Seventeen years among the Sea Dyaks of Borneo; a ... - Sabrizain.org

"MANANG," OR WITCH-DOCTOR 169
names of the principal Pelian. If a patient fail to recover
after one kind of ceremony, the manangs often recommend
another and more expensive one.
1. Betepas (" sweeping ") : At the time of the birth of
each individual, a plant is supposed to grow up in the
other world. If this plant continues to grow well, then
the man enjoys good and robust health ; if it droops, the
man's health suffers. When a man, therefore, has bad
dreams or feels slightly unwell for a few days, his plant
in Hades is said to be in a bad condition, and the manang
is called to weed and sweep around it, and by doing so
improve the condition of the plant, and consequently
the health of the man. This is the first and cheapest
function of the manang. In this he does not " catch the
soul," as is done in the other ceremonies. All he does
is to mutter some incantation and wave a fowl over the
person.
2. Berenchah (" making an assault ") : The
door be-
tween the private room and the public veranda is thrown
open, and the manangs march backwards and forwards
between room and veranda. Each manang carries two
swords, one in each hand, and he beats these against each
other, and they rush at the patient as if to attack him.
This is supposed to be making an assault against the evil
spirits and scattering them on all sides.
3. Berua ("swinging"): A swing is hung up outside
the door of the sick person's room. The manang sits
in this swing, with the double object of catching the
man's soul, if it leave his body, and also of frightening
any evil spirit that may come near to hurt the
man.
4. Betanam pentik (" planting a pentik ") : A
pentik
is a roughly carved wooden representation of a man.