited in MS. in the library of the Anthropological Institute in London,
; although a search has been made for it, it could not be found.
Of Vaughan-Stevens' linguistic contributions I would merely say that in the
Lte they are fairly plentifiil, but that this collector was no linguist, and his
is so bad that, except where he can be checked by other sources, the
andation of his words remains in much doubt. The meanings he assigned to
I are also often wrong. But his editor Griinwcdel has rendered good service
\htf being the first to make a comparative vocabulary of these dialects. Stevens'
%OfSt fault, from the linguistic point of view (next to his imperfect acquaintance
ytk&k the local vernacular), is his habit of jumbling up information gathered among
,tffiflerent tribes without stating precisely the localities to which each part of it
.'Applies. His linguistic contributions are mainly Sdmang, and will be found in
^he glossary and comparative vocabulary at the end of Part 2 of ** Materialien
wai Kcimtniss der wilden Stamme auf der Halbinsel Malllka," in Veroffent-
Hckungen aus dem Koniglichen Museum fiir Vblkerkunde^ Band iii. Heft 3-4, pp.
145. 190.1

The next authority requiring special mention is Clifford, whose paper on the
Sakai dialects in No. 24 of the Journal of the Straits Asiatic Society (189 1),
pp. 13-29, undoubtedly marks an epoch in the study of these dialects; first,
because it gives us our first specimens of Pahang Sakai, and secondly, because
Clifford was the first to point out the distinction between the Northern and
Central Sakai groups. He also enters into a fairly full account of the charac-
teristics of these dialects, giving sentences in illustration of their syntactical
construction, and a good deal of other valuable information.

The relatively few words contained in this paper have now been supplemented
by eleven vocabularies in MS. (including one collected by the late E. A. Wise),
which Clifford has been good enough to put at my disposal for the purposes of
the present work. Most of these are dialects from Pahang, a few from Perak,
ICelantan, and Trengganu.

Clifford's orthography is carefully explained in the above-mentioned paper,
and follow^s in the main the system of romanised Malay, modified, however, to
suit the phonetic requirements of the Sakai dialects. In some of his earlier MS.
collections, it is true, he has used the old English spelling for certain sounds, and
these and other slight discrepancies have of course been noted where they occur.
But taken as a whole, Clifford's material is of exceptional value, and I understand
that he still has some MS. vocabularies in his possession, which (being packed up
with other books and stored away) he was unable to lend for the purposes of this
work. Among these is the short vocabulary of the S^mang of Sadang referred to
in the above-mentioned article. It is to be hoped that all these will in due course
be published, as their loss would be regrettable.

Lake and Kelsall's collection of Johor Jakun words in No. 26 of the Straits

* The stray words in his other reports have not been collected.

492 APPENDIX

Asiatic Journal {\%f)^)^ pp. 41-56, continues the work of Logan and HcnqB
this part of the Peninsula, and includes a very fiill list of the CunpbcrTb
Language, which amply illustrates the peculiarities of that carious jaipn.

I {xiss over the Malacca words contained in my paper in No. 27 of the ■
Journal, and Skeat*s very full B^sisi vocabulary in No. 29 of the suBcbeoi
these' have all l)cen revised and may be regarded as superseded by the fei
M^intfra, and Jakun material now embodied in the Comparative Voc^nIii}. 11
same applies to Skcai\s linguistic contributions contained in the Sela^Jm
(1897), vol. V. pp. 378-382. To these lists Skeat has added tlietaii
translations of a great numlK:r of the jungle songs of the Besisi not bebepoi
as well as some prose si)ecimcns, proverbs, and some grammatical ootdl^
first noticed the existence of prefixes in this dialect).

The matter published in the Selangor Journal (1895), 'o^ iii. pp.:!;,;
244, 245, was collected by G. C. Bellamy and J. A. G. Campbell in iSSiU
pursuance of official instructions ; it is of some value, though the spelliogiit
erratic. One of the vocabularies (that of the Orang Tanjong of the Ulu L
district) is the only Central Sakai dialect recorded in Sclangor, and probablyi
the farthest southern extension of that subdivision of the Sakai £uiiily.

In No. 33 of the Straits Asiatic Journal (1900), pp. 248-250, Wffli
Skeat give a few wonls used by the Singapore Orang Laut, vho not
Malay only, with a slight residuum of their older dialect occurring in iu

Luering's pa|)er on the dialect of the Ulu Kampar Sakais in Na 3S
s.nme /<>«/■«€// (1901), pp. 91-104, in addition to other \-aluabIe informatk
tains a vocabulary which is much the 1>est specimen in existence of the
Sakai dialects of Perak, being l)Oth full and extremely accurate. U h
l>een supplemented by some valuable communications in MS. on the di
noighlx>uring tril>es.

In No. 38 of the same yi^i/r/id/l 1902), pp. 31-33, Machado gives an
collected from the Jakuns of the interior of Batu Pahat, Johor.

The hmg series of Sdmang and Pangan dialects collected by Skeat d
Cambridge expcflition to the Northern %Slates of the Peninsula in 1899]
forms a large part of the hitherto unpublished material embodied in tl
work. I lis linguistic work in the Negrito region includes sentences,
some grammatical notes, and a number of .Semang songs, some of wlud
also rcconled on the phonograph, the first instance, I believe, of its en
in the collecting of aboriginal songs in the Peninsula. Skeat's woik
further sup])] em en ted, to a limited extent, by some short lists coUeci
Annandale and II. C. Robinson in their sul)sequent expedition.
also furnished a few words of several Sakai dialects of Perak, and of
l^ut dialect of Trang.

From R. Martin I have received two vocabularies in MS., a verys)
Ulu Sc'lania Semang (differing in some particulars from the one in Nc
Straits Asiatic Jounui/^ and in one or two words resembling the type <
Kdrian .Sdmang of the Maxwell MS.), and a somewhat longer one
collected at Ulu Gedang, in the mountains some two days' journey froi
South Perak. These appear also in Martiu'S own work.

The material collected by A. Grubauer and put at my disposal by V
comprises a v(x:abulary of the K€rbu dialect, use^l for checking the otbe
in that district, one from the ncigh])ourhood of Tapah, and another, col
subsequent visit to the Peninsula in 1902, near Kuala Kfnt^ring.

The spelling of Martin and Grubauer is German and suffers from
incapacity to distinguish between voiced and unvoiced sounds, but is
good, and their material is fairly copious.

To C. 13. Howen of Kuala Kubu I am indebted for a few words ool
Rasa in Ulu Sclangor; it is the only specimen on record of a diaJec
^'^rfh^T" iwrt of »hc State o^ *^elangor, and as it ''iffr's entireW from thi

LANGUAGE 493

iirther investigation in this region would seem to be well

10 means least, a fine collection of words and phrases in four or
; of Pahang was forwarded to me by F. Emeric (then stationed
vhen the Comparative Vocabulary was already set up in type (as
le case with Bowen's words and Martin's vocabularies). As fer
additional material has been embodied in the vocabulary, the
much enhanced thereby.

Hectors whose materials I have used in this work I would here
obligations. I know from personal experience something of the
ust have encountered in making their records ; and while I find
intain a critical attitude with regard to parts of their work, I
g like disparagement of it, for not only do I realise how many
V much trouble it has involved, but I find, on a comparison of
that the discrepancies between them are in the main due to real
; between the different aboriginal dialects, not to inaccuracies on
^Hectors. I may add that the somewhat carping attitude which
lorers have thought fit to assume towards their predecessors and
to me regrettable and unjustified.

y not be without value to point out in what respects the materials
deficient ; it may guide future collectors in making good the
the first place, there is a good deal of uncertainty as to the
iciation of the aboriginal words, because collectors often omit to
r orthography. If they would only say, e.g, , au = English " ow "
nglish ** i " in ** I," and so on, using the commonest English
Is, it would be far better than nothing at all. Secondly, there is
;o whether the meaning of the words is correctly given ; this is
€ when the aboriginal dialect has been collected through the
y and some of the Malay words used have a double meaning,
a lamentable lack of sentences, the necessary material for the
imar of these dialects.

e remarks have a general application, but must of course be
irds particular collectors. A reference to the Comparative
how how carefully some collectors have recorded their words,
le area covered by the vocabulary, some districts are very well
rs scantily, some not at all. The State of Perak is most strongly
mg, Kfclah, and Southern Selangor perhaps next, then Malacca
Negri .Scmbilan. As for the States (other than K^dah) under
r, the dialects collected there were to a great extent recorded by
id no doubt much remains to be done. In Chaiya and Patalung,
ire known to exist, no record of their dialects has ever been
lern Sclan^or there is a great gap, and there are blanks over a
ang and half the Negri Sembilan. I doubt if much remains to
Malacca or Johor, where the al)original dialects are on their

strongly urge every one, in any part of the Peninsula, who has
if collecting a few words of an aboriginal dialect, to do so at
:e a careful note of the locality and, if possible, the tril)al name
acteristics of the aborigines sjieaking the dialect, and above all
e has recorded published without delay, however imperfect they
\ care to dislini;uish with a quei-y anything that seems doubtful.
I been uniformly followed during the last thirty years, we should
1 more about these matters than we do at present, for there can
much valuable material has been lost for ever by being left in
the intention of getting it completed and published at some
h never arrived.

494 APPENDIX

NOTE ON THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE COMPARATI
VOCABULARY.

The system on which the vocabulary has been arranged is as foOo
attempt has been made to classify the native words in accordance \
apparent relationshi]>s.^ Each separate paragraph so formed bast
arranged under English key- words, which latter are printed in the t
known as Clarendon. These key-words alone are in strict alphabeti
and for the rest, where the alphabetical order has been departed fin
references are given by adding the letter and number of the panjc
referred to. The numbering begins again with each letter of the alpl
the arrangement of the {paragraphs the dialects, as far as consisteo:
above principles, run (as a rule) in the order Semang, Sakai, Jab
with Malayan and Malay forms.

In view of the diversity of the materials drawn upon, it was n
indicate in the case of every word the source from which it was derit
this purpose the name of the source, in an abbreviated form, was pot
word. A list of these abbreviations is given below.

\Mien a phrase occurs (of which only one word of course is expb
paragraph in which it is placed) a cross-reference, by letter and i
been given to the place or places where the rest of the phrase is ez[
cases where this appeared to be necessary.

With regard to the use of the vocabulary as an authority, wM
has been said above as to the respective weight to be attached ti
sources, it need only be pointed out that words attested by one sooi
for the present be regarded as doubtful, while those which are
several distinct authorities can be received with a higher degree c
By means of this criterion it will generally be possible to form a cor
as to whether a word can be considered as properly authenticated ;
together of the work of many collectors tends to eliminate tb
idiosyncrasies, and the Comparative Vocabulary so formed is thi
greater value than each and all of the several sources from whid
compiled.

In its compilation the pre-existing Comparative Vocabularies o
and Schmidt ' have of course been of much assistance, but referee
been made to the original authorities from which they drew. Tb
have been reproduced in their own original spelling,^ but inasn
systems of orthography differ considerably and no reader could b
remember them all, the standard orthography adopted in the Unguis
present work has been added wherever it differs substantially froi

' The arrangement is, of course, in McU&ka (1894), pt. iL pi

many cases merely tentative and ' Sprachett der Sethti u.

necessarily, in the im])erfect state of our Malacca undihr Verkaiifi

knowledge of these dialects, provisional Khmer Spracken (1901),

only. In some instances paragraphs * The only exceptii

have been recast while passing through following : for Logan's

the press ; but to this procee<ling there ('), by which he indica

are obvious limitations. No doubt in vowel, the sign of iengtl

many cases future research will throw substituted. Emeric's $

new light on the subject and amend the sound of "ought

the present classification. rendered by d, and (in

2 Materialien zur fCcnn/niss eUr only) his / (explained as

IVilden Stdmme auf der Halbinsel **her")byb^

LANGUAGE 495

In that case the standard spelling is put first, followed by the
:ets,* In cases of doubt a mark of interrogation is added,
characters of the Maxwell MS. have been transcribed as follows
nciation being, as in the case of the other authorities, prefixed
I: — d—fatkah^ a = ali/, d — alif-\-fathah\ t^kesrah^ i=ya^ f=
^dlammah, u = waUy u — wau-{-dIamniah; e = sl hooked vowel

line, F=ya with this mark under it ; o = a similar mark (turned
ibove the line ; d = a/^with this mark over it ; fly=the 15th letter
Uphabet ; /i = /ia (the 6th); k — kof (the 21st); r=ghain (the
(the 1 8th) ; ' = kamzah ; ch — cha ; g=ga ; ng^nga ; fi=znya
letters appear in the Malay alphabet, but not in the Arabic). ITie
uire no explanation, but it may be observed that dots are often
Vlalay who wrote down the words, so that ' appears for nga^ kaf
I for cha (and perhaps final wau for kof),

> within square brackets are those of the compiler, while words
nd brackets are part of the original ; but the scientific names of
e been added by the compiler, mainly on the authority of
)f Malay Plant Names." 2
.vords which in many cases are added to the English equivalents

the sake of precision, as the aboriginal words were of course
h the medium of Malay. Moreover, in the case of the two dialects

MS. and a great part of Clifford's and Emeric's contributions
valents were given at all in the original MS.
r hand, the Malay words which appear in square brackets at the
ragraphs have been added by the compiler, and, like the other
\ a similar position, are intended to suggest the etymology of the
; or are given as probable cognates. A list of the languages and
ave been referred to for this purpose will be found below.

)N OF THE ABBREVIATED NAMES OF THE
ILS RELATING TO THE DIALECTS OF THE
NAL TRIBES OF THE PENINSULA EMBODIED IN
^PARATIVE VOCABULARY.

Laut (** men of the sea ") of Singkep, Lingga Archipelago (south
e), I. o" 40' S. X 140" 30'.^ — Hervey MS.

observed that Skeat dialects to be fixed approximately and

two spellings, putting to avoid error arising from the exist-

hich is intended to ence, in some cases, of two places

pronunciation more bearing the same name. Those marked

Lckets preceded by th