Journal of the Federated Malay States museums - Sabrizain.org

II
igi5.] I. H. N. Evans: Sakai of the Ulu Snngkai. 97
any claim on you for damage to his goat he is to come and
see me about it." Yok Patahng went off at once and gave the
Malay my message, whereupon the latter immediately changed
his tone and said that he had only been joking and that Yok
Pataling did not owe him anything, at the same time upbraiding
him very bitterly for having gone and informed the
"Tuan." To this Yok Pataling replied "I swear by the sun
that I did not tell the "Tuan," and if I lie, may the sun
shrivel up my tongue."
Birth Customs.
My informants with regard to birth customs were two
Jeram Kawan Sakai- The information obtained from them is
given below.
The expectant mother is isolated in a small hut of leaves
built on the ground not far from her own house, it being tabu
for a birth to take place in an ordinary dwelling. Here she is
attended by the midwife, and after the child has been born she
goes through a three days purification ceremony in the hut,
bathing under a decorated bamboo spout into which water is
poured from a long water bamboo. When the purification is
over the mother returns to her own house and the midwife
ceases attendance. No fish or chilies may be eaten by a
woman for two months "after she has given birth to a child,
and salt and the cabbages of all palm trees which have thorny
stems are forbidden for several days. The midwife must be
present and eat with a woman when she takes fish or flesh with
her rice (makan berlauk) for the first time after her delivery.
A similar heating treatment to that employed by the Malays,
is undergone by Sakai women after their confinement.
HALAK'S PERFORMANCE AT UNGKUN.*
While stopping at Jeram Kawan I arranged with Jehaia,
the headman of the down-stream settlement, Ungkun, to hold
a magical performance on the night of May 26th. I left Jeram
Kawan by boat at about 3 p.m. and arrived at Jahaia's
kampong, where I was to sleep that night, some time before
dark. Here I found the women busy cutting up and plaiting
leaves which were to form the ceremonial decorations and
getting ready the bamboo stampers with which an accompaniment
is played to the Hnlak's chants. Jahaia was becomingly
modest and said that he would do his best though he could not
claim to be a proper Halak, and only knew how to perform a
little. Some time after dark the sound of the bamboo
stampers from a neighbouring house announced that the
performance was about to begin. Making my way to this,
and up the tall ladder, I found the hut crowded by the
inhabitants of the whole settlement, who were engaged in
chattering, sireh chewing, and slapping their bodies in order to
* See photo PI. XXVIIl taken outside the house on the morning after the
performance.