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ii HAIR-CUTTING AND THE LIKE 45
of his body continues to exist even after the physical
connection has been severed, and that therefore he
will suffer from any harm that may befall the severed
parts of his body, such as the clippings of his hair or
the parings of his nails. Accordingly he takes care
that those severed portions of himself shall not be left
in places where they might either be exposed to
accidental injury, or fall into the hands of malicious
persons who might work magic on them to his
detriment or death." x
Thus we invariably find clippings of the victim's hair
mentioned (together with parings of his nails, etc.) as
forming part of the ingredients of the well-known wax
image or mannikin into which pins are stuck, and which
is still believed by all Malays to be a most effective
2
method of causing the illness or death of an enemy. I
was once present at the curious ceremony of cutting
the hair of a Malay bride, which had all the character-
istics of a religious rite, but the detailed account of
it will be reserved for a later chapter. 3
The same difficulties and dangers which beset the
first cutting of the hair apply, though perhaps in a less
degree, to the first paring of the nails (bertobafc],
the bor-
ing of the ears of girls (bertindek telinga), and the filing
of the teeth (berasah gigt] of either sex whether at puberty
or marriage. One or more of the nails are frequently
worn long by Malays of standing, and the women who
engage in "nautch" dancing and theatrical performances
invariably wear a complete set of artificial
nails (changgei). These latter are usually of brass,
are often several inches in length, and are made so
1
Frazer, op. cit. vol.
8
i.
p. 193.
Vide infra, Chap. VI. pp. 353-
2 Vide infra, Chap. VI. p. 569, 355, Adolescence.
se.) etc.